do's and do not's of Towing...

Hey all,

I have a big trip planned and wanted some guidance on towing. I have a 2004 DC 4x4 6 cyl, and have added a Transmission cooler. I am towing a Boston Whaler that I estimate at about 2500 lbs, but with people and stuff might be a bit more than that, maybe 3000 or 3500. I am just wondering if I should drive with the O/D off, or on? It seems to be at about 3000 RPM when doing 60-65, is this ok to do for a long period of time? The trip is about 7 hours with stopping, and we will be driving from the mtn's to the Beach. So the way back will be harder coming up the grade into town...
Is it OK to Turn the O/D off at around 60?

Thanks, just curious how people drive while towing... I have towed many times before, just never with a 6 cyl Tacoma...

Beantown

 

I would turn the OD off for towing. It will help keep the temps down.
And it's ok to leave it off even under normal circumstances, meaning it won't hurt anything but fuel economy.

It's meant for better fuel economy by dropping the rpm's down. It's like highway driving in 4th gear with a 5 speed when it's off, same thing more or less.

But, you can always try it, if the truck feels like it's lugging a bit, turn it off.

 

You should be fine with OD on while driving on flat straight away type highways. Steep inclines is when I'd turn it off. My understanding is it's meant to keep the tranny from shifting in to high gear to keep it from "hunting" between 4th and 5th and overheating the tranny fluid. Brakes and brake controller are also a good idea. Gonna leave this here too.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/4031-tacoma-towing-bible.html

 

Read #1
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/4031-tacoma-towing-bible.html#post35021

 

Gonna have to stand by my statement and slightly disagree with him though. On flats, for the sake of fuel economy, if the tranny isn't hunting and the engine's within a normal rpm range you're good.

 

The main thing when towing with a tacoma is honestly patience. Dont be in a rush and dont be afraid to climb some of the bigger grades at a lower speed, I would sometimes gain momentum at the bottom of a big grade so I could get to the top easier. But some of the bigger hills I would drop a gear and cruise up them going 55.

Definitely drive with od off, and you should be set with brakes since boat trailers usually have surge brakes. You'll be impressed with the motor on these trucks but the braking is where the tacoma lacks a bit while towing so give yourself some good following space. This is what I did when towing our wakeboarding boat before we got a full size tow rig.

 

Hi all,

Just wanted to give an update on our towing trip. The Tacoma preformed amazingly...! I was really impressed with how this truck towed. I started out in the MTN's so I left the O/D off, and it towed great, just kept it slow at about 60-65 mph. But once we got to the low country, I turned the O/D on and she cruised at 70-75. Coming back, it screamed a little coming up the grade, but I just kept in at 45 mph and climbed up slowly. For some reason, I didn't have high hopes for the towing capability. But she did great! I think the only think I will do in the future is put the Tundra Big Brakes on her. Here are a couple pictures of her loaded down.

Thanks so much.

 

Thanks for the update. It's good to hear that everything worked out for you and you enjoyed a great day on the water! Hopefully the fish were biting and you returned with a full ice chest of fish.

If you haven't done so, you may consider checking the color of the tranny fluid just to be sure that it didn't overheat on you. Thanks again for the update.

 

Is it true the brushes/points or whatever it is in the transmission that engages/disengages will burn up if OD is used incorrectly during tow?

 

I cant see if you have any transom straps. In an oh sh** situation you dont want the boat leaving the trailer.

 

It's squatting enough to make me think a weight distributing hitch is going to be more helpful than bigger front brakes.