Towing

[pwcummings]

I towed my brothers sand rail (and another 1000+ lbs of equipment) about 700 miles through many large elevation changes last week, OD off on the hills, on on the flats. Dual axle Trailer was equipped with electronic trailer brakes, which were run by my tekonsha p2. Trip went great, absolutely no hiccups whatsoever. If it were me, hauling that kinda weight, I would insist on electronic trailer brakes, however if u r sure u won't run into any snow or super slippery roads, surge brakes would probably be just fine. Like other posters, I would make sure to run a hitch set up rated for well over the weight u intend to pull. Of course, balance of your load is paramount. Make sure you place the car in such a manner that the trailer (not the tongue) is holding the weight. I found that 250-400lb tongue weight makes for a smoother ride and my LC's squat is barely noticeable in that tongue weight range. Good idea to grease the drive lines and joints prior to the trip, it will make for less vibrations pulling up the hills.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[NicB]

I made the 1,000 mile trip in one piece. Was probably towing 5,400 pounds. Had one issue with the car sliding forward on the wet Uhaul trailer, but I fixed that with some blocks.

I was definitely getting some sway at 65+, so we kept it to 60-62 the whole way, but truck did pretty good given the weight.

 

[Sandroad]

I appreciate the info in this thread and others on towing. I've recently started towing a 4000 lb camper and found conflicting information in my '04 owner's manual on transmission usage:


“When the lever is in the “D” position, the AT system will select the most suitable gear for running conditions such as normal cruising, hill climbing, hard towing, etc.”

“To prevent such damage (overheating), “4” position should be used for hill climbing or hard towing”

“Always use the “D” position for better fuel economy and quieter driving”.

“In order to maintain engine braking and electrical charging performance (when towing), do not use the overdrive. Transmission must be in the “4” position."

However, with the wisdom and experience on this forum, I plan to regularly use the "4" position on my A750F transmission when towing.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

You just don't want the trans to "hunt" gears. I run OD on flat ground while towing on the hwy, but I'm super aware of what the trans is doing. As soon as it downshifts, I turn off OD so it won't shift back and forth. That will also force the trans to keep the torque converter locked up, which reduces heat. Slippage and heat are what kill auto transmissions.