Towing capacity/rpm's/tran temp while towing 19 Ft trailer?
Hello,
My husband and I recently purchased a 2011 GMC sierra 1500 series 2x4 V6. We bought a small trailer (19 Ft) and had a hitch/tow package, tranny cooler and electric brake control installed. We were told we bought the right size truck for this trailer. We drove in a very hilly area with grades of 8-10% when we took it out for the first time and became quite frightened when the tranny temp reached 105C (approx 223F) and we were told this is okay and it can actually go to 225F without damaging the trucks tranny. The truck was working real hard and we had it in 2nd gear most of the way and we were very slow moving. It was also a very hot day (30+). The temp did go down to 80's. Just wondering if this was okay for this truck as we are new to towing.
I also was wondering about rpm's? On pretty level areas on the highway the tranny temp in second gear stays in the 80's but the rpm's go upwards to 3500. Is this okay? It does sound good. Wondering if anyone had any advice or opinion on this? We were thinking about going to a V8 or getting a second cooler installed for the hilly areas.