Towing in overdrive.

[Govt issue]

I read a postthe other day that someone had wrote.
Any info would be helpfull. They said that towing in overdrive converter locked up below 2000rpm could be harmfull. I tow 7500lbs in overdrive, (my boat) 55-65 mphin moderate hills. Is this harmfull?

[DmaxMaverick]

It is not the towing in overdrive that is harmful. It is the gear hunting that causes failures. If you tow in overdrive and the tranny holds the gear without hunting, you are fine. If your pedal input doesn't cause a repeated down/up shift condition, the tranny isn't seeing enough load to cause harm. The benefit is better economy, less noise, lower tranny temps (torque converter locked), and a more efficient running engine.

This is assuming that your powertrain is stock. You didn't mention any mod's, if any, that you may have. Power mod's can push tranny input beyond its ability by allowing it to hold a higher gear at higher power demands, and RPM's too low to maintain sufficient cooling. If your powertrain is stock, the tranny will protect itself and the engine from too much stress. Too much power and too low a gear will also increase EGT's, possibly too high.

If you have had no problems so far, continue doing what you are doing. Diligent service intervals are very important in any case, and more so when towing heavy loads, like in your case.

There are many factors that can effect your results. More info about your truck and driving habits could help to offer more detail.

[Govt issue]

Thanks my truck is all stock. I change the trans fluid once a year.

[rjwest]

I run a truck camper, Installed the " TCC lock up sw" Keep TCC locked untill I start to load the engine, Than back off the throttle, Shift down to 3rd ( or 2nd if required ) and pull the hills without letting the " PCM, Idiot " Hunt for all
the gears......