I grew up taking that road about twice a month on trips to Butte from a smaller town east of Whitehall... thanks for some memories... had some interesting winter trips over those hills.
I did a search for driving passes with a MH to make sure I am doing it as safe as I should, and your video came up. It didn't take me long looking at your scenery views to know you were on Homestake Pass. The rock formations are excellent, after driving that pass often for 44 years I still find the views amazing. When you were on it the speed limit was 75 MPH which was crazy but they have reduced it to 65. Sane people would never drive that speed with an RV although some do. And I'm surprised a semi would pass you because the limit for them going down the east side is 25 MPH. Thanks for the video!
I'm a little bit of a slow poke anyway, after 27 years as a cop I've seen what speed can do. Stay safe, one of the best things about having a rv is no hurry I don't need find a place to rest my head I take it with me. Keep the rubber on the road.
Couldn't agree more Brian. We think this often when watching other RVs fly by us at 80mph...it's a lot of rig and weight to be driving at those speeds, be safe!
Hey Marc and Julie. We just got back from Colorado on a RZR adventure and had to go over two passes to get to our destination. I hadn't seen your video before but what you suggested is exactly how I drove my Class C with trailer and felt very confident the whole time. Patients is the key. If you're in a hurry, get a sports car. Your friends from Texas, Brad and Janet.
Hi guys hope you loved Colorado! RZR adventure would have been SO FUN! Glad you had a safe, relaxing driving experience with your Class C. And now you know why we have a Mini Cooper S Convertible! LOL Happy travels you guys!
Thanks for putting out this video! I rarely drive our MH in the mountains (usually flat Texas roads). We’re taking a trip thru CO/MT next week. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about the drive...then found your video. Totally forgot about how to use the tow/haul function. Great refresher video and advice! Feeling more confident driving the hills and mountains now.
Aw shucks, thank you! Glad it helps :) Gassers are great and while they don't have all the features of DPs they also don't carry the hefty price tag. We still love our 2012 gasser!
Yes Brian, DPs definitely have some serious advantages over gas in that regard... one of the many great features you are paying for with a DP, certainly a few less things to worry about concerning safety! Until a DP is in our budget, we'll just keep on being slowpokes, albeit safe ones :)
As usual, some great information. Nice to hear this from folks that have real world experience. Hopefully this will be me and the wife in a couple of years!
excellent video!! very good advice...take it slow, relax and enjoy the scenery!! we haven't driven mountains as yet with our truck and trailer, but will practice your advice when we do! thanks Marc and julie...always love to see your videos!!
Great video. I wanted to point out that most states using hazard lights is illegal if the vehicle is moving. Colorado for example allows the use of hazard flashers is you are traveling under 25 MPH. In Florida it is illegal to use hazard flashers unless the vehicle is stopped.
Excellent video. I'm sure it has helped many people deal with the steep grades. Do you ever consider disconnecting the tow vehicle and driving it separately on these grades?
Thanks! Absolutely yes - Disconnecting the tow makes a huge difference and we do it when needed - not that often but the small amount of extra time it takes is worth it to have less strain on the coach and a safer drive.
Hey y'all! What an awesome and informative video, thank you. Wondering when you typically turn tow/haul mode on when you're driving steep grades? It sounds like you're in tow/haul before you start ascending and you keep it on through the descent - is that correct?
I actually leave our RV in tow/haul mode 100% of the time. But if you have a more capable truck or RV, I would have it on for both the uphill and downhill portion of any grade. Helps hold the gear longer on the climb and quicker to downshift on the descent. -M
@@Rvlove thank you! I’ve got a Thor ACE (gas class A), so I might try putting it in tow/haul and seeing how it changes things even when not in the mountains. I don’t tow anything so I figured it wasn’t something I should have on unless I was in the mountains. Thank you!!!
Great tips some things I never even though about like starting slow (35 mph) on a down hill ! We just picked up our 2017 allegro 34pa can't wait to give your tips a try! We have a couple years before we go full time , so we have time to get use to to our new coach before fultimeing
Great you will have time to get into your groove before going fulltime! The 34PA is a nice floorplan, did you get it with the Sumo springs installed? Glad the tips helped.
Hey Marc & Julie! Hope you two are well. But what's this we hear about "rarely driving at altitude... mostly driving on flat roads"?! Apparently we've got to work on keeping you out West a little more often in the most spectacular parts of North America. ;-)
Hi guys! Nice to hear from you! Yes we agree! You'll be pleased to know we're back out west now and plan to stay here for quite a while, in fact we have a trip planned to your beautiful country next summer, so hope to catch up! As a percentage of all of our driving though (so far) hills and mountain passes have been relatively few, and we wanted to put that in perspective for those who are considering a gas coach as performance is obviously one of the disadvantages compared to a diesel. It's do-able in gas, albeit at a much slower pace! Heading south for the winter? We'll be in AZ mainly. Hope you are both doing really well and look forward to another couple of wines in the not too distant future.
RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett We'll be in the Desert SW this winter, too, including an informal appearance at the Quartzsite show (video announcement coming in December). Then we'll be back in BC again, as usual, next summer too. So drinks are in our future. Stay in touch, and keep that gasser in the right lane! :-P
Awesome! Looks like a few opportunities for drinks then as we'll be in Q too. Looking forward to catching up! So Marc and I are having a debate on whether "keeping the gasser in the right lane" is a reference to how slow we drive our gasser up hills so you people in your powerful DPs can fly past us (Marc's guess)... or mine being a reference to staying in the right lane (as opposed to left in Australia). Who's right?
RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett Oh! Sorry we weren't thinking of Oz! We were indeed giving you a little ribbing about your video about how hard it is to climb mountains. When you're driving (being an Aussie), we'll use the other meaning! ;-) See ya.
Hey all! I was just touching up on steep hill driving and came across your video. I was wondering what gps you were using that was giving you heads up on steep grades and sharp curves? That sounds like the type of GPS I want. Thanks in advance.
We had a Rand McNally, but were not huge fans of that older unit. Newer ones are better, and the Garmin too. We do most of our steep grade research in advance by reading the Mountain Directory Books. bit.ly/MountainDirectories
@@Rvlove thank you. I've been doing research on a few different ones and always appreciate real feedback from folks that have experience with certain units. I've been looking at that mountain directory as well and an thinking it's a wise purchase. Thanks again!
I'm confused:/ It looked like you were going 55mph DOWN that grade. That has me terrified. Please any suggestions for NEWRVer. Also, if going DOWN scary grade and you want slower than 55mph how long do you have foot on break at a time to get your coach to stay at slower speed?
We just came out of South Dakota and hit a 15% grade going down. Scared the hell out of me and my wife. Engine went up to almost 6,000 rpm we were scared to death. It felt like we were going straight down. What’s the best way to handle that deep of a decent? Just let engine downshift itself if it does?
That would be terrifying indeed. The slower you start off the decent the better. When on super steep grades like that, I would downshift to the lowest possible gear before the grade starts. And, if you are a motorhome towing a car, or otherwise have hte ability to reduce towed weight that is great too. But of course, the best practice is to avoid grades like that if at all possible, by doing your research in your route planning. One of my favorite resources for identifying steep grades is a set of Mountain Directories. Here is a link to learn more. www.mountaindirectory.com/
Hey Marc. If we are in tow haul mode going down steep hill, can we shift in 3,2 or 1 gear while it’s in tow haul mode. Last year our trip to utah, we took utah hwy 12 also called million dollar road. It’s not that hard when you have to go down on straight steep down hill then descending on curvy mountain passes. We have to hit brakes at the turns, which brings rpm almost to red zone. What would you advise when descending steep downhills on roads with switchbacks.
Yes, you can still manually shift the gears if you choose to. If you know there are switchbacks, I just try to keep my overall speed that much lower, so that I don't need to brakes hard before the turns. As you mentioned.. steep grades are not too tough if you keep your speeds down and keep your patience up. :) -M
For commercial driving everything he says is how you do it unless you're driving a manual, but stab breaking going downhill is the way to go because your breaks can fade and catch on fire. If you catch on fire then imagine what else can catch on fire besides the breaks!
I find that one of my faults is that I let people behind push too much and I sometimes enter a downgrade with too much speed. Your coach actually sounds pretty quiet, did you do anything to help with engine noise?
Yes, people can do that, we just ignore them - not going to let others push us into more dangerous or more uncomfortable situations... our coach is pretty quiet for a gasser, we haven't done anything to help with engine noise, just a well insulated coach in the dogbox (ours is a Tiffin). We have heard of others having a hard time even having conversations while driving a coach and also watched our videos where gas coaches seem to have a high noise level. Luckily we don't have that, think it really depends on brand quality, insulation. Oh and I seem to recall the grades were around 6%
Marc, I have a question on engine breaking with tow. We will be towing a Jeep Wrangler which weighs around 4,200lbs (has supplemental brakes) behind our motorhome. What's the best approach, engine breaking or not on downhills?
Do you have a diesel or gas RV? Either way, I would still recommend using coach engine braking to help keep speeds low on the downhill but it's great to have the additional braking power of supplemental brakes on the Jeep as needed. For me, I just think why not use all of the braking capacity available to you, to be on the safe side. Keeps your brakes cooler for when you really need em!
+RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett We have the Tiffen Allegro like yours. My husband was concerned about wear and tear on the transmission and drive train using engine breaking with towing the jeep. From what I read, wear and tear is negligible. Thanks for answering my question is , Marc.
just a quick question, what speed do u like to maintain cruisin down the highway, i tend to gravitate to 62, the truck seems to have a quiet comffortable spot there
What are you referring to? The Mountain Directories? Yes the publisher doesn't stock them with Amazon or eBay so the prices ARE insane. Definitely best to buy them direct. Here are the links and options: Mountain Directories (East & West) E-Book Editions: bit.ly/MountainDirectories Printed Paperback Editions: www.mountaindirectory.com/shop iOS (iPhone, iPad): www.mountaindirectory.com/iphone-and-ipad-apps Android: www.mountaindirectory.com/android-apps
Thanks for your video. I was just curious.... I am a newbie to not only towing, but also driving a diesel truck. I want to cross oregon and go up into Canada, stopping near portland. I know the coast has amazing views, but honestly, I want the safest drive with the least amount of mountain passes, cliff driving, or one lanes..... yes, I want to play it safe. Any suggestions? Oh and I need to of course have gas and RV Parks or state parks or Harvest Host stays along the way. I think 300 miles is the most I can manage in a day on my own.
