Hi,I just bought my first travel trailer. It's not too big or heavy, a 1970 Fleetwood Wilderness, 16' single axle. My truck, a 97 Ford F250 has plenty of muscle to tow it, and I can hardly tell the difference. However, since I'm new to towing, the guy I bought it from told me to turn the overdrive OFF. He said having it on would "burn up my transmission" but having it off would keep my RPMs slightly higher and cost more diesel, but would be better than ON. Is he right? I tried it on the way home from the purchase, a two hour drive. It seemed OK but I was missing that higher gear. Also, I won't know until I drive it some more, but it did seem to burn up more diesel than other times.I know there's a lot of info about this on this site but if someone can let me know, I'd greatly appreciate it.Thx

An F250 diesel pulling a 16' TT I would not worry about the overdrive as long as the transmission is not "hunting". If it stays in gear and temps remain normal, I would not worry.If it was gas and kept dropping out of OD then I'd be concerned.

Hey thanks. But what do you mean by "hunting" ? Like it keeps switching gears?

matthewijenkins wrote:Hey thanks. But what do you mean by "hunting" ? Like it keeps switching gears?Yes. If the trans can't figure out which gear it wants and keeps shifting back and forth..ie it's hunting for a gear.I just put mine in Tow Haul and set the cruise. It will run in OD and downshift as I start up a hill. I pull 12,000#. I diesel pulling that size trailer should a piece of cake for your truck. Your truck may be pre the tow haul feature. When your truck is in OD does the transmission "lock up" to minimize transmission slip? I'd read my owners manual in the towing section to verify things.

yes. A transmission temp gauge will be helpful.

Have you considered referring to your truck's owners manual? Perhaps the engineers who designed your truck have already answered your question.

Towing with Overdrive Off | Good Sam Community

28 Replies

matthewijenkins
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
Thx everyone...
BubbaChris
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
pira114 wrote:
I have a 92 F250. And an 87 Wilderness.

Under 55, you should turn off OD. Over 55 (sustained cruising speeds) turn on the OD. This is a general rule with or without towing. But that trailer shouldn't give your truck any trouble at all. Even on hills. If you come up to a really steep grade, you may turn off OD, but don't do it at 70+ mph. Slow down a bit first to maybe <65 mph

Chances are the tires on that trailer are not rated to run at more than 65MPH. So while the truck might be happy going 70+, the potential for trouble will increase (with the wrong tires)
lenr
Explorer III
Mar 31, 2015
I stand corrected--it's a diesel. With that size trailer it will be no problem in OD. Ford 4 speed trans are fairly prone to running in 4th with the torque converter open. Agree with APT--this is bad for long periods of time. So, if OP switches up to larger unit, it could be an issue.
campigloo
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
I towed my current 36' 10,000 lbs TT with 2000 F250 w/ 7.3 all over both sides of the country in OD. The only time you need to drop into third is when it wants to hunt. An ocassional drop in gears does not constitute hunting. If it starts doing it on every hill, then yes, take it out of OD. Otherwise, it's ok in OD
APT
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
Most automatic transmissions are not designed to operate very long with the torque converter unlocked. That generates heat which lessens life. Every time the transmission shifts a gear, the torque convert unlocks, gear change, then relocks. Also, many transmissions will stay unlocked which offers a little more torque without a whole gear change.

You want to stay in the highest gear with trans locked that holds your desired vehicle speed. If the trans is unlocking every couple miles or more frequently, it's probably wise to force it into a lower gear.
valhalla360
Navigator
Mar 31, 2015
lenr wrote:
Where did the OP say diesel. If the engine is a 5.4 or 351, that changes everything. Need to know engine.

In the original post, he said he burn more diesel. I made the assumption that he was smart enough not to run diesel in a gas engine.

Even with a base gas V8, a 16' trailer isn't going tax the drivetrain much.
Doug33
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
I use tow mode and crusie control if I know I'm going to be towing in flat areas. As soon as I get into hilly terrain I get out of cruise mode because the tranny can still downshift abruptly and spin to over 4K RPMs. This is quite startling and can't be good for the engine components.
lenr
Explorer III
Mar 31, 2015
Where did the OP say diesel. If the engine is a 5.4 or 351, that changes everything. Need to know engine.
boogie_4wheel
Explorer
Mar 31, 2015
valhalla360 wrote:
Diesel 3/4ton pulling a 16' trailer...relax put her in overdrive and you will be fine. If you get into the mountains and the tranny starts hunting, then drop out of overdrive but it will probably have to be pretty steep hills before that happens.

That's nothing for your truck.

I agree. We had a '95 PSD and frequently approached 17k combined. Towed in OD when it would pull it, only downshifted to 3rd on the hills. Trans started slipping in 2nd when it had around 250k on it.

With only a 16' trailer, I don't think I would ever push the OD button unless I was in town, even then it's a maybe...
valhalla360
Navigator
Mar 31, 2015
Diesel 3/4ton pulling a 16' trailer...relax put her in overdrive and you will be fine. If you get into the mountains and the tranny starts hunting, then drop out of overdrive but it will probably have to be pretty steep hills before that happens.

That's nothing for your truck.

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Towing with Overdrive Off

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