Hard grades to climb Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Edit Profile

BNO BBS - BNO's Bulletin Board System » THE ARCHIVES » Year 2003 » June 2003 » Hard grades to climb « Previous Next »

Author Message
John Rigby (24.174.235.164)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 7:27 pm:   

During last summer we drove the 04 5000 plus miles in 2 weeks,the hardest climb we encounterd was from Pheonix up to Flagstaff.I found this quite a pull for the 671.
How doe this one relate on the scale of steep long grades in this great land?
Thanks
John
two dogs (66.90.210.43)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 7:59 pm:   

I sure don't want to make anybody mad....but ,you haven't climbed yet....wait till you come out of L.A. east on I-10, or coming up the grapevine comeing into L.A. from the north....or "CABBAGE"...in oregon......it's also a hard pull on I-40 from Calif. line to almost L.A. climbing isn't scarry....going down is the bad part...if it says TRUCKS 20mph....that's what you do in a bus....also i-70 west of Denver...steep one....
two dogs (66.90.210.43)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 8:19 pm:   

also....on steep grades....if you are going 10 to 15 mph slower than traffic....please have your flashers on.... now don't everybody jump on me for telling you how to drive...
Peter Broadribb (Madbrit) (208.186.37.105)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 8:51 pm:   

Try the hill out of Laughlin NV to Kingman AZ. You climb 3000+ feet in under 11 miles. They softened it a bit recently when they made it four lanes, but it is now a longer slightly shallower hill. The other side of the river from Laughlin to meet the 95 to Searchlight NV is also a good climb.

The I-40 leaving Needles CA heading west is a good looooong climb with a steep part right near the top.

Another good set of hills is the trip through Tehachapi CA either direction but east bound has the biggest climb.

My favorite is taking the 88 south of Tahoe over Carson Pass at 8600 feet with my Apollo and towing a loaded 20ft trailer. We made the last 5 miles with my foot flat on the gas pedal, throttle wide open, crawling at 5 mph in first gear. We then moved on to Georgetown which is between Placerville and Auburn via the best hills and hair-pin bends you could ever wish for. I dug grooves in the black top with the tow hitch that you could use for irrigation ditches.

Peter.
Jeff (Jeff) (68.10.0.78)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 9:26 pm:   

Have you all tried Donner Pass? I-80 eastbound out of California? That was fun! I understand why they killed people there in the winter, back in the 1800's. Then there is I-64 east of Beckley, West Virginia. Sure wished I had a Jake Brake coming down that 7.5% grade for 5.5 miles. I had the 731V in 2nd gear rolling at 5 mph at the top of the hill coming down towards Virginia. Did my best to keep below 75mph. I'm glad I had a bus that hugged the road.


Jeff
"Take Another Road" <-- Jimmy Buffett
Rustless not Busless in Buckroe
1988 TMC RTS-06
da Bubba
James Robinson (Jjrbus) (68.27.52.255)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 9:34 pm:   

The Road up to King's canyon National Park, Ithink I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.
HondoJoe04 (66.74.50.62)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 9:38 pm:   

Been there. Done that. Seen 'em all. Drove in many different busses. But most recently (last week) climbed Teton Pass. West out of Jackson, Wyoming. Tougher than ANY climb in Colorado or west of there. Like California. BTW I10 west out of LA you pass Indio and climb to Chiriaco Summit & The General Patton Museum. Really no big deal as compared to others described. I climb it regularly as we live close to Indio. Joe
ED-NJ (67.85.224.113)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 10:45 pm:   

It makes you want to go out and try them all , Do any of you have water spray on your radiador??
Peter Broadribb (Madbrit) (208.186.37.105)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 11:01 pm:   

Apollo Motorhome.
No water spray, didn't even get hot on the highest peaks, regularly hits 240+ on long hills, think that the Autometer gauge is set to read different to how the stock Dodge gauge was. Never boils or uses water, just shows hot...... Very strange!!!

Peter.
jmaxwell (66.42.92.5)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 12:52 am:   

You guys don't know what hills are. Try coming N. out of Santa Rosalia, Baja--7 mi., 11-13% (2 lane, and I mean Mexican lanes without fog lines and shoulders, and blind curves to boot). I've seen 8v71's losing RPM in 1st gear and praying that that 120k pound oil tanker that started up the hill a 1/2 hour before them hits the crest before they catch him. Or, if that doesn't get your attention, try Hwy 373 E. from Death Valley Junction to Amargosa Valley, Nv.--17 mi. 6-7%(for added adventure do it in August). Monarch Pass on Hwy 50 near Salida, Co. is also fun (hell, I can't breath up there so what do u think the poor 6v92ta feels like). El Cajon, Tehachipi, Grapevine, all pieces of cake. You have to get on old US or State Hwys. to find real hills.
Peter Broadribb (Madbrit) (208.186.37.105)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 12:58 am:   

(hell, I can't breath up there so what do u think the poor 6v92ta feels like).