Glad you enjoyed the video, and agree with your logic on wanting to be conservative with your routes, especially when new. One of the best resources we have found for being aware of mountain grades are the Mountain Directories. Here is a link for those. E-Book Editions: bit.ly/MountainDirectories Campendium app is good for finding campgrounds. campground Views is a great website for seeing what the campgrounds are like. Harvest Host of course has their locations listed on their website. IT is worth spending some time planning your route before you head out, especially if new, and even more so if you do not have a co-pilot/navigator. With some planning, I am sure you will find a safe and comfortable route for all the travel you have planned.
Great advice...and as I always say, better to be safe then sorry😉 Hope you are enjoying MT. It is a gorgeous state. I lived there for 2 years and it is my favorite. Moving away has been quite an adjustment for me. The speed limits there are a lot faster then most other states...so, I always felt like I was going slow...lol. Happy travels☺🚙🌄
We LOVED Montana, the summer temps were perfect and it's one of our fave states now too. Can see why it was an adjustment for you to leave! Hope you still get back there for frequent visits, it's a spectacular state for sure. Safe travels to you too!
The best advice you could give, is to just buy a Diesel pusher. Mine doesn’t even change gears climbing hills, you just hear the turbo spool up, and the jake brakes are more powerful than the actual brakes. If I keep it on high, it actually slows me down too much even with a 10,000 lbs trailer. Honestly, I’m not e me sure why they make Gas RV’s.
We actually do have a diesel pusher now (just filmed this with our gas motorhome before buying our DP). We were actually very happy with our gas motorhome for many years. We spent hundreds of ours living in it for every 5 hours we drove it. Sure, diesel pushers are superior in many ways, but they are also a lot more expensive, and folks who live in areas without big grades, or who don't drive big distances probably doesn't make as much sense for them to make the larger investment in a DP. Glad you enjoy yours, but there are plenty of good reasons to have other options. -M
Did not know that - which states or do you have a link with info on that law that you'd be willing to share? Never heard of this before but would like to learn more. Thanks!
Yes, you can definitely downshift yourself. When in tow-haul mode, the transimission is also more likely to downshift on it's own than when in normal mode. -M
I'm a new motorhome driver and had my first experience this week in Virginia with steep downgrades. I had seen your video before and drew from that. My question is I started the downhill around 45 in tow haul. Got up to around 54 and hit the brakes,it down shifted around 45 with 3500 rpms. All was good,when it got back up to 52 I hit the brakes a second time and it seemed to downshift 2 gears and the rpms shot up to 5 or 6000rpms. What did I do wrong. 2017 v10?
Great to hear that you are practicing good habits by starting off slow and using the gears. Tow haul mode definitely doing its job by downshifting when braking on downhill. Once it downshifts the first time, I am very gentle on the brakes and usually avoid the downshift that brings the redline rpm. Being a newer coach I assume it has the six speed transmission instead of our five speed. Just be soft on the pedal after you are in the gear you want. So happy to see you practicing safe driving from the start.
This is why I want to learn how to just downshift manually. When it's automatic whenever I brake hard (I thought what you're supposed to do, short hard brakes instead of long gentle brakes), I end up in too low of a gear on steep grades, and I don't know how to bring it back up until I get to the bottom of the hill =( I don't know what I'm doing...
Yup. You have to pay to re-grade the gravel and repair any damage. You'll also need to pay to get pulled out of it. The rig will bury itself in that gravel and you won't be going anywhere. They are designed to have your rig sink to the frame to stop you, usually damaging the vehicle. But, you'll probably live to tell the tale at least.
Don't understand your comment. We have had a diesel pusher and a gas powered class A. Both are fairly slow compared to regular passengers vehicles. But the diesel definitely performed better on steep grades (up and down). -M
Good video. The worst thing that a driver can do is pump the brakes a lot going down a step grade. The brakes heat up and when you let off of the brakes the air flows over the hot brakes and this can cause your brakes to fail or catch on fire. If I need to brake a lot I just hold steady pressure on the brakes at the speed that I want to go. This way air can't get into the brakes. Should you start seeing smoke coming from the brakes, safely stop on the side of the road and let the brakes cool down. Or plan B. Buy a diesel and use the jake brake/ engine retarder.
Hopefully it will still reach some of those who need this advice. We have met many folks that have lived their whole life in areas like Florida, and have no idea about driving hilly terrain. -M
Ok, we stop watching. Like so many other videos's, they show way too much of them talking and talking and talking. Why do we have to look at them for so long? Show us the scenery, not your face.
