Trailer Towing Help Needed
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,380
Likes: 503
From: Tonopah. AZ.
It is simple physics your engine does not have the power to tow that load at that speed in overdrive. lock it out of 5th and slow down you will get better milage and your truck will thank you
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,261
Likes: 13
From: Wisconsin
What about 6th gear? You say it moves between 4th and 5th? You have a six speed, tow/haul mode does NOT lock out 6th gear.
Just put it in tow mode and drive it. Take off the cruise control if the shifting annoys you. Just let it slow down a bit when you hit a hill. It's downshifting because it is trying to keep your speed up and obviously can't do it in high gear.
If you had a newer truck with select shift, you could lock out 6th gear
Just put it in tow mode and drive it. Take off the cruise control if the shifting annoys you. Just let it slow down a bit when you hit a hill. It's downshifting because it is trying to keep your speed up and obviously can't do it in high gear.
If you had a newer truck with select shift, you could lock out 6th gear
Ford Owner since 1971
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 135
Likes: 5
From: Michigan
The OP has a 2009 F150. You can NOT lock the transmission out of 5th or 6th. The only option is to put the tranny in D (all gears available) or in 3RD locking out 4,5 and 6 gears (or lower gearing selections). Ford didn't "fix" this issue until the 2011's. I've got the same tranny and haven't found any way to lock out the upper gears to prevent frequent downshifting. If there were a way to do that, I'm sure the OP would have simply downshifted to 4th and kept driving.... Design "insufficiency" ?? Ford fixed it in 2011, but hasn't addressed the issue for those of us with older transmissions.