I finally got around to hooking the X up to my 6500# camper. I took it down the road, it accerlated good and all around it was a good tow. I started out in 2nd and did not think it was ever gonna shift. I bumped it up to Drive and it actually drove better. I am not trying to burn up my tranny and it does not seem to act like it is searching for gears. I know 6500 is not nothing for this beast. My question is what do you guys tow in D or 2? Thanks

 

I tow in D, with OD off most of the time. If I'm on a nice flat surface or going down a nice long grade, I'll throw in to OD. The only time I've ever towed for any length of time in 2 or L, was pulling steep grade in the mountains of NC, TN & VA.

 

Mark,
What size trailer are you towing? I have a similar Ex to yours except 2005. I tow in OD on the highways, execpt when in the NC mountains (like going up Pilot Mountain, but then I only put it in D. Do you monitor your tranny temp (like with a Scan Gage)? I would be curious if you see temps the same as I do. Going up a steep grade, pulling my 6000lb trailer, I have seen temps as high as 227 F. This is going about 10-15MPH with outstide ambient around 80 F. I see around 180 F going down the interstate in OD. Do you see similar temps?
Thanks,
David C.

 

Always drive and tow in Drive gear. The transmission is a 3 speed with an additional overdrive gear. Starting in 2nd overworks the trans and torque converter. Running in 2nd at highway speeds revs the engine higher than necessary and wastes gas and oil.

If you start out in 2nd gear, and leave the shift lever there, The trans will stay in 2nd and not shift up or down. The trans shifts on its own only in Drive.

Press the overdrive button to turn off shifting into the overdrive gear.

the choices of 1st and 2nd gear are there for you to be able to shift to a lower gear for the rare occasions that you need more torque than the trans will geve at the higher gear.

The vehicle is designed to tow in drive.

Check the owners manual. It describes it all. If you do not have one, see my signature below for a link to be able to download a copy for your year.

 

I believe that if the tranny is shifting down and up often then it is time to shift it down a gear. If the tranny can handle whatever you are towing then let it do it's job.

You can tell if the tranny is wanting a lower gear because it drops down to it, goes back up, drops down to the lower gear, goes back up, and repeats this process over and over. If this is the case then shift it down until you get past the hill that is causing the multiple shifts.

You may, also, want to shift out of OD on a downhill grade so as to use the engine as a brake. Not excessively. You can tell if you are overburdening the tranny, and engine, by the RPMs. Keep them in a reasonable range with your brakes. Then when the terrain levels out put it back into OD.

Of course a large, heavy trailer may need D no matter what terrain you come across. And you will know it because the tranny keeps shifting down to maintain speed.

Similarly if you are pushing a head wind. And, a tail wind of sufficient strength could let you use a higher gear.

I do not believe that there is any hard and fast rule. Just listen to your truck and treat her nice.

My owner's manual states that you may shifet to a lower gear when ......

• driving with a heavy load.
• towing a trailer up or down steep hills.
• additional engine downhill braking is desired. If towing a trailer, refer
to Driving while you tow in the Trailer towing section.

If you need an owner's manual for your truck you can get a free copy here....

https://www.flmowner.com/servlet/Con...OwnerGuidePage

 

My TT is a 33 footer weight in at about 8900# (if I recall correctly, but it's been a while since I weighted it).

Yes I monitor with a ScanGauge and I even have an analog gauge. When pulling a long, steep grade I've seen temps hit 274* - but only for a short time. I change the tranny fluid last year and then the rear diff - both looked and smelled normal.

 

Never have heard of starting off in 2nd gear while towing? That cannot be a good thing for the trans, start in 1st and let the motor and trans work as they are designed to! I would think stating in 2nd would actually be harder on the motor and trans than driving in "D" which would start you off on 1 st gear. Starting in 2nd gear is for things like icy roads when you are trying to get traction etc....... not for towing!

 

when i tow my camper ( fleetwood 29bh, 30 ft, 6500lbs), i usually stay in the "D" position. the long pulls up sams gap in unicoi co to the nc state line i switch off the od. only problems of overheading were caused by a stopped up radiator. that long pull home from myrtle beach on saluada mountain in nc is tough. that mountain would give my '98 suburban a fit but the EX does fine.

 

Then stop driving in 2! Let the trans shift the way it was meant to without your "help", because all you're doing is hurting your trans. by trying to help it shift.

About the only thing you'll wanna be aware of is, while towing a load up a grade, if your trans starts to hunt for gears, dropping in and out of OD, you'll wanna push the OD button to take the OD off.

Actually, 6500 really IS nothing for these beasts.

Stewart

 

I tow a 9500# enclosed car trailer and a 7500# travel trailer with both my 2000 Excursion and 2000 E350 van, both of which have a 3:55 rear end, 4R100 auto and a 7.3 PowerStroke engine. I always tow in overdrive unless the transmission is doing a lot of shifting. I monitor the transmission temperature when towing and the transmission temperature is much lower when towing in OD than in D. The Van has over 110k and the Excursion over 120k and neither have had anything but normal servicing of the transmission. The van has had an auxiliary transmission cooler installed on it.

I would never tow with the transmission in 2 and rarely in D.

 

The Ex was designed and built to tow. Put the trans in OD like you normally would and let the transmission figure out what it wants to do. If you feel better you can put it in D. But let the computer do all the figuring for you and just enjoy the ride.

 

Wow, 274 F, I got nervous when I saw 220 F and pulled over to let it cool down. This was going up a steep climb in 1 or 2 (Lever in D) and the tranny temp was climbing. Mark K. (former Ford tranny engineer) had stated not to stay above 220 F for too long. I had a tranny pump seal go and the Ford shop told me it was heat, so I am temperature sensative.
David C.

 

Yeah - sorry about that, that is a typo. I had been working for 20 hours when I posted that. I should have said 227*... I was really tired and trying to stay awake.

 

This is bad advice if you are in the mountains or pushing a strong headwind out west. The rule of thumb I've always gone by is: Run in OD unless your rig is hunting between 3 & OD.

 

I tow in OD unless the trans is hunting (dropping in and out of overdrive).