I was just wondering if I am destroying my truck towing my 6200 lb trailer. I have a 02 supercrew with the 5.4 and tow package with the trans cooler and 3.55 gears. I went out to the Ozarks and going up some of those hills was challenging. I'm just worried that I am causing major damage or is this something my truck should be able to do. I know that my max tow weight is 7500, but i couldn't imagine putting anouther 1000 pounds
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Have you weighed that 6200 lb trailer ready to camp in? If not, you may already be OVER 7500....or dang close to it.

 

I took it to a truck stop when we first took it out camping and it weighed 6200 pounds loaded with all our supplies and everything. when on a level road it tows really well, but when i hit the hills my god it struggles. I don't have alot of experiance towing in the hills so do not know what to expect.

 

You should expect it to work hard, and if you let it find its own speed and gear that it's happy working hard in it should do it safely for many years. The drivetrain is designed to work hard. It's not a race. You may very well be climbing steep grades at 30-35 mph. That's to be expected with that size motor and that overall weight.

Do remember to service your truck more frequently. Keep those oil changes at 5000 miles or sooner. Invest in a proper trans flush and filter change every couple years.

You could do a little better than 3.55 gears, but they will do ok if you let your truck work the way it wants to work, and not try to force it to do things it's not happy doing, like trying to hold the speed limit up hills. Just remember if you're on the interstate and drop below 45-50 on a long grade to click on your flashers. It's good safety and courtesy to the people around you, as well as the law (below a certain speed.)

 

As a quick example, my truck will climb long hills in 3rd gear, around 3200 RPMs, and settle in around 50 mph. If I push harder, it will shift down to second, tach up to over 4000 RPMs, and accelerate. But I can't imagine I'd still be on the original motor and transmission after 12 seasons of towing like I am. I really don't see any point to beating on the truck when it treats me so well if I let it just work hard like it was built to do.

If I'm on a 2 lane back highway with steeper climbs, say 8-10% grades, it's a 25-30 mph climb. Once the road levels off, the speed comes right back up.

 

That engine was designed to run at high RPM's..... just let it go......it just SOUNDS bad!

 

Before my diesel, I towed my 5,600 boat with an 99 Expy and 3.73 rear end, towing pkg, etc. I had the original tranny at 285k and it's still going strong today. I never had to be the first one over the peak. I would not tow in overdrive, 3rd max and when I approached steeper hills, I'd let the engine speed get to approx 52 miles an hour, let off on the throttle, shift manually into 2nd, give it gas again and climb the rest of the way up the hill in 2nd. I have never let it shift up and down under stress when climbing. A good way to tear it up. I change tranny oil and filter every 50k.

 

id at least change the gears to 3.73's, 4.10's would be overkill but if you have bigger tires might not be a bad idea to go with 4.10's , ive never much cared for the 3.55 ratio unless it was just a commuter vehicle that never towed anything.