Ford F150

[Danmer]

Hi guys, hope you all are enjoying the season.
My concern is about my 2014 F150 (V8, 5.0) changing to 5th gear and staying on it for long period of times, towing a Jayco 26BH (fiberglass body) 4323# according to the yellow sticker. Is that something normal, or my transmission is going to suffer a lot from it. Also, if I use the towing mode, it will stay on 5th all the time.
Thank you for your help, and "Happy Camping" to all.

Dan

2014 Ford F150 V8, 5.0 l
2015 Jayco 26BH

[SkyBound]

Your transmission is called the Select Shift and it has 6 gears with the capability of locking out gears if needed. When you tow, you should engage tow/haul mode and lock out 6th gear by pushing the - sign on your drive select.

Monitor your transmission temps on Gauge page 1 and you're good to go. That truck is more than capable of pulling that trailer safely and confidently. The only thing that's going to kill your transmission is overheating, and you shouldn't have a problem with that set-up. That being said, watch your trans temps. You want to avoid a lot of shifting between gears - the fact that yours stays in 5th all the time is a good thing.

[Danmer]

Thank you Skybound, I will follow your instructions. Do you drive an F150 too?

Dan

[Jmooney]

Watch the tranny temp closely

[DJL1967]

I always utilize tow/haul mode when towing. My TT weighs #6800 ( gross #7500) as we do not overload it for long trips. At 65 MPH RPM's are 1600 with transmission in 6th gear. I find my truck tows very well and for the most part I can stay in 6th unless of coarse I have hills in which I drop to 5th or 4th gears. Transmission temp never gets near yellow or red. Mind you I do have added trans cooler with my towing package which certainly helps.

[dmward]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

Your transmission is called the Select Shift and it has 6 gears with the capability of locking out gears if needed. When you tow, you should engage tow/haul mode and lock out 6th gear by pushing the - sign on your drive select.

I use Tow/Haul mode but have never locked out 6th.

Where did you get those instructions from?

[SkyBound]

Keep in mind too that these newer transmissions run hotter than the older ones do. They were designed this way and it's perfectly normal to see 200*F when towing, even 220 so they say but I haven't seen mine that high. I'm in Canada so mine is in *C and I will often see 93-95 degrees, then it will come back down.

I do in fact drive a F-150 (2013 Max Tow EcoBoost) and have towed quite a bit with it. I lock out 6th to keep the engine RPMs more within the torque band. Peak torque on my engine is at 2500RPM and on your 5.0 it's at 4500RPM. What this means is you have less available torque at engine speeds less than that.

I'm not saying you can't ever tow in 6th but your torque converter needs to be locked up to prevent excess heat generation. In 6th the converter will lock and unlock often with changes in drag, hills, wind, etc. and by staying in 5th those extra RPMs will allow your transmission to stay locked throughout more changes in power demand.

I have noted that my fuel consumption will sometimes be better in 5th than 6th when towing because the extra RPMs prevent the engine from lugging or being bogged down with higher power demands at a lower engine speed. at 100km/h in 5th I'm just about 2000RPM which is perfect for towing.

I see you're in Winnipeg - if there was ever a place to tow in 6th gear that would be it! Miles and miles of straight, flat road (as long as those prarie winds aren't howling). On these transmissions, 5th and 6th are both considered to be overdrive gears... 6th is nice to have on the highway when cruising unloaded but for towing 5th is just perfect.

[F150jayco]

Hi Danmer. I'm pulling a 29qbs with a max payload 5.0 F150. Dry weight of 6500 sticker of 7100 and actual go camping weight of 8100. I always lock 6th gear out and pull in 5th. Especially on the interstate. As you know the 5.0 like to rev and I can pull it in 5th gear at 70 around 2500 rpm. I have never noticed a significant increase in teams temps, but I feel like it has to be easier on the grand then shifting back and fourth between 5-6 gears.

[1wayhighway]

I put my in tow haul and take away 6th so on the highway so I am in 5th. I have the 3.55 rear end in our truck with the 5.0 and our rig is about 6500 loaded. I have on occasion even just ran in 4th when on a two lane highway where the speed limit is 55 and the road has a lot of rolling hills, this minimizes shifting and as stated earlier keeps the engine closer to its power band.

[DocBrown]

I always liked that chart that Jim posted, but it can also scare people a bit. Short bursts of 225 or so will not hurt it. It's when the temp is constantly high that the damage occurs.