Pulling a vehicle in Colorado

[The Gritz Carlton]

Originally Posted by gmc

There are also states where four way flasher use is required on interstates if traveling under 45mph...
Know where you are driving.

Interstates are Federal and have a minimum speed posted. If you can't hang, move to the shoulder and use flashers if you must. Folks traveling up and down steep mountain passes expect to see slow moving vehicles and flashers (while I hate the use of them on any moving vehicle) have probably saved a few serious rear end collisions.

[The_Breeze]

Originally Posted by Beau388

In quite a few states, it is illegal to use your hazard warning lights (flashers) unless you are stopped. In Colorado you may use the hazard warning lights if your speed is below 25 mph. <https://clark.com/cars/illegal-use-hazard-lights-in-rain/>

The easiest and most probable educated guide you have on that topic is watch what the tractor trailers do and follow their que. If their running slow with flashers on and you're running with them - flashers on and note your speed.

It's certainly no guarantee but your best chance of staying within the law.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by vkb

that is so cute !!!

There's something just so "Right"; about a dumb guy like me riding around in a Smart Car...

[petefoss]

I found with my 31W based E450 that using tow haul mode made a big difference in how it performed in the mountains of NC

[Glowplug]

I live in the San Juan mountains of Colorado in the summertime. I have a Thor Venetian DP with a 2 door Jeep Wrangler toad. I have never had any problems going over any major passes. Don’t expect to go 60 or 70 mph uphill. To me the most dangerous thing is going down a steep pass. I find using my exhaust brake a must if you have a diesel pusher otherwise you might burn up your brakes.

[Bob Denman]

I wonder how my little "Fred: the Sprinter" ;will hold back on the hills...

[aa0ri]

Denver is called the Mile High City as the elevation is 5280 feet. Heading West the climb to Denver is gradual so you should have no problems.


I have a Vegas with the smaller V10 on a E450 chassis and it doesn't even act like my Chev. Equinox is attached most of the time.


Have a great trip and welcome to the RVing life.

[Richard]

Going up the mountain not an issue.... just need to use lower gear to avoid overheating. Going down the mountain is the issue. Long step grades require slow speed in lower gears to avoid brake overheating. Take your time and it’s a snap. There are some roads I would not go with Motorhome and tow. Like hey 550 Durango to Ouray.

[DenverTransplant]

Originally Posted by aa0ri

Denver is called the Mile High City as the elevation is 5280 feet. Heading West the climb to Denver is gradual so you should have no problems.


I have a Vegas with the smaller V10 on a E450 chassis and it doesn't even act like my Chev. Equinox is attached most of the time.


Have a great trip and welcome to the RVing life.

The climb out of Denver climbs to about 11,000 at the tunnels. East side climb is relatively gradual, though the last couple of miles to the tunnels is steeper than you would think. We can do 50-55 MPH most of the way up but can’t do much more than 40 MPH on the tunnel approach.

The dangerous parts are the west side of the tunnels and the west side of Vail Pass which are much steeper than the east sides. Also watch out for the east side of the drop from Floyd Hill (East of Idaho Springs). It’s steep and has a couple of wicked curves, especially just before the bottom. Tow/Haul is your friend.

[Phil Saran]

OK here is my take on Tow Mode. Use it all the time, towing or not.

If you are towing even on flat land use the tow mode it is better for
your transmission.

My previous RV was a 2015 Thor Hurricane 34E Class A, I flat towed a 2011
Dodge Dakota 4 door, 4x4, V8, auto. But I also found the MH did better in tow
mode even if not towing. Just better braking and usable power.

[The_Breeze]

Originally Posted by petefoss

I found with my 31W based E450 that using tow haul mode made a big difference in how it performed in the mountains of NC

I struggle with this every time read something like this and use it. I'm an old gearhead and when a motor jumps to 4500 on a down shift and sounds like it's about to grenade itself, I pull back and use other resources at my disposal.

The Tach in my E450 only goes too 6k. Heck, it's not even an 8k tach and I got that out motors back in the 70's.

When I breach 4500 I start getting nervous. If the V10 was an 8 or 9 grand motor, wouldn't the tach reflect that?

