I realized this afternoon that at 55 MPH in third gear I'm only turning 2800 RPM. I was pulling my boat up a long hill which I normally take in forth. Just thought I would try third.
With these 2.73 gears it's almost like I've got a three speed with an overdrive. I rebuilt the T176 transmission myself last year an it's working great, but I don't think it was designed to be run in third all that much.
I know, I need to regear. But I doubt I will.We just use it on weekends to hunt and fish. Trips are normally less than 20 miles.
It's pulls the boat pretty good. It's a commercial duty 15' johnboat with a
25 Mercury on a heavy duty trailer. You just don't take your eyes off the road much. One day while pulling the boat I met a big truck in a curve and for a few seconds it was like on Apollo 13 when they where manually firing the rockets on the lunar module to get back on track to earth.The first time I pulled the boat I thought my power brakes had gone out. It was just the weight of the boat.
Seriously though, I'm extremely careful while towing. And 99% of the time it's enjoyable. I don't tow on the interstate highway. About 60 mph is as fast as I ever go.
Mark