You have decided or purchased your new trailer or 5th wheel. You’ve decided to use your current vehicle for a tow vehicle or you are looking to buy one in the near future. Whether or not your are going to use an already owned vehicle or buy one for that purpose, here are some important topics to think about and perhaps investigate.
Controlling heat in the engine, the oil or the transmission is the greatest challenge to any tow vehicle. All vehicles are challenged in their every day lives dispelling the heat made in the process of doing what they do. Tow vehicles up the ante of that challenge by virtue of the extra weight being towed. To help maintain optimum running/temperature conditions, manufacturers offer towing packages. These packages include heavy duty cooling systems, suspension components, auxiliary oil and transmission coolers. The use of these extras should increase the longevity of your tow vehicle.
For the most part, keeping the fluids in your engine cool translates to increased fluid capacity. For engine coolant that means a radiator with more cooling cores. Radiators are made of cores. These cores are made such that they expose the hot liquids to cooler air thereby cooling the fluid before it goes back into the engine. More cores on a radiator means more coolant gets more exposure more quickly. Heavy duty radiators can come with a thermostatically-controlled heavy duty fan which kicks in only when the temperature of the coolant gets too high. These fans serve to increase airflow through the radiator.
To keep oil and transmission fluids cool auxiliary radiators and coolers are needed or recommended depending upon the kind of towing you’ll be doing. These radiators may well be built into an engine equipped for towing. A deep sump pan can be added to provide a larger fluid capacity for either your transmission fluid or your oil or both. When a deep sump pan is used, it can extend the life of the fluid in question by lowering its’ temperature by 50 degrees. Keeping the oil cool keeps your engine temperature down. We know how important this is even with a regular car during the summer. Keeping the transmission fluid cool is not a common consideration. Transmission fluid needs to be at or close to 170 degrees to maintain it’s integrity. It will start to break down when temperatures reach and exceed 200 degrees. This will result in powertrain failure and an expensive repair, not to mention cut your trip short. If your vehicle does not have a transmission fluid temperature sensor gauge or one is not offered (if you’re buying a new vehicle), an aftermarket gauge is something to consider. The best location for the most accurate temperature reading would be in the cooling pan.