[Beau388]

The red line is indeed 5,200 rpm. Same as in all Ford trucks, so a 6,000 rpm tachometer is fine. The computer is quite fast in catching the over rev. It is the two balance shafts that cause the problem and not the valve train, pistons, rods or crank. The high performance V-8 without the balance shafts . The 5.4L boss 315 (same bore, stroke V-8 with 12 valve heads and single cam per head) is rated at 315 kw @ 6,500 rpm. For those who do not speak metric that is 420 hp. Not bad for a production Mustang motor in 2010. The problem with the 2016 and on Triton engine is the torque falls off rapidly above 4,000 rpm so revving it much above that useless, unless you need it for downhill braking. The engine has a relatively flat torque curve between 2,700 and 4,050 rpm, so that where it needs to operate for max "umph".

[nautiquecowboy]

I personally think they need to have either a special license or some type of training. Some people just hook a car up to the back of their motor home and think that's all it is to it. Of course all of us that toad know better. We've all seen our fair share of idiots doing stupid things and you wonder do they not know better. Maybe a training video on towing would help know when to go wide know which lane to use at a stoplight just a few things. Especially on overheating your brakes some folks just don't know how to keep them cool.

[vkb]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

I personally think they need to have either a special license or some type of training. Some people just hook a car up to the back of their motor home and think that's all it is to it. Of course all of us that toad know better. We've all seen our fair share of idiots doing stupid things and you wonder do they not know better. Maybe a training video on towing would help know when to go wide know which lane to use at a stoplight just a few things. Especially on overheating your brakes some folks just don't know how to keep them cool.

Agree.... however...a training video is only viewed by those who want to learn and prevent problems.
Blue Ox and the other major manufacturers of towing equipment would be well served to include, in their package, a dvd showing proper hookup, braking recommendations, etc.

In addition...RV Manufacturers should offer the same regarding each model they offer...covering submodels, etc. It would be certainly better than what they offer now and in the past.

We are in the digital age..folks are more likely to view a video than turn pages.


Thanks, again, to Ed for his excellent Axis/Vegas manual.

[Bob Denman]

I agree: people only see what they want to...
You can't legislate common sense

[TonyM]

Hey Bob I also have one of those Toads, have you ever towed it without trailer?

[The Gritz Carlton]

Originally Posted by Beau388

The red line is indeed 5,200 rpm. Same as in all Ford trucks, so a 6,000 rpm tachometer is fine. The computer is quite fast in catching the over rev. It is the two balance shafts that cause the problem and not the valve train, pistons, rods or crank. The high performance V-8 without the balance shafts . The 5.4L boss 315 (same bore, stroke V-8 with 12 valve heads and single cam per head) is rated at 315 kw @ 6,500 rpm. For those who do not speak metric that is 420 hp. Not bad for a production Mustang motor in 2010. The problem with the 2016 and on Triton engine is the torque falls off rapidly above 4,000 rpm so revving it much above that useless, unless you need it for downhill braking. The engine has a relatively flat torque curve between 2,700 and 4,050 rpm, so that where it needs to operate for max "umph".

Great summary!! I've always been about understanding and driving within your "torque curve". That's where the holding power is. Anything other than this is wasting fuel and excessive wear and tear. The diesel has pretty much a flat torque curve from 1700 to 2400RPM. Gassers are in a higher range. Regardless of how high you can spin up the HP, torque does the work. It may mean dropping to an exact speed to hold on a hill but when you hit the "sweet spot" (a couple hundred RPM before rolling over the top of the curve) it will hold...unless you're under-powered. When I was selling commercial trucks, we spec'd engine choices and drivelines for specific applications. Rear ratios and transmission selections were key in optimal performance and fuel economy. The F53 chassis is a generic built chassis and results vary significantly from MH to MH, depending on weight and wind resistance.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by TonyM

Hey Bob I also have one of those Toads, have you ever towed it without trailer?

We're going to put it on a 12 foot trailer...
We debated for a long time about this, and the trailer outlasted the "four-down" arguments...

How about a picture of yours?

[TonyM]

Sorry Bob having a hard time uploading the photos of my little guy

[vkb]

Originally Posted by TonyM

Sorry Bob having a hard time uploading the photos of my little guy

Hi Tony...to upload a photo....on the top of this window is a smily face..next to it is a paperclip...click on the paperclip and another window will open...click on browse and you will find yourself in your file system...find the photo you want to upload to the form window...open it and the address of your photo shows in the Browse box...click upload and then go back over to the paperclip..click on the downward facing carrot...and your photo is there...click on the instruction to attach to your statement and there ya go.
There will be brackets around the address of your photo in this window...that is ok...when you submit your reply...all should show up correctly.

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