towing in OD
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2007
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towing in OD
i was told that i could tow in OD as long as i was on flat ground and my tranny wouldnt be hunting for gears< so i have been doing just that. well as i read some of the posts here i see that people have fried their OD from towing at high speeds is this true, should i be towing with OD turned off?
Rather Be Floatin
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,468
Likes: 0
From: Marble Falls, Tx.
As long as your tranny is not hunting for a gear you can tow in overdrive without worrying about hurting anything. If it starts hunting for a gear while pulling up a hill just hit the OD button until you reach the top.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,708
Likes: 5
From: Kiowa CO
I try to keep the tranny in the 1700-2000 RPM range and yes I tow in OD all the time. If it RPM's get too low, the EGT's shoot up and I will kick it out of OD to get it back into that sweet spot. This works on all types of terrain. Now, if I see a hill approaching, I will proactively kick it out of OD to maintain speed and momentum.
Cargo Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,047
Likes: 10
From: Snohomish, WA
I also tow in OD. Pretty much following the same steps as Chris explained. The only thing I do is keep the EGT's from hitting the 1150-1200 range with low RPM's. If I am pulling a decent hill I will also kick it down to get the squirrels spooled up, then you will have no problems.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 568
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From: Irwin,Pa
I can't speak for the first 88,000 miles of my trucks life.. but for the last 35000 (of which maybe 5000-6000 was towing my 8k 5th wheel) I have towed in OD unless is was "hunting " between gears.. I drive kind of like Chris states.. trying to be proactive when approaching hills.. etc.. When my stock tranny was rebuilt @ BTS.. I can honestly say that my OD & my coast clutches were pretty much shot. I can't say if this is related to anything in particular.. but like mentioned. I towed in OD & used the decel in my DP Tuner all the time when towing.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 132
Likes: 6
From: illinois
I agree or did what Ponyboy said,
I didnt let the truck get to 1600 rpm's or less in OD, I was towbar-ing my 74 monaco so it's plenty heavy. But just hit the OD off till I got up near 50 mph or 2200 rpm's, somewhere in that range switching the OD on would drop me to 1800 or so. Seemed to haul just fine and I had plenty of hills and such.
FTrucker
I didnt let the truck get to 1600 rpm's or less in OD, I was towbar-ing my 74 monaco so it's plenty heavy. But just hit the OD off till I got up near 50 mph or 2200 rpm's, somewhere in that range switching the OD on would drop me to 1800 or so. Seemed to haul just fine and I had plenty of hills and such.
FTrucker
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 69
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From: antioch ca
I do like ftrucker said around town I have it off but once I hit 50ish I click it on might not be right but my town is populated with stop lights but open roads and freeways I am in od
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 219
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With our 8k pound toy hauler we tow with OD off just to cruise at 60. It seems when we put OD on we have to run at 70+mph or it lugs which sucks on CA interstate with a 55 speed limit while towing. Just tow in the sweet spot.
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Brett Foote
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
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I frequently pull a horse trailer that weighs around 26,000 which includes the truck. I never turn the OD off unless the truck is hunting for gears which occurs when starting up a hill or mountain. In normal driving with out towing I never turn the OD button off. I change tranny fluid, filter, torque converter filter and transfer case every 30,000 miles. When I pull my hay trailer through fields and some hiway I have the OD in the off position the entire time. I have 188,000 on truck and tranny. I am just now putting tran temp gauge and tran cooler from a 6.0.
Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 6,096
Likes: 27
From: Mesa AZ
There are only 2 reasons to turn off overdrive.
Happy towing!
- To keep the transmission from hunting for gears when climbing hills/mountains
- To maximize engine braking when descending grades. (especially true if you are using any type of exhaust brake)
Happy towing!
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