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Towing with a el60e

M

Mudstud

1/2 ton status
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My sister and husband will be using a 99 Silverado extra cab short bed k1500 (4x4) to pull a 10' enclosed U-Haul trailer from Phoenix to Denver. They will encounter mountains on the way. My question, or verification rather, is that they should not use the electronic overdrive while towing correct? That seems to be what burns these trannys up.

Any other towing tips are appreciated.
 
A big tranny cooler is also a cheap way to improve the lifespan especially when towing. They are very easy to install.

If towing in OD is desirable, you can install a bigger OD servo. You don't have to drop the pan, they take about 30 min to install. TCI makes the one that I am partial to, you can find them through summit racing for about $70. Of course, if the truck doesn't have enough torque to tow the trailer in OD without hunting between 3rd and OD, you might as well just leave it in 3rd anyway.
 
does it have tow/haul mode?

I would NOT use OD on a 4L60E, but have done so regularly on 4L80E's.
 
I'm not sure about the tow/haul mode. According to the VIN it has a 4L60e tranny. It does have a factory tow package though. Consensus says NO 4th gear.
 
I use the OD only really when it's rolling downhill or there is no real pull/heavy load on the engine, but uphills, it's gonna drop out of OD anyways.

Don't try to keep up with the 75mph speed of traffic either, it's working harder pulling a trailer to maintaain that speed.

When i left Phoenix pulling our 12' trailer, loaded with the Burb fully loaded, we really only ran at a max of about 65, but there were times running around 60 just to try to save fuel. Everything did fine. :waytogo:
 
I think on the 99 it has a tow button on the end of the shifter, hit it and it says tow on the dash, my 02 had it.
 
I towed one of Uhauls 8x5s I think it was, or the 10x5, not sure....with my s10 from Los Angeles to San Fransisco. Stay in 3rd unless ur going downhill or completely flat ground. I stayed in 3rd most of the way up, the 4.3 just doesn't have the power to keep it in OD anyway.
 
Those uhauls aren't that big. I pulled the 6x12 one from GA to WI with a 4 banger Tacoma. It was fully loaded, and even in the mountains I was able to keep up with traffic. With the silverado, absolutely use OD. Put it in tow/haul mode and manually shift to 3rd if it starts to hunt gears.
 
I'm I wrong, or does the OD not work in tow mode?

When I use tow mode on my 99 Sierra, it doesn't seem to want to go into OD...of course, with 217k miles, it could just be worn out...:dunno:

I've towed a 20' box trailer, nearly empty, with it...4.8 liter, it was not too good...strained all the way.

I only went on a 6 hour round trip with it.
 
62 fat guy said:
I'm I wrong, or does the OD not work in tow mode?

When I use tow mode on my 99 Sierra, it doesn't seem to want to go into OD...of course, with 217k miles, it could just be worn out...:dunno:

I've towed a 20' box trailer, nearly empty, with it...4.8 liter, it was not too good...strained all the way.

I only went on a 6 hour round trip with it.
Click to expand...
tow mode only changes the shift pattern, that's it. So it holds gears longer and tends to use lower gears when braking.
 
I've towed while in OD with my 700R4 BUT only on flat land and NEVER up hills of any kind. Like was already said a large cooler is a big help with the 700R4/4L60/4L60E to keep it happy.
 
62 fat guy said:
I'm I wrong, or does the OD not work in tow mode?

When I use tow mode on my 99 Sierra, it doesn't seem to want to go into OD...of course, with 217k miles, it could just be worn out...:dunno:

I've towed a 20' box trailer, nearly empty, with it...4.8 liter, it was not too good...strained all the way.

I only went on a 6 hour round trip with it.
Click to expand...

OD definitely works in tow/haul mode on the 99+ trucks, but the 4.8 probably had more to do with your experience than anything. The 4.8 really doesn't have much torque down low, so it really falls on it's face with a trailer.

That being said, don't underestimate the difficulty of towing an enclosed trailer. That's a LOT of drag. I used to do plant setups and towing our 24' 10,000 V nose jobsite trailer didn't really use any more fuel than our 16' 3.5k bullnose. I could DEFINITELY feel that little 16' behind the 07 5.3 half ton I had, and that was a hopped up version compared to what the 99-06 trucks had. Truck handled the weight fine, but like I said...a ton of wind resistance.

K85 Octane said:
tow mode only changes the shift pattern, that's it. So it holds gears longer and tends to use lower gears when braking.
Click to expand...

Also raises the line pressure to firm up the shifts and allow less slippage at gear changes.
 
Thanks guys, appreciate the responses. :bow: This truck has the 5.3 engine so thats good. With the factory tow package wouldn't the truck all ready have a tranny cooler on it?
 
Mine does. But it wouldn't hurt to replace it with a larger one. I have towed my all steel trailer and K5 from KY to FL many times and several other cars as well and I keep it in tow/haul mode and use OD if the terrain is flat. On small inclines I let off it a little so as to not overwork it and shift to 3rd if it ever starts to hunt or it's just obviously a larger hill. Been doing this for years with no issues.
 
Thanks guys...

My lil Z-71 handled it o.k., other than being underpowered...


If I decide to keep this one, I'm going to repower with a 5.3, fo sho!

I don't tow enough to warrant a dedicated tow beast...just some "light" towing for friends and such.
 
Towing in overdrive is never a good idea on a 4L60E/700R4 as you will frequently be driving with the converter unlocked due to the added load of the trailer, and that is what smokes the trans in overdrive.
 
Towing in OD is fine as long as the converter stays locked. I would not bother changing the cooler if your truck already has the factory auxillory one. You might want to install a trans temp gauge though. If the converter doesn't want to stay locked up in overdrive though, leave the trans in 3rd, or it will overheat.
 
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