I have a 06 screw with 5.4 and 3.73 gears. For the most part when pulling my 5800# TT it really does well. I just wonder what you guys do when it comes to big hills/long grades when towing. It seems my truck will hold a gear pretty long, maybe due to my custom settings on my edge, but every once in a while on a very long hill it will drop to I guess 2nd gear. I dont mash on the gas or anything I just try to hold it steady. When it drops down like that though it sounds like it is screamin' rpm are usually around 4200-4500. Is this really bad because it sure sounds like it? Or does the 5.4 make a lot of its power in that range? The longest I have ever drove it like that was probably 1 minute. I know this isnt the ideal way to drive and it doesnt happen very often but I want someone elses opinion. Thanks and sorry its so long

 

I wouldn't worry about it. The truck wouldn't do anything that would really harm itself without throwing a CEL anyway. When I had a stick, I always worried about that...with an automatic, I just let it do it's thing.

 

I have 99' with 3.73. When that happens to me I ease up some. I let the RPM slowly drop to 3500 and keep at it as long as needed.
Once the grade starts to level I will ease up slightly to let it upshift and slowly get on it again....I'd run 4200 for a minute and do...

 

thanks for the replies. I didnt really think that it would tear anything up, but I was just hoping somebody else would agree. For the very few times that it does happen, and for the length of time the engine works like that I guess i will be ok.

 

I have had the same thing happen to me in my 06, thanks for the info though, guess I won't worry about it now.

 

That's what it's supposed to do. Unless there is some need to keep going at 60 + mph going up that grade, then your next option is to drop down to around 50 mph, hold 3500 rpms and enjoy the ride!

I've got a stock 5.4 with 171,000 miles on it and 3.55 gears and tow a #5000 TT and I'm in second gear on the grades..... When it downshifts on it's own into second, I pull the shifter down to '2', give it some gas to make sure my TC is locked and then I just hold around 3000-3500 rpms (50-55 mph) and get up the hill. As I get to the top, I shift back into 'D' and when it's ready, it goes into third.

Back in the late 70's our family towed a 26' Taurus TT with a 1971 F250. It had the 390/auto and on the hills, I remember Dad being in first gear and we would snake up the hill at around 25 mph! Didn't have a tach in the rig, so don't know what rpms it was pulling, but it was up there and Dad's foot was to the floor!

Your engine is making it's peak power at over 3500 rpms, so that's just what it needs to get up the hill...

Mitch