Question about towing trailers.

[Steviebee]

Well i finnlay got a trailer !!  
6x12 Pace Journey with a rear ramp door.

I've never really towed anything before and got some questions.

So i get halfway home and notice that i forgot to turnoff overdirve. Then i started to wonder? If my truck isnt struggling to pull it , its not shifting out of overdirve, do i need to turn off OD ??

I've got a 4x4 ranger with the 210hp 4.0 L Auto (I guess with a towing package cause its got the extra tranny cooler)

Will i toast my trans if i dont turn off OD ???

Anyone with a small truck and puling a 6x12 care to chime in ?

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

I have the same trailer (double rear doors though and in the proper color, BLACK ;D). I tow with a 3.9L 2wd Dakota. Bigger than the ranger and much more torque, but similar idea. Leaving O/D on for the amount of time I suspect you left it on shouldnt be a problem. It will fry the tranny if you use overdrive all the time towing a large weight (empty trailer shouldnt be a problem though, but still wouldnt do it). Is the extra oil cooler OEM? Where is the extra cooler at? If its OEM, I would recommend getting a B&M or another aftermarket cooler (good size one) since it works better than OEM's. You could also mount a motorcycel radiator fan on it to cool it even more.

BTW I dont have a tranny cooler on my truck. Then again, I dont buy automatics.;D;D;D

[sdiver68]

The enemy of tranmissions is heat.  Excessive heat is caused by constant shifting. If it truly isn't shifting in and out, then O/D is fine.  If it is, lock O/D out.

You prolly want to get a tranny cooler on it.

[Steviebee]

It has the extra tranny cooler.   Not one that uses the radiator.  

Yea they only had white !!   Black would have been nice cause i got a black truck .   Bummer

I didnt know you could tow anything with a standard !!  joust.  The towing capacity for my truck is 5800 with the auto and 3800 with the stick.

I was thinking of putting a trans temp gage in (oh how i love gages) and see what it does.

[Nate R]

What about a bike in the bed? If I just have the bike in a Tacoma bed, do I even need to worry at all about turning off the O/D?

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

I didnt know you could tow anything with a standard !!  joust.  The towing capacity for my truck is 5800 with the auto and 3800 with the stick.

Tow rate for mine is 6500. Auto is only 5800. Towing with a stick is better. Only thing that would give is the clutch and thats a WHOLE lot cheaper to fix than an auto when it fries. ;D Acutally with a HD clutch ina 4.0 Ranger, it will handle the same load as the auto. Ford likes to put cheapo clutches in their trucks for some odd reason. Mine is the same as the V8's clutch.

[r6_philly]

I second that stick is better for towing IMHO

My cute lil suv (98 Isuzu Amigo) can tow 4,500 pounds. I tow a 6x12 with 3 bikes with ease. The auto can't tow as much, and have to deal with tranny issue.

Only thing I dont like is to get stuck on I-95 where I have to shift 20 times a minute for hours.

Its probably easier on gas with a stick too, not to mention better to drive through the hilly areas....

oh and it is fun :D

[Steviebee]

do you guys tow in 5th gear with the stick ??

[r6_philly]

do you guys tow in 5th gear with the stick ??

Without the trailer I would get in 5th gear at around 40mph, the little truck has much power and torque that you can practically start in 3rd gear.

with the trailer though, I only get in 4th after I get up to speed. But I rarely have to downshift to 4th, unless it is a deep incline. Like going up to Pocono, I would go 70-75 on flat ground, and gradually go down to 60-55 if I stay in 5th, thats when I go down to 4th and keep at 65...

I tow my trailer with my friend's Durango sometimes, and I must say I rather tow it with mine, automatic just feels clunky, especially when it can't decide what gear to stay in going up inclines

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

What about a bike in the bed? If I just have the bike in a Tacoma bed, do I even need to worry at all about turning off the O/D?

     When you have the weight in the bed of the truck your simply adding to the total weight of your vehicle, like having 3 extra people in your vehicle. The main difference (vehicle power wise) between adding the weight in people sitting inside your vehicle and having a bike in the bed is the added wind resistance of the bike sticking over the top of the cab (which can slightly affect gas milage - especially with a smaller engine). Unless your engine is really weak, the added weight and wind resistance of the bike in the bed of the truck should not be enough of a reason to not use overdrive and should not be a consideration as far as the transmission is concerned.
     There are several differences with pulling a trailer containing your bike as compared to putting the bike in the bed of your truck. The added weight of the trailer is a consideration as is the added wind resistance of an enclosed trailer. Another factor is the added resistance of each of the tires and wheel bearings on the trailer. The combination of these 3 things present while towing will cause your tow vehicle to work harder than just adding that much weight to your vehicle.
     Many of the lighter vehicles are able to safely tow trailers with decent size loads as long as overdrive is not used. Automatic vehicle transmissions generally have a planetary gear system which is used for overdrive. These gears are generally not built for higher loads and are often times the failure point in overdrive transmissions. There is a difference between a vehicle being rated for a certain weight and that vehicle being able to tow that weight efficiently. The closer you get to the rated tow capacity of your vehicle generally the harder the vehicle is going to be working and you will notice a definate loss in power to accelerate and drop in gas mileage. I am of the thought that I would much rather have too much power than just enough to get by. I have progressed from a 1/2 Ton Yukon with a 350, to a 3/4 Ton Suburban with a 454, to a 3/4 Ton Ford Crewcab pick-up with a big-block Turbo Diesel currently. Though my current truck is rated for towing almost twice the weight of my trailer, I can tow with it in overdrive, get better fuel mileage than either of my previous tow vehicles, and the powertrain is not having to work near it's rated limit (therefore most likely lasting much longer).

[Super Dave]

With the OD off, you'll be spinning the motor and the trans a bit more.  That will keep everything circulating a bit more.  And often that is the key, keeping up the circulation of coolant (trans fluid and engine coolant, oil, etc)

And like Mike said, the wind resistance is the big thing with the trailer.  

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

do you guys tow in 5th gear with the stick ??

Hell I dont go into 5th until 90 or so.  ;D Sometimes I leave it in 4th to play with Silverados up to 99 and then wave bye bye to them. ;D