I have read the owners manual and am a little confused about the use of the "haul/tow" button. I drive a lot in mountains, not on sweeping freeways but narrow two lane twisty roads. It looks like you can use "haul/tow" button to keep it out of 5th gear and that it changes the other gears - don't know what that really means. Normally I have just selected either gears 2 or 3 going up and down. Is that ok or should I be selecting these same gears while in haul/tow mode? Tx.

 

I thought the tow/haul button locked up the rear end to make it a posi... (aka, both tires biting) as apposed to limited slip...

 

I recently posted a thread about this same subject. From the responses that I got, it keeps the tranny from shifting into overdrive and when you're towing/hauling it keeps the tranny from downshifting as much as if you were doing normal driving. What this does is it prevents the tranny from overheating.Hope this helps.

 

It saves your drivetrain at he expense of some extra fuel but worth it.

 

It has nothing to do with the differential. The following is out of the service manual:

The “DRIVE” range can be selected when towing. However, if frequent shifting occurs while in this range, select “TOW/HAUL” mode (if equipped) or select a lower gear using the Electronic Range Select (ERS) feature.


NOTE: Using “TOW/HAUL” mode or a lower gear range while operating the vehicle under heavy operating conditions will improve performance and extend transmission life by reducing excessive shifting and heat build up. This action will also provide better engine braking. The automatic transmission fluid and filter should be changed if you regularly tow a trailer for more than 45 minutes of continuous operation. Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” in this section for the proper maintenance intervals.
NOTE: Check the automatic transmission fluid level before towing.

Towing Tips — Tow/Haul (If Equipped)

To reduce potential for automatic transmission overheating, turn the “TOW/HAUL” feature ON when driving in hilly areas, or select a lower gear range (using the Electronic Range Select (ERS) feature) on more severe grades.

 

basically it will keep your truck from going into overdrive..

so it will use 1-5 gears. it also lets the rpm's go higher in each gear before shifting under normal driving situations.

i used it recently through kentucky on i 75. works great.

 

I'll be flat towing my Jeep to Moab next week and plan on using the tow/haul feature when the Jeep is in tow. The truck itself will be pretty heavily loaded itself with passengers and gear. I plan on keeping this truck for a loooong time and its better to be safe than sorry.

 

i live in southeast texas with very few hills and saturday i used the tow/haul button for the first time(just bought the truck 2 weeks ago) and it seemed to work just fine lugging that huge pit around(4-5000lbs)

 

Thanks for all the responses. Reinforces on how I was interpreting the manual.

 

So does Tow/Haul = ERS? I towed the boat to the ramp (florida = flat) for the first time this weekend and everytime I activated tow/haul I was switched into ERS. I just want the overdrive lockout and the engine braking. I don't want to have to grab gears. What gives?

The manual didn't help.