Alright, so I drove 60 miles to get a load of 2 tons of hay last weekend and remembered that I should use overdrive but im not completely clear on when to use overdrive. Now, I drove 60 miles back with overdrive off, so my question is, will driving with overdrive turned off for 60 miles hurt my truck or is it recommended when hauling heavy loads? I just want to be clear on the subject because im going back tomorrow (saturday) to get another load. Any help will be appreciated,
Thanks

 

If your transmission is shifting constantly in and out of over drive you should lock it off. If you are towing and it is at a steady rpm and speed and the trans is not searching for gears you are fine in OD.

 

^^^ words of wisdom

 

Can't add anymore to what Colorado said, other then I run OD while towing when I can and when I can't, I just lock it out and don't give it another thought....

Going 60 mph in 3rd, I'm only pulling a tad under 2500 rpms.. I do that for hours at a time.. It ain't gonna hurt anything and it's right in the engines power band, so it takes a good size grade to force a downshift into 2nd..

In OD, I'm only a tad over 1500 rpms and it doesn't take much at all to bog it down and force a downshift into 3rd, so unless I have a totally flat stretch of road with no head wind and no rolling hills, I can hold OD for long periods of time... If any of the above are in play, then it's shifting in and out every 5-10 miles and not really worth trying to do OD...

Mitch

 

What do you mean when you say
"then it's shifting in and out every 5-10 miles and not really worth trying to do OD..."
How does it shift in and out of overdrive, I thought it was either on, or press the button and it was off.
And is it ok to drive 15 mins to school and back at 60mph everyday with overdrive off besides the drop in mpg's?

 

OD is a fourth gear. Your transmission is a 4 speed automatic. When you press the OD Off button, it locks that 4th gear, or OD, out, so you now have a 3 speed transmission.

When you're pulling in OD, and your truck is constantly shifting down to pull a slight grade or to maintain speed, you need to turn OD Off. With 4000 pounds you'd have to be on pretty flat ground to justify running with the OD turned on. Also bear in mind that on top of that 2 tons of hay, you're pulling trailer weight as well.

What is your truck exactly? I mean year, engine, gears, tires, mods, etc.... And what kind of trailer are you hauling hay on? Bumper pull, gooseneck? Any idea on trailer weight?

All these factors are important, but listening to your truck is the best way to make that decision.

David

 

I have an 04 4x4 Supercrew, 5.4 liter, not sure of the gears; stock im assuming, I have 33" tires, no engine mods, and im hauling on a tandem axle 20ft bumper pull trailer, probably around 300-500 pounds. I tried driving with OD off to school this morning and I had to shift back into OD because i was at a steady 2600 rpms, which for me is unacceptable MPG wise. On the other hand, I did like the response in power when I was passing a car instead of bogging down in 4th gear when i press the gas. I'm starting to understand OD a lot better. I appreciate all the help guys
Thanks,
Chris

 

Chris, I'd bet that trailer would be a bit heavier than you think. The axles, tires and wheels will weigh close to 300 lbs alone. Depending on the frame of your trailer I'd bet at least 1500 lbs. If wood flooring, that'd weigh at least a couple hundred.

You might wanna take a look at a Gryphon programmer from Power Hungry Performance. They're in Winder, which may not be too far away.

Where are you in GA? We do alot of work there and get over there at times.

David
Ft. Payne, AL

 

Hate to burst your bubble but a Tandem Axle 20ft trailer weighs a tad more than 300-500 lbs.

Also, turning OD off is definitely a waste of gas if you don't have any kind of load behind you.

 

I live in south Ga in Colquitt County Zip is 31768 if you want to look it up, 50 miles from florida border. But yea, my trailer has wood flooring and a steel frame that wraps around, so 1500 sounds accurate. I heard some good things about the Gryphon programmer but exactly how much does one cost? Probably need to say a few benjamins before I can buy one.

 

Are you using your bumper or a regular receiver for the ball mount? If the bumper, I suggest you get a regular receiver. I expect you will be over the limit if the bumper (5000) fairly quickly. Also if over the 5000, you should have a WD hitch.

 

You might have already figured out what I was trying to say, but what I meant was if you leave the OD button alone, so that it WILL go into 4th gear, you may find that it'll want to shift in and out of 4th gear within those 5-10 miles.

When that occurs, it's better to just hit the OD button, so the light is on and it's "OFF". This will keep you in 3rd gear until such time that it needs to drop to 2nd gear..

While towing heavy, you do your engine a favor by keeping it in third gear and pulling the higher rpms.. If you try to hold OD, sure your rpms are lower, but you'll be pressing a lot deeper on the gas pedal, and all you are doing is dumping in more fuel and not getting anything out of it... You are just bogging the motor down, and that's harder on it then running at the higher rpms while under a heavy load.

You are not going to hurt anything by running in 3rd gear, towing or running empty.. You'll notice your mpgs drop if you are running empty, as the motor doesn't really need those kind of rpms to hold your speed.. The engine isn't bogging as bad running empty either, so you don't have to press the gas pedal harder to hold your speed running empty. That's why OD works running empty and not so much when you are hauling heavy..

Mitch

 

These words should be in the owner's manual.

 

I stand corrected. I have a tow package on my truck and I use a 2" hitch, not bumper pull. Thank you sir

 

Even with a receiver, it is rated at 500/5000 without a WD hitch. Higher with.