Towing and Overdrive?

[Wayne Costin]

I have a 2007 ST XLT 4.0 and just bought a used popup camper from a friend. The camper weighs in the neighborhood of 1500 pounds and was wondering about towing it?



Do any of you tow in OD?



Also, I have the factory installed hitch on my ST, what type of hitch bar do you all use? Would a straight hitch bar be to high, or should I get a drop bar? I have a hitch bar from my minivan and put on it this weekend, found the hitch on the ST will take a very short bar????



Any suggestions helpful.



Thanks,

 

[Jim P]

towing in OD,. I would NOT as it will usually just causes the tranny to hunt for the correct gear and lug the engine, etc. Staying out of OD will keep the engine in the power band unless you're on flat roads (FL). What kind/shape of bar you use depends upon the trailer's tongue height compared to the ST's hitch height, you want the camper to be as level as possible for best towing so its a trial/error thing until you find the right ball height needed for that trailer

 

[Chris Taylor]

For 1500 lb, unless the engine hunts in and out of OD, I would use the OD. Can't do that on mine because I tow ~3800lb...



On the hitch bar height:



1. Adjust the trailer so it is level. Measure from the bottom of the trailer hitch to the ground.



2. Then measure from the bottom of the hitch of the ST to the ground.



3. Subtract #1 from #2. This will be the drop of the hitch required to keep the popup level, but does not take into account the possible rear end sag due to the trailer tongue weight.



4. The hitch tongue weight should be 150-200lbs or so(10-15%), so get someone who is about that weight and have them stand on the bumper and see how much the ST sags. Subtract however much it sags from the answer in #3, and you will have the drop height needed with the rear end sag figured in.



I'm assuming that you are not using a weight distributing hitch...

 

[Wayne Costin]

Thanks for all the info!



I guess the OD will be trial and error. If I am going up and down hills, I figured I would turn off the OD, otherwise, my thinking was to let the transmission do its thing?

 

[Chris Taylor]

Yes, if the tranny drops out of OD and then your speed increases, goes back into OD, your speed decreases, then drops out of OD, etc., on a constant basis, that's hunting, and is really hard on a tranny, as tranny temps can climb quickly due to the constant shifting. I have this problem on flat roads with a strong headwind. As soon as it starts, the OD gets switched off.



On occassional hills(highway overpasses?), I let the tranny decide what gear is best unless it starts to hunt.

 

[tom buczkowski]

I pulled a pop-up 250 miles in OD with no problem.

 

[Dreman]

I didn't even think about it when I pulled a Ford Contour on a tow dolly from Houston to Knoxville (about 1000 miles). :huh: I even used a trailer ball in the bumper!



About 2600 lbs, and Knoxville is hilly! Most of the trip was pretty flat, though.

 

[Jacob Dryer]

I towed cross country from Virginia Beach, VA to San Diego, CA all with OD on. Even through the mountains. It never hunted on me. It defintally downshifted when it needed too but it usually stayed there until the grade was back to normal and then would drop back into OD.



That was with approx 3500lbs. When I tow my boat which is 1500lbs it is almost like it isn't there.

 

[Tom Schindler]

I towed a car on a trailer. Cars weighed about 3000 LBS and the Trailer weighs 1400 LBS. Towed it with the OD on and never had any issues of gear hunting. It towed great at 70 MPH.



We went from Akron, OH to Lexington, KY.





Tom

 

[Chris Taylor]

I agree that with 1500 lb, there should be no gear hunting and towing in OD will probably not be a problem.



With the higher towing weights, I think it depends on the terrain, the wind that day and the frontal area of the trailer whether you can tow in OD(and whether it will stay there or not). My camper has a lot of frontal area to pull through the air, so a 20 mph headwind does make a big deal at 60 mph. I didn't encounter as much problem pulling a 5000lb boat with a pointed bow as I do my 3800lb travel trailer with a big frontal area.



As I mentioned, I will let the tranny select the gear it wants on most hills, unless I think it is starting to hunt too much. Then the OD goes off until I get out of the situation that caused it to hunt.

 

[Velo Sprout]

I routinely pull a Rockwood popup camper with 2287 GVWR, and almost always drive my 07 Sport Trac 4.8 V8 with the overdrive on when travelling at highway speeds. As such, I don't notice any more shifting than if i was not towing. The only time I turn off the overdrive is when travelling below highway speeds on curving, sharply rolling rural roads while towing.