1/2 ton towing fact or fiction

[RedHorse1]

If the tranny starts "gear hunting" then for sure keep it out of OD. If it wants to stay in OD then I'd let it.

[David472]

To Shelah -- I'm assuming you have a gas engine. If so, this is what I do. IMO you need to look at engine RPM when making gear choices. If you have tow-haul mode in your transmission, this will take care of itself. If not, when cruzing on level ground, the RPM should be in the range of 1800 to 2200. When climbing a good size hill, a minimum of 2500 to 3000 and up to 4000 is possible. If the RPM is too low to support the load, then there could be engine damage from "lugging" the engine. Just down-shift one gear to avoid this. Again, modern transmissions with tow-haul will automatically take care of this.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by etex211

... snip ...lock out the overdrive while towing. The constant changing of gears is what builds up the heat and damages the transmission.

+1 Until you have been towing for a while, it's best to spend a bit more on fuel than a whole lot on a transmission.

All of the following depends upon the hill sizes, speed limit, and traffic:
My usual towing strategy... Don't use cruise control when towing.
On expressways, I'm usually 5mph under the limit: Up hill, keep the gas peddle in the same position it was at on level ground and let the speed drop off a bit - 5 mph or so. Going down hill, let the speed go over your desired speed by about 5 mph. At the bottom and you are approaching level ground, let your speed drop off gradually until you get down to your desired speed.

[Diesel Donnie]

Originally Posted by max2bob

for those interested, on trailerlife.com they just ran this article. no new news here but interesting nonetheless. they did the article based on a 1/2 ton towable fifth wheel and a new chevy 1/2 ton.

The problem with 1/2 ton tow vehicles is you must trade up the tow vehicle when you do what a majority of rvers do- Yes, we inevitably want a larger, heavier rv- My advice is buy the strongest truck you can handle so you are equipped to tow that newer, heavier rv that will surely catch your fancy- My son WAS a dedicated tent camper who scoffed at me until they bought their FIRST 5er- They now have their 2nd 5er [ bigger and heavier than the 1st 5er], and they are looking at a larger, heavier 5er as you are reading this- The 1st 5er was traded off after only 2 years and they have had the current 5er for only 4 years- We started with a fold down , traded for a pull type trailer and have had 4 5ers- Smell the coffee and see where you will end up- JMHO- DD