Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim2619
OK, I've really enjoyed this site and I've learned a ton! We've had our '98 2619 for a little over a year and have done a number of short trips here in the Midwest (Missouri) and a 2000 mile trip to Florida. We tow with a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport, V-6, 5000# capacity, WD-hitch and we travel at about 3300 in the trailer, a 4-pack and all the misc. stuff you need for comfort. It's done fine on the gentle hills and flat lands we've used it on we get a respectable 17mpg and we absolutely love our Trailmanor! We're thinking of a week in Colorado next summer (mid-August) and would love some thoughts on
|
Answers to your questions...
Quote:
1. is it possible given my rigs limits
|
Yes, though as noted above with only about 220 ft-lbs of torque you will be down to to around 30 to 35 mph for extended periods with the engine revving very high in 1st or 2nd gear. Most of the 5 to 6 percent grades going west on I70 are 5 to 7 miles in length...and the upper one on the east side of the Eisenhower tunnel has a 55 mph left lane
minimum speed for about 12 miles. That means you
will be in the right lane crawling behind the Semis at 25 to 30 mph the whole way. Also keep in mind that you will climb 6000 feet coming out of Denver to reach the entrance to the Tunnels. Going eastbound there are two very challenging 7% grades on I70 that are respectively 10 miles in length (Vail Pass) and 8 miles in length (western approach to the Eisenhower Tunnel). Because of its seemingly unending length, steepness, and altitude the western approach (going eastbound) to Vail Pass has garnered a lot of unhappy comment and infamy on the various towing forums at
RV.NET.
One thing you can do to make the mountain crossings much less traumatic is to do them as early as possible in in the morning when the air temperature is much lower. Cooler air is much denser so your engine will make substantially more power and your vehicle will be much less likely to experience an overheated cooling system or overheated transmission. Because the air here is very thin and dry, Colorado has very large diurnal (night/day) temperature swings...often as much as 40 to 50 degrees. In the mountains the temperature at dawn (even in August) will be around 35 to 40 degrees; by noon it will be around 70 to 75 degrees. I seldomly have seen disabled cars/trucks/motorhomes along the roadside during early morning crossings of the Divide but, by afternoon, the roadsides on both sides of the high crossings (like the Eisenhower tunnels) have numerous vehicles that have become disabled due to overheating.
One thing that'
s mandatory on the descents is to put the transmission in a lower gear (2nd gear on most automatics) before starting the descent. If you try to hold your speed down with only the brakes, you are guaranteed to have overheated and fading brakes long before the bottom. The saying hereabouts is that overheated brakes will kill you!
Quote:
2. what modifications would be necessary to make it safe?
|
A very high quality brake controller like the Tekonsha Prodigy that provides proportional braking regardless of road grade. Regular pendulum based "inertial" controllers over brake on descents. And "time-delay" controllers are a disaster waiting to happen.
If your Montero has an automatic transmission and doesn't have an external transmission cooler, it's absolutely mandatory that you have one installed. The extended (20 to 30 minute) periods of high RPM, low gear operations that you're facing will create enormous amounts of heat in an automatic transmission...if you don't have a good external cooler, you are guaranteed to cook/kill the transmission.
If you have ever experienced higher than normal engine coolant temperatures while towing, you should investigate having your radiator replaced with a heavy duty model. Mountain towing (especially in the afternoon and at low speed) places a huge demand on the engine cooling system.
Have all driveline lubricants replaced (ideally with synthetics) before trying this trip...specifically engine oil (recommend Mobil1), transmission fluid, and differential fluid (at least the rear). All components will be enduring very high temperatures and high quality lubricants are needed...synthetics are better because they're less likely to break down at high temperatures.
Quote:
3. are there any routes that might be easier than others (coming in on I-70) and thinking about going through Denver, in and around the Aspen area and then down to Royal Gorge out to Col. Springs and then back home?
|
Going west, no...the 5 to 6 percent grades on I70 are less steep than any other route.
However, going east from Aspen, I strongly recommend you leave I70 onto US24 towards Leadville at the Minturn exit (about 5 miles west of Vail). This will take you across the Continental Divide into the upper Arkansas River valley via Tennessee Pass and let you avoid both very challenging eastbound climbs on I70 (Vail Pass and the western approach to the Eisenhower Tunnels). US24 has a steep (~7% grade) though quite short initial section over Battle Mountain Pass but from then on the grades are quite gentle and Tennessee Pass itself is hardly noticeable. Tennessee Pass was the "water route" that the Union Pacifc railroad used for its main line across the Continental Divide and railroad grades seldomly exceed 3%. Just continue to follow the Arkansas river valley downstream via US 24, US 285, and US50 to reach the Royal Gorge. This is not only an "easy" route but it's also highly scenic as there are about a dozen "14ers" (14,000 feet or higher mountains) lining the west side of the Arkansas valley.
Don't even
think about going east out of Aspen via Colorado 82 over Independence Pass. This road has numerous narrow spots (
total road width of about 12 feet for
both lanes) and a length restriction of 35 feet...it's very much
not recommended for trailers. There are also several miles of very steep grades (over 8%) on both sides with hairpin curves. And it's very high...about 12,100 feet above sea level. Mid summer blizzards and icy road conditions...even in August...are a distinct possibility.
HTH