First Tow

[Klute]

Went camping last weekend with our popup camper that is about 3500 lbs loaded. The first impression was not good. Had gone about 20 miles moderate-heavy city traffic and I thought the truck was struggling and just didn't feel 'right' compared to my 2011 Ram 1500 QC. Come to find out it was not the truck b/c the driver's side tire on the trailer blew out.

What a mess! Was in the high-speed lane and had to maneuver 3 lanes to shoulder and then pull off onto side street. The tread separated and wrapped around the axel...just great. Got the tread off and spare tire and on the road 45 minutes later. Headed on our way and 2 hours(45 minutes of rain) later started to set up the camper. Got it popped up and the floor was soaked. Discovered the tread smashed the inner fender and broke a cabinet and driving in the rain splashed water into the camper. Well, it's always something!

Now the towing question:

One major difference I found is when on tow/haul mode and going downhill the transmission shifts oddly almost trying to reduce the speed (normal highway speeds around 40 to 60 MPH. IS THIS NORMAL(by design)?

 

[Richard320]

Yes, normal. Even in normal mode. If you've got your foot off the gas and you're still accelerating, it knows to downshift and compression brake. Experiment a little. Manually shift out of D into 8 and watch what gear you're in for a while.

 

[raven_DT]

Sorry to hear about the trailer tire issue. The one thing that Ive been impressed with is the new improved shift logic on the 8HP75 transmission. Aggressive downshifts in tow/haul mode are to help the truck (you) slow the trailer using engine compression vs. riding the brakes.

One thing that I cant emphasis enough is to check truck and trailer tire pressures. You can never check them too much #1 reason for trailer tire blowouts. I also recommend a TPMS for your TT if you tow often or over long distances....peace of mind being able to monitor tire temps and pressures real time.

 

[Klute]

Sorry to hear about the trailer tire issue. The one thing that Ive been impressed with is the new improved shift logic on the 8HP75 transmission. Aggressive downshifts in tow/haul mode are to help the truck (you) slow the trailer using engine compression vs. riding the brakes.

One thing that I cant emphasis enough is to check truck and trailer tire pressures. You can never check them too much #1 reason for trailer tire blowouts. I also recommend a TPMS for your TT if you tow often or over long distances....peace of mind being able to monitor tire temps and pressures real time.

I did check before I left. Recommended PSI is 65lbs and they were spot on. After a bit of research, I learned trailer (Bias) tires are different than passenger/truck tires and are prone to overheating when low pressure. I figured this tire was just old.
I will have to research the shift logic on the 8HP75 transmission , thanks!