Yes you do. It's that button on the end of your shifter handle marked "Tow/Haul". It locks out 5th gear and reprograms you other gears for towing. This is how it works on my truck, should be the same for all Dodges.
No I don't. The button on the end of the shifter handle marked "Tow/Haul" only locks out 5th gear (.67 O/D). It doesn't lock out 4th gear (.75 O/D). The '04 and '05 Rams have no way to lock out O/D. Both 4th and 5th gears are O/D ratios. Locking out 5th gear O/D ratio while enabling 4th gear O/D ratio is not locking out O/D. Dodge added the ability to lock out both O/D ratios in '06 and up Rams with a second push of the button on the end of the shifter handle. But thanks for the help in locating the button on the end of the shifter handle marked "Tow/Haul".
No problem, some people have a hard time finding it.
Um, yeah, that's what I said, 5th gear.
Yes, I know that 4th is also an overdrive gear. I guess Dodge decided it was okay to tow in this gear. Which is kind of funny since my Jeep Liberty had the 45RFE (the EXACT same tranny just programmed for only four speeds) adn they determined that it was NOT okay to tow in 4th gear.
I guess what gears are okay and not okay for towing is determined by both the tranny AND the engine combination. My Jeep had the 3.7L V6 and didn't have enough power to tow in 4th. The 4.7L and 5.7L V8s do.
My 07 Dakota doesn't have that second button push option to lock out 4th. Bummer!
Paul (Mouse)
2007 Flagstaff Shamrock 17 Hybrid (heavily modified for boondocking and winter camping).
2007 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab, 4.7L HO engine, Factory tow package, Equil-i-zer WD Hitch, Prodigy brake controller.
Yamaha EF2400 Generator.
I was just curious, mousefart can rant all he wants but I see nothing to thank him for. My manual says to feel it out I guess. But in my limited towing with the Tahoe it has to down shift on even a slight hill if it's more than 100 ft. or so long when driving in 3rd. So my gut tells me that it's really even smart to tow at all. The manual seems to be a crock.
To the Dodge guy, I have learned the Never tow in OD thing from Dodge people. The OD is the weakest part of a Dodge Tranny and is just not able to handle much power, let alone the 5.9L Gas torque.
92DakotaHD wrote: I was just curious, mousefart can rant all he wants but I see nothing to thank him for. My manual says to feel it out I guess. But in my limited towing with the Tahoe it has to down shift on even a slight hill if it's more than 100 ft. or so long when driving in 3rd. So my gut tells me that it's really even smart to tow at all. The manual seems to be a crock.
To the Dodge guy, I have learned the Never tow in OD thing from Dodge people. The OD is the weakest part of a Dodge Tranny and is just not able to handle much power, let alone the 5.9L Gas torque.
Back in '92, the O/D unit on the 727 Torqueflight based 518 was a bolt on unit in place of the long tail shaft housing. It had it's own planetary gear set. It was not as beefy as the main planetary gear sets as O/D was originally intended for CAFE requirements, not towing. The same concept was used with the 46-48RE Torqueflight based transmission. The 47 and 48RE's behind the Cummins got beefed up innards including the O/D gear to accommodate the low rpm torque of the Cummins. Just the same, shear in the 518 and TC clutches in the 46-48RE were the weak parts and heat makers. The new 5-45RFE doesn't have an O/D gear set. Chrysler uses a combination of it's three main planetary gears to accomplish it's odd and mismatched ratios including it's two O/D ratios. The transmission can handle it if the driver doesn't mind listening to it shift on every slight grade change.
'05 2500HD Dodge 5.7L Hemi 5spd auto/3.73 SLT. 93k miles
ex '95 Cummins,'98 12v Cummins,'01.5 Cummins,'03 Cummins
'07 KZ Jag 28JFSS.
For me it depends on how much weight I am towing, type of road, & maybe elevation. With a relatively light load on a low traffic flat freeway I may very well. With the same load at slower speeds in the hills, NO. The manual likes to eliminate the need for the operator to have to think much, so they don't screw up & blame the maker.
2003 GMC 2500HD Crew Cab 4X4
2002 Trail-lite 7212 21 ft TT
EU2000, 2 boys & Katy the Lab
TV: Mint 1972 Ford F-250 XLT
TT: 1969 19' Excel; entertains 6, feeds 4, sleeps 2 You don't shoot to kill, you shoot to stay alive.
I don't carry because I have to, I carry because I get to. My pictures
O/D trannies have come a long way since the 80`s. now the O/D`s can be used while towing without problem. the big problem comes from the constant shifting and will overheat trans fluid in a hurry! if the trans is hunting for a gear, lock it out of O/D and all will be fine.
Wife kim
Son brandon 7yrs
Daughter marissa 6yrs
Dog shadow
07 Cherokee 32B
02 Excursion 4X4 V-10 4.30 gear
Reese HP dualcam,Prodigy brake controller,
Air lift air bags.
Better to have a bad day of
camping than a good day at work!
No kidding, they just like to brag. The truth is if our gassers were geared so we could run at peak torque in OD we would be doing just that. It would take close to 6.50 gears in most gassers to run at peak torque in OD.
I guess I must have an exceptional vehicle, I tow at 2,000 rpm (98% of its max torque) at 65 mph, in OD, all day long (and it takes a pretty steep grade without downshifting), and guess what - I have a 3.73. The real truth is, it all depends. Every situation is different, there is no pat answer.
Most HD Diesel trucks are designed to tow in OD. My F250 doesn't even have a way to lock out OD. It does have a tow/haul mode but that only changes the shift points it still uses OD and tows quite nicely. Most light trucks and cars don't recommend towing in OD.
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