TV Mods

[GCS]

Been going through the info on this site but I haven't seen anything on Tow Vehicle mods. I find that I will be doing some mods on my TV as well. Thinking about adding a dual battery setup under the hood, OEM towing mirrors, and an OEM trailer brake control. Also thinking about adding a lockable tool chest in the back of tbe F150 Supercrew.

[padlin]

WeBoost cell amp, in bed 7 pin, WeatherTech floor mats and splash guards, running boards. window visors, and a folding tonneau cover for the F150. It came with a lot of the bells and whistles factory installed.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by GCS

Thinking about adding a dual battery setup under the hood...

Interesting... why dual batteries in the tow vehicle? Are you considering using the tug as a power source for the trailer while camped?

Dual batteries are (or were) common in trucks with diesel engines, just to have enough energy to crank those things until they started, but that's presumably not the reason in this case.

[GCS]

Thinking of adding a winch for the front to end. Not related to camping.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by GCS

Thinking of adding a winch for the front to end. Not related to camping.

Ah... makes sense. Winches can take a lot of power.

[AKCamper]

I removed my transmission oil pan and brazed in a drain plug and a bung for installing a transmission temp gauge. I installed a MaxTow transmission temp gauge in a gauge pod. Works great, will be a useful tool when we get our trailer.

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by AKCamper

I removed my transmission oil pan and brazed in a drain plug and a bung for installing a transmission temp gauge. I installed a MaxTow transmission temp gauge in a gauge pod. Works great, will be a useful tool when we get our trailer.

It is useful to know the transmission fluid temperatures while towing. I installed a ScanGage in my FJ which was able to access two transmission fluid temperature sensors. Let's me keep closer track of things, especially when towing over a high pass or in very hot summer temperatures.

[cpaharley2008]

I find that my transmission is always less than my water which is always less than my oil.....

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I find that my transmission is always less than my water which is always less than my oil.....

That's roughly how it is supposed to work. For many (perhaps most) people, there is no easy way to determine if this is true, because they don't have readings of either transmission or engine oil temperature. Even my motorhome (with a Ford F-53 chassis, so it has Ford SuperDuty truck instrumentation) which has a transmission temperature gauge has no numbers on either this gauge or the engine coolant temperature gauge, and it has no engine oil temperature gauge.

One problem is that the right temperature for each fluid is different - if the transmission fluid is not as hot as the engine coolant, and the engine coolant temperature is okay, that doesn't necessarily mean that the transmission is okay.

[gbaglo]

I had my transmission fluid warning light come on with engine temp in the normal range. Was caused by racing up the Coquihalla in 3rd gear for a prolonged time ( just what the manual says not to do ).

[cpaharley2008]

Sometimes my oil is above boiling point, 212 F, always surprises me, I watch all 3 during those long days on the road out to Osoyoos.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Sometimes my oil is above boiling point, 212 F, always surprises me, I watch all 3 during those long days on the road out to Osoyoos.

In at least the hottest point in its circuit, the engine oil would routinely be above the boiling point of water (at atmospheric pressure). This is handy, because it tends to boil any water out of the oil; it is certainly not a problem, and is probably as intended by the vehicle's designers.