Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > MOTORHOME FORUMS > Class A Motorhome Discussions
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-29-2018, 04:47 AM   #43
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 634
Quote:
Originally Posted by A Traveler View Post
The speed limit was 70 and you were going 45? Yikes!

Driving like that is what causes accidents and gives us all a bad reputation.
X2 That was my thought also. THEN to have nonoperative brakes in the toad pushing you downhill, pushing against you when braking at the same time? Especially being "relatively new" at the wheel of a 40ft DP with a large SUV in tow? Wow!!!
RV safety is dictated by fully operative equipment and a capable operator.......I'm afraid this scenario demonstrated neither.
Ret.LEO is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 09-29-2018, 09:01 AM   #44
Senior Member
 
Jake21's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 3,288
Quote:
Originally Posted by RayChez1 View Post
Just for your information: The speed limit in California when towing is 55 mph.

70 mph while towing will get you a ticket.


True, and 45mph down a curvy steep grade is pretty normal for me and a lot of the commercial trucks out there.
Jake21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 10:10 AM   #45
Senior Member
 
TonyMac's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Rigby, Idaho
Posts: 3,902
Quote:
Originally Posted by A Traveler View Post
The speed limit was 70 and you were going 45? Yikes!

Driving like that is what causes accidents and gives us all a bad reputation.


Speed limits dictate the highest speed you are allowed to travel. THE CONDITIONS dictate the safe speed to travel. I'd say her conditions dictated something around 45. Flashers on I hope.
__________________
Cheers,
TonyMac
2006 Monaco Safari Cheetah 40PMT
TonyMac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 11:04 AM   #46
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,317
Quote:
Originally Posted by soberskier View Post
I used the exhaust brake all the way down, but still had to use the brake off and on to hold my speed down to where I was comfortable. The posted speed was 70 mph ...and I held to only 45 mph. Hubby wanted to know why I was going so slow...my response "because I want to."
Good for you. As noted by others, the speed limit for vehicles towing is 55 where you were, so 45 on a long downhill is absolutely reasonable, and safe. I'm kind of thinking maybe you should be doing more of the driving, even after your husband's arm heals.


Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyMac View Post
Speed limits dictate the highest speed you are allowed to travel. THE CONDITIONS dictate the safe speed to travel. I'd say her conditions dictated something around 45. Flashers on I hope.
That is a HUGE annoyance I have with my exhaust brake--it triggers the brake lights and they override the flashers. So when I'm going downhill with the exhaust brake, I can't use my flashers and people behind me think I'm just riding my brake and there's no way to signal that I'm going slow.
oatmeal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 11:15 AM   #47
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 2,078
One set of our double tail/stop/turn lamps flash and one is solid when the engine exhaust brake is applied. Nice feature and maybe only to Thor? Really don't know and have been behind very few coaches going up or down passes, usually trucks.
lwmcguire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 11:16 AM   #48
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 31
When I took my truck driving course a few years back they told us to use the 5 over 5 under rule. Chose a safe speed to descend the grade and allow speed to go over by 5kph then use brakes to bring speed to 5kph under chosen speed. This method allows brakes to cool down.
BUGNUT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 11:18 AM   #49
Senior Member
 
96 Wideglide's Avatar
 
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 9,731
If the hill is straight (just steep), they generally don't change the speed limit for it. It would be nothing for a car to decend it at 70 mph.
If you want to fly down there in your 40,000 lb DP, at 70 mph, be my guest!

I know I won't be!!
__________________
Ben & Sharon
2008 43' Holiday Rambler Scepter PDQ
96 Wideglide is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 11:51 AM   #50
Senior Member
 
Gordon Dewald's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 14,885
Quote:
Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide View Post
If the hill is straight (just steep), they generally don't change the speed limit for it. It would be nothing for a car to decend it at 70 mph.
If you want to fly down there in your 40,000 lb DP, at 70 mph, be my guest!

I know I won't be!!
Going to be blowing my doors off. At most I would be going 55, which is the posted speed.

Last I heard the fellow overtaking was responsible to do it safely.

If there is a posted minimum everyone is responsible to meet that speed.

