Towing in the mountains
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 106
Likes: 10
From: KS
Towing in the mountains
I'm sure this has been covered before, but I couldn't find anything when I searched for this specific question...
I'm about to tow for the first time with my new truck. I'll be taking a lightweight travel trailer (3100 lbs dry) up into the Rocky Mountains. I'm sure the tow/haul function works great on flat terrain or on small hills, but what about in the mountains? On my last three trucks it was customary to put the transmission into the next lower gear and just leave it there, so the tranny wouldn't hunt for gears and overheat. However with the 6-speed on the new Fords it goes from 6 (D) to 3, with no option of selecting 4 or 5. I plan on putting it in D with the tow/haul engaged anytime I'm not going up or down a mountain, but what about the mountains themselves? Keep it in D with tow/haul on, or just put it in 3? On my past trucks going up some of those mountains I'd be in 3, and sometimes even 2, in order to maintain speed. I didn't see anywhere in the owners manual about putting it in 3, yet it seems like it would do a lot of hunting in D. Opinions?
I'm about to tow for the first time with my new truck. I'll be taking a lightweight travel trailer (3100 lbs dry) up into the Rocky Mountains. I'm sure the tow/haul function works great on flat terrain or on small hills, but what about in the mountains? On my last three trucks it was customary to put the transmission into the next lower gear and just leave it there, so the tranny wouldn't hunt for gears and overheat. However with the 6-speed on the new Fords it goes from 6 (D) to 3, with no option of selecting 4 or 5. I plan on putting it in D with the tow/haul engaged anytime I'm not going up or down a mountain, but what about the mountains themselves? Keep it in D with tow/haul on, or just put it in 3? On my past trucks going up some of those mountains I'd be in 3, and sometimes even 2, in order to maintain speed. I didn't see anywhere in the owners manual about putting it in 3, yet it seems like it would do a lot of hunting in D. Opinions?
