Towing Weight And Overdrive Question ??

[ZIGGY454]

I KNOW I KNOW !!!!!!!! This question has been pretty much disscussed in every manner possible !! But mine has a little twist, I recently pulled my sleds up to Maine this past weekend and DID NOT USE OVERDRIVE, But I am really uncomfortable and disslike the fact that I have to WINE THE ENGINE to 3 GRAND (rpm) FOR (4 ) to (5) HOURS TO MAINTAIN 65 MPH !!! So my question is, my two sleds with the trailer and assorted luggage and tools all together weigh no more than 2000 Lbs. !!!! And I am being generous with this guesstomet of the total weight !!! Being that this towing weight is about 1/4 of the rated towing capacity the Tundra is rated for, I feel that the Transmission " should be able to tow this weight in Overdrive without any problems ??????

So Guy's; I am trying to get some feedback and personel opinions of their towing experiencesand how they feel about my above question !!!!!!!! Again I feel that Towing only about 1/4 of the trucks rated Towing Capacity, the Tudra's Drivtrain should be able to handle this additional load " IN OVERDRIVE !!!!!! " *** There is nothing worse than being passed by every DAM Truck Pulling the same weights and in most cases, even more weight than I am pulling AND BLOWING BY ME LIKE I AM STANDING STILL, DOING ABOUT 80 MPH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are either winding out their engines to about 3500 RPM and dont care, But most are likely " TOWING IN OVERDRIVE AND CAN WITH NO ISSUES !!!!! "


Please Guy's , all responsed are very welcome and I am hoping that there are some fellow TS Members out there that share my Concerns and Theory !!!

[xedge]

I tow an enclosed aluminum 2 place sled trailer with my 04 DC & use OD. I haven't noticed the wine or where the engine revs out, but boy do I see the gas gauge go down It's a combo of secondary roads and interstate too. Next time I'm out, I will turn the tunes down and listen. I'm interested in what gets posted too.

[H2O_MAN]

Don't worry about the rev's, it's not going to hurt anything except gas mileage.

I tow 3000 pounds of trailer/load combo and haul 2000 pounds in the bed with the OD turned off (locked in 3rd).
This 150 mile round trip takes me thru the hills of northeast GA.
My speeds sometimes exceed 70 mph on Hwy 400 and again on 316.
I do this once or twice a month - no problems.

[KLS]

If you drive in OD at a constant speed, do your rpms remain constant, or they frequently shifting up or down a couple of hundred rpm? This would indicate that the transmission is frequently unlocking and locking the torque converter. Driving with the tc unlocked causes the transmission to run hotter than usual.

Try both ways. See what feels right. Towing 2000# is quite different from 5k or 6k.


Ken

[ricqik]

I tow about 3k and I always leave my od on, except when I'm going up a hill that requires 3rd or passing in a hurry. To me, so long as I can keep steady without the tc unlocking in 4th, it's fine to leave the od on.

[ZIGGY454]

This is what I thought too !!! I am just a little paronoid because not only do several posts on this awesome site of knowledge tell you to "TOW ONLY WITH THE OVERDRIVE OFF !!!! " It also states in the manual that this is the correct procedure !!! Back to my paranoia story, In my old GM truck (1997) 4L60E ( in which I do know there were some redesign issues years 97 & 98 this is why they came out with the 4L65E, supposidly this proplem with the TCC Clutch and Valvbody problems were fixed !!!! ) But I did puff my trannie in which I truly believe that was due to doing the exact trips I am doing now !!!! To be truthfull every manufactuer is telling the consumer to " TOW WITH OVERDRIVE OFF !!!! " Well I cannot stand driving down the highway doing 60 to 65 MPH when I know I can pull my sleds at 80 MPH NFP !!!!!! ( NO FING PROBLEM ) So again; I am trying to tap this awesome sites wellfull pool of very informed and knowlegable members and their personel experiences to guide my decsion to try this gig in " OD " all the way !!!!!! I do know that I run over several pretty steep hills, and yes Ken she does not want to downshift that easily, and I do know once I lose LOCKUP OF THE CONVERTER THE TRANS WILL REALLY PRODUCE HEAT AND I WILL BE IN TROUBLE !!! SO NATURALLY I WILL TURN THE OVERDRIVE OFF OR LET UP ON THE THROTTLE AT THAT POINT.

