2005 Tahoe Towing

[JPVortex]

Hello, so in the coming days I'm going to be hauling my dads motorcycle to the dealer about an hour away with my tahoe.

Will be using a uhaul bike trailer with a 500lb bike.

My question is with the 4l60e do I need to keep it out of overdrive or use towing mode for this load? How do I know when to keep it out of OD?

 

[Fless]

Use tow/haul mode; it extends the shift points. When I tow anything I also lock out OD, since I almost never tow on flat ground. The wear and tear on the tranny when it constantly shifts between 3rd and 4th is what you want to avoid. You could see how your rig does with the lighter load you'll have; if it's not shifting in and out it might be okay to use OD. Wonder if @rockola1971 *might* have a comment about it.

I don't know if yours automatically locks out OD when using tow/haul, but my '04 doesn't lock it out, so I do it manually. I'll sacrifice some mpg for tranny life.

 

[JPVortex]

Ok and what about for a hauling a heavy load? I'm looking at purchasing a project 04 silverado, weighs around 4-5k lbs plus the 2.2k lbs of the uhaul trailer, the tahoes tow capacity is 6500, so its a bit over.

Do you think it's doable? Of course keeping out of OD.

Use tow/haul mode; it extends the shift points. When I tow anything I also lock out OD, since I almost never tow on flat ground. The wear and tear on the tranny when it constantly shifts between 3rd and 4th is what you want to avoid. You could see how your rig does with the lighter load you'll have; if it's not shifting in and out it might be okay to use OD. Wonder if @rockola1971 *might* have a comment about it.

I don't know if yours automatically locks out OD when using tow/haul, but my '04 doesn't lock it out, so I do it manually. I'll sacrifice some mpg for tranny life.

 

[rockola1971]

Ok and what about for a hauling a heavy load? I'm looking at purchasing a project 04 silverado, weighs around 4-5k lbs plus the 2.2k lbs of the uhaul trailer, the tahoes tow capacity is 6500, so its a bit over.

Do you think it's doable? Of course keeping out of OD.

Seems there are some differences in years and likely trim packages on the Tahoe, Yukon, Esky, etc. when it comes to what actually happens when in tow/haul mode. When towing the bike on a uhaul trailer that shouldnt load down your engine much at all so if you are doing it across flat ground then try shifter in OD with tow/haul mode on like FLess said. The goal is to keep from hunting back and forth from 3rd to 4th and back again. This will burn your 2-4 band up and you will lose 2nd and 4th gear when that happens. When towing a heavy load (3,000lbs or so+) or when towing in hills/mountains then I would stick shifter in 3rd and leave it there with tow/haul mode. The tranny will never go into 4th if you manually put shifter in 3rd and keep it there while towing.

 

[MassHoe04]

Hypothetically, of course...
If a couple of relatives piled in the 2nd and 3rd rows, there are pretty good odds that the human payload is over 500 pounds. I would think 500 lbs. on a trailer might haul like it is not even there (unless the trailer was a heavy car hauler).

 

[rockola1971]

Hypothetically, of course...
If a couple of relatives piled in the 2nd and 3rd rows, there are pretty good odds that the human payload is over 500 pounds. I would think 500 lbs. on a trailer might haul like it is not even there (unless the trailer was a heavy car hauler).

Saying "you" haul around fat chicks without actually saying "you" haul around fat chicks.

CHUBBY CHASER!

 

[JPVortex]

Saying "you" haul around fat chicks without actually saying "you" haul around fat chicks.

CHUBBY CHASER!

gotta haul them heffers!

 

[JPVortex]

Heres the update. Towed it today, and it went great! Used towing mode and it did just fine! If it wasn't for the horrible trailer jumping around while empty I wouldn't have even noticed it was there!

 

[Fless]

For your heavier hauling be sure there is a tranny cooler in front of the radiator. If the fluids haven't been replaced lately, do it preemptively.

 

[JPVortex]

For your heavier hauling be sure there is a tranny cooler in front of the radiator. If the fluids haven't been replaced lately, do it preemptively.

View attachment 391135

I believe there may be one there I'll double check though. And most of the fluids have been changed recently. Oil, tranny fluid, differential fluid, just need to do a brake and coolant flush

 

[MassHoe04]

Saying "you" haul around fat chicks without actually saying "you" haul around fat chicks.

CHUBBY CHASER!

I never mentioned anyone's Mother in-law, but for some (not me) that thought might have crossed a mind or two in trying to calculate remaining weight capacity scenarios in their heads...

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

What year is your Tahoe? I don't think GM put a transmission temp gauge in any of them but could be wrong. I swapped out my cluster with one that has trans temp. SUPER helpful.

FYI ~ On fluid, others may not agree with me... However, I don't change it out that frequently anymore. I used to do every 20,000 miles but felt was a waste in hindsight. Get a clean white paper towel, wipe dipstick on it, fluid should be pink / red on the dipstick. If not, then you should change the fluid. Otherwise, you can change the filter and reuse the fluid. It lasts MUCH longer than people realize, unless you run the transmission too hot.

 

[JPVortex]

What year is your Tahoe? I don't think GM put a transmission temp gauge in any of them but could be wrong. I swapped out my cluster with one that has trans temp. SUPER helpful.

FYI ~ On fluid, others may not agree with me... However, I don't change it out that frequently anymore. I used to do every 20,000 miles but felt was a waste in hindsight. Get a clean white paper towel, wipe dipstick on it, fluid should be pink / red on the dipstick. If not, then you should change the fluid. Otherwise, you can change the filter and reuse the fluid. It lasts MUCH longer than people realize, unless you run the transmission too hot.

Yeah none of them came with the temp gauges, mine included lol. It's one upgrade I've actually considered, i just dont want to lose my odometer.

And my fluid has like 6k on it. Had a new trans put in last year when I came in possession of the truck. It burned the 3-4 clutch pack. Now I would've done the job myself but then I didnt know anything.

 

[Fless]

Not sure what you mean by "losing your odometer" but there are several places nationwide that can add the tranny temp gauge to the cluster. Had it done on my '04's cluster by Digital Dash Solutions, but he doesn't do repairs any longer.

You can also get a custom cluster from Digital Dash Solutions (https://www.fixmygauges.com/) and Carl would program your mileage into your new cluster. Believe he's in Putnam, CT.

A related company also does repair (US Dashworks https://usdashworks.com/) and I'm sure they would add the tranny gauge and retain the mileage in your cluster. There are other places around the country that can add the gauge; maybe some other members here could make recommendations.

 

[rockola1971]

The spot on the circuit board is already on there for temp gauge. All that has to be added is the stepper motor soldered to the board, the needle, light bulb and the tranny temp mask. Then of course the tranny temp feature has to be turned on in the IC also.

Remember these Instrument Clusters are the same used in the Esky and Yukon Denali which had the temp gauge factory as part of their trim package and this why the tahoes and yukon non Denali models, Silverado and Sierras have the spot for the tranny gauge but GM being cheap (Like it would cost alot) didnt put it on all of them and I believe it should be on everythinng that has a tow package or the vehicle has the ability to have a tow package installed by the owner.
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