Why Not a 5-speed tranny to haul with ??

When I was in the Army we pulled all the trailers with stick shift trucks and yet I've read that Auto Trannys are the way to go. If I am careful not to park on hills, is it necessary to have an Auto Trans? Is it just for ease? One less thing to do? Are there any people that are driving with stick shifts? I've also heard that "overdrive" should not be used when pulling a trailer. Is this true? I'm going to be pulling my first trailer and it's a beast -- 31ft. Classic Hi-Lo, 6000lbs. Just wondering and looking for opinions on safety, etc. I also understand an oil cooler is not needed for a manual tranny? Is this correct? Thanks all. I'll be heading out in a few months and will be on the road for the forseeable future just traveling around. I'm doing my research on what truck to buy at the present time. Looking at used trucks with a 5.3 or more motor. My Classic is being delivered Tuesday night. Hope to see some of you in the future. Thanks for any and all responses, Jeff Campbell (soon to be leaving Buffalo, NY). BTW, I've looked at all three Hi-Lo's at Mantilli Trailer Sales in Lockport, NY. All three are in excellent condition, hardly used and they are willing to deal.

Yankeetraveler said:

When I was in the Army all the trailers had stick shift and yet I've read that Auto Trannys are the way to go. If I am careful not to park on hills, is it necessary to have an Auto Trans? Is it just for ease? One less thing to do? Are there any people that are driving with stick shifts? I'm going to be pulling my first trailer and it's a beast -- 31ft. Classic Hi-Lo. Just wondering and looking for opinions on safety, etc. I also understand an oil cooler is not needed for a manual tranny? Is this correct? Thanks all. I'll be heading out in a few months and will be on the road for the forseeable future just traveling around. I'm doing my research on what truck to buy at the present time. My Classic is being delivered Tuesday night. Hope to see some of you in the future. Thanks for any and all responses, Jeff Campbell (soon to be leaving Buffalo, NY). BTW, I've looked at all three Hi-Lo's at Mantilli Trailer Sales in Lockport, NY. All three are in excellent condition and hardly used. They are willing to deal.

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In a previous post today I spoke of a 1989 40' Hitchhiker Champagne Edition we bought new [a 3-axle monster that was made with the old heavy stick construction]. My Tow vehicle was a new 1989 3/4Ton Ford with a 460 gas engine and a 5-speed with overdrive manual transmission. While not the greatest with mileage when towing the 5th wheel, it could easily handle the nearly 16K pound [loaded] 5th wheel. I sold the truck and it had over 350K miles with very few problems. In granny, it would almost climb a wall!

Today, it is somewhat different. If you are looking for power and economy, I would suggest a diesel. I do not want to start a conflict with chevy-versus- dodge-versus-ford, all will get the job done. I will only tell you from my own experiences, my 2000 Ford F-250 4x4 7.3L Diesel with 203K miles on it is absolutely the best truck I have ever owned. Why Ford gave up on the 7.3L, I will never understand. In pulling our 2406 Tow lite, with normal highways travel, I recorded 18.2 mpg on two trips averaging 400 miles one way. A recent trip fighting strong headwinds that was reduced to around 13.8 mpg. I understand the new Ford diesels have finally gotten the kinks worked out; I know they ride great and sound more like a gas engine than a diesel and get fairly good mileage.

We owned a 1991 31' Hilo a few years back and I pulled it with the 2000 Ford truck. The only time I knew the trailer was back there was when you drove into a tight spot to fill up. Being a 4-wheel drive, it did not have a good turning radius as do the Chevy's and Dodge Rams so I was always careful about getting into those tight situations.

If you are going to buy a new truck, you will probably do well with whichever brand you choose. If you are going to buy an older truck, I would highly recommend a 7.3L older Ford truck without 4-wheel drive unless you really need it. Just my opinion.

Good Luck.

Jerry Curtis
2406 T

What truck to buy?

Yankeetraveler,welcome to the forum. We live close to each other as I am in Niagara Falls,NY. Send me a PM if I can be of any assistance to you in person or by phone. Jerry Curtis has his ford f250 for sale if you want a well cared for used vehicle. We pull our 199025ft classic with a 1997F250. Most of the time we have to check to make sure it is still there. Our F250 is HD and does the job with ease. Gas mileage is between 10-12 mpg. I would rather be over kill than under rated.

Yankeetraveler
For stop and go traffic you can never beat auto transmission, and they do need trans oil cooler, wheras manual do not have it, below 50 mph I disengage overdrive, so it does not shift in and out of overdrive.

Hi Jeff,

Here's my two cents.

Most light trucks have a higher tow rating with the auto trans. The clutch is the weak link because of the range of driver skills involved in this market segment. Other things to consider in selecting a transmission type are who else will be driving and the increased frequency of shifting when pulling a heavy load in congested areas.

My wife's only request (demand?) when I was looking for a new truck was that it had an auto. Her left knee was painful operating the pedal. And Selection of the proper gear is just one less thing to be concerned about in traffic while pulling a trailer.

