backing a trailer uphill, bad for the transmission?

I have a 23' toyhauler and F350 truck. It would be nice, for loading the trailer, to back the trailer up the driveway to the garage, but it is a long and relatively steep driveway with no place to turn around at the top. The truck is a V10 4WD and pulls the trailer effortlessly, but in the first attempt to back up the driveway the transmission quickly got really hot and appeared to be in danger of overheating so we stopped.

Are there ways to minimize strain on the transmission when backing a trailer up a hill? It's a concrete driveway. I have heard that 4 low might be better for backing uphill but not sure how that would work out with the tires not being able to slip like they would in dirt, plus it is harder to maneuver in 4wd (the driveway curves).

Is it a just a bad idea in general to back the trailer uphill? It is possible to load it at the bottom of the hill, it's just a lot more time and effort shuttling everything up/down the hill... but I don't want to burn up the truck transmission. (Never had ANY issues with this truck's transmission overheating in any other situation - but it is going into the shop tomorrow to get it checked just in case.)

 

How did you determine the trans was hot?

 

The fire, mainly...

About halfway up the hill it started leaking transmission fluid onto the exhaust header and flamed, at which point we shut off the truck and leaped for the fire extinguishers in the trailer, but the fire went out right away. The driveway is white concrete so it was very obvious at what point the fluid leak began, it seems like when it got hot it started leaking from a seal. Once it cooled down it no longer leaked, and it wasn't leaking before, no fluid where it was parked, etc. No warning lights came on in the truck. It was hot outside, 98 degrees, and the truck had been running for a while so it was warm to begin with, from moving the trailer from its storage area to the base of the driveway.

The truck really sounded like it was straining to push the trailer up the hill, and it seemed to have to build more rpm before it would move than expected, I was already concerned that it might be a bad idea, but the fire pretty much confirmed it.

 

Yeah, that'll do it.

 

Next time let the parking brake off.

 

Put it in 4wd low. The lower gear ratio will help the transmission. As far as steering that shouldn't be an issue unless you have a front locker which i highly doubt. Just the same, as a rule of thumb, no you should not back a trailer uphill.

Also double check that it was a seal leaking and not a overflow valve.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

Also when backing up hill you need to take a run at it, at least 45mph by the time you hit the bottom of the hill.

4WD low will help a lot, worst case if you have lockers just put them on at the bottom and relese them at the top.

 

I'll never get a driveway again that doesn't have a loop at the house. It's glorious for so many reasons.

 

Put a front mount hitch on the truck, and push that bitch up there.

~$150.00

 

Buy a bobcat and knock that hill down.

Then push the trailer around with it.

 

Hell yeah, put a big fart can on your wifes car and Tokyo Drift

 

Drive the trailer up to the garage, load it, back the trailer down the driveway?

 

As already said, use low range.

 

this will pull 35k

 

That's so stupid that it's brilliant.

 

Well as someone said. Use low range.
You over heated torque convertor.
Thats why it stopped leaking.
Reverse has high line pressurr for backing up. But gear ratio is too tall for what You are trying to do.
Low range will help solve this issue.
And then you can back up driveway
Id also recommend changing fluid after this deal.
Heat kills transmissions
For some reason they sell big trucks that are not designed to be haulers.
Im old days we put Allison 5 and 6 spds autos in dullys to tow big trailers cause T400 didnt have enough gear to pull them up a hill loaded.
They cook convertors and puke fluid everwhere.
Now for the guys who dont have a transfer case you be out of luck on the deal.
So hitch on front is ony option.
Have a good one and hope this helps.

Steven Isenhower #52
Advance Tech Transmissions
in business since 1987

 

So this will bring me to a similar story on a smaller scale. When I moved from WI to VA, I towed 2 bikes, a propane tank 200' of garden hose on a fairly beefy 5x8 open trailer. Tow vehicle was a Subie Forester XT 5-speed manual. It was loaded almost to the roof from the back of the front seats to the tailgate with stuff as well. That turbo went right up the hills on the PA turnpike like it was nothing. As long as I didn't get stuck behind a slow poke I could easily pull the hills in 5th gear. I am sure I was over the load rating for the vehicle. When I arrived at my driveway I tried to back this all up my steep but not all that long driveway. After a couple of failed attempts and the smell of burning clutch in the air I turned around and pulled it right up. Fortunately with that trailer, once unloaded, it was fairly easy to move around by hand.

My Touareg TDI now backs my 6x12 (approx. 3300lb when I have 2 bikes and all the gear loaded) right up that same slope and isn't even working at it. Overbuilt for the job is good. The transmission is rated for something like 800lb-ft so my 406lb-ft isn't even taxing it.

 

I've never seen one but does it have surge brakes? They're typically on boat trailers because they get submerged but you never know.

 

I have seen a lot of people recommend this on some of the garage forums I'm on. Mostly for people with winding driveways that would otherwise be difficult to back into. My buddy's old ass farm truck has a receiver on the front of his.

 

i assume the brake controller for the trailer brakes is deactivated in Reverse? If it's the accelerometer type?