What the heck is Tow/haul for?

Take the truck for a ride..........then push the dang tow/haul button

You will then notice the difference between it being ON & OFF

Push the dang button!

naturist wrote:

OregonSVT wrote:

naturist wrote:
Don't get wrapped up in and all butt-hurt about it. Teaching you to ask questions of the salesman when you pick up the truck, after just giving him enough money to justify a few minutes of his time 'splaining such details constitutes the real meat of the comment.

Umm, not sure when the last time you bought a vehicle was, but trust me, the sales people are not the ones you want to be asking questions to. Follow their advice and your wallet will be the one getting "butt-hurt".

Well, ya got me there. Last time I bought a new vehicle was 2005, but I have noticed an alarming trend in the direction you cited for many products. And a tragedy it is. I shall take your comments under advisement the next time I pass through an auto dealer's establishment and go to the trouble of finding somebody who actually knows stuff should I have questions.

I know all of this is off topic but it bears repeating. When I make a major purchase I make it my business to always know the product better than the salesperson. If you don't, you can make a serious and costly mistake. BTW, knowing more than the salesperson is usually pretty easy too.

OregonSVT wrote:

naturist wrote:
Don't get wrapped up in and all butt-hurt about it. Teaching you to ask questions of the salesman when you pick up the truck, after just giving him enough money to justify a few minutes of his time 'splaining such details constitutes the real meat of the comment.

Umm, not sure when the last time you bought a vehicle was, but trust me, the sales people are not the ones you want to be asking questions to. Follow their advice and your wallet will be the one getting "butt-hurt".

Well, ya got me there. Last time I bought a new vehicle was 2005, but I have noticed an alarming trend in the direction you cited for many products. And a tragedy it is. I shall take your comments under advisement the next time I pass through an auto dealer's establishment and go to the trouble of finding somebody who actually knows stuff should I have questions.

naturist wrote:
Don't get wrapped up in and all butt-hurt about it. Teaching you to ask questions of the salesman when you pick up the truck, after just giving him enough money to justify a few minutes of his time 'splaining such details constitutes the real meat of the comment.

Umm, not sure when the last time you bought a vehicle was, but trust me, the sales people are not the ones you want to be asking questions to. Follow their advice and your wallet will be the one getting "butt-hurt".

I've bought multiple new Fords in the last couple years and the sales people have very little product knowledge, which is really scary. I would guess about 70% of them can't even operate the SYNC system in the vehicle or even know that F series trucks have "tow/haul". They are there to sell vehicles and get as much money for them as possible. They aren't their to educate you on every feature of your vehicle, though I would think that it would help them sell cars if they were.

Now to keep this thread on topic, as others have stated, it changes the way the transmission shifts and will cause the vehilce to downshift to maintain speed when going down hill. It also keeps the revs up higher. Depending on your trailer size, you should probably lock the truck out of going into 6th gear when towing. This can be done by using the little toggle switch on the gear shift and watching the display on the dash. Pressing the down arrow will lock out gears, I think Ford refers to it as select shift.

FWIW, my owner's manual advises that tow/haul mode will produce a harsh ride unless towing at 75%+ of GCWR.

Tow haul mode, either GM or Ford, do the same thing: They hold the shift points of the transmission longer, and ensure the shift is firm vs. soft. As stated already, this helps with slipage and ensures you have the power you need when towing. If you dont' use it, it will still tow...but over time and miles of towing, you can overheat and damage the XSMN. Tow haul mode is a good thing.

Additionally, read the manual...there is good stuff in there, honest.

The biggest things you'll notice is that it changes the shift points, is quicker to downshift when you hit a hill or get on the gas, and downshifts when you tap the brakes going downhill to enable engine braking. It might also affect some other stuff that is less visible to the driver that I am not aware of.

I do not think it will help you so much towing a trailer that light. I use mine towing my 9000# travel trailer, but not my 1500# boat. I barely notice the boat is behind the truck in the first place...in my opinion I do not need to worry about heat and shifting, braking etc... However, when I pull the travel trailer, I monitor all of those things.

Best of luck with your new truck!

fla-gypsy wrote:
Have you read the owners manual? I think I would trust it more than anecdotal explanations from anonymous folks who may or may not know. Trust me it is in there.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

X2

rdhetrick wrote:

gmcsmoke wrote:
why would you take delivery on a vehicle you're not familar with? The salesman should have explained the trucks features or at a minumum you should have asked.

I love extremely helpful comments like this....wow....

Um, no offense, but I'd like to suggest that it is an error in your attitude to view such a comment as personal criticism, rather than as an attempt to teach you a valuable lesson. Don't get wrapped up in and all butt-hurt about it. Teaching you to ask questions of the salesman when you pick up the truck, after just giving him enough money to justify a few minutes of his time 'splaining such details constitutes the real meat of the comment.

It is true that the exasperation in the comment was probably not the best way to deliver the message, still, if that is allowed to dominate your reading of it, you are going to miss out on a lot of valuable information, 'cause a lot of folks seem to have a hard time not being exasperated by folks not knowing things they thought were obvious.