Happy New Year to you @captainArt777 Off to a bit of a grumpy start are we!? Let's hope your 2017 is a good one and brings only good cheer your way! Now to respond to your comment...While we always welcome constructive (and especially kind) feedback, please allow me to highlight the fact that this was very intentionally an instructional video where Marc was demonstrating how to safely navigate a steep grade, showing the tow haul mode etc. It seems you were looking for a travel video instead? Did you notice there was actually some rather nice scenery in the side window behind Marc during the drive - the mountains were quite lovely - and had you actually watched the video, you would have seen it cut away to the front driving scenery from time to time to break up the visual. But you stopped watching in the first few moments and that's just OK. We understand in this day and age, we're supposed to grab people's attention in the first nanosecond due to limited attention span. We don't lose sight however, that of the almost 5,000 views of this useful video, we have received 260+ Likes and numerous comments thanking us for sharing this information that has helped so many. In fact, yours is the ONLY negative comment this video has received, so we take it all with a grain of salt and keep things in perspective as you simply can't please everyone all the time! We happen to think just one unhappy viewer out of 5,000 is something to be proud of. We do ask however, that you take a moment to consider that we - like many RUclipsrs/RVers - produce these videos in our own time for the benefit of helping others. We're not professionally trained TV/movie/video Producers/Directors/Camera Operators/Editors however we do get to wear ALL of those hats when creating a video like this to share with our community. AND we get to deal with all the Comments too. Lucky us, huh? Fortunately the overwhelming majority are appreciative, supportive and kind. By the way, I did pop over to your channel to watch some of your videos, in the hope I might pick up a few tips and learn from your own video production expertise... alas, I found none. Hopefully we'll see some of those from your channel in the future as I am always open to learning, growing and improving. Have a great day and Happy Trails to you! Onward :)
RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett Amazing. the four of us agree with what Larry posted using my lap top. What you need to realize is that this is an open forum were all of us should be open to voice our opinion whatever you like it or not without have to endure a personal attack. We wish you the best and we bet that there are many who agree with us because I seen the post on other video's for exactly the same reasons. Be safe and enjoy your trips.
Thank you. We don't appreciate personal attacks either - especially from anonymous people on the interwebs. While we are all entitled to our opinions, we also have a responsibility to manage our channel to foster and maintain a positive, supportive and helpful community for all - which also means setting boundaries as needed. In future, if you have constructive feedback you'd like to share, then please just be nice about it - it's far more likely to be heard. Best of LIFE.
Wow not in a happy place?? Simple cure, its called volume control. Turn it down and play your favorite tunes while watching. If using a computer open two windows. Play music on one, play Marc and Julie on the other. Problem solved. And don't drink to grumpiness level.. just to your happy place.
Thank you for this excellent information! Exactly what I was looking to learn.
Good job, Marc! I think the whole thing about full timing is you don't need to be in a hurry. Slow and easy, that's the ticket.
You got it!
I grew up taking that road about twice a month on trips to Butte from a smaller town east of Whitehall... thanks for some memories... had some interesting winter trips over those hills.
Cool! Beautiful area.
I did a search for driving passes with a MH to make sure I am doing it as safe as I should, and your video came up. It didn't take me long looking at your scenery views to know you were on Homestake Pass. The rock formations are excellent, after driving that pass often for 44 years I still find the views amazing. When you were on it the speed limit was 75 MPH which was crazy but they have reduced it to 65. Sane people would never drive that speed with an RV although some do. And I'm surprised a semi would pass you because the limit for them going down the east side is 25 MPH. Thanks for the video!
Thank you. Fun that you recognized where we filmed it. Thanks for sharing your extra insights and glad you enjoyed it. -M
We would love more tips for newbie drivers!
I'm a little bit of a slow poke anyway, after 27 years as a cop I've seen what speed can do.
Stay safe, one of the best things about having a rv is no hurry I don't need find a place to rest my head I take it with me.
Keep the rubber on the road.
Couldn't agree more Brian. We think this often when watching other RVs fly by us at 80mph...it's a lot of rig and weight to be driving at those speeds, be safe!
Hey Marc and Julie. We just got back from Colorado on a RZR adventure and had to go over two passes to get to our destination. I hadn't seen your video before but what you suggested is exactly how I drove my Class C with trailer and felt very confident the whole time. Patients is the key. If you're in a hurry, get a sports car. Your friends from Texas, Brad and Janet.
Hi guys hope you loved Colorado! RZR adventure would have been SO FUN! Glad you had a safe, relaxing driving experience with your Class C. And now you know why we have a Mini Cooper S Convertible! LOL Happy travels you guys!
Thanks for putting out this video! I rarely drive our MH in the mountains (usually flat Texas roads). We’re taking a trip thru CO/MT next week. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about the drive...then found your video. Totally forgot about how to use the tow/haul function. Great refresher video and advice! Feeling more confident driving the hills and mountains now.
Glad it was helpful! Love to hear that we have provided such value to you, and will help you safely navigate the roads on your upcoming trip. -M
absoloutely the best video EVER put out for us gas (non diesel) people....you guys just totally rock thank you for this great video.
Aw shucks, thank you! Glad it helps :) Gassers are great and while they don't have all the features of DPs they also don't carry the hefty price tag. We still love our 2012 gasser!
I take on Snogualmie Pass next week. I will take your advice for sure.
