So I bought a 1997 18' Starcraft fiberglass 1809 (fish n' ski) and I've been pulling it with my 2003 Highlander. It does pretty good pulling but without OD i'm running on the freeway going 70 mph at 4000 rpm, seems high to run it continuously. Simple solution? Don't drive 70 right? Also, I'm thinking of putting a tranny cooler as insurance, what are your thoughts?
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Why are you pulling it out of overdrive? I pull my boat all the time in over drive with my tundra and my 2003 4runner. Unless your lugging the motor and your not at 70 there is no reason to not use the gear.
Toyota's already have a great tranny cooler stock.
These opinions come from years of towing boats with toyota's with no break downs at all. So use overdrive your not going to hurt anything. And your going to save some gas money to boot.
This is my rig:
http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/data...0_4098.jpg
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I have dodge 2500 and I pull a 30 foot trailer, I only take it out of overdrive on hills where I need the kick of extra power. On flat roads I go 70-75 in OD with no problems. You should be fine, If you're climbing Parleys you may want to keep the OD off, but otherwise you're probably good..
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My Suburban has a label on the door frame warning to not tow in overdrive. After reading the replies on here, I may rethink that when I am towing on flat terrain.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]There is nothing wrong with hauling a trailer load while in OD with this caveat. If the transmission is kicking in and out of OD with short time intervals between shifts (this is sometimes called hunting), then the transmission oil will begin to get hotter than normal and MAY exceed the high end limit. The only way to monitor this situation is to have a transmission oil TEMP gauge system installed and know what the upper limit actually is.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I’ve pulled a lot of trailers weighing anywhere from a couple hundred pounds up to 15,000 pounds. I’ve always pulled them in OD on mainly flat roads. The heavier the load, the more likely I was to experience some hunting of the transmission. As long as the hunting didn’t last more than a few minutes, I left the tranny in OD. I have not had to rebuild or replace a tranny in way over 30 years.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I would recommend using OD and pay close attention to tranny hunting you may experience. If you feel the hunting is excessive, then go back to towing without it. Hunting once or twice every few miles is NOT excessive.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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Depending on the year and the trans, it might not be wise to pull in overdrive. The Chev 700R4 trans with OD will burn the clutches in the fourth gear if you tow in OD. I don't know about the electronically controlled ones, but the mechanical ones sucked.
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This is the reply I got back from Larry H Miller Toyota's maintenence team:
THE HIGHLANDER SHOULD BE ABLE TO TOW UP TO 3,500 LBS IT DONT THINK A TRANNY COOLER IS NESS. AND I WOULD NOT DRIVE WITH O/D OFF IF R.P.M.S ARE THAT HIGH I WOULD ONLY TURN IT OFF GOING UP A GRADE P.S. I JUST SOLD MY BOAT IN NOV I WOULDNT PUSH ANY MORE THEN 70MPH I HAD 2 TIRES BLOW ON ME THAT HAD PLENTY OF TREAD AND PRESSURE THEY WERE OLD BUT DIDNT HAVE ANY AGE CRACKS I FOUND OUT LATER TRAILER TIRES ARE ONLY RATED FOR ABOUT 60MPH I THINK I PUSHED THEM POSS CAUSING THE TIRES TO BLOW AND ITS NO FUN REPAIRING A TRAILER TIRE ON THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY WAY.. HAVE A SAFE BOATING SEASON HOPE THIS HELPED..
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I had a 1970 Blazer 150. Pulled our Rinker 18'6" inboard just fine, but I did put a transmission cooler on. I do recommend that. I also ran it normal unless it was kicking in and out of gear going up hill, then I put it in Overdrive. Downhill or level, regular.
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after spending the last 30 plus years as a mechanic i will tell you the reason you generaly don,t want to tow in over drive. to get over drive and not over heat the trans the torque convertor needs to be locked up,this is difficult in most vehicles because the convertor won't lock if you have to much load on the engine,ie; throttle pressure,also tourqe coverters have a very small clutch pack that is in side the convertor.this pack can be damaged very easily so tow at your own risk in OD or just be safe.this is just fyi don't want to po any one thight lines.[fishin]
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There you go bud. Lots of good advice. You really don't need to go 70 towing your boat. Stay around 60 to 65. Use the overdrive as long as it isn't kicking in and out. Take it out of overdrive if you're driving up Provo canyon or going up any hills. Or in traffic. Don't need it. Keep your RPM's down and make sure you change your oil and service the tranny at regular intervals. And grease your trailer bearings. A lot. If it doesn't have bearing buddies, get them. Then grease them every month.If the boat doesn't launch and load easily, bring it by and we can modify the trailer. Good luck and happy boating.
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[quote flygoddess]I had a 1970 Blazer 150. Pulled our Rinker 18'6" inboard just fine, but I did put a transmission cooler on. I do recommend that. I also ran it normal unless it was kicking in and out of gear going up hill, then I put it in Overdrive. Downhill or level, regular.quoteOverdrive on a 1970 Blazer? Customized? Deffinately not stock.Awesome rig though! Do you still have it?]
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First off I must tell you that I have never pulled anything with less than a half ton truck and I'm not familiar with the newer 'Yotas. Toyota's have proven themselves as running forever, I can't argue that. However, pulling at 70 without OD is no bueno for your tranny. Steep inclines for a short period of time are no big deal, to be expected in Utah. I drive a 1 ton diesel and I try to keep it under 70, usually 65ish no matter where I'm going, pulling my boat or my trailer. A tranny temp gauge has been nice to watch even though I wouldn't know what to do if it got too high lol.
Like said, on flat roads keep it on OD but if the tranny keeps switchin' turn it off and save the wear and tear. The rear differential could be taking a beating as well if you do a lot of stop and go's. You can get a bigger differential cover that will hold more fluid which will help that and/or a bigger tranny pan. When it comes to upgrades you can go crazy, trust me.
Just curious, what kind of mileage are you getting with and without the boat?
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This is the rig I tow, 30 Ft. 5th wheel and a 20Ft. Crestliner. I pull Daniels Canyon with it just fine on my trips to Starvation. But I agree with several others I don't pull in overdrive if it is constantly shifting, I use the tow/haul feature. 65 MPH is plenty fast enough pulling this load.[fishin]
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nice looking rig! if you were driving a chevy you wouldent have to worry about power or speed, go bears!
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I never said I was worried about power or speed, the ol 350 has plenty of both and I don't have it programed or chipped like alot of people put in their rigs. The 65 MPH is what I feel is a safe speed to travel while watching out for the idiots on the road that think they are driving in a Nascar race. Too bad your Bears didn't pick up Matt Flynn then you might have had something to cheer about[:p]
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every morning like clock work when i go to their website and read the latest news i get up and pour myself a strong cup of coffee and smack myself in the face with a cooking pan
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Not sure what my mileage is while pulling but normal I think i get somewhere between 17-20 mpg.
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Hey don't be
, this doesn't mean we still can't go together: ) UL and DC are calling our names! I still need to show you the stained area east of sandy beach where the walleye lurk.
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do you have that little computer in your toyota that shows average MPG? i love looking at mine pulling our little traielr loaded with 2 boats, genny, food and water. it usually dips down to 11 MPG... insert sarcasim here.
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No nothing fancy like that on mine.
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