Towing in 5th Gear

I have heard from several, not to tow in fifth, which I have ignored, however, I now have a noisy 5th gear

Ian
Slow Learner

I have always been told, not to tow in 5th gear. We used a trakshak camper trailer (approx 1.2t loaded) behind an 80 series for a total of 6mths or so over a 3 year period......never towed in 5th....and was happy not to. Some say ok to whack in 5th gear when gong down hill, or no faster acceleration required.....but I never bothered putting it in 5th at all. Towed trailer at around up to 110kms at times in 4th...all seemed fine....oh...and easier to accelerate on corrugated roads in 4th too. Not sure of the reason 5th not good...but sure you will see an answer from more knowing people here. I seem to remember the 5th gear cog (or whatever...??) is smaller than the other gears, and not designed for the harder work of the other gears.
I am sure someone will explain it better!!!!!.
Cheers,
Mick.

hi there i tow an 18 ft caravan and have done for 6 years in 5 th but in saying that i make sure the car isn't labouring just work your gears to suit the terrain is what im saying in town or in the city im in 4th all the time no higher and i drive a Toyota 80 series ............... hope this helps i also had a Nissan and a 14 ft pop top i travelled in 5th also same thing .................len

Hello there, There has been a lot of discussion on this subject in recent times & you will find lots of differing opinions if you do a search on this forum.
We tow a 1500Kg Van with a Mazda BT 50 manual in fifth. The vehicle manual makes no reference to what gear to tow in. Another member of this forum has a Ford Ranger (same vehicle, different badge, & his vehicle manual apparently advises not to tow in fifth.
The general consensus of opinion seems to be it is OK to tow in fifth provided you are not stressing the motor (up hills, into head wind etc) Just common sense driving practise, change back a cog if the speed or load warrants it. We checked with Mazda technical Dept. at their head office & they advised that there was no transmission issues related to towing in fifth & no motor issues provided you changed back when driving conditions/circumstances dictated that you do so. Cheers

I have towed trailers up to 1 tonne, over several hundred Thousand km with out a problem.

Cars include a 75 series Troopy, an 80 series, and several 100 series.

Cheers Steve.

I would not have a problem with your cruiser towing in 5th...but....whenever you gwet to a hill, get it out of 5th as that will put undue stress on the bearings and will actually use more fuel than 4th will.
Andrew

You need to ask yourself why you would tow in 5th. The usual answer is for better economy.

But this is simply not the case.

In another post on this subject I explained that I conducted a little experiment using my Scangauge. It gives instant fuel consumption. I towed my caravan in 5th at 90kph and in 4th at the same speed (towing vehicle is a current TDV8 Cruiser trayback with manual box, caravan is a 16'6" Trakmaster) and the fuel consumption was identical despite the higher rpm in 4th.

Why? Because it was easier on the engine. Less effort.

An earlier posted suggested there might be a better explanation so I'll try this analogy:

Say you are at the gym doing situps lying on your back on a bench. Towing in 5th is the equivalent of trying to do a situp with your back and shoulders off the end of the bench without any support. It's harder on your "engine".

Towing in 4th is like doing a situp with your knees up and your back supported by a bench ramped at 45 degrees. Much easier on your "engine".

So, if towing in 4th is easier on your engine and costs no more in fuel, why risk damage to 5th gear in the face of so many recommendations not to tow in 5th, especially from the vehicle manufacturer. After all, it's them your going to ask for help if your gearbox collapses.

cheers

I am a fanatic at 'don't tow heavy loads in 5th', however you have a light trailer so you could do as Dozer suggests.

However, believe me it is no fun and proves rather costly being stranded far from home when a Cruiser gearbox packs it in. It has happened to us more than once.

All the same, I agree with Gone Bush on towing in the 5th (or overdrive in auto). They are not towing gears.

Motherhen

I 'broke' 5th gear in a Troopy towing 1300kg van ...never under 90km and never straining the engine ....

funny .. after gearbox rebuild, I travelled at 90 in 4th .. and got better fuel consumption too ...

Kevin