towing
- Thread starter llewellyn
- Start date
I have only been towing for just over a year but have towed with auto and Manuel, the first auto was a Mitsubishi Pajero 2.5D 4X4 and was great, easy driving but no cruise control, my second auto was under powered for my van but had cruise control Audi 1800 and that was good, the 4X4 now is a Manuel Jeep 2.5D, yes a bit more work with gear changes but OK.
If I had my old 4X4 auto and it had cruise control I would be more than happy.
I will be honest give me a auto box any time.
Reg and Pat
If I had my old 4X4 auto and it had cruise control I would be more than happy.
I will be honest give me a auto box any time.
Reg and Pat
We've used both. With auto i have only used torque converters and my comments are based on that. A friend who is a vehicle expert uses an auto with a two clutch system and says it never seems in the right gear. Proes: one thing less to think about- just point the car. No clutch bother. Goes backwards well. Good for manoeuvring on site. Cons: uses more fuel, ours a sorento 2.5 about 3 mpg. Uses more brakes as there is little engine breaking. Auto oil is more expensive. I'd never go back to manual.
All down to personal preference, I haven't had a manual for about 10 years for towing duties and much prefer automatic. Much less hassle and easy to knock down when needed so just as much control as manual. I haven't experienced any disadvantages only advantages, especially in towns, junctions, roundabouts and hill starts.
Parksy
Moderator
Hi Llewellyn, welcome to the Practical Caravan forum.
The advantages of towing with a vehicle with an auto gearbox are:
Ease of reversing and manoeuvring with more control.
No possibility of a burnt clutch
Relaxed driving environment, less to do.
The disadvantages for an auto could be:
Vehicle might need to be fitted with an oil cooler if there isn't one already fitted.
Fuel consumption may be higher
The vehicle might be more expensive to buy
Automatic transmission fluid can be degraded and may need changing more often on towing vehicles.
I tow our 1650kg twin axle caravan with a 4x4 fitted with an automatic gearbox with no problems whatsoever, the vehicle benefits from regular maintenance especially checks on automatic transmission fluid levels and a drain of old atf annually. The fluid is relatively inexpensive although a complete drain down and replacement isn't really practical because atf is retained in the torque converter. Over time all of the atf is of good quality. You would need to check to see if your chosen vehicle with automatic transmission has any towing weight restrictions which can sometimes be lower than those for vehicles with a manual gearbox.
The advantages of towing with a vehicle with an auto gearbox are:
Ease of reversing and manoeuvring with more control.
No possibility of a burnt clutch
Relaxed driving environment, less to do.
The disadvantages for an auto could be:
Vehicle might need to be fitted with an oil cooler if there isn't one already fitted.
Fuel consumption may be higher
The vehicle might be more expensive to buy
Automatic transmission fluid can be degraded and may need changing more often on towing vehicles.
I tow our 1650kg twin axle caravan with a 4x4 fitted with an automatic gearbox with no problems whatsoever, the vehicle benefits from regular maintenance especially checks on automatic transmission fluid levels and a drain of old atf annually. The fluid is relatively inexpensive although a complete drain down and replacement isn't really practical because atf is retained in the torque converter. Over time all of the atf is of good quality. You would need to check to see if your chosen vehicle with automatic transmission has any towing weight restrictions which can sometimes be lower than those for vehicles with a manual gearbox.
Hi We tow our caravan with our Citroen it has paddles around the steering wheel and a lever you can change up or down quite easy and we have cruise control and makes it so easier for towing.....
Hi, we use both as we have his and hers cars. His is a BMW 735 petrol but on an LPG conversion with an auto gear box. His gear box does not like towing other than in a straight line as it seems to confuse the car and revs at quite high levels before changing, thus affecting the fuel consumption. Hers (mine) is a Volvo V70 D5 Estate on a manual box which I have to say is absolutely fantastic and good fuel economy (maybe thats the female driver though). Both cars have cruise control which is great. My preference is the manual gearbox with cruise. We pull a Bailey Bregagne. Hope that helps. Zoe
We have a manual Ford Mondeo 2L with cruise control, which makes a good towcar, with good economy. We did have to borrow an automatic once, where ours (company car) was in for tests on the air-conditioning, and we used a lot more fuel. We've had five manual Mondeos, all company cars, and when my OH was made redundant we bought our own Mondeo!
be aware that some automatics have a lower tow load tan the manual version,so check the cars towing specs carfully befor you buy
It has to be an Auto------------------------Ive only got one leg
Sorry I could'nt resist, but on a serious note I would never have a manual box to tow with, you can do everything with auto as with a manual, change up/down, kick down for over taking etc, ok a bit more fuel but who cares I'm on holiday/break.
Sorry I could'nt resist, but on a serious note I would never have a manual box to tow with, you can do everything with auto as with a manual, change up/down, kick down for over taking etc, ok a bit more fuel but who cares I'm on holiday/break.
Facebook
Twitter