How big of a trailer do you need to go up Pikes Peak?
I’ve taken a three horse trailer up Pikes Peak (14,110 feet) with a half ton Quadrasteer GMC and many times I go over Trail Ridge (12,000 feet) towing a trailer. These roads have 12 percent and higher grades. You need to watch your trucks gauges, not letting the engine or transmission temperature go into the red.
Is it safe to tow a pop up camper?
Safe travel trailer and pop up camper towing is totally possible, so long as you follow safe trailering procedures. And we promise, it’s not as hard as you might imagine. Here are some easy-to-follow towing safety tips that will help put your mind to ease on your upcoming travel trailer adventure. Never towed anything before in your life?
How hard is a 16 percent truck grade?
This tells you how hard a 16 percent grade is on a truck towing a trailer. At this rate it would take 2 miles of road to get to second gear. One of the diesel one tons, on the third run up the 16 percent grade overheated the automatic transmission.
What’s the best rpm for a diesel truck?
Going up the mountain, down shift to keep your trucks engine running at the best RPM for power. Diesels need to run 1800-2500 RPM for their power band and gas engines, 5000-6000 RPM for power. Another reason for using automatic transmissions, is they will find the power band automatically.
I’ve taken a three horse trailer up Pikes Peak (14,110 feet) with a half ton Quadrasteer GMC and many times I go over Trail Ridge (12,000 feet) towing a trailer. These roads have 12 percent and higher grades. You need to watch your trucks gauges, not letting the engine or transmission temperature go into the red.
Going up the mountain, down shift to keep your trucks engine running at the best RPM for power. Diesels need to run 1800-2500 RPM for their power band and gas engines, 5000-6000 RPM for power. Another reason for using automatic transmissions, is they will find the power band automatically.
What’s the highest grade for towing a trailer?
Most diesels top out at 3400 RPM and gas engines 6500 RPM. I’ve taken a three horse trailer up Pikes Peak (14,110 feet) with a half ton Quadrasteer GMC and many times I go over Trail Ridge (12,000 feet) towing a trailer. These roads have 12 percent and higher grades.
When do you downshift in Tow Haul mode?
Grade shifting transmissions while in “tow haul” mode will automatically downshift if you are going down hill, when you apply the trucks brakes. Downshifting going down hill is what we do with manual transmissions. The goal is to save your truck and trailer brakes.