Tow hall mode

[FLHTCI]

Greetings all,

I pulled the trigger on a Winnebago Itasca Sunstar 30T.

The previous owner drove it always in Tow Hall mode. Is this a wise decision??

I assume I should only use the tow mode when pulling my Jeep or my Harley trike trailer?

Thank you

[Ivylog]

“ First keep loading up your transmission and sooner or later maybe a repair or number to a brake jobs.” Increasing the RPMs and locking the torque converter up is not going to hurt the tranny. In my F350, I use it around town even when empty… saves on the brakes.
Guess I’m old school as I manually downshift my cars, mostly in hilly or for curves instead of using the brakes getting 100,000+ miles out of the brakes. Never had to rebuild a tranny and we live in the mountains.

[PastorCharlie]

My F53 has a WARNING sticker on the inside fuel door that says NO E85. Ford recommends 87 or higher. It runs perfect on 87 octane.

[noteven]

One wonders why "not Tow Haul" mode is left available once a motorhome superstructure load is installed on a chassis ...

anyways I use Tow Haul mode and M mode frequently towing and hauling with my F350 won ton

The number one tip I can give for mpg and better performance with a flex fuel engine Ford truck is use 91 gas.

I have no idea if F53 chassis engines respond to 91 or E85 in the same way.

[fpresto]

My F-350 only when towing. My motorhome always on.

[PastorCharlie]

Tow/haul is just that: For Towing and/or Hauling. All motorhomes are always Hauling a fully equipped house. They are built with their loads applied and cannot be used Unloaded unless the house is removed. If it was an empty bed truck then it would not be hauling. The F53 chassis is used for multiple build configurations.

[dodge_guy]

It should always be turned on. The F53 chassis is designed for many different iterations. However most of the class As will be heavy enough empty that it is considered hauling. An empty bread truck weighing 9klbs and you don’t need tow haul.

Tow Haul is great, changes the shift points to match the weight of the MH even more so when towing. And it activates the engine braking.

I recommend always turning it on.

[crawford]

I very seldom use it and I live in the smoky mnts. I now have over 60 grand on her never been a problem. As far as using it to slowing you down I guess there is two ways to think about that. First keep loading up your transmission and sooner or later maybe a repair or number to a brake job I would rather that may self.

[NRALIFR]

Why wouldn’t you use it? You’re HAULING around the “house” part of your rig all the time. Sorta like my TC being hauled around by the truck.

I’ve seen some of the rental units that have tow-haul mode turned on by default every time you start the engine. You can turn it off, but again, why?

:):)

[valhalla360]

phillyg wrote:
Assuming it's a Ford chassis, it's not necessary to use TH all the time. All it does is change the shift points, and it seems most effective at downshifting on deceleration. I use it to keep the RPMs in the sweet spot. If you're pulling a toad, you might use it more.

F250 not motorhome but the engine braking when using tow/haul is really a big improvement.

It does impact the shift points but not a big difference with freeway driving...once you get to the highest gear you will run in...you generally stay in that gear.

[wildtoad]

In my case I start the engine , press tow/haul. If I’m driving in very flat straight roads I’ll turn it off.

[Lwiddis]

Watch your RPMs and water and transmission temps and engage if going up.

[Desert_Captain]

TH does far more than merely adjust your shift points. Unless your coach is small and lightly loaded, towing nothing, using Tow Haul all of the time is a good way to go. On a long flat/slight downhill stretch obviously disengaging TH is fine as well. The sheer weight of most motorhomes over 24' provide more than enough load for the advantages of TH to far out weigh minimal {if any} decrease in mpg.

On occasion I have simply forgotten to engage TH. This bit of foolishness on my part is quickly exposed when I glance at my Scan Gauge on even a slight grade and note the trans fluid temps climbing 12 - 15 degrees. An "Oops' followed by reengaging TH generates an almost immediate drop in trans fluid temps back to normal... :S

Following a rig on a long mountain descent it becomes immediately apparent if they are not using TH as they are constantly on their brakes often arrive at the bottom of the grade with significantly reduced braking capability due to their overheating. The other huge benefit to TH use on descents is that you are not burning a drop of fuel regardless of rpm. TH locks the the torque converter and shuts off the flow of fuel to the engine enhancing not only control but fuel efficiency as well.

:C

[FLHTCI]

Thank you all.

[phillyg]

Assuming it's a Ford chassis, it's not necessary to use TH all the time. All it does is change the shift points, and it seems most effective at downshifting on deceleration. I use it to keep the RPMs in the sweet spot. If you're pulling a toad, you might use it more.

[FLHTCI]

way2roll wrote:
Do you mean tow/ HAUL mode? The Ford is equipped with a tow/haul mode feature that's very helpful when towing and especially helpful on descents. When in tow/haul mode you can tap the brakes on a descent and it will act similar to an engine brake allowing you to use less brakes and over heating them. In our previous MH, I found it helpful even when not towing in stop and go traffic as it changes the shift modes and helps slow you down without a lot of braking. But

the tow/haul mode is designed exactly for towing.

Yes that is what I meant lol.