1st real towing experience

kurtdb1 · 03-23-2004, 03:53 PM

Went to a local desert race this weekend and towed my pace american journey trailer (7x14) with full gear, food, water and moto with no problems. 3-1/2 hours each way and was able to do between 65-80 mph...i little vague sometimes shifting....i am a little leary at running at 4500 rpm (3rd gear) for any extended periods of time..but i did push it a little....seemed to do very well and in fact did better than I expected. I realize redline is in the 7000 rpm range (not in my truck to see what tach states), but that seems way high to me for a V8. I did not run overdrive at all and in fact kept in in 4th the whole time.....did not use tow mode because the manual says that is for heavy tow loads (i am at only about 3000 lbs max....see avatar). although the tow mode may have helped keep the tranny from up shifting back to 4th too early....i still have some experimenting to do but otherwise very pleased.

karlconnell · 03-23-2004, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurtdb1

Went to a local desert race this weekend and towed my pace american journey trailer (7x14) with full gear, food, water and moto with no problems. 3-1/2 hours each way and was able to do between 65-80 mph...i little vague sometimes shifting....i am a little leary at running at 4500 rpm (3rd gear) for any extended periods of time..but i did push it a little....seemed to do very well and in fact did better than I expected. I realize redline is in the 7000 rpm range (not in my truck to see what tach states), but that seems way high to me for a V8. I did not run overdrive at all and in fact kept in in 4th the whole time.....did not use tow mode because the manual says that is for heavy tow loads (i am at only about 3000 lbs max....see avatar). although the tow mode may have helped keep the tranny from up shifting back to 4th too early....i still have some experimenting to do but otherwise very pleased.

Glad to hear you were pleased. How was your mileage on the trip?

kurtdb1 · 03-23-2004, 04:37 PM

I check the mileage once and then screwed it up for my return trip by using the gas can for my moto to top off before leaving...on the way out mostly up-hill and not using OD or tow mode and i got around 11.

Step Up · 03-23-2004, 04:58 PM

Glad you had a good experience. I just towed my 6x12 single axle trailer (loaded with 2 dirtbikes and gear) all over the place and I was really happy as well. I got about 12.7 mpg on avg.

Do you have electric brakes on your trailer? I'm thinking of getting a tandem axle trailer with brakes at some point.

SM68 · 03-23-2004, 07:20 PM

Use the Tow Mode (Luke) It extends the shift points which prevents hunting through the gears. I regularly tow my race car and trailer (5000lbs) and it's the only way to go.

Cheers,
...Colin

kurtdb1 · 03-24-2004, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Step Up

Glad you had a good experience. I just towed my 6x12 single axle trailer (loaded with 2 dirtbikes and gear) all over the place and I was really happy as well. I got about 12.7 mpg on avg.

Do you have electric brakes on your trailer? I'm thinking of getting a tandem axle trailer with brakes at some point.

Yes, I installed the Prodigy Electric brake controller and it works GREAT...I used to have the cheap model controller when I towed my 27' toy hauler (10,000 lbs) and towed it with my 1 ton van...that was horrible...the brakes were either completely on or completely off...with no modulation what-so-ever. the prodigy is *****in. the only way to go..

I will use the tow mode next time to see how it does. I just didn't think the light weight justified using tow mode.

schitzo42 · 03-24-2004, 11:02 AM

Woo hoo, first post. I just got back from towing my 6x15 Pace AeroSport (V-Nose trailer) down to Savannah (Roebling Road) and back from Atlanta this past weekend. Used tow mode with overdrive and it pulled the trailer with two SV-650's, toolbox, generator, fuel, spare wheels, EZ-up, etc. etc. without any problem. The whole reason I bought the Titan was for towing. Got around 12.5 MPG going down and around 10 MPG coming back in a stiff headwind the whole way. Might have even talked another racer into getting a Titan of his very own for hauling to the races.

-Steve

kurtdb1 · 03-24-2004, 11:09 AM

using OVERDRIVE kind of scares me....the OD gears are made for a minimal load (size and material) so unless I hear otherwise, I still will stay away from using OD while towing....HOWEVER, this is only because I want to make sure I do all the right things with this truck....it is so cool that I dont want to ruin anything....in fact, I used to tow 10,000+ lbs with my 1 ton van and used nothing but OD...but the difference is...I DIDNT CARE ABOUT the CHEVY.....I agree though....you cant go wrong with this truck.

schitzo42 · 03-24-2004, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurtdb1

using OVERDRIVE kind of scares me....the OD gears are made for a minimal load (size and material) so unless I hear otherwise, I still will stay away from using OD while towing....HOWEVER, this is only because I want to make sure I do all the right things with this truck....it is so cool that I dont want to ruin anything....in fact, I used to tow 10,000+ lbs with my 1 ton van and used nothing but OD...but the difference is...I DIDNT CARE ABOUT the CHEVY.....I agree though....you cant go wrong with this truck.

Before I towed with the Titan I RTFM'd and the owners manual says nothing about not towing with overdrive on, just that hitting the tow mode button changes the shift points to a higher RPM. My Dad blew the transmission out of a Chevy Blazer many moons ago by towing with Overdrive on, and for my old Dodge Dakota that I traded in for the Titan also made specific mention of not towing with overdrive on and to make sure you turn it off.

I made sure I asked about drivetrain warrenty when I bought the Titan just for this reason and was happy to find out it was a long one. What surprised me was that the tranny dipstick is sealed so you can't even go looking at the fluid to see what it looks like. I'm going to make sure that when I take it in for the first oil change I mention that I've been towing with it and will be doing alot in the future for them to check it out to make sure everything looks ok.

-Steve

SM68 · 03-24-2004, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurtdb1

using OVERDRIVE kind of scares me....the OD gears are made for a minimal load (size and material) so unless I hear otherwise, I still will stay away from using OD while towing....

Well, on the Titan you can only engage tow mode when the car is in D. You've got nothing to worry about. The truck's designed to do that. Don't let bad past experiences with rickety old American iron color your judgement

Cheers,
...Colin