Tow haul mode

[Tequila]

I am sure this has been discussed before, but who uses it and how? I have a 1 ton diesel dually and will be towing a 5500 lb (dry) trailer. I am assuming it will lower fuel economy? Am I correct in assumign i shoudl probably turn it off on relative flat terrain and engage it in hilly terrain. So far I have tended to use it only for goign down steep grades so it downshifts when I brake.

[Charlie_D_]

Skid Row Joe wrote:
I'm not surprised Ford Motor Company disagreed with your advice on my HD Ford, son, are you? Just sayin'. 😉

Can you post that section of your manual? Seems that every Ford owner who has responded thinks otherwise. I know what my Allison manual says about T/H and using it will not destroy a transmission as you alluded to on a previous comment. I am not the brightest bulb on the brightest bulb on the planet :S and I am having a hard time for my brain to wrap around why a manufacturer would install a Tow Haul and then tell you to use you brakes instead of that feature.

[Skid_Row_Joe]

Charlie D. wrote:

Skid Row Joe wrote:
Sounds like it's time for CharieD to get tuned in with manufacturer's recommendations? My Ford HD Owners Manual specifically states to not use it for braking. I'll stay with Ford Motor Company's advice, rather than your's chalee! :B

Charlie D. wrote:
Time for Skid Row to get tuned in with the new transmissions. They are designed for grade braking. Coming through western New Mexico from Show Low and through Montana and Wyoming I used my T/H to minimize braking and watched by transmission temps. carefully. It never raised temps. more than 10-15 degrees above flat land towing did.

Well your manual may say that but not mine and it seems that every other poster is in disagreement with you on using the Tow Haul.

I'm not surprised Ford Motor Company disagreed with your advice on my HD Ford, son, are you? Just sayin'. 😉

[kodiakcanuck]

I experimented with this before on my Ram. With the T/H button on the shifts are crisper, hold each gear longer and locks out overdrive, so I am usually cruising around 2K RPM. I found slightly more gas is used with it on the whole time especially on long interstate drives.

But what I really noticed was the difference in transmission temps. With it off and gear hunting a lot, the temps eventually climb to quite a high level, not overheating, but warm. With the T/H button on it climbs to an acceptable level and stays there.

So while you might experience slightly more fuel consumed, I am sure you are saving wear on your tranny running it cooler. I leave mine on most of the time when towing after my experiment 😉

[Charlie_D_]

rider997 wrote:

Skid Row Joe wrote:
Sounds like it's time for CharieD to get tuned in with manufacturer's recommendations? My Ford HD Owners Manual specifically states to not use it for braking. I'll stay with Ford Motor Company's advice, rather than your's chalee! :B

Charlie D. wrote:
Time for Skid Row to get tuned in with the new transmissions. They are designed for grade braking. Coming through western New Mexico from Show Low and through Montana and Wyoming I used my T/H to minimize braking and watched by transmission temps. carefully. It never raised temps. more than 10-15 degrees above flat land towing did.

The 2014+ GM 1500 trucks have "grade braking" that's automatically enabled in aggressive mode when tow/haul is enabled.

1/2 ton truck, gas engine, towing 8,000 lbs, and you don't need to touch the brakes on a 6% downgrade.

And the integrated transmission temperature monitor shows that the factory cooling is doing a great job...

The HD trucks are even better than this.

I agree. Skid Row Joe seems to have a problem understanding that. The HD trucks go back at least until 2006 with the same feature.

[Cecilt]

I have a 2009 Ford F-250 v-10 and my Tow/Haul button does not lock out overdrive. I still use all 5 gears. It just changes the shift points and provides good engine braking. I use it all the time but not sure if really necessary when on flat land.

[rider997]

Skid Row Joe wrote:
Sounds like it's time for CharieD to get tuned in with manufacturer's recommendations? My Ford HD Owners Manual specifically states to not use it for braking. I'll stay with Ford Motor Company's advice, rather than your's chalee! :B

Charlie D. wrote:
Time for Skid Row to get tuned in with the new transmissions. They are designed for grade braking. Coming through western New Mexico from Show Low and through Montana and Wyoming I used my T/H to minimize braking and watched by transmission temps. carefully. It never raised temps. more than 10-15 degrees above flat land towing did.

The 2014+ GM 1500 trucks have "grade braking" that's automatically enabled in aggressive mode when tow/haul is enabled.

