Heading up to the Smokies near Cherokee, NC. I have a Yukon Denali with 6.2l and HD tow pfg. Pulling a 26 ft Crossroads Slingshot. With our gear, it may weigh in about 5000 lbs. +/- a couple hundred lbs. I always pull in tow mode but most trips were in Texas until I moved to SC. In Texas Hill Country the hills don't have the grades we will see in the Smokies. So, my question...does the tow mode compensate for steep grades or do I still need to downshift manually? I expect I will feel the stress on the rpm's and shift accordingly. But was wondering what others may have experienced.

It's an automatic it will shift automatically.

martinto wrote:Heading up to the Smokies near Cherokee, NC. I have a Yukon Denali with 6.2l and HD tow pfg. Pulling a 26 ft Crossroads Slingshot. With our gear, it may weigh in about 5000 lbs. +/- a couple hundred lbs. I always pull in tow mode but most trips were in Texas until I moved to SC. In Texas Hill Country the hills don't have the grades we will see in the Smokies. So, my question...does the tow mode compensate for steep grades or do I still need to downshift manually? I expect I will feel the stress on the rpm's and shift accordingly. But was wondering what others may have experienced.Depending on how you get there, There aren't any really bad grades from the South. Saluda Grade on I-26 is about the worst, until you get off the main roads.So depending on your TV. Going up will be the easy part. Coming down is always the hard part. So when you do, and you have a gas engine. Gear down to no higher than 2nd, and if that lets you go too fast. Gear down to 1st. Find a gear that will hold the speed you want to come down at.If you have a diesel. Some will hold the TV back in tow haul. If not, Use a exhaust brake, or trany brake. Or just go down real slow.

martinto wrote:Heading up to the Smokies near Cherokee, NC. I have a Yukon Denali with 6.2l and HD tow pfg. Pulling a 26 ft Crossroads Slingshot. With our gear, it may weigh in about 5000 lbs. +/- a couple hundred lbs. I always pull in tow mode but most trips were in Texas until I moved to SC. In Texas Hill Country the hills don't have the grades we will see in the Smokies. So, my question...does the tow mode compensate for steep grades or do I still need to downshift manually? I expect I will feel the stress on the rpm's and shift accordingly. But was wondering what others may have experienced.Those are all baby hills eastern US. You should pull them in the highest gear.

Apply pressure to the foot pedal on the right hand side of your tow vehicle . The truck will shift when it needs to .

Your truck in tow mode knows what to do :)

Mountain grades | Good Sam Community

16 Replies

whistlebritches
Explorer
Jul 08, 2013
Supercharged is right, the Smokies aren't bad at all, just wait until you get to the Rockies!
TPUC
Explorer
Jul 08, 2013
Your truck in tow mode knows what to do :)
SprinklerMan
Explorer
Jul 08, 2013
Apply pressure to the foot pedal on the right hand side of your tow vehicle . The truck will shift when it needs to .
Supercharged
Explorer
Jul 08, 2013
martinto wrote:
Heading up to the Smokies near Cherokee, NC. I have a Yukon Denali with 6.2l and HD tow pfg. Pulling a 26 ft Crossroads Slingshot. With our gear, it may weigh in about 5000 lbs. +/- a couple hundred lbs. I always pull in tow mode but most trips were in Texas until I moved to SC. In Texas Hill Country the hills don't have the grades we will see in the Smokies. So, my question...does the tow mode compensate for steep grades or do I still need to downshift manually? I expect I will feel the stress on the rpm's and shift accordingly. But was wondering what others may have experienced.
Those are all baby hills eastern US. You should pull them in the highest gear.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Jul 07, 2013
martinto wrote:
Heading up to the Smokies near Cherokee, NC. I have a Yukon Denali with 6.2l and HD tow pfg. Pulling a 26 ft Crossroads Slingshot. With our gear, it may weigh in about 5000 lbs. +/- a couple hundred lbs. I always pull in tow mode but most trips were in Texas until I moved to SC. In Texas Hill Country the hills don't have the grades we will see in the Smokies. So, my question...does the tow mode compensate for steep grades or do I still need to downshift manually? I expect I will feel the stress on the rpm's and shift accordingly. But was wondering what others may have experienced.

Depending on how you get there, There aren't any really bad grades from the South. Saluda Grade on I-26 is about the worst, until you get off the main roads.
So depending on your TV. Going up will be the easy part. Coming down is always the hard part. So when you do, and you have a gas engine. Gear down to no higher than 2nd, and if that lets you go too fast. Gear down to 1st. Find a gear that will hold the speed you want to come down at.

If you have a diesel. Some will hold the TV back in tow haul. If not, Use a exhaust brake, or trany brake. Or just go down real slow.
K_Charles
Explorer
Jul 07, 2013
It's an automatic it will shift automatically.

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Mountain grades

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