Towing with a 4l60e

[Hershel W Cecil]

I had a 92 1/2 ton that I towed a 18" enclosed trailer 2700# empty and the tranny lasted about 500 miles. still under warranty. I put a temp gage on it it would be at 250 and rising fast in a very short distance. no wonder it went out.. It had a trailer package but in 92 a 1/2 ton only had a cooler in the radiator. Put an aux cooler on it and never another problem. I also had a 4x4 1993 Dually with a 454 and HD trailer package and even it came WITHOUT a air to fluid cooler. Had to put one on it. too! By 1998 Mu 1/2 ton Tahoe with HD trailer package had a air to fluid cooler as well as an engine oil cooler. I guess GM never bothered to hot weather test any of their pickups with a trailer behind them before the mid 90's.

 

[Sean Buick 76]

I had a 92 1/2 ton that I towed a 18" enclosed trailer 2700# empty and the tranny lasted about 500 miles. still under warranty. I put a temp gage on it it would be at 250 and rising fast in a very short distance. no wonder it went out.. It had a trailer package but in 92 a 1/2 ton only had a cooler in the radiator. Put an aux cooler on it and never another problem. I also had a 4x4 1993 Dually with a 454 and HD trailer package and even it came WITHOUT a air to fluid cooler. Had to put one on it. too! By 1998 Mu 1/2 ton Tahoe with HD trailer package had a air to fluid cooler as well as an engine oil cooler. I guess GM never bothered to hot weather test any of their pickups with a trailer behind them before the mid 90's.

Good points! Keeping the trans coolant temperature in a reasonable range is vital to the life of a trans.

 

[99xcss4]

I agree with what every one has said also be smart do not do this just because it was advertised

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[L31MaxExpress]

I had a 92 1/2 ton that I towed a 18" enclosed trailer 2700# empty and the tranny lasted about 500 miles. still under warranty. I put a temp gage on it it would be at 250 and rising fast in a very short distance. no wonder it went out.. It had a trailer package but in 92 a 1/2 ton only had a cooler in the radiator. Put an aux cooler on it and never another problem. I also had a 4x4 1993 Dually with a 454 and HD trailer package and even it came WITHOUT a air to fluid cooler. Had to put one on it. too! By 1998 Mu 1/2 ton Tahoe with HD trailer package had a air to fluid cooler as well as an engine oil cooler. I guess GM never bothered to hot weather test any of their pickups with a trailer behind them before the mid 90's.

I do not feel like GM tested the 1500 Express vans in hot weather running empty. Their factory 5 bladed cooling fan blade and clutch on my 1997 also reflected this. It had an 11-bladed fan and clutch swapped on under warranty by the dealer in 1998 after numerous complaints of overheating and poor ac cooling at slower speeds. The HD fan setup helped it alot.

 

[SmilingRic]

Hi Guys,

I am towing with a new rig ( to me ) and after looking at some post that say not to tow with a 4l60e in OD I was wondering... Does that include the empty trailer ? I will be making a 300 mile trip to get a full size GMT 400 truck at highway speeds and would like to a least use the OD on the way there, would like to run 60-70 MPH to keep up with traffic .

I am towing a full lenght open car hauler but am not sure how much the trailer itself weights. Here is a picture of my set up. A stock drive train 1994 K 1500 with 5.7 tbi , 4l60e with 3.73 gearing the Previous owner did add Timberlins and Blizzacks shocks.


what say the experts ?

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Lucy is my '90 Silverado, 5.7TBI and the tranny in question. Towing my enclosed trailer from Atlanta to LA, trying to save a little gas and being unfamiliar with the limitations of the transmission, I used the OD too much and it failed in OKC. New one, treated more carefully, lasted 11 months. New rule is if the trailer is on the truck the selector is in D. Hope this is helpful. Good luck...

 

[1998_K1500_Sub]

This sticker is on the door of my father's former K1500 5.7L 4L60E RCLB:

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[Cadillacmak]

This post reminded me of when I was a late teen in the early 90's and my dad and I towed a trailer load of hay down to Delta to a buffalo farm. 1988 k2500 light duty chevy, 350tbi, 4L60, and rear springs on the bump stops. 90 miles so overloaded, they should have stopped us and wrote a ticket! Wish i had a picture to share of it. Dad still owns that truck and I keep it running good for him.

 

[whataTRUUUCK]

I think you'll be fine doing one trip with it....and as others said, play it by ear in regards to how the vehicle reacts to the weight its towing....don't force it in gear or allow it to keep slipping in and out of gears. Also make sure the trans fluid and filter have recently been changed. And even extra insurance would be getting a transmission temp gauge -heat is the #1 killer of transmissions