*** WHICH BRINGS UP MY NEXT POINT, I REALLY THINK I AM GOING TO INSTALL A TRANS TEMP GAUGE ( * TEE IT OFF THE ALREADY INSTALLED IDIOT SENSOR ) AND THEREFORE KNOW WHEN SHE IS CREATING HEAT AND BE ABLE TO MAKE CORECTIONS AT THAT POINT !!!! ***

PS; ONE WAY FOR ME TO MAINE IS ABOUT 250 MILES, REALLY SUCKS BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE MILES IS HIGHWAY CRUSING THAT I DO KNOW I COULD MAINTAIN AT LEAST 80 MPH. HILLS AND ALL !!!!!!!!!

SO ALL IN ALL GUY'S; KEEP THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES COMING AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK !!!! (OD) or NO (OD) ?????

[mike.elmes]

I tow a 2000 lb boat and always tow with OD off. On extended flat and or downhill grades I sometimes push the OD button. I have seen and heard of many tranny problems associated with towing in OD. The I Force V8 is under NO stress at 3k rpm. It's just the gas mileage that blows. I am following the book on this one ....Tow in drive.....use OD sparingly.


mike

[stcj]

Ziggy454, I was thinking the same thing. Just last night I was surfin' this site for this type of info and tonight I find a local guy with the same concerns. I also tow an enclosed sled trailer to NH and ME. Admittedly last season, I towed with OD on all season long. I also drive 70-80mph. Only on steep hills or when passing did the tranny shift to a lower gear.
Just last week I towed to NH with the OD off . Wow, 65mph is slow . I like the idea of getting a trans temp gauge. I think I will do the same thing. Hey Ziggy454, did you go to Moosehead lake? What sled are you ridin'. Check my pics.

[gonzo59]

I tow a 3900 lbs. boat and trailer, i tow in overdrive as long as i can maintain the speed i want to drive without making the motor bogg down.

[RockLobster]

Towing with the overdrive off is sorta a foolproof way to tow. They put it in the manual to do so all the time because it protects them from lawsuits from stupid people.

The key is to pay close attention to the rpms. If they fluctuate slightly when the overdrive is on and you are towing then the torque converter is locking and unlocking and you should turn the OD off but if they stay smooth and steady then only turn the OD off on hill climbs or in heavy traffic. It certainly wont hurt the truck in any way to leave the OD off all the time while towing but it also wont hurt it as long as the torque converter is not locking and unlocking.

The biger change in RPMs when the OD is on is the truck downshifting this is definetly a sign you should turn the OD off.

I would make a guess that roughly up to 3000lbs on a flat straight grade you could tow with the OD on no problem but more than that I would just leave it off so you dont have to worry about it. I tow my suzuki samurai that weighs roughly 2500 soaking wet and covered with mud (and with all the aftermarket equipment) that with 500lbs of parts, tools, and gear in the bed i find much of the time I have no problems running with OD on. But it certainly depends on the terrain.

[Wstar425]

I pull a two horse trailer, 5000# plus loaded. I pull it in overdrive all the time with no problems. As has probably been mentioned before, a few things to consider.
Your rpms should not be bouncing all over the place, causes excess heat and bad for the tranny. If I use cruise that happens more than if I use the pedal, but with the horses I don't like to shake them up anymore than I have to, so I usually just feather the gas over the hills. If I'm on a long flat stretch and need to give my foot a break I might put on the cruise for a bit but usually don't like watching the rpms jump around.
Granted, it is not real hilly here in Northern Wisconsin, and no mountains. My suggestion would be to lock out OD at slower speeds and in the hills, but at higher speeds (80?) I would for sure be in cruise and then just lock it out at the bottom of a hill or anytime it started to hunt. I thought my manual said it was ok to use OD to tow, will have to go reread that, but using it anyway.

