What Does TOW/HAUL Mode ACTUALLY Do?

In this video, we're taking a look at tow/haul mode in a 7.3L Ford Gas Super Duty truck. What does it do? When should you use it? When shouldn't you?

*****

******************************
Connect with RV Miles:

[jimwalker]

Pretty good explanation of tow/haul but here's something you didnt know but will now. Engine braking in slippery conditions is a no no. 26 years of driving semi trucks, and 10 years as an instructor I will tell you the exhaust pressure created by engine braking puts force into the drive train to slow you down. This force when used on slippery surfaces can cause a jack knife where the drive axle goes slower than the momentum or forward/sideways push. Oil, coolant, diesel fuel, ice, snow, and rain can all cause a jack knife under engine breaking. Always best to turn off the engine break in hazardous conditions.

[kdhhw]

I learned from my dad to use the overdrive off whenever I was towing. It was because of the extra wear on the transmission. He gave me advise that if the transmission is constantly changing, change to overdrive off. On my 2009 F250, tow/haul mode would still allow the truck to shift into 5th gear, but there had to be hardly any torque being applied to keep the speed. It also changed what happens when I was going down hill in that if I just tapped the brakes and the truck was pointed downhill, the engine would shift down to use compression to help stop and keep control. On my 2016 F350, I now have a button to turn on a "jake brake". This adds even more engine braking at the cost of noise. Many cities ban this inside the city because of the extra noise (I am not sure my truck produces much more noise but the larger 18 wheelers sure do). On our trip this summer to the Tetons, Glacier National Park, and Yellowstone, I was thankful we had tow/haul. Going down some of the passes at a 12% grade (I think), I hardly had to use my brakes and my engine didn't have to work very hard to slow down my 28' 5th wheel (about 11k lbs). Tow/haul also shifted down more quickly to allow for more power from the engine to be applied to the wheels when accelerating or going up hills. In the western US, our mountains are steeper and the passes have a larger grade. The tow/haul helped me keep my speed and really didn't sacrifice too much fuel economy; after all, I am towing a huge sail behind me. Thanks for posting this video!

[Austin_Healey]

You did a very nice job explaining Tow/Haul operation in a non-technical manner! I’m a retired Ford engineer and used to teach Ford Technicians automatic transmission service. Good work!

[NTRA_Still_Learning]

One major thing about Tow/Haul is the way it firms up the shifts. Soft shifts like the old Cadillac or Oldsmobile land barge shifts may be comfortable, but they accomplish the soft shift by slowly engaging the clutches and letting them slip a bit before fully engaging. That slipping creates a lot of heat. Firming the shifts may make the shifts feel harsh (more noticeable if you are running empty), but they will keep the tranny cooler. Consequently, harsh shifts while going around a corner or curve, or even in a straight line, while on a slippery surface (ice, snow, mud) can cause the rear tires to momentarily lose traction. In my hotrod days while going down the drag strip we called this a "second gear scratch." It indicated your engine/rear gears produced a lot of torque (like a modern turbo diesel) and your transmission had very firm shifts. Fun for a teenager in a hotrod; not fun in a $150, 000+ truck/RV setup. Thus, the warning in the owner's manual not to use (or use caution with) Tow/Haul on slippery surfaces. Due to centrifugal force, the back end of the truck will want to slide sideways to the outside of the curb, taking the trailer and the rest of the truck with it in a jackknife fashion. Sorry if someone else already posted this, but I didn't read all 253 comments.

[ShinyFeral]

Jason, you have "solved" many marital discussions between us. On our motorhome, we have used it a bit blindly because we "just knew we should." This gave us good info for when it might be best to not use it. Thank you!

[JohnJohn-wrjo]

I tow with a suburban 8.1. Besides a 6000 lb TT I tow a 3000lb custom wooden boat. My mechanic asked me years ago if I use the tow mode. I told him absolutely. We got talking about boat towing and he explained to me how important it was to utilize when hauling a boat up the ramp. He told me that many people forget to engage it until there on the road. Claims that a lot of trans damage occurs at that point for two reasons. Failure to use tow made and transmissions are still cold after sitting in the ramp lot all day. Said drive it around for a few minutes and engage the tow mode prior to hauling out. Looks silly driving away from the ramp and returning 5 minutes later but makes sense if you think about it.

[velikijoxotnik]

I've been towing for a while, and use tow/haul religiously. I never knew that it was actually downshifting on descents. I thought that it was only delaying the shifting. Learned something. Thanks!

RE: using engine braking on descents. My wife and I were recently in Colorado Springs and drove to the top of Pikes Peak. On the descent, I was flabbergasted at the number of vehicles with Colorado plates who rode their brakes all the way down the mountain. I went into manual gear and used the +/- button to manage my truck's momentum and hardly used the brakes at all. At the brake check-point, about halfway down the mountain, the park ranger who checked the temp of my brakes was impressed at how cool the brakes were (100.3°F). I don't get why drivers are so dang afraid to use engine braking when descending a steep hill.

