Cal, etc.,
I too prefer a manual transmission in most vehicles, most of the time. Besides being cheaper and more fuel-efficient (assuming the driver knows when/how to shift; but that’s another story), they are fun, except in slow city traffic.
I have towed several boats using vehicles with automatics (including a 3000-pound Paceship 23 on a heavy trailer behind a Dodge van with a 318 V8). None had extra transmission cooling, and none had any transmission problems. (Not much hill climbing here in sunny Florida, though, and I keep the speed moderate on the highway when trailering.) That said, if I were setting out to buy a dedicated tow vehicle, I would specify a transmission cooler (part of the usual “towing package”), to be on the safe side. They can be added to older vehicles, too.
Some automatics have a locking (non-slipping) top gear. That would likely be a good choice for trailering.
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David Fann
Montgomery 17 Dulcibella
On 4/26/02 7:45 AM, "Cal Spooner" <cspooner@mn.rr.com> wrote:
For the sake of argument (indulge me);