AW4 OD towing?

[BizarroStormy]

So can you tow with overdrive or is that just asking for trouble?

Just towed my tiny aluminum boat, probably 1500 pounds total with the trailer, about 60 miles. It didn't want to go over 65 in overdrive but that was fine with me, but my father in law says some autos don't handle towing in OD and can burn up. Keeping it in 3rd had my RPS up around 4k which seems high. I have 31 inch tires, a 4.11 diff, and a really big transmission cooler (almost the size of the AC condenser).

[Pete M]

that's a very light load so OD should be fine.   but I personally would be selective when using it to keep it from shifting back and forth (meaning turning it off for anything slower than freeway speeds). 

[75sv1]

I towed some Saab Sonnets a few times.  '98 XJ with auto. Even in the PA mountains. No real issues in OD. Also, 31's on 4:10 pulled a lot better than a stock setup in WV. That was not towing though.

[gogmorgo]

Flip the switch to power when you’re towing. It doesn’t take much additional load for it to bump down to 3rd on its own. The only real concern is if it’s shifting back and forth a bunch, like if you’re climbing rolling hills. Better to just have it stay in 3rd than constant shifting. It’s that little bit of slip when changing gears under load that will be the biggest concern. 

[BizarroStormy]

My transmission switch died a long time ago, I bypassed it, so I'm always in power mode now . I didn't notice it hunting for gears, seems to just go into 4 and stay there, but Florida is pretty flat. Thanks guys.