Thank you, I have a gas bus and hills are a true pain....its all about patience. We named her just that
Haha good one! Yep gassers don't like hills... take it slow n easy! LOL
Beautiful scenery.
Hey Marc. I am elated that you addressed Tow-Haul mode. Safe Travels to you and Julie.
Thanks Tim, same to you mate!
Great safety tips. I have a 600hp diesel coach with engine exhaust breaks it makes going down grade's much safer.
Keep the rubber on the road.
Yes Brian, DPs definitely have some serious advantages over gas in that regard... one of the many great features you are paying for with a DP, certainly a few less things to worry about concerning safety! Until a DP is in our budget, we'll just keep on being slowpokes, albeit safe ones :)
Thanks for making this video. This really gives me confidence to drive my coach. ✌🏾&❤️
You're so welcome!
As usual, some great information. Nice to hear this from folks that have real world experience. Hopefully this will be me and the wife in a couple of years!
Thank you - We hope to see you out there too!
Good video I always drive my 34 ft slow
Yup, no hurry to get anywhere! Safety is the name of the game :) Happy Travels!
Great tips. You guys are awesome. I really enjoy your channel.
Aw thanks Patricia - glad you like what you see :)
excellent video!! very good advice...take it slow, relax and enjoy the scenery!! we haven't driven mountains as yet with our truck and trailer, but will practice your advice when we do! thanks Marc and julie...always love to see your videos!!
Great Patricia - so glad you found it helpful! All the best to you!
Great video. I wanted to point out that most states using hazard lights is illegal if the vehicle is moving. Colorado for example allows the use of hazard flashers is you are traveling under 25 MPH. In Florida it is illegal to use hazard flashers unless the vehicle is stopped.
Thanks for sharing that information about the hazard lights. -M
Excellent video. I'm sure it has helped many people deal with the steep grades. Do you ever consider disconnecting the tow vehicle and driving it separately on these grades?
Thanks! Absolutely yes - Disconnecting the tow makes a huge difference and we do it when needed - not that often but the small amount of extra time it takes is worth it to have less strain on the coach and a safer drive.
Great safety tips on how to handle a gas coach in higher elevations. Julie, not only is Marc sexy but smart too.
hehe you said it! I am one lucky lady LOL
Great video! Very useful information. Thanks
Thank you for this driving lesson.
You're welcome!
thanks very much. i really needed this.
You're welcome!
Thank you - awesome info!
Welcome!
Good points all. Thanks for sharing them.
Charlie and Martha
Welcome!
Hey y'all! What an awesome and informative video, thank you. Wondering when you typically turn tow/haul mode on when you're driving steep grades? It sounds like you're in tow/haul before you start ascending and you keep it on through the descent - is that correct?
I actually leave our RV in tow/haul mode 100% of the time. But if you have a more capable truck or RV, I would have it on for both the uphill and downhill portion of any grade. Helps hold the gear longer on the climb and quicker to downshift on the descent. -M
@@Rvlove thank you! I’ve got a Thor ACE (gas class A), so I might try putting it in tow/haul and seeing how it changes things even when not in the mountains. I don’t tow anything so I figured it wasn’t something I should have on unless I was in the mountains. Thank you!!!
Great tips some things I never even though about like starting slow (35 mph) on a down hill ! We just picked up our 2017 allegro 34pa can't wait to give your tips a try! We have a couple years before we go full time , so we have time to get use to to our new coach before fultimeing
Great you will have time to get into your groove before going fulltime! The 34PA is a nice floorplan, did you get it with the Sumo springs installed? Glad the tips helped.
love the new intro. sound advice. 😊🌄🚙👍
Thank you x 2 :)
Excellent tips, thank you! Slow and steady wins the race. :D
Yep :)
excellent video guys
Thanks Rolanda
Hey Marc & Julie! Hope you two are well. But what's this we hear about "rarely driving at altitude... mostly driving on flat roads"?! Apparently we've got to work on keeping you out West a little more often in the most spectacular parts of North America. ;-)
Hi guys! Nice to hear from you! Yes we agree! You'll be pleased to know we're back out west now and plan to stay here for quite a while, in fact we have a trip planned to your beautiful country next summer, so hope to catch up! As a percentage of all of our driving though (so far) hills and mountain passes have been relatively few, and we wanted to put that in perspective for those who are considering a gas coach as performance is obviously one of the disadvantages compared to a diesel. It's do-able in gas, albeit at a much slower pace! Heading south for the winter? We'll be in AZ mainly. Hope you are both doing really well and look forward to another couple of wines in the not too distant future.
RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett
We'll be in the Desert SW this winter, too, including an informal appearance at the Quartzsite show (video announcement coming in December). Then we'll be back in BC again, as usual, next summer too. So drinks are in our future. Stay in touch, and keep that gasser in the right lane! :-P
Awesome! Looks like a few opportunities for drinks then as we'll be in Q too. Looking forward to catching up! So Marc and I are having a debate on whether "keeping the gasser in the right lane" is a reference to how slow we drive our gasser up hills so you people in your powerful DPs can fly past us (Marc's guess)... or mine being a reference to staying in the right lane (as opposed to left in Australia). Who's right?
RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett Oh! Sorry we weren't thinking of Oz! We were indeed giving you a little ribbing about your video about how hard it is to climb mountains. When you're driving (being an Aussie), we'll use the other meaning! ;-) See ya.
LOL
Great vid
Thank you
Hey all! I was just touching up on steep hill driving and came across your video. I was wondering what gps you were using that was giving you heads up on steep grades and sharp curves? That sounds like the type of GPS I want. Thanks in advance.
We had a Rand McNally, but were not huge fans of that older unit. Newer ones are better, and the Garmin too. We do most of our steep grade research in advance by reading the Mountain Directory Books. bit.ly/MountainDirectories
@@Rvlove thank you. I've been doing research on a few different ones and always appreciate real feedback from folks that have experience with certain units. I've been looking at that mountain directory as well and an thinking it's a wise purchase. Thanks again!
I'm confused:/ It looked like you were going 55mph DOWN that grade. That has me terrified. Please any suggestions for NEWRVer. Also, if going DOWN scary grade and you want slower than 55mph how long do you have foot on break at a time to get your coach to stay at slower speed?
Thanks!
We just came out of South Dakota and hit a 15% grade going down. Scared the hell out of me and my wife. Engine went up to almost 6,000 rpm we were scared to death. It felt like we were going straight down. What’s the best way to handle that deep of a decent? Just let engine downshift itself if it does?
That would be terrifying indeed. The slower you start off the decent the better. When on super steep grades like that, I would downshift to the lowest possible gear before the grade starts. And, if you are a motorhome towing a car, or otherwise have hte ability to reduce towed weight that is great too. But of course, the best practice is to avoid grades like that if at all possible, by doing your research in your route planning. One of my favorite resources for identifying steep grades is a set of Mountain Directories. Here is a link to learn more. www.mountaindirectory.com/
RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett thanks.
Can you shift between tow/haul and overdrive on the fly, or do you have to pull over?
On the fly. Just a toggle. Makes a big difference. -M
Hey Marc. If we are in tow haul mode going down steep hill, can we shift in 3,2 or 1 gear while it’s in tow haul mode. Last year our trip to utah, we took utah hwy 12 also called million dollar road. It’s not that hard when you have to go down on straight steep down hill then descending on curvy mountain passes. We have to hit brakes at the turns, which brings rpm almost to red zone. What would you advise when descending steep downhills on roads with switchbacks.
Yes, you can still manually shift the gears if you choose to. If you know there are switchbacks, I just try to keep my overall speed that much lower, so that I don't need to brakes hard before the turns. As you mentioned.. steep grades are not too tough if you keep your speeds down and keep your patience up. :) -M
You could put an exhaust brake on the engine in your coach. Would dramatically increase the braking power. You could go down hills faster too.
Thanks for sharing. I didn't think that was an option on gas powered engines. I love the exhaust brakes on diesel coaches. -M
For commercial driving everything he says is how you do it unless you're driving a manual, but stab breaking going downhill is the way to go because your breaks can fade and catch on fire. If you catch on fire then imagine what else can catch on fire besides the breaks!
Thanks for sharing. -M
I find that one of my faults is that I let people behind push too much and I sometimes enter a downgrade with too much speed. Your coach actually sounds pretty quiet, did you do anything to help with engine noise?
Oooppps, forgot to ask what percent grades you were going down?
Yes, people can do that, we just ignore them - not going to let others push us into more dangerous or more uncomfortable situations... our coach is pretty quiet for a gasser, we haven't done anything to help with engine noise, just a well insulated coach in the dogbox (ours is a Tiffin). We have heard of others having a hard time even having conversations while driving a coach and also watched our videos where gas coaches seem to have a high noise level. Luckily we don't have that, think it really depends on brand quality, insulation. Oh and I seem to recall the grades were around 6%
Marc, I have a question on engine breaking with tow. We will be towing a Jeep Wrangler which weighs around 4,200lbs (has supplemental brakes) behind our motorhome. What's the best approach, engine breaking or not on downhills?
Do you have a diesel or gas RV? Either way, I would still recommend using coach engine braking to help keep speeds low on the downhill but it's great to have the additional braking power of supplemental brakes on the Jeep as needed. For me, I just think why not use all of the braking capacity available to you, to be on the safe side. Keeps your brakes cooler for when you really need em!
+RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett We have the Tiffen Allegro like yours. My husband was concerned about wear and tear on the transmission and drive train using engine breaking with towing the jeep. From what I read, wear and tear is negligible. Thanks for answering my question is , Marc.
Thank you.
You're welcome!
just a quick question, what speed do u like to maintain cruisin down the highway, i tend to gravitate to 62, the truck seems to have a quiet comffortable spot there
Our sweet spot is 55-60mph - anything higher than 60mph and our fuel economy suffers noticeably!
Engine Braking is also very useful on Diesels. Sadly Gas engines don't have that!
Very true!
Diesel engines have about twice the compression to slow you down
yep that is why diesel has advantages in some (most) areas..
Yup
True. One of the many things you are paying for with diesel, they def drive better than gas.
Tow haul mode does not provide different gears. It holds the gears to a different rpm range.
