[VAC] Towing With A Manual 5Speed Transmission

["Harvey Barlow" <harveybarlow@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Lavonne,

The truck you described with a manual transmission, when used by an
experienced driver who understands the torque curve of his/her engine and is
skilled at using the clutch and selecting the correct gear for the situation
will make an excellent tow vehicle.  But manufacturers recommend using an
automatic transmission because most non-professional drivers are not truly
skilled and the automatic transmission will do a better job in most
situations.  I doubt that you'll realize much more than a one mpg gain with
the manual transmission because of the fine engineering and millions of
miles of usage that have been evaluated in order to improve the modern
overdrive automatics.  The E4OD has a torque converter that locks in each
forward gear so it doesn't waste much fuel.

Another  consideration is the anticipated ratio or towing to non-towing use
your truck will experience and the question of whether you are willing to
accept the inconvenience of manual shifting for many years of use in order
to save one or possibly two mpg?

I am a light truck specifications junky who picks up and studies the
brochures every year even though I'm not buying a new truck so the next
comment I'm going to make is probably of little interest to most but since
you listed the specs you must be pretty knowledgeable.  Most Ford F250HDs
used for towing have been equipped with 4.10:1 gears for many years.  The
4.10 gears work very well towing heavy trailers with either the big block
gas 7.5 liter (460 cid) or diesel powerplants.  I noticed that when Ford
dropped the old 7.5 and introduced the 6.8 liter V10, they also began
offering the 4.33:1 rear end ratio for maximum towing capacity ratings.  I
don't own one, my Ford is a 460 with 4.10 gears, but that presumably
indicates that Ford engineers figured that the V10 needed a little more
torque multiplication to duplicate the pulling power of the larger 460
engine.  If you keep the trailer you listed in your signature, the V10 3.73
combination will be more than adequate but if you ever plan to move up to a
heavier trailer you might want to consider the 4.33 rear end instead of a
3.73.

Ultimately it is a personal choice and my opinions are worth only what you
paid for them.  Best wishes with your new truck.

Harvey
Lubbock, TX
WBCCI 1171, WDCU, VAC
and a couple of Airstreams