Can I tow in 3 instead of D?

[EastTXYukon]

My family is going to the lake for the weekend, and its about 200 miles one way. I'll be towing a 20' Sea Ray single axle weighing in around 3800 lbs. My "tow rig" (I use that name loosely) is a 2004 2wd Tahoe with a 4.8 and 3.42 gears.

Obviously my truck is not setup to really tow much, but it's all I've got for now. Can I tow for 200 highway miles in 3 instead of D? Will it hurt anything? Just messing around town towing in 3 w tow/haul mode engaged was so much more pleasant than towing in D with tow/haul on. In D the truck would downshift just about everytime I accelerated anyway. Just wanted to check before I hit the road.

 

[dropmech]

I towed a 5k pound trailer behind my tahoe, same engine and drivetrain, all the way from Florida to Massachusetts in D with no issues at highway speeds. Once around town i put it in tow mode and had a smooth ride. Shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Mankind]

You can. But you sacrifice possible fuel economy if you are going to be on the hwy a pretty good bit. Your truck should tow that pretty easily in "D" with the tow mode turned on. Your tranny will stay in 3rd when you are up and down in traffic but it could easily go into 4th on a straight open hwy which will help the fuel bill.

 

[JochenWoern]

You can. But you sacrifice possible fuel economy if you are going to be on the hwy a pretty good bit. Your truck should tow that pretty easily in "D" with the tow mode turned on. Your tranny will stay in 3rd when you are up and down in traffic but it could easily go into 4th on a straight open hwy which will help the fuel bill.

^ +1

 

[scottg918514]

I tow in third unless I get a nice stretch of flat hiway, then bump to 4th. You can stay in 4 th all the time, unless you get excessive shifting on hills. Tranny will get hot if you stay in a gear and tranny is constantly shifting.