Towing in the Rockies

[Moseh]

Let me apologize first for asking what may turn out to be a very stupid question...

I have a Jayflight 29RKS with a loaded weight of about 8500 lbs.
My tow vehicle is a 2017 Ford F150 with a 3.5 ecoboost.
This rig has done very well for two years, and I have pulled the camper through the Smokey mountains of NC with no problem.

We are planning a trip out west.. Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, hopefully several national parks. I've never traveled to these places before, and I'm wondering about whether my truck will do as well as it has done in the Smokies.

Any thoughts will be appreciated.

[ROC-REQS]

Moseh,

This doesn't really answer your question, but the best advice I got before we took a trip out west where you're going was:

"Never go faster down the mountain than the speed you drove up the mountain"

Make sure your tires and brakes are in good shape or new on both your tow vehicle and trailer before heading out on your trip.

Suggestion is from experience.
On our 5 wk trip out west we had 2 blow-outs on the trailer on the same day and replaced all 4 trailer tires and then had to have a full front brake job done on the tow vehicle (rotors & pads) on the way home.

Good luck and have a safe and fun tirp.

[morleyz]

Depending on which route you take, you could potentially avoid the toughest mountain passes. That being said, just take it easy both up and down. Get in the right-lane with the semis and relax. When you're coming down, use your engine and trans to control speed as much as possible and when you need to brake, drop your speed 5-10 mph in one shot and then stay off the brakes. The worst thing you can do is ride the brakes to try to keep a steady speed.

I was pretty stressed about taking my 11,000lb TT over the I70 passes, but in the end it wasn't too bad (aside from the insane amount of gas I used).

[curver900]

you can't do it you need to trade that truck off for a new diesel!!!
seriously though you will be just fine the turbo is what will keep you moving right along through the mountains.
depending on the mileage of the truck you should probably do all the normal maintenance including a transmission flush, check the brakes, same with the trailer bearings, tires, spare etc...

good advice on scrubbing off speed 10mph at one shot then letting the truck speed back up... go up to 5 over the speed limit then slow down to 5-10 below the speed limit... then let it build back up...

enjoy your trip

[Colorado]

I live in Colorado and towing through the Rockies is definitely a different animal. Watch your EGT and transmission temps. A clean air filter will definitely help with air flow. Keep in mind that even with a turbo the thin air will challenge the towing capacity of any vehicle. On the long mountain passes you will see Semis get in the right lane, turn on their flashers and just slowly climb up the mountain. Don’t be afraid to do the same thing if your temperature start to rise.

When you first start coming down the mountain pass use your brake controller to warm up the camper brakes. Be sure to take advantage of your transmission to slow everything down rather than just your brakes.
Don’t be afraid to go up and down the mountains a little slower than you normally would drive. Bring an infrared thermometer with you and when you get to bottom of big mountain passes use that to check your brake temperatures. If you see excessive temps you are using your brakes too much and not taking advantage of the transmission and engine braking.

Another thing to keep in mind is the thin air up here also makes it very hard for flatlanders to adjust. Start drinking a lot of water several days before you make the trip out here and stay hydrated! The dry thin air will dehydrate you without you even knowing it. You can buy bottles of oxygen call BOOST in the local stores, it won’t hurt to have one of those with you should you start to feel the signs of elevation sickness.

[curver900]

us true flatlanders start taking an aspirin a day about 1 week prior to leaving and then the whole time out there to keep from getting altitude sickness if doing allot of hiking...

[muckinfuss]

If you have more than two years on your truck towing....Change your brake fluid while you are at it. If it starts to boil it doesn't matter if your pads are one hour old. New diff fluid doesn't hurt either. Every year I drain the trans (not flush) and fill with fresh to top off what I just drained. Fluids deteriorate.....and quickly when hot. This is a good time for the suspenders and belt approach.

[Pickledill]

Follow the same procedures you followed in the Applachians. You will go slower in the higher elevations but it isnt a race. Control t3our speed descending with trans. and braking qhen necessary. Dont sweat it. Hills are higher and longer ascents and descents than the east but no need to worry.

[Seann45]

Have the rad serviced...eg take the rad out back flush the fins add new coolant and you should be golden... most problems come from overheating...

[DocBrown]

Going up or down those mountain grades is not a race. Don't pay attention to those who say "I can do it at full speed". Maybe they can. Maybe they are blowing smoke. Take your time and you'll arrive home without issues.

[Whitehat]

I just got back from a week near Grand Lake, CO. Explore alternate routes is a good way to make things easier. We took the back roads and roads less traveled and grades were less, though a bit longer.



I also agree to scrub speed all at once then get back up to speed rather than riding the brakes. Slow down quite a bit then let it roll back up to speed then scrub again. My .02.

[Nathan48035]

I would also add don't be afraid to down shift EARLY when you come up and over the top of the passes. It seems like on some of them you get up over the top and before you even know it you are going faster than you want. I started trying to downshift well before I thought I needed to just so I could try and keep myself from getting going to quickly. I don't want to be racing down those mountains.

[Redwing]

I have towed thru Wyoming and to Glacier National Park. I never felt the truck worked hard. I agree with taking it easy it’s not a race.

[WeRJuliian]

We never got as far as the Rockies, but our annual "mountain fix" is in the Smokies. On our first trip, when I didn't know about mountain driving, we seriously overheated the brakes on an 11 mile downhill run, to the point where we had to take it to a shop in Cherokee. The guy announced that we were "about 5 miles from the end of the road"
Since then, I've learned to share the load between trailer brakes, Jeep brakes and transmission/engine. Shift early, take your time, let everyone else blow by and go on their way.

Besides, taking it slow gives you more time to enjoy the scenery.