Manual Down Shifting While Towing Down Steep Grades

[jamoody]

General mountain towing guidance needed here. I'll be taking my 2017 Yukon into the Rockies towing 5K lbs. My understanding is that I should manually downshift on steep down grades to let engine braking help maintain speed control. My questions are:

* How high do I let the engine RPM get to?
* What is a reasonable maximum downshift (2 gears, 3 gears?) the transmission can handle without damage with 5K lbs camper pushing it downhill?

I'll be staying on mostly interstate highways and roads leading to the national parks; I don't expect to be climbing to the summit of white faced peaks.

Thanks.

 

[2011SSVHOE]

hope you have trailer brakes, that will help a bit. I would keeps the rpms around 3 to 3.5 k main thing is to try to stay off your brakes, so that you don't overheat them. also if your yuke has it, look at the DIC for the trans temp. Key is to be cool! heat ruins shit.

 

[Kendall69]

I always use the tranny as a brake. Old wives tale about cheaper to replace braked than a tranny. In the right gear the tranny is doing what it was designed for. I just drove dow the mountain in Yosemite and only hit the brakes a few times between the tow mode and 6 speed tranny I was always in the right gear. The guy in front of me hit the brakes hundreds of times.