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

[Litespeed]

Most automatics will unlock the torque converters in overdrive when there is a load on them before making the decision to downshift to 3rd.  The slipping of the converter (which it's meant to do) over long periods of time is mostly what heats the fluid.  If you are going to tow with an automatic, get the best tranny cooler you can find and add a temp gauge.  Heat is pretty much the only thing that is going to hurt a modern tranny...

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

 Heat is pretty much the only thing that is going to hurt a modern tranny...

Actually letting me have an automatic is teh same as writing its own death sentance. ;D I have very bad luck with automatics for some reason. ;D

[LSTD]

Wait sec gentlemen... automatics always have a higher towing capacity than manual trannys... just look in the owners manual of any truck.  A person may prefer a manual for one reason or another, but autos towing capacity is higher.

If anybody is having problems towing with their automatic, it seems that they're either towing too much weight or something is wrong with their tranny.  Not knockin' anybody... just saying.  ;)

That being said, we have a 20 ft. long - 7 ft. wide - 7 ft. high CargoCraft.  It holds all our gear, 2nd set of wheels, 4 motorcycles and a pit bit + wheel stands, generator, etc, etc...  We tow it with a GMC Sierra 1500HD... 6.0 ltr. automatic.

Yes, a manual would work, but talk about a pain in the ass, IMO.  Having to watch the tach, modulate the gas/clutch sounds like a pain... especially on an incline.  I don't use OD, and leave it in 3rd gear.  Cruising down the road at 2800-ish RPMs keeps me between 70 and 75 mph... it never has to shift.

If anyone is having problems with their auto, I think it's either pulling too much and/or their motor is underpowered and it's simply having to downshift to keep the rpms in the power... just like an auto would have to do.  Meaning, if anybody doesn't like the shifting, it's more of an underpowered engine issue.

Anyway, if you have an auto, keep the fluid changed and if you have a decent load, try running it in 3rd.  I could be spoiled though... GM trannies are historically very durable.  My $.02

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

Wait sec gentlemen... automatics always have a higher towing capacity than manual trannys... just look in the owners manual of any truck.  

I did. Manual is higher than the auto. ;D

[Super Dave]

That's 'cause you got one of those little tiny trucks.... ;D

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

That's 'cause you got one of those little tiny trucks.... ;D

Well it still pulls as much as a full size Chubby. ;D ;D

And thats with the 'small' motor.:D:D Imagine what the V8 version can pull. ;D ;D

[Super Dave]

Diesel....  Got to have diesel...  Who cares about HP...  TORQUE!

[LSTD]

I did. Manual is higher than the auto. ;D

Ok... ok... what kind of truck do YOU have.  :D

[RC51Racer]

Diesel....  Got to have diesel...  Who cares about HP...  TORQUE![/quote

Diesel is the way to go, and I like my 6 speed.  ;D

[Dawn]

Diesel....  Got to have diesel...  Who cares about HP...  TORQUE!

I like my diesel....  

.... the more I beat it, the better it runs.  (I wonder if that would work on my husband  ??? :o ;D)

Dawn   :)

[RC51Racer]

I like my diesel....  

.... the more I beat it, the better it runs.  (I wonder if that would work on my husband  ??? :o ;D)

Dawn   :)

That's what Pauls tell us all the time (that you beat him).

Mike

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

Ok... ok... what kind of truck do YOU have.  :D

Dakota.

[LSTD]

Dakota.

Oh, it's a Dodge... that explains why you went with the manual.  ;D ;)

[Super Dave]

LOL! ;D

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

Oh, it's a Dodge... that explains why you went with the manual.  ;D ;)

Exactly. ;D ;D


But then again, I prefer to actually DRIVE the truck instead of riding in the truck. Trucks are work vehicles, not meant to be luxurious. :D There shouldnt be automatics, leather, power sliding sunroofs, power seats with heaters and GPS (if you cant read a paper map, take teh bus ;D)

One thing I got a good laugh working at GEneva Vans was some joker brought his F150 standard cab in to have a power sliding rear window put in. Can we say LAZY? ;D I understand with extended cab or crew cab having a power slider since you cant reach it, but a guy who was more than able to reach next to him and SLIDE teh window open, well lazy.

[LSTD]

I'll always love my leather and power options, but a power sliding rear window on a single cab?  Nice.   ::)

On that note, how about the guys who put ground effects on their 4X4's.  :-/

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

Yep LSTD, theres a few of those ground effect's on 4X4's up here too. Then again, I used to fit the kits for Suburbans grand effects at Geneva also.




BTW saw something very sad while looking at new Jeep Wranglers. A Wrangler for $30 F-ING THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!! >:( >:( >:( >:( Why? Base ones are up to $18K. $18K for a 4cyl soft top Wrangler with no AC, no rear seat and steel wheels? >:(