I just took possession of my F350 6.7 diesel. I often tow a small boat (under 5000#'s) short distances (less than 10 miles). Should I always use tow mode whenever I hook up any trailer to my truck, no matter the weight and/or distance?
Thanks guys.

 

Naw try it you may not like it with something that small.

Exhaust brake yeah.

 

I seldom feel the need for tow mode even pulling a 12,000 lb 5th wheel camper.

 

I personally love tow/haul mode weather on flat ground or ascending hills, but shut it off descending, it sucks.✌️

 

I believe exhaust brake activates tow/haul, or a similar shift strategy.

 

You can tap the brakes and get it to downshift

 

I use tow/haul when towing. I like the shift points better than the normal mode.

 

I use tow/haul when driving in stop & go traffic not hauling anything but me & passengers. When towing I turn on the exhaust brake & downshift it manually.

 

The gist is, Tow/Haul is a preference not a requirement to tow. You will not damage your truck by not using it. I am in the camp that likes it going uphill, hates it going downhill and generally I do not use it at all rather I lock gears out or use manual mode if I need more control of the trans.

 

...and you can sometimes get better fuel economy towing on flat roads when not using tow/haul. Think I95 on the east coast.

 

It really helps your transmission more than anything.
I’d use it.

 

Maybe 20 years ago this was true. It will not make ANY difference to your transmission. Please explain how it "helps" your transmission.

 

Definitely true 20yrs ago. My 01 f250 PSD would downshift all the time trying to go into O/D if you didn't turn it off. Would cause the trans temps to really climb. When o/d was turned off it shifted (and down shifted) less and ran much cooler.

 

Eliminates lugging in a higher gear.
It also keeps it cooler. Why do you think it wasn’t removed twenty years ago?

 

What did it use to do? Lock out OD and lock the converter?