If possible find a truck with a factory tow package which would include a transmission cooler, heavy duty alternator and proper trailer wiring and possibly a heavier drive train with a numerically lower gear ratio.

Gas or diesel, your choice. For me, gas. As mentioned my truck is often driven by my wife. I don't tow that much that the increased mileage would make up for the increased hassle and cost of a diesel. I love my diesel compact tractor and lawn tractor so it's not a diesel hate thing. But I'm sure that once at the diesel pumps for my wife would be the last time she would put fuel in the truck. Most of the ones I have used are nasty, oily places and a burp back on the hands or clothing has a longer lasting effect than gasoline and while I kinda like eau d diesel she probably preferrs something a little less manly. Cold weather starting is also a consideration for me. When she's ready to go the thing better start and waiting for glow plugs to heat would not go over well.

There are also increased costs involved. The diesel engine option costs more initially. Diesel fuel now is typically more costly than gasoline so does the increased fuel mileage pencil out to reduced dollars per mile? Crankcases often have a larger oil volume, air and oil filters are larger and more costly. And while turbo's and injectors are for the most part pretty trouble free especially on diesels they can go bad and are very expensive to repair if you're out of warranty.

I think diesel light trucks probably work out economically for commercial concerns that typically put three of four times my annual 15K miles on their vehicles, do their own maintenance, save on consumables by buying in bulk at wholesale and have the capability to take on non routine and major repairs in house.

I'd take a lot of time thinking about what you are expecting from a light truck and do a lot of research before by visiting Internet forums of the vehicles you are considering realizing that they all have there quirks. You just have to figure out what you can live with and what modifications you are willing to make to fine tune the vehicle to your personal needs and expectations.


OK so maybe you got more than two cents worth, but buying a vehicle is expensive and long term purchase well worth investing some time in thought and research before starting the search.

Ruminating, Ruminating , , ,

Yes indeed ! I only want to purchase a used truck or van once. Research, research, research. Got a couple of months before the closing on the house and they throw me out , , , into my trailer. I'm excited. Now back to my truck search. Thanks gentlemen. Keep 'em comin'. Jeff

Here is my 2 cents, I have a 2008 Tundra Crewmax 4x2, 5.7L V8, it has the factory installed tow package with the added transmission cooling system. The max towing capacity is rated for 10,800 lbs. As well there is a tow/haul option and it has a 6-speed AT, which can be manually shifted to your desired speed versus the incline/decline, this is a good option when traveling over hills. I use it for pulling my 29' Classic and like others have said sometimes I forget its back there. Good luck with your search.

YankeeTraveler,

Remember this, you not only need a vehicle that has a tow rating of your camper, but also the cargo capacity of your truck. For example my 06 Tundra will pull 6300 lbs but I'm limited by my combined weight of cargo and passengers which is 1309 lbs. My camper weighs about 5000 lbs so I'm good on the tow rating, however, I figure about 700lbs tongue weight with a full fresh water tank (over 200lbs), fiberglass cap on the truck 175lbs, canoe 100lbs wife and I 390lbs which equals 1365lbs. See how quick you can run out of cargo capacity on your truck without putting anything in the bed. Now I realize you can gain some capacity with a weight distributing hitch but not enough on a small capacity truck and a large camper. I would say you need at least a heavy duty 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton truck to tow your Beast. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Gary is right, most people forget about the weight being put in the bed of the truck along with all the passengers it adds up quick. Agree also a weight distribution hitch is essential for the larger trailers.

Thank you gentlemen , , ,

My 31ft. Classic was delivered between cloudbursts (deluges) Tuesday evening. Brought her 20 miles on main drags with lots of traffic pulled by a Chevy 3500 Van. Didn't know it was there pretty much like a number of people have said. The Hi-Lo came with huge bars for my weight distribution hitch and a 2-5/8ths inch ball. I'm looking at nothing less than a HD half-ton, 4x4 with tow-package. May go with 8 ply tires - 225's on the trailer. I've read about this on this forum. Safety first and last. Wanna stay alive to tell the travel tales around the campfire or the old folks home when I can't drive anymore. LOL Thanks for the comments. There is knowledge in all of your responses , , , , , and I can use the help. Jeff

Personally, I think a 3/4 ton truck is the minimum you should be looking at to pull a 31 ft trailer. I think you'll exceed the axle limits on a 1/2 ton truck with the hitch load from that trailer.

As far as the tires go - make sure you have clearance for 225s. Your trailer has two (or is it three?) axles. Not only do you have to insure you've got the room inside the wheel wells for the bigger tires, about an additional inch in diameter, but there has to be enough clearance between the axles so that the tires don't interfere with each other. And, you'll need 6" wide wheels for the larger tires, so you'll need to buy new wheels too.

Since you have multiple axles, you have a better margin of safety with the OEM sizes than I had with a single axle. Still, if you CAN mount the larger tires, I think it's a good idea.

- Jack

changing tire size

The former owner of our HiLo owns a tire shop and had changed out the tires. We didn't realize the slight difference in width rubbed a hole in our wheel well that could have been letting water in. The proper tires have been reinstalled and the wheel well repaired by our dealer. The tire we took off was defective.