I thought that was why you had a Turbo.......

and my hills ARE badderer than your hills so there..... Nada, nada, nada..... LOL.

Peter.
FAST FRED (67.75.111.22)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 5:28 am:   

This is the SAME discussion that any cruising sailors have when discussing the worst patch of water.

Cape Horn , Hatteris , NOPE,

almost always it just happens that the nastiest, meanest, roughest patch of water is just outside the home port of the sailor.


Amazing,

FAST FRED
Frank Zsitvay (12.230.214.167)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 5:45 am:   

Queen Anne Avenue in Seattle.

Also known as the counterbalance from back in the streetcar days when a cable and counterweight system was used to help the streetcars go up and down the hill.

The transit system has to use electric trolley busses on the hill because the transmission in a diesel transit bus doesn't last very long when subjected to that kind of abuse.

I think there is perhaps a hill in San Francisco which is just a hair steeper that also has trolley bus service on it. But Queen Anne Avenue ranks right up there as the steepest in the country with a bus route.
JohnC (12.106.199.246)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 9:00 am:   

How about "OH, MY GOD HILL" near Burgess Junction WY. The descent on US 14 is posted at 10% for 10 miles, or Bear Tooth WY with 22 miles of 6-8% grades, but my all time favorite was Hwy 261 between Halls Crossing and Mexican Hat Utah, I had to back my coach up to make it around the switch backs. JohnC
John Feld (150.199.209.18)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 3:45 pm:   

Every one of the 'pucker hills' mentioned so far has been improved and updated from the original, several have been moved miles from the original road. Just wait, you are bound to discover more grades as you get off the 4-lane and hit the backroads.

There were grades that were so bad a newbie would hire a local driver to take his rig over the top to the other side, and drivers that did this all day, going from one side to the other. My first run from Chicago to San Diego took 6 days (yeah, one-way) driving a 1946 White Mustang, 8-speed RoadRanger, 6-cyl Red Seal gas engine, pulling a 32 ft trailer loaded at apox. 60,000 # gross.

The tractor had vaccume brakes and the trailer had air brakes, you used the hand lever to brake the trailer. Spoke (Dayton) wheels with bias tube tires. When you had a flat tire you pulled over and changed the tire, or broke it down and patched the tube and re-mounted it. Road service was non-existant! Truck stops were a one or two pump driveway off the highway, or hundreds of miles between.

Inter-states? What Inter-states, you had the Ohio Turnpike and Penn Turnpike, and yes, you had some three lane highways that alternated passing zones, talk about head-on collisions! Speed limits? only east of the Mississippi, or around towns west of the big muddy. Even had brick highways in some places, and ferry boats where there are bridges today.

Forget the 'good ol' days', give me progress.

John 4104
jmaxwell (66.42.92.20)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Sunday, June 15, 2003 - 12:48 am:   

John F: Yep, 'member when I was a pushin' them mule freighters out of Carson City to.......Just joking. For sure, u headed across country when it was "a real adventure" and todays vehicles and highways are a breeze compared to just 40-50 yrs. ago. I never have figured out why some of the old timer road engineers didn't look for a better way around some of the obstacles they faced. Seems that it would have been easier and cheaper in the long run to do another 5-10 miles of road than climb some of those hills they tackled.
Jayjay (198.81.26.108)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 1:28 am:   

In the last few years I've been on many of the above slopes, but my all time favorite is the shallow 4 to 5% climb of Baker Grade out of L.A. toward 'Vegas on I-15. Problem is the damned thing is nearly 20 miles of constant strain on your engine. Lots of older cars can't cut it, let alone heavier stuff. ...JJ
Roger PD4104-174 (205.188.208.39)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 5:46 am:   

Jayjay, for fun we count the burn marks on the road as we climb the hill. People just can't stand to turn off their A/C or drop a gear. They're hot and in a hurry.
two dogs (66.90.217.254)

Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!)

Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 9:14 pm:   

yeah...Indio to chricco summit, only place I've ever seen that TELLS you to turn off your a/c, even cars can't make it with a/c on..they've got pull-offs & water barrels for people that think they more than anybody else...not a bad hill ,compared to some,if I remember right ,it's 34 mile climb...I had two blowouts on my drivers one night 1/2 way up & no place to pull over ...ahhh, the good ol' days

Add Your Message Here
Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.

Topics | Last Day | Last Week | Tree View | Search | Help/Instructions | Program Credits Administration