krlees, Funny how things like that seem to work out. Mines one of these..... (I love to show off the thing! )



Like hapynzap said, you'll need a tranny cooler. Mine only weighs #4500 'soaking wet', and I know it's back there....... My tranny has not gotten over 150* on the highway towing, but I've gotten it > 195* in only five minutes of backing it into it's parking spot at the house! Now, I do have the sender in the tranny output line, so it's seeing the temp right out of the torque conv., but the fluid is still getting hot. I let it idle for about five minutes and it cooled down to < 180*, then I finished up and unhitched.

IMO, you'll be at the upper limits of your trucks weight rating with a #5200 trailer. It'll tow it and as long as you have a weight distributing hitch and a tranny cooler, you should do ok. You'll probably be in second gear up the hills, so just take it easy and you'll make it.

smpoyser,

I have Autometer electric water and tranny gauges. Put them in a dual A-Piller pod and installed them myself. The water sender is in the heater hose that goes from the engine to the heater core. The tranny sender is in the rubber hose part of the line up front that goes into the top line to the rad. Just used some brass T fittings and other fittings to make it all work. Got them from Home Depot! Glad I've got them, because I'm planning on doing a lot of towing this summer!!

Good Luck everyone!

 

Thanks for the help. I'm beginning to think. I need a bigger truck. Does anyone know about how much it cost to have a tran. cooler installed?

 

Mitch, It sounds like you need to get an electric fan set up, heh

krlees - let your fingers do the walking int he yellow pages under Transmissions.

 

hapynzap, Thanks for the suggestion. I have thought about an aux fan for the tranny cooler, but it could block the cooler (some) when cruising down the highway....

I can actually feel the stock fan setup pulling air thru the rad and cooler when it's idling (sp?), so it is getting some air flow.

I think if I do anything, I'll just get a larger cooler (like the one you have )

Where I park the trailer, it's uphill and I have a tight "S" turn to make, so it takes several attemps to get lined up and all......

It is on loose gravel, so I've thought about putting it in 4-lo to back it in. Might try that next time?

Thanks again

 

Mitch,
With my flex-a-lite 270 electric fan setup my air conditioning is running very cold and I have picked up 1 to 1.5 more MPG, not to mention a nice SOTP on the ole gas pedal on accelration.

Did you know that Flex-a-lite fans are distributed out of Milton? Check their website but I got my best price at Summit racing with the xmas 10% discount it was $359.

I'm originally from Seattle. You say you have a hill, heh. You must be on South Hill then?
John

 

You guessed it! That's exactly where I am in Puyallup. I'll have to give the electric fans some more thought I guess....... I've always been under the impression that they pull less air then the stock setup? I'll give up the mpg or extra hp if I get more airflow when idling. That's where I want the majority of my airflow, because I know I get pleanty when I'm moving.

I also don't want to 'tax' my electric/charging system too much, since I do a lot of 'boon dock' camping, and I'm usually 50 miles from civalization when I do it. I'll find myself having to hook up the trailer connection while camping to charge the trailer battery from time to time.....

Thanks for the additional info on them however.... I'll really give it more consideration, since you are in AZ and are not having any overheat issues!!

Mitch

 

Hi Mitch,
When I, went to pick up my camper. They installed the 5th wheel hitch and I ask they to install a tranny cooler. They couldn't get it done Sat. They should have it done Monday. It's going to cost me $258.00 installed. Don't know if that is way out of line. Put, I would rather be safe than sorry. Don't want to damage my tranny due to over heating.
Hopefuly this will do the job. And I, will be ready to be on my way.

 

I don't think that's too much for a cooler install. It's mostly labor, and they have to remove most of the grill to install it and cut the tranny lines, so not too bad IMO.

Good luck with your 'new' camper. I'm looking forward to Summer myself and taking mine out as much as I can.

 

Actually cutting into the transmission return line that comes out of the bottom of the radiator (at least on mine) is easy since there is a rubber section that you can cut into that's located at about the middle of the radiator support. I then got a couple of barbed fittings to plumb in the lines to my cooler I installed. I also used two hose clamps on each 5/16 ID barbed fitting. Better safe than sorry, heh.