Towing travel trailer

Im towing a 2016 Keystone Bullet TT, tow wt 4400 @ 60mph getting about 11/12mpg. Tranny question- i keep in gear 4 most of the time, but change out to overdrive when going downhill or fairly level road. Tran doesn't go hunting and rpm drops from around 2 1/2 to under 2. when going uphill change back to gear 4. does this hurt trans to do this?

what about mountain driving- yes i got it to stay in 4 going uphill, but what about downhill winding road- can i drop down to 3 and not hurt tran? TT does have electric brakes all 4 wheels.

Thanks

 

Im not sure since i dont tow, sorry...

But you seem like a good candidate for a scangauge2, ultragauge mx, or another way to monitor the transmission temps sir.

I THINK what your doing sounds ok, but again i dont haul... And im sure trans temps are very important.
speaking of, do you have the tow package with aux trans cooler?

 

I wouldn't put it in overdrive at all when towing.

I don't see any harm in shifting down to 3 when going downhill. I would just try to wait until the transmission shifts itself to 3 before you physically put the shifter to 3.

 

You shouldn't tow in fifth grear. Just keep it in fourth and downshift as required. Shifting into 5th won't hurt anything while going down hill but it really does help anything either. You won't gain any significant fuel mileage in 5th, just pushing the accelerator pedal down further than you would be running in 4th. Fourth gear is a direct power flow (manual trans) through the transmission (1:1) and 5th isn't which makes it harder on the trans. Also the higher RPMs in 4th allow the the cooling fan and water pump to turn at a higher rpm which helps with cooling. Also it's easier on the motor to do heavier work loads at higher RPMs then lower RPMs.

 

As long as you're smart about it what you're doing won't hurt anything. Use it without OD most of the time and only shift into OD when conditions are favorable. I do the same, but don't normally tow quite that much weight and since my trailer is a popup don't have to deal with wind resistance. With what you're towing I'd say favorable conditions to use OD are probably quite rare. When in doubt, keep it out of OD, your transmission will last longer. As said earlier, used carefully you probably won't hurt anything, but in this case I don't see it helping either.

 

I too tow a TT weighs 4200 empty. Before I got an Ultragauge I towed in 4 all the time. Now that I can monitor engine, pan, and converter temps I use either 4 or OD depending on the temps & grade. I found the UG function TC LOCKED/UNLOCKED useless, as it is always ON in 1,3,OD; always OFF in 2,4. I also noted, in my transmission, that in 4 sometimes the TC is locked and sometimes unlocked. This is evident when going up steep grades; I can see a small increase in RPMs (~100) and the converter temps start to exceed the pan temps. Anyone else see this? I get about 1.5 MPG better using this strategy than staying in 4 all the time. Have used 3 for steep downhills too.

 

With that much weight behind a Taco you need to use engine braking. On a long enough grade just riding the brakes down they could fail, just like a Semi can lose brakes and become a runaway. Semis used engine braking, including jake brakes which drastically increase the engine drag. The ones who don't are the ones who wind up off the road or on a runaway ramp.

I never use Drive/OD at all when towing. Down hill, flat ground, just not. Keep it in 4. When you're needing to brake downhill, you should downshift. On pavement you should never need to go to 1st, but when I was hauling my 2000 lb trailer out of hunt camp down a jeep road, I was in 1st and 2nd most of the time, in 4lo. Controlling the speed is the most important thing. Whether it's hard on the tranny or not won't matter if you total the truck and trailer.

Downshifting does not hurt the transmission, but be aware of speed. So like, if you're doing 60, don't shift into 2nd. That would be bad for engine and transmission. What I'll do is shift down a gear and look at the tach. I want to be between 2500 and 3500 rpm as I'm engine braking. If speed keeps climbing and I need to brake a lot to control speed, I'll brake my way down 10 mph and downshift again. My closest high pass is Monarch. On the west side there are a series of hairpins. They are mostly marked 35 mph. I roll through those usually in 2nd. I'm pretty much in 2nd or 3rd all the way down. Not a time to hurry. Spend an extra 5 minutes getting down, and get down safely.

It may be common sense, but from what I see on the highway not that common. Control your goddam speed. You just can't go 75 safely, especially with that much weight on your trailer. You can't get on an interstate and move with traffic. Or at least you shouldn't. You should be in the right lane with the semis most of the time. I don't think I've ever even gotten up to 70 when I'm towing. Usually 60-ish, even on Interstates.

 

Ideally, downshift when going downhill to maintain speed without having to touch your brakes, save them for an emergency. Applies to both automatic and manual transmissions.

 

I tow my Ranger bass boat at 65-75 quite often and never feel unsafe. I tow in D on flat ground if I can keep speed above 65. Towing a TT with the wind resistance I would just leave it in 4th. Around here we only wish that the semis stayed in the right lane. I drive about 20 miles on my commute where trucks are not allowed in the left lane. Signs are there but if traffic gets a little heavy and they see an opening they get in the left lane. The worst is when one is governed to 75 and tries to pass one going 70. They can really clog things up.

 

I tow a TT with a 4,500lb dry weight. I leave it in 4 when towing because even on flat ground the transmission heats up when towing in D (confirmed with ultragauge).

I downshift to 3 (or even 2) when climbing or descending steep grades.

 

I have yet to tow with my ultragauge yet, but I'm assuming the transmission gets really hot while towing. My trailer weighs about 3300lbs loaded. I mainly drive in 4th, unless it's completely flat or a downhill section. I switch out of 5th when the trans unlocks. It's easy to see when he torque converter is locked with a transmission temperature gauge. Here's a tip for you guys without a trans gauge . While off road and driving slow, use 4 low. It makes a huge difference in your transmission temps.

 

I have the 2.7 paired to the 4 speed auto, I usually keep it in 4th unless I feel the truck bonging down, then I drop it down to 3rd

 

We tow a 19ft Hideout around 4500lbs with our 2005.. Religiously monitor Transmission and Coolant temps with a scanguage. Brake controller, friction sway bars, equilizer hitch et al.. Drive in 4th on the flats and drop to 3rd or even 2nd when it gets steep.. 10-12mpg.

We travel with our Inlaws with a 2006 and a 18ft similar trailer. They don't monitor anything but I've got them to stay in 4th with the trailer.. so far we've both made it to all the campsites..