Small TT towing with Manual Transmission

[VTR]

Who is towing with a manual transmission? I ask because of a clutch replacement on our F150, I know when we roughed up the clutch and it seemed to go down from there.

However, it occurred to me backing up any slight bump or hill forces you to ride the clutch some. Forward I see not problem. Is a Manual not a good idea for towing. Never occurred to me till now. I thought it would be very favorable way.

Thoughts:

[norsea]

VTR wrote:
Who is towing with a manual transmission? I ask because of a clutch replacement on our F150, I know when we roughed up the clutch and it seemed to go down from there.

However, it occurred to me backing up any slight bump or hill forces you to ride the clutch some. Forward I see not problem. Is a Manual not a good idea for towing. Never occurred to me till now. I thought it would be very favorable way.

Thoughts:

I have been towing 10,000 lbs of travel trailer with a F-250 diesel for the past 7 years (100,000 miles; 90% of which has the trailer behind the truck).

And yes, this was the last of the manual gear boxes that Ford put into their trucks; had to order the darn thing because I could not locate anything within 1,000 mile radius.

Worst case basis, when your clutch decides its time to be replaced install something a tad more "heavy duty".

Frankly, if driving a manual gear box there are two positions for the clutch pedal; all the way to the floor, and all the way out. If it is properly geared there is no reason to "ride the clutch"; do that and your clutch will be ruined in no time at all.

Sitting on a slight incline and "slipping the clutch" to hold your position while waiting for traffic to clear so you can pull forward and onto the highway will definitely shorten the life of your clutch.

This is different from what one encounters when backing up; this is done for a very short "burst" and then it is over. And, I cannot think of being in a position where I have to do this all that often.

The real advantage of the manual gear box is descending steep grades. Get into a lower gear and slowly move down the road in total control while all the guys with automatics ride their brakes constantly.

An example. Going up the road to the top of Pikes Peak in the Rocky Mountains is easy. Coming back down is another story. I do not know if they are still doing it but many years ago they had someone stop each vehicle about half way down who physically reached down and felt the brake drum/disk to assess temperature.

We had a manual four speed and the guy came up and looked into the car. He could not believe the brake drum could be cold. If hot, a vehicle would be moved to the side of the road into the penalty box so the brakes could cool off. This way they just might do some good on the latter half of the downhill journey.

Regards,

Jim

[gmw_photos]

Yep, I'm another that loves my manual transmission truck ( Nissan Frontier, V6, 6 speed manual ). I tow with it a lot, and love every mile driving it. I hate automatics.

[VTR]

Thanks for the thoughts folks. New clutch is in and great price. Get rid of this truck, no way. It has been a gem, only 70 thou. right now. Anyway we pulled on our mountain property 4 years ago, never thought I would get it out, that is where it started. Pads in so its a cinch now. Have to keep coaching the wife on her clutch work, she was the one who really made the clutch smoke up. The backing up with obstacles is the worst, but I think we will be fine.

[72cougarxr7]

I just towed my 15 foot Prowler TT on an 1800 mile round trip with my 1998 GMC 1500 with a 4.3 v6 and a 5 speed stick. I actually prefer the stick for towing. Its more work for the driver, but if your a reasonably good m/t driver, you should be fine.
I bought this truck over the winter with a bad clutch at 170k. I replaced it with a oem grade clutch and it worked like a charm.

My last standard truck was a 1998 S10. I regularly towed a utility trailer. I sold that truck to my friend with 135k miles, he drove it till close to 200k, all with the original clutch.
Just use your head, don't ride the clutch more than necessary, and it will last a long time.

[rbpru]

I pulled a 2500 LB PUP with a Ranger and a Dakota. I am one of those who prefer a standard transmission.

Unfortunately by the time I move up to a TT the folks in Detroit had long ago dropped the manual transmission for serious towing.

Too few customers to worry about and I would guess and automatic transmission is a better fit for the on board computers.

[RJCorazza]

I have towed a landscape trailer from 3000 to 6000 lbs with my F150 5 speed and it can be a pain, particularly backing up. If 4wd, shifting to 4L helps depending on turning and surface conditions.
I like manuals, but really the current automatics are much better suited to towing. 6+ speeds, tow/haul mode, lock out gears, and manually shifted autos make it hard to justify a manual transmission.
I will conclude by saying that I have the original clutch on my 18 year old F150, and tow now with a 2011 F250 auto.

[colliehauler]

VTR wrote:
Who is towing with a manual transmission? I ask because of a clutch replacement on our F150, I know when we roughed up the clutch and it seemed to go down from there.

However, it occurred to me backing up any slight bump or hill forces you to ride the clutch some. Forward I see not problem. Is a Manual not a good idea for towing. Never occurred to me till now. I thought it would be very favorable way.

Thoughts:

I don't think it would be a issue with a small TT. People pull with manual transmissions all the time.

[Road_Phantom]

Back in '94 when the dodge automatic was not up to snuff with the torqy new Cummins diesel, I opted for the manual transmission. These days with the tow haul mode trannys, I would never go back to a manual. You always have to be mindful to leave it in gear when parked and to engage the emergency brake. I feel safer with the automatic in Park. Always chock your wheels, by the way.

[boogie_4wheel]

Had an '01 Dodge with the 6spd man. Finally replaced the clutch at around 240k mi out of concern (towing most its life, little bump in power over stock). Clutch still looked good but the throwout bearing was getting rough.

If I could have bought my '05 with a manual, I would have. But the condition of the truck in general was way more important than the color of transmission.

Still drive the '01. Riding the clutch from time to time maneuvering a trailer, and may get a wiff of the burn. I put it in 4lo when I can to reduce the load on it (and get it engaged fully hopefully).

[Jebby14]

I wish. neither of my vehicles are available with a stick. There is no north American v8 4x4 with a stick shift available at the moment and I hate it. My xj would be awesome with a stick so would my kj

[ScottG]

Been towing with my setup since new. There are times when I have to ride the clutch a bit (why is reverse gear always so tall?) but it hasn't been a problem.
Other than stop and go traffic, I really prefer it.

[Hiker_01]

I tow a pup with jeep liberty with manual transmission. Rarely do I run into any problems. The only times I have ever worried about the clutch (to the point where I could smell it) was if I did have to do a lot of maneuvering while backing up. Most campsites are fairly level so that normally isn't a problem.

[turnipbwc]

Time to trade it in.

[Tiger4x4RV]

thoughts from the olden days....in the 1960's and 1970's, we towed a 15-foot TT all around the US with an old Ford sedan with a 3-speed manual transmission. No problems.