Yep, the button will say Tow/Haul...instead of OD off/on...They did that because Chevy owners don't understand Overdrive...It's like a warning sticker on a dumpster that says "Don't climb on, or play in", or the Soda Machines that say don't rock, or tip...I want one that says "If beer cap doesn't twist off easily, put gloves on, or you might cut your fingers". (facetiousness creeping up) Stupid people = More money for me...And NO, I'm not calling you stupid...Honest.

Tow mode/Haul mode in a Silverado is Od OFF

 

What he said.

 

I don't know about the silverado but my wifes yukon still shifts into OD in tow haul mode. Tow haul just changes the shift points.

 

With a tuner you can accomplish pretty much the same result, although you do not have the option of switching back and forth by pushing a button. Why exactly would one need the mushy and conservative shifting of the regular shift characteristics on a truck anyway?

The answer to towing with an F150 is, of course, what I drive today, an HD package. First of all it has a GVWR that actually allows for towing a fairly heavy trailer within legal ( and safe) limits. Secondly, it comes with a 4.10 ratio rear end which means that OD works for towing even on some inclines. Wish I could tell you a bit about rpm's, but my truck is an XL series and came without a tach (or cruise control for that matter).

Right now I am towing a 20 foot Argosy trailer that weighs somewhere around 3000 to 3500 pounds. I ran it on a scale last week and without a load leveller hitch and me in the drivers seat and a full tank of fuel the truck had exactly the same weight on both the front and rear axles (1600 kg or about 3500 pounds).

Now a little lesson for those of you running much bigger trailers with a lot more hitch weight. If I am at a GVW of about 7000 pounds with this little trailer, what exactly is your GVW? I am willing to bet that in most cases you simply do not know. See if you are running a 4x4 then your GVWR is 7200 max and that means that I would only have a cushion of 200 pounds, or one more person my size in the truck before I would be overloaded. Of course for those of you in the know, with my truck I have a cushion of 1200 pounds because my GVWR is 8200 pounds (basically the result of one more rear spring leaf a side).

So does it really matter if you are exceeding the GVWR when towing? Only if you are not safety conscious or visiting a jurisdiction where such things are monitored. My understanding is that if you are going to British Columbia you are very likely going to get checked and there is no way you will be allowed to remain in that province if you are over the GVWR at all. I am sure there are other places where that is the same, and for the safety of us all that is the way it ought to be.


IMHO if you are not willing to hold out for an HD package F150, and they are not easy to come by, then for most towing you ought to be thinking F250 or F350.