I took my first trip this weekend. put 400 miles on my new baby. I pulled a trailer 6x12. My question is do you guys switch the overdrive off when approaching steep hills and then back off when you plane back out? I found myself doing this 10-15 times during the trip to aid in powering up hills.

In Central VA we have lots of up and down hilly sections as you head west towards the Blue Ridge mountains.



2007 SC Lariat 4x4

 

If I'm towing through rolling hills like you have in VA/NC or NM/CO border region, I just turn the overdrive off and leave it off.

 

If the hills are steep enough to make my truck downshift, I just turn the cruise off and leave it off until the road flattens out.

 

I recently towed a 5000Lb load, on hills & when starting from a stop, I turned the OD off, seemed to work well using that method, once I was on a flat surface again & up to speed, I turned the OD back on.

 

I do alot of towing. I am a tournament director and have to pull and 14' covered trailer all over the state. If I am in a hurry (which I usually am) I just leave overdrive off. But if I have time I will just turn o/d off for hilly sections of road. Kind of depends on the wind. I can go alot faster with a tailwind. It is like pulling a parchute with that thing behind you. One of my friends who I travel with alot pulls his boat with a Durango and will not go more that 65 with that thing. I get so ticked off. He doesn't think he should push his motor that hard out of overdrive. Which he has to drive out of overdrive cause his Trans. cooler is small. I do not see anything wrong with pushing my engine around 27-2900rpm. I tell him to buy a real truck.