Ed, one of the first things many people do when they move from a gas coach to a diesel, is trying to drive it like a gas coach. A gas coach accelerates when you mash down on the throttle. A diesel will just fall on it's face if you do the same thing. Keep in mind a diesel doesn't accelerate, it gains momentum.
With all that said, you have a small diesel engine that will run all day on flat ground at 60+ mph, but will not be a speedster up hills. If you want to improve your hill driving, you'll need to experiment. The experiment will include trying different RPM's and gears as you climb. Eventually, you'll find where your coach runs best while climbing a grade, as an example, 3rd gear at 1800 rpm.
So experiment......start climbing in a lower gear at a higher rpm. Every engine has a graph that tells you it's max torque and rpm and shows you where the two cross on the graph. Generally, where they cross is a good starting point to try and maintain in the hills. So if your engine has 600 pounds of torque and 275 HP, the graph may show they meet at 1835 rpm (just an example). That is close to your best rpm for hill climbing. Start there and adjust until you find your most power.
Lastly, your post will generally start about three pages of guys arguing over what it takes to climb hills, horsepower or torque. When it's all hashed out, it really doesn't matter when you're sitting behind the wheel and trying to climb a grade. You only have what your coach has to work with.
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Don & Mary
2019 Newmar Dutch Star 4018 (Freightliner)
2019 Ford Raptor
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