When is it okay to use Cruise Control while towing your fifth wheel or travel trailer. Cruise control is NOT made for all road conditions especially when towing.
Tow haul on exhaust brake onthe transmission does all the work for me.
Is it ok to use cruise control while towing. First lets talk about cruise control. Heres a school of thought where most folks whove had cruise tend to agree. Towing a trailer with cruise control is fine with certain caveats.
Towing on the flat is a snap and may save you fuel if. You should only use cruise control if towing and driving conditions are optimal. Can You Use Cruise Control When Towing in TowHaul Mode.
Yes you can use cruise control when towing in towhaul mode in many cases. However your truck will likely do whatever it takes to maintain the assigned speed. When is it okay to use Cruise Control while towing your fifth wheel or travel trailer.
Generally speaking again because it really depends on the factors mentioned above ie. Tow vehicle trailer terrain whenever youre on a flat section of highway and you can drive at a higher speed meaning youre not in stop and go traffic or construction zone you can use cruise. Cruise control is NOT made for all road conditions especially when towing.
It would probably be best to confine the use of cruise control to the flat open highway in good weather and drive the tug normally as you should anywhere else ie. In heavy traffic city driving slippery roads winding roads bad weather unsealed roads etc. Is it safe to tow with the cruise control on– Russell.
I dont see why not. All the cruise control does is keep your speed steady. And if the vehicle is otherwise capable of towing the load it shouldnt have an adverse effect on anything.
The only exception would be if youre towing in a hilly area. In that case in order to keep the truck at a precise constant speed the cruise. Cruise control is NOT designed for all road conditions especially when towing caution needs to be taken.
It would probably be best to the use of cruise control to the flat open highway in good weather and drive normally cruise control off as you would anywhere else ie. City driving winding roads heavy traffic slippery roads bad weather dirt roads etc. I use cruise all the time when I tow.
It lets me concentrate on the road and whats going on without pissing off all the other drivers by speeding up and slowing down. On any newer F150 with the tow package selectshift allows manual selection of whatever gear you want. For me M5 cruise control at 65 mph and all is well.
This is true. I have hit an ice patch with cruise on while towing. My truck noticed the wheel spin and unlocked the converter but iirc did not turn off.
I almost always use both cruise control and towhaul mode while towing my 5k TT or my 5k to 7k cargo trailer. But if towing closer to the GCWR or on highways with lots of up and down hills or a mountain pass Ill turn off cruise control to prevent the tranny from downshifting because it cannot pull the trailer in top overdrive gear up steep grades. When you SHOULDNT use cruise control.
Dont use cruise control when its raining snowing or when there are wet icy roads in general. While some newer vehicles have features that help your car handle wet roads and rain even while cruise is on its best to be in total control of your car when you are driving in these conditions. First can you use cruise control while towing.
Heres a school of thought where most folks whove had cruise tend to agree. Towing a trailer with cruise control is fine with certain caveats. Towing on the flat is a snap and may save you fuel if your cruise control handles the accelerator.
Every owners manual that Ive ever read has said says specifically not to use cruise control while towing. The reason is that the transmission will hunt which means it will keep shifting up and down to control the vehicle speed. This will cause the little trailer to jerk back and forth slightly each time the shift occurs even on level ground.
8 Apr 3 2005. We just got back from Mississippi to Tampa Fl towing a 10040 lb high profile wind catching 5th wheel. I use cruise control on the interstate and the 05 doesnt lock out 4th gear OD in tow haul mode.
There is no rule about using cruise control whilst towing driving artics etc without cruise control these days would be hell and with a 40ft trailer behind loaded to 40 tonnes too. Give us a call when Im on your patch and you can hook on behind and do your bit for the planet. I always advised against towing with cruise control until I got my ecoboost expedition.
I think it might even be in the owners manual or Ive seen it said in manuals for other vehicles. If Im on the highway and there arent mountains to climb Ive used cruise control without issue. I usually lock out 6th gear as I get better mpg this way.
As noted some tow vehicles may really race the engine trying to keep up using cruise control my hemi did this. My 12 ram diesel does an awesome job with cruise and the exhaust brake activated. Keeps me from busting speed limits and better mileage.
Tow haul on exhaust brake onthe transmission does all the work for me. Really not able to use cruise on secondary roads where I tow as of now too many ESS turns and quite steep grades on some of these roads in NCTN VA and WV I towed from Pence Springs WV. To Sevierville TN this past Thanksgiving on I77 I81 and I40 and the entire time I was on the Interstate I stayed in cruise control and it was really great to be able to do it.
Some owners manuals also warn about using cruise when towing. Using cruise control while driving through hilly terrain could cause. If your vehicle has a manual transmission using cruise control while towing is fine.
If it has an automatic transmission it will drop into a lower gear when going up hills which puts wear on your automatic transmission. Ive yet to own a vehicle that didnt in the owners manual suggest not using cruise control when towing. They also recommend not using cruise control on slippery road conditions.
The reasons are simple. If you have a trailer that starts to sway the time taken to disengage the cruise control to alleviate the sway can make the difference of. Is using cruise control while towing my 11000 fifth wheel damaging to my truck transmission.
I dont believe cruise will cause any transmission damage as long as you arent in very hilly terrain that causes a lot of shifting. The excessive shifting will. Cruise control does not work well while towing.
Jump to Latest Follow. Hoping to get a comment on experience from someone who has actually towed up around 4-5000 lb trailer weight and tried using Cruise Control. Sometimes it is okay but it is annoying.
There is never enough of a lull of steady traffic where I can actually use it without.