1/2 ton truck, gas engine, towing 8,000 lbs, and you don't need to touch the brakes on a 6% downgrade.

And the integrated transmission temperature monitor shows that the factory cooling is doing a great job...

The HD trucks are even better than this.

[Charlie_D_]

Skid Row Joe wrote:
Sounds like it's time for CharieD to get tuned in with manufacturer's recommendations? My Ford HD Owners Manual specifically states to not use it for braking. I'll stay with Ford Motor Company's advice, rather than your's chalee! :B

Charlie D. wrote:
Time for Skid Row to get tuned in with the new transmissions. They are designed for grade braking. Coming through western New Mexico from Show Low and through Montana and Wyoming I used my T/H to minimize braking and watched by transmission temps. carefully. It never raised temps. more than 10-15 degrees above flat land towing did.

Well your manual may say that but not mine and it seems that every other poster is in disagreement with you on using the Tow Haul.

[Skid_Row_Joe]

Sounds like it's time for CharieD to get tuned in with manufacturer's recommendations? My Ford HD Owners Manual specifically states to not use it for braking. I'll stay with Ford Motor Company's advice, rather than your's chalee! :B

Charlie D. wrote:
Time for Skid Row to get tuned in with the new transmissions. They are designed for grade braking. Coming through western New Mexico from Show Low and through Montana and Wyoming I used my T/H to minimize braking and watched by transmission temps. carefully. It never raised temps. more than 10-15 degrees above flat land towing did.

[Nvr2loud]

1) I leave mine on tow/haul for all driving since it makes the shift points a little higher and crisper, not so much wear on the transmission

2) I still don't tow in overdrive, but only because the transmission wants to be in 5th or 6th and engine speed is too low. The transmission starts to get really hot when attempting to pull up hill in 5th or 6th. I use 3rd or 4th for towing and keep my 5.3 gasser up around 4000 RPM. If you can handle the noise of the engine, you soon realize that fuel consumption gets much better, transmission temperature decreases, and engine temperature decreases (higher speed but lower load)

[BubbaChris]

Used to be you'd read dire warnings about not towing in overdrive. T/H removes that limitation, so I'll see better overall mileage.

My wife recently asked how I feel about my new-to-me truck and I told her I'm tempted to write a Thank You letter to the transmission engineering department at Ford. It is one of the best I've experienced in a truck (definitely better than my wife's 4Runner).

[Charlie_D_]

Time for Skid Row to get tuned in with the new transmissions. They are designed for grade braking. Coming through western New Mexico from Show Low and through Montana and Wyoming I used my T/H to minimize braking and watched by transmission temps. carefully. It never raised temps. more than 10-15 degrees above flat land towing did.

[kaydeejay]

Skid Row Joe wrote:
With a trans overhaul or replacement that runs $3,000+ and a brake job running a few hundred - the math is easy on which system to brake with.

Anywhere, in the United States auto transmission downshifting will potentially harm the transmission. My Ford PSD's owners manual specifically states not using it as a braking device. If your method works for you have at it, but it does your trans. no good - whether you realize it or not is the only difference here. That includes Colorado, btw.:W

S'funny, my Owner's Manual says:....
"Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start down a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you might have to use your brakes so much that they would get hot and no longer work well.
If you have an automatic transmission, you can tow in DRIVE (D). You may want to shift the transmission to a lower gear selection if the transmission shifts too often (e.g., under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions).
You may also want to activate the tow/haul mode if the transmission shifts too often."

Think I'll keep using my Tow/Haul and engine brake so I don't cook the service brakes to the point of fade thank you!

[Skid_Row_Joe]

Can't be - my auto transmission is 1,000 times better than any transmission you and your pappy used. That includes your Allison transmission. I'm not hurting one bit.

Just say'n, :B

shepcal wrote:
S.R.Joe- my Allison is 100 times better than any tranny your pappy used. I'm not hurting it one bit.
I went from 2.45's to 2.65's on my 07 Chevy Duramax and have found I get better mileage even when not towing in T/H

Just say'n, Shep

[pappcam]

Again, people seem to think they're smarter than the truck company engineers and why doesn't anyone read the owners manual anymore?

Use Tow/Haul when you are Tow/Hauling something. It's really that simple. You want better mileage? Sell your trailer.