JBradley500

i dont tow and i dont have an auto in my truck but i will try to remember what i have been told by a friend who builds them...

staying in the throttle will increase (line?) pressure in the transmission which keeps the clutches from slipping as much... less slipping=less heat.

he has a poster that says "10* drop in trans temp can increase trans life by 100%"... im sure that is optimistic but its probably possible.

knowing those 2 things i would try and stay out of OD as much as possible to keep things cool and happy.

i also agree with dadijohnson, the heat has already done its damage by the time its in the pan. this also relates to the gauge. if you dont install the probe in the correct location you may never know when the trouble starts. do some research on the best place for it.

drewsta

wow, thanks for all yours guys feedback! Im going to buy the gauge and deep sump tranny pan. Im only towing around 5-6 K i think not near what some of you said you tow 15K WOW thats alot.. whats the most i can tow with my 12v/auto???? i have 355 gears i think...

drewsta

oh yeah i forgot, i have stock radiator/clutch fan

1STGENFARMBOY

You can tow (ALOT) 25k but you may not be able to stop. If i lived where ther were mountains i would'nt to as much as i do here on flat ground. 5-9k is a pretty safe amount to tow i think. i can have 12k on flat land and kick on my O/D and hold it steady and just watch my trans temp climb, kick it off and watch if fall.

Dar

Subliminal

At 5k I'd think you'd be fine just the way it is. That's nothing. My trucks runs BETTER when I throw my 4k boat behind it.

KD93

Yep, diesels run better with a load on, (within reason! .) I'd forgotten about the Derailed tranny cooler. Thanks Brandon, for suggesting that.

dadijohnson

I have had the Derailed tranny pan on my truck for two years and it has helped a lot. the tubes keep the temps below 180* at highway speeds however the slower the truck is moving the less effective the cooling tubes are. This pan also adds three quarts of oil to the system. It is quite a bit larger than the stock pan and if you have a 4x4 it comes real close to the front drive line, but it does clear. This is the same pan as pictured in Crosy's post.
The best cooling for the buck in my estimation.
Good Luck,
Dan

92'1stGen

If your only running 55, combined with bigger tires, plus extra power, I'd definitely run with o/d off. To many factors against you that will create additional heat in the trans. Not to mention if you have the 3.55 axle ratio that will hurt you even more.

93-12Smoke

IMO Bumper pull trailers pull heavier than a goose neck. My boat weighs in around 6000 fueled up on the trailer and my truck doesn't like pulling it highway speeds. Does better with a 32' gn with my mud truck on it. I have always been told manual or auto u never pull in OD and I learned that lesson by burning up my last Nv4500.

KD93

I hate bumper pulls.

93-12Smoke

I used to not understand why people said GN's were better until I pulled one and I wont use another bumper pull unless I have to.

Subliminal

Wow. My truck doesn't bat an eye at the boat...it might smoke a little more on shifts, but that's about it. Probably pull about the same time in the 1/4th, too...not that I know what that time is...but you know.

93-12Smoke

I think mine is just in a weird spot form the Turbo. Tries to pull all motor and egts go way up. Not really heavy enough to make the Turbo boost but to heavy with that much fuel.

KD93

It's not the load that I don't like, it's the way the truck handles. GN's are a MUCH nicer ride IMHO.

The_Head

1. I do. I kick it down if going 45-50 with light throttle. It won't hurt anything to be in 3rd at 55 mph though.
2. It surely wouldn't hurt.
3. You should want one. That was one of the first things I did on my truck.