Yes, sorry if that was not clear that it holds the gears longer. It also helps by downshifting when you push the brakes on a downhill.
Thanks Mark.
Welcome!
So are you saying you stay in toe/haul mode all the way up and down the mountain?
Yes, in our gas coach, we left the motorhome in tow/haul mode 100% of the time.
Thank you😊✅🌺🌺
You are welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. -M
People are asking some insane prices for these-way more than brand new. It's best to buy direct (just looked around at Amazon and eBay)
What are you referring to? The Mountain Directories? Yes the publisher doesn't stock them with Amazon or eBay so the prices ARE insane. Definitely best to buy them direct. Here are the links and options:
Mountain Directories (East & West)
E-Book Editions: bit.ly/MountainDirectories
Printed Paperback Editions: www.mountaindirectory.com/shop
iOS (iPhone, iPad): www.mountaindirectory.com/iphone-and-ipad-apps
Android: www.mountaindirectory.com/android-apps
Thanks for your video. I was just curious.... I am a newbie to not only towing, but also driving a diesel truck. I want to cross oregon and go up into Canada, stopping near portland. I know the coast has amazing views, but honestly, I want the safest drive with the least amount of mountain passes, cliff driving, or one lanes..... yes, I want to play it safe. Any suggestions? Oh and I need to of course have gas and RV Parks or state parks or Harvest Host stays along the way. I think 300 miles is the most I can manage in a day on my own.
Glad you enjoyed the video, and agree with your logic on wanting to be conservative with your routes, especially when new. One of the best resources we have found for being aware of mountain grades are the Mountain Directories. Here is a link for those. E-Book Editions: bit.ly/MountainDirectories Campendium app is good for finding campgrounds. campground Views is a great website for seeing what the campgrounds are like. Harvest Host of course has their locations listed on their website. IT is worth spending some time planning your route before you head out, especially if new, and even more so if you do not have a co-pilot/navigator. With some planning, I am sure you will find a safe and comfortable route for all the travel you have planned.
Thanks for your quick and informative reply!
How high a sustained rpm is considered safe?
Varies dramatically on engine type.
Great advice...and as I always say, better to be safe then sorry😉 Hope you are enjoying MT. It is a gorgeous state. I lived there for 2 years and it is my favorite. Moving away has been quite an adjustment for me. The speed limits there are a lot faster then most other states...so, I always felt like I was going slow...lol. Happy travels☺🚙🌄
We LOVED Montana, the summer temps were perfect and it's one of our fave states now too. Can see why it was an adjustment for you to leave! Hope you still get back there for frequent visits, it's a spectacular state for sure. Safe travels to you too!
The best advice you could give, is to just buy a Diesel pusher. Mine doesn’t even change gears climbing hills, you just hear the turbo spool up, and the jake brakes are more powerful than the actual brakes. If I keep it on high, it actually slows me down too much even with a 10,000 lbs trailer. Honestly, I’m not e me sure why they make Gas RV’s.
We actually do have a diesel pusher now (just filmed this with our gas motorhome before buying our DP). We were actually very happy with our gas motorhome for many years. We spent hundreds of ours living in it for every 5 hours we drove it. Sure, diesel pushers are superior in many ways, but they are also a lot more expensive, and folks who live in areas without big grades, or who don't drive big distances probably doesn't make as much sense for them to make the larger investment in a DP. Glad you enjoy yours, but there are plenty of good reasons to have other options. -M
you leave it in overdrive?
No. never in overdrive, in tow haul mode.
Did you notice your near-doppelgänger driving the other way at about 0:15-0:20 ???
Not until you pointed it out! LOL
some states make it illegal to drive with your emergency flashers on.
Did not know that - which states or do you have a link with info on that law that you'd be willing to share? Never heard of this before but would like to learn more. Thanks!
To be clear, you can downshift and use tow haul mode, correct? Or tow haul only?
Yes, you can definitely downshift yourself. When in tow-haul mode, the transimission is also more likely to downshift on it's own than when in normal mode. -M
I'm a new motorhome driver and had my first experience this week in Virginia with steep downgrades. I had seen your video before and drew from that. My question is I started the downhill around 45 in tow haul. Got up to around 54 and hit the brakes,it down shifted around 45 with 3500 rpms. All was good,when it got back up to 52 I hit the brakes a second time and it seemed to downshift 2 gears and the rpms shot up to 5 or 6000rpms. What did I do wrong. 2017 v10?
Great to hear that you are practicing good habits by starting off slow and using the gears. Tow haul mode definitely doing its job by downshifting when braking on downhill. Once it downshifts the first time, I am very gentle on the brakes and usually avoid the downshift that brings the redline rpm. Being a newer coach I assume it has the six speed transmission instead of our five speed. Just be soft on the pedal after you are in the gear you want. So happy to see you practicing safe driving from the start.
This is why I want to learn how to just downshift manually. When it's automatic whenever I brake hard (I thought what you're supposed to do, short hard brakes instead of long gentle brakes), I end up in too low of a gear on steep grades, and I don't know how to bring it back up until I get to the bottom of the hill =( I don't know what I'm doing...
You're going down a mountain in Drive. Serious mistake. Shift down to 3 or 2 at least.
