ld17 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Hi Guys, I recently bought a used 2005 F150 4x4. I will be towing a 19.5 foot bass boat. Should I tow with overdrive off or on. Just wondering what other do? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 More than likely od off will be the best on your transmission, Whats your truck rated for and what is the weight of the boat? I find if I am near half of the towing capacity the od stays off. Most manuals will tell you to shut the od off. Actually most newer trucks will have a tow/haul button that will change the shift points and keep the od disabled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdox Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Unless you're on flat terrain at highway speeds, it's best to keep it out of OD. Not sure if you have a tow/haul button, but if you do and you're exceeding 50% of the GCWR it helps to use it, otherwise the longer shifts are annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_fishburn Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I have a 2000 f150 4x4, and tow a bassboat. On any hills I hit the button to turn od off and when on flat terrain or going down hills I turn it back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Clemens Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I've had a couple F-150's and have always trailered with OD OFF. Even once I get up into Canada, where the terrain is failry level, I still leave it off. I think my owners manually recommends this any time I am pulling a trailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 If it's fairly flat, leaving it in OD isn't a big deal (Just keep an eye on the tach, any rpm wandering take it out of OD).. If it's hilly, OD off for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskieman Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I tow a 9000lb 30' RV with my 2000 Expedition , OD off while climbing , and OD on flat terrain , transmission still works like new ( and I have a performance tuner ) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I just put the Duramax into D and it does the rest.. 5th wheel, 5th wheel + boat, doesn't matter, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke V. Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Bill we do the same! DMAX all the way. Hauled 12000 lbs with her last week lol But like others have said. If tow/haul is an option in your truck. Use it while hauling the boat. Does the truck have the 5.4 triton? Or 5.0? Either way. Truck will handle the boat no problem. Turn OD off before hills Increasing your speed 5-10 km/hr at the bottom of a hill will also help you. Have fun fishing! Luke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ld17 Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Thanks guys, I'll keep an eye on the rpms and see how it hauls with OD on and off. Definetly off on hills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumma Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 The secret to the question is what is the transmission temperature. Keeping it below 210 degrees will prevent the fluids from becoming acidic/breaking down and damaging the transmission. A truck with the tow package has a tran and oil cooler along with a few other goodies to keep the load in check. I run a 2012 ecoboost 12 hours straight doing 75 mph with a 20ft Ranger and a weeks worth of gear without an issue reaching 198 F degrees in the mountains. My Titan was at 210 and I had to lock out overdrive before I even got close to the mountains and it did not have a tow package. Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 If your tranny is constantly searching for gears, drop it into OD. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdox Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 If your tranny is constantly searching for gears, drop it into OD. S. When a transmission is "searching" for gears, it's because the RPMs are too low for the current gear and road speed, so it downshifts looking for higher RPMs. Putting it into D (also known as OD, the highest gear, lowest RPMs while cruising) doesn't solve that, it causes it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Oops, that's what I meant. That should have read drop it into D. If its searching for gears, drop down a gear. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted June 13, 2013 Report Share Posted June 13, 2013 Now if you drove a Cummins with an oar, you just put it in 6th and forgetaboutdit, mickey mouse exlax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Ironmaker Posted June 13, 2013 Report Share Posted June 13, 2013 I got into the habit as soon as I start the truck while hauling I hit the tow button, switching OD off. I will hit it again if merging onto traffic if need be, but off when Towing, always. I had 500K on the old GMC with original tranny and that beast towed car trailers for years and always had it on D2, hills or no hills. I watched my RPM closely and saw no difference on the highway. I think selecting OD off is a good habit to get in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now