Towing Big without Big Tow

nitty · 06-08-2005, 09:17 AM

I don't have the big tow 3.36 gear ratio. It will be the rare occasion when I would tow greater than 7500 lbs. However, what would be some of the consequences if I were to occasionally tow greater than 7500 lbs (assuming use of a WD hitch, and primarily flat roads)?

ptgarcia · 06-08-2005, 10:29 AM

You won't have as much pulling power because of less gear reduction, and you will more than likely get worse gas mileage because you'll have to have your foot in it more. Hopefully you have enough gear to keep the transmission from hunting (more than likely you will). Be sure to tow in 4th and its advised to have the tow mode on. Good luck!

Bhudda454 · 06-08-2005, 11:04 AM

There is a VERY BIG difference in mileage when towing without the big tow. I averaged about 8MPG towing 7800 lbs. on a 200mile trip. The truck was not lacking for power, but I did keep it in 5th and I did make sure the Tow Mode was lit. I talked to my service guy, and he said leave it in 5th, just don't use cruise. I am sure that the smarter thing would have been 4th gear. I just can't handle slower speeds on the open road. BTW, I was towing a Ford from Corpus to North Houston. Ha

ptgarcia · 06-08-2005, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bhudda454

There is a VERY BIG difference in mileage when towing without the big tow. I averaged about 8MPG towing 7800 lbs. on a 200mile trip. The truck was not lacking for power, but I did keep it in 5th and I did make sure the Tow Mode was lit. I talked to my service guy, and he said leave it in 5th, just don't use cruise. I am sure that the smarter thing would have been 4th gear. I just can't handle slower speeds on the open road. BTW, I was towing a Ford from Corpus to North Houston. Ha

It sounds like lost mileage may be your biggest consequence. I averaged 9 mpg on my last trip pulling an 8000-lb parachute, err, I mean travel trailer while in 4th with the tow mode on. Round trip was just under 200 miles and I went 60-65 mph on the freeway and had to pull a few steep (8% plus) grades.

dawgs77 · 06-08-2005, 11:23 AM

NO..NO....NO...I would not leave it in 5th gear! Unless you wish to replace the tranny in no time. You will see greater fuel milage in 4th...the truck will only run 2-300 more RPM's but it will take less pedal to maintain speed. The tranny will not constantly slip and will not have to continue to drop gears.

bgcntry72 · 06-07-2006, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawgs77

NO..NO....NO...I would not leave it in 5th gear! Unless you wish to replace the tranny in no time. You will see greater fuel milage in 4th...the truck will only run 2-300 more RPM's but it will take less pedal to maintain speed. The tranny will not constantly slip and will not have to continue to drop gears.

x a bunch.
Whoever said to leave it in 5th to tow is a retard.
Cut and dry.
In OD the lockup of the Torque Convertor will generate enough heat to cripple or kill an auto tranny with any load on it.
4th to tow.

keane · 06-07-2006, 09:31 AM

As to the original question of this thread... Maybe the tow rating is reduced because of extra wear on the tranny because of the rear gear ratio? Just a thought. But I would think that as long as you don't go far or do it often, you should be okay.

Ptgarcia - Do you like you new wheels better than the ole Titan?

**Helinut1970** · 06-07-2006, 09:46 AM

I regularly tow 7500+ with my non big tow Titan, Never over 9000 though. It does a great job and have had NO issues doing it ie: rear end issues, brakes, etc.. I do alot of towing in my business and I have F250's that can do it too and do with other trailers. But my Titan tows better than those and has tons more power. Just make sure you can stop the weight. That is the important thing. If you got your family in the truck with you DONT skimp on the brake box, only the best will do IMO, and double axle brakes.

blueskys · 06-07-2006, 11:15 AM

You did not state what year vehicle you have. Early Titans have a steel differential cover. If you have one of these, upgrade to an oem aluminum one. While you are there, change to fluid to some high-quality sythetic fluid.

All titans have a heavy-duty transmission cooler. Because of this, we have many quarts of J-matic fluid. If you tow frequently, have your transmission fliuid changed at the dealer. The dealer will completely flush the fluid with the approved J-matic fluid. I would recommend doing this at 30,000 miles for heavy tow use. Beware, most dealers charge about $250 to do this.

Install an aftermarket transmisson gage. I built a thread on that about a year ago. Many cool, informed people built on this thread.

With a reading on your transmisson temperature, you can decide when to drop to a lower gear.

ptgarcia · 06-07-2006, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keane

Ptgarcia - Do you like you new wheels better than the ole Titan?

That's a tough question because the trucks are very different. I loved my Titan and I love my MegaCab. I miss the more nimble feel of the Titan, the awesome ride it had, and the instant throttle response of the V8 gas engine. But the MegaCab is bigger, especially in the interior, has stump-pulling power, is very tight with zero squeeks or rattles, really gets up and moves after the turbo spools, is 4x4, and has tons of mod potential. If I could, I'd have both and use the Titan as an every day driver and load the MegaCab for vacations, and drive it around every now and again.

todd92 · 06-07-2006, 11:21 AM

I tow a 7500# toyhauler with my non big tow. No problems, I get 8 mpg keeping between 65-70. I do have to shift to 3rd on almost any uphill to keep the transmission locked up. On very steep grades I use 2nd, but I can actually accelerate up those grades and maintain 60. Just keep the torque converter locked as much as possible and you will be fine. You can feel and see on the tach when it is locked.

keane · 06-08-2006, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptgarcia

That's a tough question because the trucks are very different. I loved my Titan and I love my MegaCab. I miss the more nimble feel of the Titan, the awesome ride it had, and the instant throttle response of the V8 gas engine. But the MegaCab is bigger, especially in the interior, has stump-pulling power, is very tight with zero squeeks or rattles, really gets up and moves after the turbo spools, is 4x4, and has tons of mod potential. If I could, I'd have both and use the Titan as an every day driver and load the MegaCab for vacations, and drive it around every now and again.

Outside of the power, how do they compare towing your TT. Is that why you traded the Titan in - to pull the Trailer better? Or was it the gas mileasge of the diesel?

racefan92307 · 06-08-2006, 06:57 AM

i tow a 20.5 ft deck boat. tow in 5th gear with tow mode on and in the heat . tried it in 4th didn't feel like it did as good of job as in 5th. the trans temp never changes in mine even when its a 100degrees out. to me if the truck wasn't designed to tow in 5th there would be something in the owners manual or i would see a difference in the trans temp.

buzzkillwill · 06-08-2006, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racefan92307

i tow a 20.5 ft deck boat. tow in 5th gear with tow mode on and in the heat . tried it in 4th didn't feel like it did as good of job as in 5th. the trans temp never changes in mine even when its a 100degrees out. to me if the truck wasn't designed to tow in 5th there would be something in the owners manual or i would see a difference in the trans temp.

You're lucky then, because LOTS here have tried 5th gear towing and have spikes, and high, tranny temps.

Bajappenin · 06-08-2006, 08:16 AM

I can tow my 27' boat, 6000 lbs in 5th and the tranny temp doesn't move. Sometimes, wind, hills etc warrent 4th though to keep from downshifting and lugging the engine.