I did go on a long trip with the horses, with someone else driving my truck part of the time. They (my Dad) refused to us OD even though I told him to, running at 70 plus and my fuel milage was around 9-10, normally around 14, but not running that fast. It was a situation where it was easier to just let him do what he wanted than to get in a big argument, but I didn't like the sound of the engine running at such high rpms. Not really worried about it hurting anything, just keep hearing dollar bills going out the tailpipe.

Basically, if you can pull whatever it is your pulling, in the terrain, without the rpms constantly jumping around, you should be fine in OD.

Happy Hauling!

[stcj]

I use cruise all the time. The tranny shifts on most types of incline changes, even without a trailer. This is why I don't use cruise while towing a trailer. It just feels like abuse to the truck when it makes it's gear changes(more like gear hunting).

[HotRod8]

This from the 2003 owner's manual.........

"In order to maintain engine braking efficiency, do not use fifth gear (manual transmission) or overdrive (automatic transmission)."

I have always towed with overdrive off, more for fear of cooking the tranny rather than to "maintain engine braking efficiency". I use cruise all the time. With overdrive off, it hardly ever downshifts (to 2nd) at highway speeds; mind you where I pull my trailers it is not overly hilly.

Rod

[ZIGGY454]

Thanks for all of the GREAT PERSONAL RESPONSES GUY'S !!! This is pretty much as I thought I could tow. I was just very gun shy if you will, due to the fact that I did " PUFF MY OLD TRUCK'S TRANNY !!! " So again Guy's; " KEEP ON TOWING WITH THE PETAL TO THE METAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks again guy's for all of the great and informative reponses !!!

ZIGGY 454

[kanaka]

Originally Posted by ZIGGY454

I KNOW I KNOW !!!!!!!! This question has been pretty much disscussed in every manner possible !! But mine has a little twist, I recently pulled my sleds up to Maine this past weekend and DID NOT USE OVERDRIVE, But I am really uncomfortable and disslike the fact that I have to WINE THE ENGINE to 3 GRAND (rpm) FOR (4 ) to (5) HOURS TO MAINTAIN 65 MPH !!! So my question is, my two sleds with the trailer and assorted luggage and tools all together weigh no more than 2000 Lbs. !!!! And I am being generous with this guesstomet of the total weight !!! Being that this towing weight is about 1/4 of the rated towing capacity the Tundra is rated for, I feel that the Transmission " should be able to tow this weight in Overdrive without any problems ??????

So Guy's; I am trying to get some feedback and personel opinions of their towing experiencesand how they feel about my above question !!!!!!!! Again I feel that Towing only about 1/4 of the trucks rated Towing Capacity, the Tudra's Drivtrain should be able to handle this additional load " IN OVERDRIVE !!!!!! " *** There is nothing worse than being passed by every DAM Truck Pulling the same weights and in most cases, even more weight than I am pulling AND BLOWING BY ME LIKE I AM STANDING STILL, DOING ABOUT 80 MPH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are either winding out their engines to about 3500 RPM and dont care, But most are likely " TOWING IN OVERDRIVE AND CAN WITH NO ISSUES !!!!! "


Please Guy's , all responsed are very welcome and I am hoping that there are some fellow TS Members out there that share my Concerns and Theory !!!

I tow a Glacier Bay catamaran (weight 9000 lbs )about 30 miles round trip four times a month for the last 3 years. The truck has 108,000 miles on it and is a 2000 lim. 4x4.
I run between 45 and 55 miles and hour which is responsiably safe. Towing above that speed is crazy, you lose your rig at any time even at slower speeds and you have a killing machine behind you to the side, anything can happen. I tow with the overdrive always, never noticed any "whine" in the engine. Truck is the strongest ever owned!