Mike.357

So is there a guideline for what is considered the appropriate amount of weight being hauled to use the tow/haul feature on my truck?

I am going to take a five hour drive to camp and am taking the four wheeler with me. It will be loaded in the bed along with all the crap I need to get along for three days of camping and riding.

The quad weighs in right at about 520 pounds. I will have at least 100 pounds of assorted gear as well as a couple of coolers full of beer, ice and food. Plus my fat ***. I am guessing it will be around 900 lbs between all of that.

And if using it what can I expect with respect to performance? Most of the trip will be on I 75 northbound through Tennessee and Kentucky. Lots of fairly steep grades. I don't know what to expect out of how the transmission will act as far as what gear it will cruise in. Will it pretty much stay in 5th or 6th gear?

Thanks for any info you can offer.

RLXXI

It's a general rule not necessarily written down any where but if your load levels the vehicle and/or towing ANY kind of trailer use the feature provided, especially on hilly terrain.


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Wannafbody

Use tow haul any time you plan on hauling *** with the truck, which should be every time you drive

lucky644

Tow/haul will keep your rpms higher and generally a gear lower than normal. Gives you more torque/power sooner when you need it.

I don't use it unless I'm in a lot of stop and go traffic, or on particularly hilly terrain. And only if I have a heavy trailer.

Mike.357

thanks for the input guys.

I suppose I will use it and eat the gas mileage.

93Cobra#2771

iTrader: (2)

Once on the highway, you may find your fuel economy will be better. Why? Tow haul keeps the torque convertor locked up longer before downshifting, and reduces downshifting every time you encounter a mild hill. Net result is less shifting and less net rpm on your trip.

The question is do you have enough weight to make a difference.

You could always pay attention to your rpm both in and out tow haul and see which gives better results.

I tried this little experiment over 1000 mile trip, pulling my camper. But it's a bit more weight than your four wheeler.

zx12-iowa

Use I to ky if hauling a heavy load causing you to shift in and out of overdrive, etc. with just a load in the bed I would not use it. But it won't hurt if you do. It just holds a lower gear longer and slows down shifts.

brucesears

I've tried both ways when pulling my 4K boat, with the stock tune it does reduce the shifting a little. With my custom tow tune it never shifts out of 6th gear and never loses any speed either way.

tamnalan

Why not just experiment with it - see what you like? I know a gent who uses it all the time - trailer or not - to get up to speed. I typically tow about 6000 lb and use the tow feature all the time for that. In hilly country I'll lock out 6th gear too to keep my eco engine RPM above 2000, where the torque curve is better.

Kind of fun to see how Ford half tons have changed over the years.

Whizbang

I use tow/haul 100% of the time so far. 44,000 miles, no problems.

I love the downshifting feature on hills. Since I live an a hill and am surrounded by hills, I would have worn out 3 sets of brakes without tow/haul.

Turn it on and forget about it.