Lock out gears while towing
#11
Pczern, congratulations on your new purchase. New or older the F-150 is a special vehicle. I have a 5.0 with a 3.331 rear and tow a light trailer, 5-6k lbs using tow haul w/o locking out any gears. The drive and feel is comfortable, safe, fun. Good luck and read your manual or go on YouTube to learn.
#12
Pczern, congratulations on your new purchase. New or older the F-150 is a special vehicle. I have a 5.0 with a 3.331 rear and tow a light trailer, 5-6k lbs using tow haul w/o locking out any gears. The drive and feel is comfortable, safe, fun. Good luck and read your manual or go on YouTube to learn.
#13
Tow haul will also allow automatic downshifts for engine braking when you apply the brakes, which is nice when towing heavier trailers to save brakes. You can lock out gears in tow haul mode or full manual mode on my truck. I lock out sixth most of the time as the truck won't stay in it long in rolling hills of southern Ohio where I do a lot of my pulling.
Last edited by 5.0GN tow; 04-30-2016 at 11:37 PM.
#14
Somethin' Bout a Truck...
I always use tow/haul mode and most of the time lock out 6th as it's just too low of and RPM and either lugs the engine or shifts too much for my liking. I tow a 7k lb boat and a 7k enclosed car trailer at 70mph from Ohio to Tennessee a couple times a year.
#15
Senior Member
Torque converter clutch lock up is part of the shift strategy of the 6R80 whether in Tow/Haul or not. It is available in gears 2nd through 6th. The TCC stays locked, as much as possible, to transmit full power to the wheels. It can also "drop out" of lock up to increase rpm and torque multiplication slightly, instead of having to select a lower gear. This gives you a sort of "in between gear ratio". If the rpms drop too low to provide adequate line pressure, the TCC will unlock or transmission will downshift, when needed.
Last edited by redneck wrencher; 05-01-2016 at 10:42 PM.
#16
Senior Member
#17
Senior Member