My brother, who used to be a trucker, told me that if you use a runaway truck ramp, you're responsible for repairs to it.
Huh didn't know that - but probably not a bad idea to prevent people just using it for fun!
Yup. You have to pay to re-grade the gravel and repair any damage. You'll also need to pay to get pulled out of it. The rig will bury itself in that gravel and you won't be going anywhere. They are designed to have your rig sink to the frame to stop you, usually damaging the vehicle. But, you'll probably live to tell the tale at least.
Pusher become as a 6 cyl and they are so slow
Don't understand your comment. We have had a diesel pusher and a gas powered class A. Both are fairly slow compared to regular passengers vehicles. But the diesel definitely performed better on steep grades (up and down). -M
Seems 75% of this video is your profile and shots out of the driver’s window
It isn't meant to be a visual journey, it is meant to be educational, Hopefully you found some good information even if you didn't like the visual. -M
Good video. The worst thing that a driver can do is pump the brakes a lot going down a step grade. The brakes heat up and when you let off of the brakes the air flows over the hot brakes and this can cause your brakes to fail or catch on fire. If I need to brake a lot I just hold steady pressure on the brakes at the speed that I want to go. This way air can't get into the brakes. Should you start seeing smoke coming from the brakes, safely stop on the side of the road and let the brakes cool down. Or plan B. Buy a diesel and use the jake brake/ engine retarder.
Great advice Bill - thanks for sharing so other folks can benefits from these tips too!
Your Welcome.
Not a good idea. It's better to keep moving, so the air cools it down. Stopping will increase the chance of a fire
I thought you were supposed to brake hard and short, then let the brakes cool down between braking.
Sounds like a old 8v71
Look at the other RV's just blow by this slowpoke. Road rage can result. Seriously. There is a happy medium, but this is too slow.
You can't control other people. All you can do is drive however you are comfortable in order to stay safe yourself.
Way too much common sense for most today. Unfortunately, those that need this information won't see it and will continue to be a hazard on the road..
Hopefully it will still reach some of those who need this advice. We have met many folks that have lived their whole life in areas like Florida, and have no idea about driving hilly terrain. -M
Ok, we stop watching. Like so many other videos's, they show way too much of them talking and talking and talking. Why do we have to look at them for so long? Show us the scenery, not your face.
Happy New Year to you @captainArt777 Off to a bit of a grumpy start are we!? Let's hope your 2017 is a good one and brings only good cheer your way! Now to respond to your comment...While we always welcome constructive (and especially kind) feedback, please allow me to highlight the fact that this was very intentionally an instructional video where Marc was demonstrating how to safely navigate a steep grade, showing the tow haul mode etc. It seems you were looking for a travel video instead? Did you notice there was actually some rather nice scenery in the side window behind Marc during the drive - the mountains were quite lovely - and had you actually watched the video, you would have seen it cut away to the front driving scenery from time to time to break up the visual. But you stopped watching in the first few moments and that's just OK. We understand in this day and age, we're supposed to grab people's attention in the first nanosecond due to limited attention span. We don't lose sight however, that of the almost 5,000 views of this useful video, we have received 260+ Likes and numerous comments thanking us for sharing this information that has helped so many. In fact, yours is the ONLY negative comment this video has received, so we take it all with a grain of salt and keep things in perspective as you simply can't please everyone all the time! We happen to think just one unhappy viewer out of 5,000 is something to be proud of. We do ask however, that you take a moment to consider that we - like many RUclipsrs/RVers - produce these videos in our own time for the benefit of helping others. We're not professionally trained TV/movie/video Producers/Directors/Camera Operators/Editors however we do get to wear ALL of those hats when creating a video like this to share with our community. AND we get to deal with all the Comments too. Lucky us, huh? Fortunately the overwhelming majority are appreciative, supportive and kind. By the way, I did pop over to your channel to watch some of your videos, in the hope I might pick up a few tips and learn from your own video production expertise... alas, I found none. Hopefully we'll see some of those from your channel in the future as I am always open to learning, growing and improving. Have a great day and Happy Trails to you! Onward :)
RVLove | Marc & Julie Bennett Amazing. the four of us agree with what Larry posted using my lap top. What you need to realize is that this is an open forum were all of us should be open to voice our opinion whatever you like it or not without have to endure a personal attack. We wish you the best and we bet that there are many who agree with us because I seen the post on other video's for exactly the same reasons. Be safe and enjoy your trips.
Thank you. We don't appreciate personal attacks either - especially from anonymous people on the interwebs. While we are all entitled to our opinions, we also have a responsibility to manage our channel to foster and maintain a positive, supportive and helpful community for all - which also means setting boundaries as needed. In future, if you have constructive feedback you'd like to share, then please just be nice about it - it's far more likely to be heard. Best of LIFE.
Wow not in a happy place?? Simple cure, its called volume control. Turn it down and play your favorite tunes while watching. If using a computer open two windows. Play music on one, play Marc and Julie on the other. Problem solved. And don't drink to grumpiness level.. just to your happy place.
See my reply.. problem solved and the world will think you are a happy lot. Common Captain.. as a Captain aren't you a problem solver??