Toyota HiLux 2004: Towing in fifth gear
Asked by Chris Kloske
Recently we did a trip of around 1600 km in our 2004 Toyota Hilux 4x4 3.0-litre diesel towing a 780 kg van. It was mostly normal road driving, but with some high range driving on unsealed roads. We had a problem with the cluster bearing in the gearbox, which failed and chipped one of the teeth off the gears resulting in the gearbox having to be rebuilt. The repairer said that if I continue to tow this would probably happen again. Should I be towing in fifth gear on the flat?
Answered by CarsGuide
15 Feb 2013There's no problem in using fifth gear on the flat, but you also have to be aware of the terrain and change down when facing an incline. Leaving it in fifth will stress the gearbox and could lead to the sort of failure you have experienced.
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