Quote:
Originally Posted by Tango286
Question about how to drive in or through our higher mountains:
If one's TrailManor, say a 3326K, when fully loaded for the road weighs in at about 5000 lbs, and one's truck, say a Ford F-150, has a towing rating of 7000 lbs. one would think there would be no problem towing in any elevation. Right? But I have heard that a 2000 lb. towing advantage may not be enough. The F-150 would slow down considerably towing the 3326 TrailManor in the mountains.
My question: under the scenario presented how should one tow, 1) let the truck slow down and try to enjoy the time of day and others passing you by, or 2) step on the gas (pedal to the metal) and force the truck to down shift and get the truck moving a bit faster?
How do you drive in the mountains?
Thanks.
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Redhawk is right. You should look for a minimum of 60% of your engine's maximum RPM rating. Below that, horsepower and torque drop off dramatically. Try not to maintain over 80% of your max RPM over long periods of time. If your engine is downshifting, then up-shifting, lock it in the lower of the 2 gears. However, IMO the emphasis should be reversed (as I'm sure was his intent). Towing safety is 90% braking and 10% pulling. I don't think that very many people have ever been hurt by pulling up a mountain too slowly. It's all about coming down the other side.
Gearing of the vehicle means a lot. If the gears are too high, it's hard to get enough RPM out of the engine to have adequate power to pull mountains. When going down a gear, it often slows the vehicle to a point that getting enough air through the radiator, to accommodate the cooling required for the work that the engine is doing, becomes a problem. With most V6 engines, a 3.73 - 4.10 final drive gear ratio may be required for mountain driving. 3.42 may cause lugging and 3.08 is simply inadequate unless you have a
BIG honking V-8.
Frankly, I feel that My S-10 PU may be over-rated for towing capacity because of down-hill grades. The tow rating (6400#) is nearly twice the dry weight of the vehicle (3221#). The truck has good size tires and some pretty hefty brakes. I'm not concerned about brake fading (the most dangerous aspect of towing). However, I am concerned that the vehicle may not be able to make an emergency stop going down a grade with a trailer pushing it due to the lack of weight of the TV.
There are so many things to be considered (even beyond manufacturers ratings). However, knowing the short-comings of your TV and letting that effect your driving habits can go a long way. A lot can be over-come (but not everything) by the way that you drive. Manufacturer's maximum ratings should be our
MINIMUM requirements and only a starting point at looking at the entire towing experience.