Need Advice on 1st Diesel Drive

[TechWriter]

Hope to pick up a 2001 MADP this weekend.

It'll be a drive of about 500 miles there and back.

Could use some advice on that 1st long DP drive.

Tx,

Tom

[soricobob]

Your mirrors are your friends!

[PaulO]

Don't know what you've driven before so, some may not apply:

Obviously, check all fluids and tire pressures prior tp departure.

Monitor all guages to determine early on what appears to be "normal" for your coach. Guidelines (open to debate) are temp below 200 unless you are pushing a long hill climb or stuck in traffic in which case it can probably get to 215 temporarily. Trans temp around 190-200 normally climbing with engine temp in the above conditions but not to exceed 240.
Oil pressure should be above 30 psi while running above idle mine is closer to 50. Oil pressure will drop at idle sometimes as low as 10 psi when oil is hot.

Air pressure needs to be above 65 psi front and back to turn the warning lights/buzzers off but, that is really the minimum. My air pressure averages around 110 per tank. You will see the pressure fluctuate as you operate the vehicle due to application of the brakes and compensation for the air bags as load shifts. As long as the pressure does not drop too low ( for mine around 90 psi at times) and builds back up quickly, you are fine.

Very slowly and carefully at first familiarize yourself with the air brakes. This is all "feel". Apply in stabs when long stops are required.

Clearance is the hardest thing to get used to. Worst is making right turns. Use your mirrors to monitor the track of your rear wheels. It is easy to cut too close and clip a curb or worse. There are actually places you simply cannot go for example - a right turn from a narrow lane into another narrow lane made so by the road itself or vehicles on either/both sides. You need to be aware of these conditions before you commit yourself to the turn. Be aware of the verticle clearance also. Tree branches will do serious damage when you pull to the side of a road and the branches are thick and low. Another one that takes getting used to is ensuring that the lane to your right is clear when moving over. I still check both mirrors multiple times before I move and operate my turn signal as a prior warning in case someone sneaks into a blind spot that I missed by checking everything I can. It also takes some time to determine when a vehicle is far enough behind you to move over.

Monitor tire temperature or pressure at intervals along the way. Just in case the seller covered up a slow leak by filling tire prior to your departure.

If you will encounter long hills, test your exhaust brake prior to see what it does. Mine pulls very hard and I have gotten used to when I want to use it or not.

When you get to your destination, make sure there are no power lines hanging where you will be parking it.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Enjoy your trip and above all, take it slow. Just like when you first learned to drive a car, don't let traffic or your nervousness rush you.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Paul

[squeak]

great job paul he needs to downshift on the hills before it gets hot. not wait till it does

[777 Driver]

First, let me be clear that I’m NOT experienced enough to be giving advice to another.

I recently took delivery of my first motorhome and was concerned about the drive home from the dealership. That drive would take me 200 miles south down I95 from Delaware and around the Capitol beltway. Toll plazas, route restrictions (no propane in the tunnels, etc.), LOTS of traffic, multiple lane (up to 4 lanes + merge lane) roads with lots of traffic.

Let me share some observations from that trip.

Understand the concept of momentum. Without boring you with physics, just be aware that you’ll generate lots of momentum as you increase speed. Much more momentum than in a car. Dissipating that momentum can be a challenge. Begin your deceleration well before you would in a car. Give yourself plenty of room behind anything you’re following. Don’t tailgate.

Before I started my maiden voyage, I planned on staying in the far right lane and driving the speed limit. That strategy worked well, for most of the trip. When I got into any area with frequent on/off ramps, I found the right lane to be quite active. Lots of cars merging, causing me to decelerate or accelerate to facilitate their merge. Lots of attention to my mirrors. A pretty busy driving experience. I started noticing that all the commercial trucks (professional drivers) were driving one lane to my left. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but, I am smart enough to observe. The second lane (from the right) seemed a lot more friendly when in areas of high merge activity. Just cruise along with the flow of traffic and let all the merge foolishness occur one lane to your right.

Plan ahead. Always be thinking about how you’re going to select the best route to your destination. There are a variety of ways to get from the major thoroughfares near my home to my home. Some of those streets had low hanging trees and narrow boulevards. By picking that part of the route carefully, I was able to avoid scraping trees.

Before you make a turn into some place, be sure that you can get out of that place. In theory, any place that you can get into, you CAN get out of. It seems to me that it’s much easier if I’ve planned ahead so I don’t need to stop traffic and back up to get out of some place.

There are many with much more experience than I. These are just a few observations from a rookie who faced a similar trip.
It turned out well for me.

One final thought. 500 miles in a car that I’m comfortable driving isn’t much of a challenge, physically and mentally. I found myself about as fatigued from my first 200 mile motorhome drive as I would have expected to be from a 500 mile car trip. Until you’re more comfortable driving your coach, 500 miles seems to me like you might want to plan some rest stops along the way.

Good luck.

Take care,
Stu & Cindy

["007"]

Both very good description's of driving for first time a larger than car RV.
777 Driver you did well through that area , DID IT ONCE, thats why I avoid it and head down #888 & old #301 to #95 above Richmond, VA.
Like said leave plenty of space ahead, saves on brakes and pressure on you and who cares if someone moves in front of you, just keep your space.

Congratulations on new to you MA, TechWriter.

[mbisson]

One of the most important things to remember is these things take a lot more room to stop. Use your engine brake and leave a lot of room between you and the car in front of you. Start slowing down a lot sooner. It seems the public doesn't know these big rigs can't stop on a dime. Slow down and take your time.