[vinniedellasperanza]

I'm sharing my experience in the hope it will benefit others. I purchased my '20 F250 diesel when it had 25, 000 miles on it. I made it a practice to use tow mode whenever pulling our 33ft Airstream which is this truck's primary purpose. If we are not on the road, this truck mostly sits. About a year after I purchased it, I started getting the message " Drive Modes Not Available" on the dash. I began worrying I had a tranny problem. Nothing in the manual discussed this and my internet searches were fruitless. Unrelated, about a month later I discovered a dead battery and started using a trickle charger to address that issue. After a second dead battery event, I checked both with a load tester and discovered both batteries needed replacing. Long story short, after replacing those crummy stock Ford batteries with upgraded AGMs, my drive modes suddenly returned and that issue has not recurred. Had no idea low batteries could cause that symptom and no one has reported this on any Ford forum that I could find. You can imagine my relief that I wasnt experiencing a tranny problem.

[davidgates]

One of the things you did not touch on is a side effect of using tow/haul mode in a diesel. When going up a steep grade, the transmission goes into a lower gear and the engine runs at a higher rpm. The results in less diesel being injected into the cylinder for each cycle of the engine but a higher volume of exhaust gas. The important aspect of that is the temperature of that exhaust gas will be lower. The exhaust temperature of a gasoline engine can't get high enough to damage anything, but in a diesel it can. In a diesel you don't want to run it for extended periods of time with high turbo boost pressure and a lot of fuel being injected because of the resulting high exhaust gas temperatures.

[MagaRickn]

I use Tow/Haul religiously! I have 280, 000 miles on my 2004 Duramax and it still has the original 4 wheel disc brake pads! And they are still in good shape. It will help you!! Use it!!

[hereto]

I have it in my Class C E450 and use it whether I’m towing my Jeep or not.
I live in Colorado and it’s a must.

[rickmcdonald]

Thank you so much for this video. I tow a 5500 GVWR travel trailer with a 2021 F150 Powerboost.

The truck does great, but I’ve been using Eco mode in the city to save gas. It shuts off the engine when it doesn’t need it. It does not do this in tow haul mode. As a hybrid it’s using regenerative braking downhill, until the battery is fully charged then turns on the engine to slow it down when the battery is full.

Now I know that’s safe to do anytime. I will probably still switch to tow haul modes at freeway speeds most of the time.

Thanks!

[pruffin]

I went for a couple of years before I realized the tow/haul button was there. Once I learned what it does for my 2008 Bigfoot motorhome (Ford E350 Super Duty) I use it a lot.

[brucetifer]

Yes, the mattress in the RV we bought with junk. We suffered with it for three years at last January I ordered a new one. yes it was from Brooklyn. It’s wonderful.

[ShouldersMoondog]

Like others, this explanation of the Tow/Haul mode was great!! We are on our 4th Travel trailer, with having a few different tow vehicles over the years. My 2003 F350 (6.0 diesel) was the first truck to have t/h mode, man was it nice to get going as well as to slow down. Anytime I'm hauling a heavy load (now with a F250 6.2 gas)or towing, I hit the T/H button!! Yes I have started out at times without it, but I soon press that button. Thanks for this wonderful video!!

[jerryflynn]

I always use Tow/Haul mode on my 2021 F150. Just makes towing easier while in the mountains.. Good video!

[bradplueger]

Excellent narrative on Tow/Haul mode! Yes, I always use tow/haul mode when towing my 5th wheel. When the engine break kicks in going downhill, it does drive me nuts at the noise of the engine speeding up, but it saves me "riding" my breaks.

[louisstennes]

wonderful info. Thanks. I own a Titan with a tow/mode naturally but I was a kid growing up on a farm so learned how to tow but the BEST use of engine torque under ALL conditions is a vehicle with a manual transmission which 90 percent of people don't know how to use and makers don';t make anymore. And by the way you get better gas mileage too as there is no slippage in a manual.

[mommaangela]

Wow 🤯 thank you for this video! I’ve asked numerous people to explain what tow/haul mode does and no one ever could. When I bought my Ram 1500 HEMI 5.7 I was told just be sure to turn it on every time you tow your trailer which is 6100lbs. I forgot a couple of times after I pulled away from gas station or a stop somewhere and freaked out because I was afraid I could have messed it up. The tow/haul mode works beautifully for me. I spent eight months in East Tennessee last year. Every time I went in smoky Mountain national Park or any place where I was driving and there was a lot of downhill decent. I used the manual transmission. Now I wished I had known that I could’ve put it in the Tow/haul mode.

[fuzzelf]

I own a 2024 Chevy Colorado. I've noticed Tow/Haul also stiffens the steering, reduces brake pedal effort, and changes throttle response on top of changing shift points. It also seems to steer the truck to counter trailer sway, I didn't feel the steering changes in normal mode. The manual recommends using Tow/Haul mode at 75% of max load. Great video!