I would sooner have someone go down under the speed limit and under control than faster than their comfort level and have a runaway.

Many people forget how they felt when they first started driving. Everything came at you quickly, many things to watch for, etc and you were going less than 30 mph.
__________________
Gordon and Janet
Tour 42QD/InTech Stacker
Gordon Dewald is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 11:58 AM   #51
Senior Member
 
mak1's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Florence, Or.
Posts: 162
I do the same thing and have been driving a MH for many years. This woman was semi new to this. You are not very considerate.
__________________
Peter and Janice, cat Tootsie, Dip 38 pst, 2000 wrangler
mak1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 12:02 PM   #52
Senior Member
 
mak1's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Florence, Or.
Posts: 162
Yes...flashers on...good point.
__________________
Peter and Janice, cat Tootsie, Dip 38 pst, 2000 wrangler
mak1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 12:10 PM   #53
Senior Member
 
mak1's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Florence, Or.
Posts: 162
Leo...Agree totally on the braking, but not on the driver. We all started some where, some time including you, so give her a break...Jeez. If anyone is at fault, it's her husband for putting her in that position......but we don't know really. He may have said, honey, let's wait until my arm is better so I can fix the brakes, then we can go....but she said.....
__________________
Peter and Janice, cat Tootsie, Dip 38 pst, 2000 wrangler
mak1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 06:04 PM   #54
Senior Member
 
TonyMac's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Rigby, Idaho
Posts: 3,902
Quote:
Originally Posted by mak1 View Post
Leo...Agree totally on the braking, but not on the driver. We all started some where, some time including you, so give her a break...Jeez. If anyone is at fault, it's her husband for putting her in that position......but we don't know really. He may have said, honey, let's wait until my arm is better so I can fix the brakes, then we can go....but she said.....


Whatever she said was right, and if he thought otherwise, he,like me, is an idiot. My beautiful half taught me that.
__________________
Cheers,
TonyMac
2006 Monaco Safari Cheetah 40PMT
TonyMac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 08:35 PM   #55
Senior Member
 
slickest1's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: B.C.
Posts: 4,638
It is not the vehicle going slow(safely) down the hill that causes accidents!! It the impatient guy that wants to 70 that will be the problem!!
__________________
Dennis & Marcie & Captain Hook The Jack Russell,aka PUP, 2006 Itasca 29R 2017 Equinox toad. RVM59
We came, we went, nothing broken, nothing bent!
slickest1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 08:57 PM   #56
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 20
Never stop learning about your rig

In the last 2 weeks, I have learned a bit more about up shifting and down shifting. I run a 340 HP DP, at about 32,000 lbs, without toad. While driving through Colorado, the Dakotas and NM, I found that I began downshifting in preparation for the coming uphill grade. I found that if I can keep my rpms in the 22-2600 range, I can maintain my speed with very little loss of fuel efficiency. I spent a lot of time in 4/6th gear.


Back to the original question though, I tend to spend most of my time in 4th gear, going down hill. Most of the grades encountered were 4-7%. As has already been stated, if you are gaining speed in your selected gear, you chose too high a gear. Brake it down and drop another gear. I have a toggle switch that allows me to engage the engine brake at my choosing. Often I leave it in 4th and toggle the engine brake off and on, to maintain the desired speed, and never touch my brakes over a 2-3 mile descent. Nice thing about the toggle switch, it is quite obvious when it is engaged and when it is not. The toad makes some difference, but not much (4000 lb van with surge brakes on the dolly).
naugens is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
98 Monaco Dynasty not shifting unless going downhill primey Class A Motorhome Discussions 13 07-03-2018 05:59 PM
Downshift TH400 into 2nd for downhill compression braking? Gary - K7GLD Vintage RV's 38 06-21-2010 11:54 AM
Downhill braking question TowBoss Trailer Towing and Tow Vehicles Discussion 12 06-05-2007 04:43 PM
Flat towing without tow brakes on a downhill 5JEG123 Toads and Motorhome Related Towing 11 02-10-2007 04:29 PM
Downhill Speed Control JimCal Workhorse and Chevrolet Chassis Motorhome Forum 5 10-15-2005 08:05 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:48 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.