zog

We have a 2004 Ram QC short bed with the Cummins, and love it!! BOught a Pilgrim 5th wheeler and really like it, too...BUT, I do have a cuple of questions I hope someone can help me with.

I am brand new to towing a trailer and am not sure I am doing it right. My big concern is for the truck...with the auto tranny, should I keep it in overdrive or pop the tow/haul button to lock out overdrive? Does the tow/haul button do anything besides locking out OD?

We only went 70 miles and it was fairly flat terrain. The transmission did not gear down out of OD ever, except when reducing speed ro coming to a stop. A few times, I backed off the throttle as the engine hit over 2000 rpm, which allowed the transmission to shift into the next higher gear. Am I lugging the engine by doing this? Is it better to wind out the engine a little?


When we parked the trailer at the campsite, I left the engine run a few minutes to cool it down...is this the correct thing to do?? I heard it somewhere but can't remember where...

Sorry to sound dumb, but this is my first diesel and I am just not real sure about it yet.

mike6256

Zog,

Get yourself some gauges for your truck. Its cheap insurance. With this you can keep an eye on your trans temps and your exhaust gas temp if thigs get to hot you simply let up a little.
I don't have the tow haul on my 02 but as long as your trans isn't shifting a lot you should be fine at highway speeds, if on back roads or hilly roads go ahead and use it.
As far as the 2000rpms I have 4.10 rear in mine and I turn 21-2200 traveling 65-70mph (OD on) this is not bad. Little more fuel but will not hurt this motor.

Happy trails.

zog

Thanks for the response, Mike....

I went to your gallery and saw your gauges....looks awsome. Did you install them yourself?? Was it very difficult? Where did you get the piller gauge holder??

Thanks again

Radman

Zog...
Can't speak for the 2004, but on my truck, the tow/haul button, if I understand the manual correctly, doesn't lock-out overdrive but merely changes shifting points that are more efficient when pulling a load. We took our 5er "out for a drive" as well on Saturday and I found my truck to reach overdrive both in and out of the tow/haul mode. Seemed the truck was eager to pull!
Good Luck!

zog

Radman...

Thanks for that tow/haul info. I need to try that. I started in tow/haul mode a couple of times, but turned it off before I got to 50 mph, so it would shift into overdrive. That sure is interesting...I'll try it on the way home tonight...thanks

HorseHauler

It's always a good idea to let the engine cool down after a haul. I don't have gauges YET but i always let mine cool for 2-3 minutes after pulling. Once you have a set of gauges it's easy to tell when its safe to shut down. (roughly 300*)

tankeryanker

On the 2004 48re it does lock out overdrive. On the 2005 48re it does not lock out overdrive. There has been alot of discussion on how the new tow haul mode is going to be accepted without the lockout feature. My buddy just traded in his 2002 for a 2005 & is going to tow this weekend. I'm waiting to see how well he likes it. I'm going with a sixer on my next truck.

RATTLINRAM

Welcome to the site zog,
It sounds like you are doing the right things. I tow a 30' 5er and run in OD all the time. I take off from a stop with OD locked out and then hit the button once I have reached speeds above 55mph. If the tranny downshifts when climbing a grade,,, I'll lock it out until it levels out at the top. When coming to a stop,,, I'll lock out OD as my speed drops below 50mph. I'll leave it locked out if the speeds are going to be under 50-55mph or stop and go traffic. One thing I like to do on long downhill grades is lock out OD and set the cruise control for the speed that I want to descend at. This seems to help keep the torque converter in lock-up longer. Most of the time, I can manually work the trailer brakes without disengaging the cruise control if I get too far above my selected speed. Note: This is something that I have practiced on doing with my rig in the mountains around VA. I'm not suggesting that this is the correct way for everyone in all situations. My main point is "Try to keep the torque converter in lock-up as much as possible. The more it stays in lock-up,,,, the less heat the transmission will generate."
*As for the "Tow/Haul" button,,,,, 2004 and earlier automatics use this button to LOCK OUT 4th gear overdrive.
The "Tow/Haul" button on the 2005 automatic works as Radman said and only changes the shift points in all four gears. It does not lock out OD.
And as Mike stated,,
Putting in a set of gauges will really give you some good information on how your truck is performing. You will be suprised at how the trans temp will rise and fall according to how hard you are working the trans.
On Edit: I guess I type a lot slower than Glenn,,

Ripper406

RattlinRam, how do you apply the trailer brakes while decending and not the truck brakes? I assume you have a brake controller that has that function on it, but where did you mount it then?

SuperGewl

You are running it correctly, just keep an eye on the speed when running. You will find that running around 60-68mph will keep it in the zone and allow it get good mpg without shifting hardly at all. If it starts to hunt for gears then back down the speed about 2-5 mph and let it settle in for the run. You will also find out that if you set the cruise control and let the computer run things it works much much better
Gauges are a great thnig to have when pullling heavy loads so I would invest in them. In the owners manual it should have a section on how long to cool the engine after towing if yo go by this then you will be doing your engine no harm and making it feel real good. But as stated if you have gauges then 300 degrees post or pre- turbo is the magic number. I have both Post & Pre Turbo EGTS

RATTLINRAM

I've got a Hayes-Lemmerz brake controller with a manual slide button that allows me to activate just the trailer brakes. It's mounted to the left of the steering wheel on the dash just below the instrument bezel. Very accessible with my left hand. It also has a thumb wheel for adjusting the gain (amount of juice going to the brakes)

Ripper406

Thats awseme, I have to look into that.

cattlepuller

I think every brake control's supposed to have that. A slide that will activate your trailer brakes. Handy on ice if you feel your back end kick out, that'll make it straight again. Also if you ever do a brake test at a DOT station they'll want you to roll ahead and activate your trailer brakes to test them.

As to how to tow I drive the same as everyone else that posted I think. Anything under 55 or so, Tow Haul mode. Getting going tow/haul mode and once you get going turn it off. You might have to play with it a little to get it to shift but it should pull good for anything over 60 or so.

mike6256

Zog,

I sent you a PM with the answers to the above questions. Sorry they are a little late.