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Carl C
07-09-2006, 08:23 PM
My '95 Ford 1/2 ton w/77,000 miles performed perfect for my first long tow (400 miles) last Sat. It has all of the towing equipment. The dual gas tanks were appreciated. My problem is that the 3:55 gears put my RPMs a little high without using OD. The other Donzi rigs were passing me while I was staying at 60 to keep my RPMs under 2,500. Is OD definately a no go even on level road? What RPMs are your trucks running?:confused:

Dr. Dan
07-10-2006, 08:14 AM
:wink: Carl, I towed my 22 to Lake Cumberland...sorta...made it to Ashland Kentucky and I melted the Main Seal it got so hot...my Overdrive light was burnt out....and my 1993 Lightning had 4:10 Gears and alot of Ponies...so I never felt a thing...but it made for a very entertaining weekend and the most expensive Donzi Gathering for Liz and I to date...thank god!

I added Air Bags to both my 4 Runner and Lightning to stabilize the ride...other than that...ya might just need more ponies...the Suburban towed all the way home 14 + hours at close to 80 mph on average ... outside of some Construction Delays we had no issues. Used Suburbans are plentiful... in fact I know of a nice 454 equipped one in the late 90's Vintage...3/4 Ton.

Good Luck

Doc :cool!:

Carl C
07-10-2006, 10:43 AM
Thanks. Doc, sorry to hear about your towing misfortune. My truck ran cool and had lots of power. I'm just concerned about running it at 3,000 RPM for hours at a time. It IS 11 years old and has 77,000 miles. I guess I'll just compromise and tow about 65 MPH which keeps my RPMs under 3 grand. If the tires weren't new I'd put bigger tires on the back.:crossfing

BUIZILLA
07-10-2006, 11:03 AM
I had an '88 Bronco w/5.8 and 3.55 gears, I would tow a loaded open car trailer 7000#, for hours on end, as in 12-16 hours at a time, did it for 3 years and 45,000 miles.......

JH

Carl C
07-10-2006, 11:10 AM
I had an '88 Bronco w/5.8 and 3.55 gears, I would tow a loaded open car trailer 7000#, for hours on end, as in 12-16 hours at a time, did it for 3 years and 45,000 miles.......
JH.............The dots indicate that there may be more to this story? What happened after 3 years? What speed and RPMs?

BUIZILLA
07-10-2006, 12:01 PM
the 5.8's in 1988 were C6's, with no OD.

Digger
07-11-2006, 06:08 AM
not to hijack the thread but... a related question... Jamie, you say once you know how a Ford tranny works you don't tow in OD. My 95 F350 PSD has an E4OD... if I don't use OD I'm at 3k rpm by 60 mph, which is nearing redline for the diesel. I've been towing in OD for many miles...have an aux tranny oil cooler... what is the concern?

Carl C
07-11-2006, 06:59 AM
I am an automatic trans mechanic (or used to be) but have never been into the Ford AOD. I have a trans cooler but the first owner did burn up the trans towing and it was replaced with a Ford factory rebuilt unit 2 years ago. What is the issue here? Does this trans have a lock-up torque con.? It's my understanding that most heat is generated by the churning of the fluid in the torque con.:confused:

Carl C
07-11-2006, 07:09 AM
That makes sense. Thanks. So you should be OK to shift to OD at least on downhill stretches where there is little load.

RickSE
07-12-2006, 10:59 AM
I tow with an 8.1L ZF 6-speed manual and 4.10's. I generally pull the boat at 70-MPH, 2300-2400 RPM's on the flats in 6th and 3,000-3,200 RPM's on the hills in 5th. My torque peaks at 3,200 so I try to run close to the peak torque up the hills and then below this on the flats for fuel economy. I've had no issues towing in overdrive but then I have a manual. I just make an effort to not bog (WOT) or load up the drive train in overdrive. If I'm on the gas that much I go down a gear.