Can anyone tell me, am I okay with pulling a 5 x 10 utility trailer with my '91 Burb 1/2 ton 4x4 using the 4th gear overdrive? Trailer is a wood deck, mesh drop gate ramp, lights with no brakes. Light duty trailer, will be loaded with apartment furnishings for my son going to school this fall, sofa, chair, bed, etc. Trailer has 15" wheels, 5 on 5 with 215/75/15 tires. Would like to use the overdrive gearing just for the mileage question, last year had the trans. rebuilt at 172,000 miles. Stock set-up, no added trans. cooler.

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with it.

should be fine......the way to tell if you are straining the tranny is if you are in overdrive and it is constantly shifting in and out. Then you need to drop it down.

If you wanted to be as safe as possible, I'd shift into OD once you're up at highway speeds, so it doesn't shift into 4th when you get up to 50mph and you're coming up to a light or something...

I agree w/ them that in general you should be fine and if the tranny is downshifting, just go back into 3rd.

If you want to tow other stuff or load it up more in the future, an external tranny cooler is a pretty cheap $60 set of insurance and then the next step is a temp guage... i put a guage in the 4th opening of my '89 burb dash.

Thanks for the replies, part of the trip will be on flat, open road, lots of that in Kansas. Should be okay with overdrive 4th there. Some of the trip will be in hills and curves. Will most likely have to use 3rd there. Looks like a trans cooler would be a good idea. Anyone have a recommendation for a good cooler? How easy to install?

The one I have is a hayden rapidcool. I got the biggest one I could get and it's about maybe 18" x 18" or so... it's for like a 16,000 lb truck or something. I bypassed the factory cooler built into the radiator. I also have the guage as I said and towing has not been a problem. Stays nice and cool even in Houston (which is HOT during the summer when towing my boat...).

http://www.haydenauto.com/transoilcoolers.htm

If you do ever want to tow more I'd really recommend a guage. That's the one sure way to tell what's ok...