So just how hard is it on your tranny to tow in OD, I pull about 6k lbs up moderate hills, Running out of OD to cruise at 70 im tacking 2800 RPM's. It will pull all the way up the hills in OD without downshifting, is it just the downshifting that roasts the tranny, or is it running it in overdrive period?

 

The only time you will hurt the tranny is when it hunts for the right gear. I do not tow too heavy yet, but I only kick out O/D when under 50, if over 50 let O/D do it's job. That is what it is there for.

 

Obviously you have 4.10 gears that for sure. If you can maintain a given rpm and keep the torque convertor in lock up it should be ok. I rarely buzz mine past 2400. On the steeps I tend to slow down if needed to maintain a 2200-2400 rpm. That's with OD off and puts me at about 50-53mph.

 

6K the truck doesn't even know you are towing
I use OD when pulling 10K most of the time and as mentioned as long as you are not hunting for gears you will be fine.
The thing that gets hot in OD is your exhaust temp. on long hills the truck will run cooler with OD off, and the trans will stay cooler as long as its not hunting.

 

So everyone thats told me its actually hard on the tranny to pull in OD is wrong? Sweet, I was holding back last time I pulled, but was getting annoyed, whats the point in shelling out the cash for a diesel if I can't go over 70 anyways. And my truck has 3.55's for the record.

 

I tow my 9,000lb fifth wheel in overdrive all of the time. However, I was told to not to "lug" the transmission in overdrive below 1,800 rpm or so, because the transmission might not produce enough pressure to prevent slippage. I don't know whether this is true or not, but I will hit the button on the gearshift and lock out the overdrive on hills when I cannot hold 1,700-1,800 rpm. I have towed my camper quite a lot, and have had no problems.

 

Okay, I am totally ignorant (being female) about diesel and towing. We just traded our 2500 Hemi for a '04 3500 TD, HD 4X4, and we are planning on towing a 27' 5er at about 9400lbs. We are going accross Washington State Passes (4500 ft) and we don't have a clue about towing with a diesel. Dealer wasn't much of a help and said it would be the same as towing with a Hemi. The reason we traded in the Hemi is because it couldn't handle the Mountains. My question is this: What do we need to look out for? By taking it out of OD, does that mean pushing the button on the gear shift? We always thought that you push in the button as soon as you leave your driveway. Was that wrong? What should be our max speed? And one more thing, what is the minimum in miles a diesel should be driven every day? To work is 7 miles, is that enough to warm up the diesel? Someone told us that the engine needs to be hot or it could cause damage. Any assistance in making this truck a joy would be appreciated. Thanks,

 

You'll find that a diesel tows much differently than a gas rig. My experience towing in mountains is that it climbs hills best if you keep the RPM in the 2500 to 2800 range. It makes a hell of a racket but pulls well. Don't be afraid to shift it down to get the RPM that you need to climb the hills.

The great news is that you'll get much better MPG towing with a diesel compared to gas.

 

Any engine should be run up to temp, gas or diesel. Try to minimize short trips if you can, not that big of a deal. Just change the oil more often. As long as you keep it over 2000 RPM, leave it in O/D, you can drop it down on the real big hills. Just make sure it doesn't shift in and out of O/D unless you want it to, "hunting" gears will kill it quick! Mine tows the best at 2100 RPM, the "Sweet spot" if you will. Nothing like a Cummins for towing! You will love it!!!
Tom

 

You will find that on Steven's pass you will most likely want to come out of overdrive as you get to the real part of the pass, as OD would have you going way faster that you want to drive and traffic. You did not say what gears you have, but a good rule to follow as others have posted as you are pulling and RPMs drop below 2000 and before you reach around 1800 RPMs punch it manually out of OD. These 24V and new common rail diesels have no problem pulling at higher RPMs and can be run that way all day long. On I90 you will most likely come out of OD near the top to handle the traffic congestion that ***** up in that area.

Just remember that you have to be able to stop also. Pretty sad what happen in Marysville a few weeks ago when the 5er and Ford 350 could not stop and crossed into the North bound lanes.

SNOKING

 

The way I determine it is if there is no pedal left then your probably lugging. In plainer terms if you can't gain speed chances are you lugging or near lugging. So just press the pedal down a bit and see if your speed climbs up, if it does, sail on cheerfully.

 

Now I KNOW I need gauges, I have a superchips tuner set to performance tow mode, on a mile long hill or so I had it tacking 2800 the whole way up, the temperature gauge climbed allmost to the hash past 190,(3/4 of the way across the temp gauge) does that mean my EGT's were out of control? Or is it normal for the motor to heat up like this on a long pull, as soon as I breached the top and let off engine temp began dropping immediatly

 

Combination of your EGT's and your tranny temps along with normal engine heat.

Yes, get guages.


phox