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01-20-2025, 12:45 AM
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#1
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Member
Tiffin Owners Club Appalachian Campers
Join Date: Jul 2024
Location: Vernon, Al
Posts: 56
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Mountain Roads
What about I-90 from Buffolo to Ten Step from Rapid City to Yellowstone, the mountain goes up to 9000 ‘ and wonder if I will have trouble in my 21 Tiffin 40IH with a 380 HP? Some of you guys from up there help a southern boy out.
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01-20-2025, 06:22 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 967
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We have driven that area in 2019 40IH. No problems. IIRC there are some long stretches that you will climb at 35-40 mph. Just manage your gears and rpm and all will be good, but slow.
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01-20-2025, 08:28 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 644
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I have driven that route in our previous V10 gasser pulling a 4k car with no problems. A diesel pusher should be fine.
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01-20-2025, 08:49 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 8,839
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Two parts to that question:
Any issues with the "mechanicals" handling that up (and more importantly the down) grade. NO PROBLEM.
The other factor is how familiar are you with driving in steep mountain conditions (watch coolant temperature and engine RPM on the upgrade and more critically, using the gears and engine brake to control speed of descent on the down grades).
That road is very doable, but I would not recommend this stretch as "I am about to learn how to drive a heavy vehicle in complex/steep conditions.
__________________
Brett Wolfe
Ex: 2003 Alpine 38FDDS. Ex: 1997 Safari Sahara. Ex: 1993 Foretravel U240
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01-20-2025, 09:54 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Entegra Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 4,460
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wolfe10
Two parts to that question:
Any issues with the "mechanicals" handling that up (and more importantly the down) grade. NO PROBLEM.
The other factor is how familiar are you with driving in steep mountain conditions (watch coolant temperature and engine RPM on the upgrade and more critically, using the gears and engine brake to control speed of descent on the down grades).
That road is very doable, but I would not recommend this stretch as "I am about to learn how to drive a heavy vehicle in complex/steep conditions.
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You'll never put yourself in danger when climbing; OTOH, failure to properly manage energy during the descent can have catastrophic consequences. Judicious use of engine braking and your transmission is key. IF you properly control your descent speed by using engine braking and your transmission, you won't need to use your service brakes. IF you do find it necessary necessary to decelerate, use a steady, firm application of your service brakes to decelerate enough to down shift. That brake application shouldn't take more than 5 - 10 seconds.
Take care,
Stu
__________________
"I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned."
2018 Anthem 42DEQ
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01-20-2025, 10:01 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2024
Location: Nevada
Posts: 283
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Buffalo to Ten Sleep.
A couple of those roads are high and steep. Covered mostly by other posters. Watch your gauges, control your speed with gears. Be patient. When in doubt about the temperature of your engine and/or your brakes, pull over and cool off with the engine running. Start with interstates, then state highways.
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01-20-2025, 02:34 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 235
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MTN roads
we traveled that route with our 2000 33ft Allegro without any issue whatsoever
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01-20-2025, 02:50 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Rigby, Idaho
Posts: 4,273
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Remember: No one gets killed going uphill. Downhill, on the other hand, has killed alot. Use you gears and engine brake, understand how to use your service brake, and take your time.
__________________
Cheers,
TonyMac
2006 Monaco Safari Cheetah 40PMT
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01-20-2025, 03:09 PM
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#9
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Community Administrator
Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 24,198
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We've driven some of the highest and steepest passes in the Rockies with no problem. Speeds are sometimes 35-40mph, but we may be passing semis on the way up. Slumgullion pass between Creede and Lake City is one of the steepest in Colorado and we've climbed it several times with no issues.
A little tip I learned with our 40IH engine brake for the down grade descent. You have a Hi/Lo brake so if you switch very quickly between the two speeds you can control your descent speed more easily. Sometimes Hi is too much and you'll start slowing down more than you want. Just quickly switch to Lo until you start picking up speed again then switch back to Hi. Don't hesitate or stop in the middle position, just very quickly flip from Hi to Lo or vice-versa.
__________________
2017 Phaeton 40IH XSH Maroon Coral - Power Glide Chassis with IFS
Previous '15 Tiffin Allegro RED 38QRA and '06 Itasca Sunrise 35A
White '24 Jeep JLU Wrangler Willys
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01-20-2025, 04:34 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2024
Location: Grand Mesa, Colorado
Posts: 1,021
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We live off of one the longest (21.4 miles) and steepest grades (up to 10%) in the Colorado Rockies. Have family in Wyoming. Runaway truck ramps aren't just for trucks. RV's can use them. When you head up west out of Buffalo you'll be passing by one. Know where they are in advance and how to use them.
We don't have a runaway truck ramp on our highway, but a sharp long corner with heavy steel arresting cable barriers on an 8% grade. It's where the truck and RV runaways usually go off of the road prior to passing our home.
https://www.wyoroad.info/Highway/truck_info.html
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01-20-2025, 04:44 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Hayden, Al
Posts: 275
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You should not have any problems pulling the Mt. but be careful coming back down, I always come down a Mt. one gear lower than what I used to go up & this is using my Jake brake.
__________________
2007 Tiffin Phaeton 40QDH
2003 Honda Element / 2016 SlingShot
Alabama "Roll Tide"
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01-21-2025, 03:38 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 564
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Not trying to be condescending or anything if you already know this, but I didn't (and Her Majesty still doesn't) so I'll spell it out: that Alison transmission isn't like the automatic transmission in your car, it won't "kick down" if you mash the accelerator, you have to manually select your gear. Typically I will put it in 3rd gear going uphill in the mountains, meaning, I keep pressing the down arrow until the control panel says "3" and let er rip, if you count going 55mph as ripping (which is about as fast as you need to be going in 3rd gear) Sometimes I have to select second gear, to keep my RPM's up. And you need to keep your RPM's up, otherwise it'll overheat.
It follows, you can't just set the cruise control at 75 and hope for the best (which is why I NEVER SLEEP in the mountains if Her Highness is driving... soon as I close my eyes..)
Whatever gear it took to get to the top, is usually the same gear it takes to control my speed, with the engine brake on, going down. You may have to tap the brake going over the crest but you should be able to control your speed on the downhill just with the engine brake. Which is good, cuz you only get so many pumps on the brake before you run out of air. Use those things sparingly.
When you get down out of the mountains, you can just press "D" and it'll revert to normal operation.
Take your time, it'll be fine. Don't forget to breathe. Relax your shoulders. You'll get down the mountain if you take your time.
__________________
2021 DRV Santa Fe 44
2024 Chevy 3500 dually
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01-21-2025, 07:20 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Odessa, FL
Posts: 1,085
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TampaDave
Take your time, it'll be fine. Don't forget to breathe. Relax your shoulders. You'll get down the mountain if you take your time.
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....and do not worry about the trail of cars behind you. You and the occupants are way more important than the impatient drivers behind.
__________________
2023 Tiffin Allegro Bus 45OPP
2019 Birkshire 34QS - Traded
2020 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk with BlueOx/AF1
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01-21-2025, 08:59 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2024
Location: WI Driftlesser
Posts: 2,547
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shepardmike
....and do not worry about the trail of cars behind you. You and the occupants are way more important than the impatient drivers behind.
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And don't worry about some semis passing you, they're empty or on their way to a crash. They have more powerful engines and Jakes, so can go fast empty. There are NO empty RVs, they all have to go slow.
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