I know Ford says not to tow in O/D, but I hate to kill my mileage.
What's the common opinion on how much weight can be pulled as long as the trans isn't going back and forth between 3rd & OD?
I don't have the dreaded mech. diode. Installing the Sonnax kit next W/E and probably the 6.0 T/C soon after that. I appreciate any tips.
Thanks
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'01 X 7.3 to tow my racecar...
AIS w/ sleeve
S.S. HX(removed for now)
4" MBRP
FPR shim
TransGo shift kit
Hellwig rear bar
Landyot's Radius Rods
DP Tuner-80E, Hi Idle, 60 tow
EGT, Trans temp, boost gauges
'99 E350 Snake Oil Wagon, 200+K, doesn't burn oil, lives on the bump stops & has a hard life. Runs like new.
'91 Spec Miata
All vehicles full of BG Synthetic Fluids
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I know Ford says not to tow in O/D, but I hate to kill my mileage.
What's the common opinion on how much weight can be pulled as long as the trans isn't going back and forth between 3rd & OD?
I don't have the dreaded mech. diode. Installing the Sonnax kit next W/E and probably the 6.0 T/C soon after that. I appreciate any tips.
Thanks
[/ QUOTE ]
I tow in OD all the time. Couple of cross country trips, many North/South trips. Got over 160,000 on the truck now and the tranny is still solid as a rock. These trucks just seem to love to tow.
__________________ TurboDave, EWCS(SW)USN Ret H&N Turbo 6 Racing
Seviervile TN A MAN AND HIS TRUCK, IT'S A BEATUFUL THING 01 Excursion LTD (EBM3) 7.3L, PSD, Turbo, 4X2, TTS Race Magnum (original owner) 86 GN (original owner) 87 GN (second owner) 08 Honda Accord EX-L
Unless the transmission is doing a lot of "hunting", I always tow in OD. Always have for the last 35 years. Never had a problem with the transmissions in my vehicles.
If I'm in really hilly country and my transmission starts the 3rd - 4th gear boogie, I will often lock it into 3rd gear until I get out of the hills....and I slow down to keep the RPM's under 2500. I don't like the 'unlocked' revving when the transmission shifts from 4th to 3rd and I will sometimes manually turn off the overdrive at the bottom of a big hill so the truck will climb with the transmission locked up in 3rd gear.
I'm right at 20,000# total weight when pulling, the max for my rig.
Florida Ed
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2001 7.3 F-350 Dually Lariat CC LWB 4X2 Dark Green 4.10 4R100 5'ver Hauler (32' Montana 2 slides 10,500# - 2,000# tongue weight), 106 gal aux tank, 112K miles, nephews arguing over who will inherit it 'cause I'm gonna' drive it 'til I die. Bone stock.
2001 5.4 Gasser F-250 XLT Crewcab SWB 4X2 3.73 4R100 67K miles headed to 150K (wife's vehicle on the "junk-iron" theory of vehicle safety....most junk iron wins in a crash) stock as the day it was made
Before these: '00 F-250 CC PSD, '97 F-250 CC PSD, '94 Ford F-150, '91 Ford E-250, '81 Ford E-150, '66 Ford F-100 (cars not included)
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I know Ford says not to tow in O/D, but I hate to kill my mileage.
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Where is that written anywhere in the Ford Super Duty Manual??? All I have read is "IF THE TRANS IS HUNTING BETWEEN DRIVE & OVERDRIVE TURN THE O/D OFF" [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] That's a big difference from DO NOT USE [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]
Everyone says it's written somewhere, but that was in their 1986 PU manual and they "ASSUMED" it was in there new owners manuals.
The rule is, if it down shifts going up a hill lock out O/D till you get to the top. And if you are going down the other side leave it locked out because you are suppose to go down in the same gear you go up.
Wayne B
__________________ 2000 F-250 XLT PSD 4X4 ESOF Auto, SC, LB, Gauges, Mag-HyTech Trans Pan & Rear End Cover, <font color="red"> (((XM))) Inside</font>, ATV Racks w/ Two Kawasaki Prairie 400 4X4's sitting on them, 25' Rockwood TT. Ashburn, Va. Member # 103 Pictures
Ford hasn't said don't tow in overdrive since the 96 model. I put 140,000 miles on my 97, over half of it towing a 32 ft living quarter horse trailer, and always towed in overdrive, like the owner's manual said.
In 05 with the tow/haul transmision you cannot take it out of overdrive any more. The button on the end of the gear shift lever only puts the transmission in or out of the tow/haul mode. Both modes use overdrive.
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2005 F350 Lariat Crew Cab dually, 6.0 psd, 4.10LS, tow haul package, B&W turnover hitch, J&J SS running boards, pull 40 ft Exiss LQ SS414 horse trailer ~ 14k loaded, 45,000 miles
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How about towing in O/D then when approching a steep grade or down hill, flick on Tow/ Haul mode... Would that work?
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No, different monster alltogether.
This thread is dealing with the older E4OD transmission where the selector button on the shifter allowed you to turn overdrive off. This was useful when towing to keep the transmission from hunting between overdrive and 3rd gear when you got into hilly terrain.
With the 6.0L engine and torqshift transmission, the tow/haul mode does not lock out overdrive. It simply ups the shift points on acceleration, holding the gear a little longer to keep the engine in it's peak powerband. It will go into overdrive around 60mph and will hold it in the hills down to about 55. And with the power the 6.0L has, most hills don't slow you down to the point of downshifting. And if it does, remember that the torqshift is a 5 speed transmission, so OD to 4th isn't as drastic as an OD to 3rd, as in the E4OD.
Bottom line, when towing use the tow/haul function. It's made to do it.
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