what gear to tow a boat

[brian3127]

i bought a 98 chevy silverado this week. and im wondering what gear to tow the boat with. a friend told me i shouldnt tow the boat in over drive. but that was a manual tranny. is it ok to tow it in over drive with an automatic. it is a 14 trihull fiberglass with a 40 horse. the gears i have to choose from are overdrive 3 2 1. would 3 be better for the tranny.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: what gear to tow a boat

Depends on what terrain you are on.
If on interstate, I would think OD would be fine with that boat.
If on 2 lane roads in and out of citys and backroads, no OD is preferred.

 

[brian3127]

Re: what gear to tow a boat

that was fast thanks for the quick reply it will be mainly city driving. i will keep it out of overdrive thanks again

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: what gear to tow a boat

I keep out of overdrive with my Jimmy.

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: what gear to tow a boat

If you find the truck shifting in and out of overdrive while towing, take it out of overdrive. If the tranny stays in overdrive fine, then you are fine.

I agree with the advice to leave it in drive for city (especially stop and go traffic) driving, but on the highway, I doubt you would have any problem in overdrive with that truck/boat combo.

 

[dingbat]

Re: what gear to tow a boat

With a boat that small you could drag the boat behind the truck without a trailer and the truck wouldn't know the difference. Leave it OD and don't sweat it.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: what gear to tow a boat

In the city you are not likely able to get going fast enough for OD to engage anyway so its a non-issue. But if you are not "tranny-savy" you can't go wrong with "3" (direct).

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: what gear to tow a boat

In the city you are not likely able to get going fast enough for OD to engage anyway so its a non-issue. But if you are not "tranny-savy" you can't go wrong with "3" (direct).

It's 3 for me !!!!!