Tow haul button

[Hardcandy]

I have a 04.5 duramax 3500 and I'm not sure when to use the tow/haul button on my gear shift also using this will it help my MPG? Thanks.

[Targa]

Well Benk, I am with ya on the manual transmission. I hate that we no longer have the option, yes I know Ram still offers it in their 6.7, I had one but I no longer need a diesel. Man I would love to have one in the 6.4 Ram.

[msgtord]

Using tow haul mode will save wear on your brakes. I use it when city driving even if unloaded.

[marcsbigfoot20b]

I love the tow haul mode on my 99 Tahoe. I'm towing a 7000 lb trailer and the trans needs all the help it can get.

It shifts later so that in case you give it more throttle, it won't instantly re downshift. What some don't realize is that with T/H active, you can give more throttle than normal without a downshift or torque converter unlock.....the main function to prevent heat. It is also nice to have lockup on decel and have the negative engine timing slow you down.

Some may say, oh you don't know what you are talking about.......pre 2000 did not have T/H button.

In my case I have a 2001 computer (0411) swap with custom tune EFI Live and enabled the T/H option, and waaaay too many mods to list.
I even pulled over on the side of the road on my first trip towing my TT so I could enable lock up in 2nd gear and reprogram shift points and lockup points. Flashed the computer with the laptop and tried it out. Now I always travel with the laptop incase I need to make changes to the tune or shift points.
I guess you could say I have experience with T/H mode, I have been a master ASE tech since 91 and worked at a transmission shop for 4 years..............
If you tow, use T/H mode !

[Hybridhunter]

wilber1 wrote:
There is no real manual mode on these transmissions. All they do is limit the top gear the transmission uses. They still shift automatically up to that gear. If selected, the tow haul program is still functioning even with the transmission in "manual" mode.

That is one huge advantage that Ford has, true manual shift control. It locks the TC and will not upshift unless told, and will not downshift unless rpm goes prohibitively low.
I use it all the time in tandem with cruise control to keep things smooth, quiet, and efficient.

[pappcam]

I like to keep things simple and use my Tow/Haul mode when I'm towing and to not use it when I'm not towing.

Seems to make sense to me...

[mlts22]

I use T/H mode when towing and in heavy traffic because the vehicle decelerates the second I let off the gas due to the torque converter being locked, which makes it easier to slow down without having to hit the brakes.

My F-150 has the ability to select 1-3, but 4-6 can't be manually selected (model year 2011 and newer remedy that.) So, T/H mode is a usable alternative.

[Tystevens]

oughtsix wrote:
On another note this was the first time my truck has ever actually worked since I have owned it! It was a different feeling to have the Duramax do anything other than move me along while basically just idling. (I have had my Duramax just about a year). I really love the power and the controlled engine breaking!

The Duramax/Allison is a great package. After towing with it for a few years, no way I'd even go back to a manual transmission. Good luck!

[oughtsix]

I purchased my first travel trailer the weekend before last. I towed it home over the Willamette pass here in Oregon. Turning the tow/haul on was very different than with it off. Especially going downhill. The Tow/Haul on my 2006 Crew Cab long box Duramax man handled the trailer. The engine was in charge and pushed around the trailer instead of the trailer pushing around the truck! I was extremely impressed. I have towed with a manual transmission before and the tow/haul mode felt like it did much more than just engine breaking. Coming down hill what ever speed I let my foot off the accelerator the truck just kept that speed. It didn't slow and it didn't accelerate. To do this with a manual transmission requires constantly modulating the accelerator.

On another note this was the first time my truck has ever actually worked since I have owned it! It was a different feeling to have the Duramax do anything other than move me along while basically just idling. (I have had my Duramax just about a year). I really love the power and the controlled engine breaking!

[BenK]

Thank you!!!!

I've never worked on any of the NV manual trannies and wonderful to hear that
they are that stout !

Manual or automatic page 9

JustLabs wrote:



JRMora wrote:

BenK wrote:


A manual weighs less



Apparemtly you've never picked up a NV5600. It's a cast iron son of a B. Literally.

It's got to be one of the heaviest six speeds out there.

I hope one never falls on my foot!

Juan


The NV5600 is 360lbs. IIRC the Allison in the GM trucks is the largest auto in a light truck and it only weighs 330.

The 4L60e/4l80e in the GM trucks without the Allison is under 300.

[BenK]

All of this is why I still prefer manuals...I'm in control and don't have to
second guess or stand on my head...tapping my belly button to kinda sorta get
the 'automatic' to do what *I* want it to do...

But since the automatic herd out numbers those who prefer manuals...the OEMs no
longer offer manual trannies on the vehicle I want to buy (order new or used)

'Tow/Haul' has only one definition in automotive dictionaries. Why make it so
complicated? If MPG is so high on your list of 'have to have', then don't use
that button. As it will or might get higher MPG, but the increased stresses on
the drive train (engine all the way to the tires) will wear it out sooner. Not
have it fail instantly, but sooner than if you did use that button.

So decide to save a few bucks on fuel and risk the system and/or
component which has the two most expensive parts in any TV...the
engine and automatic (tens of thousands of bucks)

Folks who trade/sell in a few years will 'most likely' dodge that
failure and pass that to the next owner...

[ib516]

M GO BLUE wrote:
ON when towing, OFF when not towing

This is the way I use it as well, but then I have a pretty substantial load.

[PaulJ2]

captnjack wrote:
The owner's manual for my 2002 2500 Suburban with 8.1 liter recommends using tow/haul when towing 75% or more of GCWR.

I just finished a trip during which I was under the impression that tow/haul should be on whenever towing, regardless of weight. I tow a Hybrid Roo 233S at a weight I believe is around 5500 lbs loaded (ballpark anyway). At one point I forgot to engage tow/haul mode. I didn't notice for about 20 minutes or so. Maybe more. I didn't notice any change in driving or handling. Engine temp and tranny temp both stayed low. I began to experiment. The shift points were stretched out a little in tow/haul. I noticed that at 55 MPH I'd be at 2300 RPM in tow/haul and 1800 w/o tow/haul. Seems that for me, tow/haul is doing nothing but wasting gas. Although there were no steep hills involved; I guess that could change things a little.

Seems like cruise control is fine until you hit hills. My guess is that 50 MPH up the hill and 60 MPH down the hill works out to same average speed but uses less fuel.

Thoughts anyone?

On my 2004 with Allison it raises the RPM shift points a bit and also locks the torque converter in 2nd,3rd,4th, and 5th gears.
As far as the cruise control, I find it annoying when cruising the freeway and towing over many smaller hills it tries to maintain the speed by flooring the throttle and downshifting the transmission.
While driving manually you would just let the speed drop a bit while topping a grade and let it pick back up normally on the other side. For this reason I'm sure it uses more fuel. I turn it off when I hit the hills.

[Tin-bender]

Don't pretend to know or understand a lot about this topic but I will say that I have found that my 2014 GMC 6.0 6 speed tows our 6000 lb trailer on the level and over small humps, 3-4 K feet elevation, better in drive with the T/H not engaged than any other way. Or so it seems to me, but have less than 2K towing on this rig yet so still learning.
Tinbender

[M_GO_BLUE1]

ON when towing, OFF when not towing