Welcome back to Grand Adventure!
I'm your host Marc Guido, and today we're going to share 10 top tips for both safe mountain
driving, and safe mountain towing, so stick around.
[intro music]
Living in Utah, we do an awful lot of mountain driving.
In fact, throughout the winter we drive this road almost every day, and it gains 3,500
feet of elevation in only 8 miles.
If you're from the flatlands, we want to share 10 tips that will help you safely drive or
tow your RV through the big mountains.
First off, it should go without saying to
check your brakes frequently -- particularly after hitching up your trailer, and before
any steep descent.
Make sure that your brake controller is verifying that your trailer brakes are functioning correctly
each time you depress the brake pedal.
If your truck came with a factory towing package, it most likely has what's called Tow/haul mode.
Essentially, what this does is hold your gears longer before shifting.
This provides more torque for climbing grades, and downshifts sooner to provide engine braking
when descending.
Depending on how your vehicle is equipped, it can also engage what's known as an exhaust
brake if you're driving a diesel.
Driving uphill, slow and steady wins the race.
Taking your time will help prevent your engine or transmission from overheating.
And keep your speed in check when you crest the hill, for you'll be starting your descent
at a slower speed, hence you'll start out working less to keep your downhill speed in
check.
Truckers will tell you to descend a grade in the same gear that you ascended, or even
one gear lower.
This is where manual shifting comes in, even if you're driving an automatic transmission.
Choose your gear to provide engine braking that will help to control your speed while
driving downhill.
Using engine braking minimizes your need to use the brake pedal.
By all means, if you take anything away from this video, don't ride your brakes.
Doing so can cause the brakes to overheat, potentially leading to a blowout, or even
brake failure, or even a fire.
If you're towing and you do need to apply your brakes, first apply some gentle braking
to the trailer only via your brake controller.
If that's not enough, apply your vehicle brakes but only do it in short bursts, taking your
foot off the brake pedal periodically to allow the brakes to cool.
Brake quickly and firmly enough to reduce your speed below your target,
and then, when you take your foot off to allow the brakes to cool,
your vehicle will slowly accelerate back past your target speed, and then you'll repeat the process over again.
Overheating can lead to what's known as brake fade.
That's when your brake pads heat up to the degree that they soften, and become useless
for stopping your vehicle.
When experiencing brake fade, your brake pedal will go further towards the floor, or God forbid even all the way to the floor, than normal.
And still won't slow your vehicle.
This is a very serious emergency situation.
Because of that, always know your escape route.
There are guide books available to describe every significant mountain grade in the US.
They'll not only tell you the length, and average and maximum pitch of each grade, but
they'll explain where the runaway truck ramps are located.
If you experience brake fade, you want to know in advance exactly where these are.
Keep adequate distance from the vehicle in front of you.
Remember, it takes longer to stop a heavy vehicle while descending, as gravity is working
against you.
The space in front of you is the only space you have control over, so make sure to leave
plenty of room to ensure that you can stop in time in case of an emergency.
So to summarize tips 4 through 8, control your descent speed through manual shifting
whenever possible.
If that's not enough, first apply your trailer brakes, then your tow vehicle's brakes to keep
your speed under control and to maintain adequate stopping distance from the vehicle in front
of you.
And by all means, never ever ride your brakes!
Mountain driving can put enormous stresses on your vehicle, so it's important to know
what's happening under the hood.
That's where an OBD2 monitor comes in.
We use an inexpensive OBD2 monitor that plugs into your vehicle's port, then communicates
via bluetooth to provide your cell phone with the data.
Amazon Affiliate links are in the video description down below, if you're so inclined.
We use an app called Torque Pro that interprets that data and lets us know how our truck's
systems are doing in real time.
As an added bonus, when you get that dreaded "Check engine" light you can diagnose the
problem on the spot, and even reset the indicator if appropriate.
Torque Pro's display is fully customizable, featuring dials, bar graphs and more displaying
any type of information that your vehicle outputs through its OBD2 port.
You can see as much, or as little information as you want to see.
Finally, don't let elevation fool you.
Folks think that those 11,000-foot mountain passes in the Rocky Mountains are the worst,
when in fact, many times grades in the eastern US can actually be steeper.
While they may be shorter, grades in the Applachian Mountains can often times exceed 10%, so don't
be lulled into a false sense of security just because the top of that mountain pass is only
at 3,000 feet of elevation.
Now, everything we've discussed here applies to both mountain towing and mountain driving.
If you're driving a motorhome, or even just your pickup without your trailer hooked up,
these same principles of safe mountain driving nevertheless still apply.
We hope that this video has helped you to prepare for traveling through the mountains
this season.
The mountains are our favorite area for camping, so we'd never avoid them just because of the
increased challenge that mountain driving presents.
By following these tips, you can ensure a safe and enjoyable visit to the big mountains
this summer.
While we have your attention, you may not be aware that we have some fun RVing merchandise
available in our Teespring shop to help support Grand Adventure -- t-shirts, coffee mugs and
more.
We'll link to our Teespring store both above on the screen, and in the video description
down below.
Maybe if we sell enough we can actually hire a real model.
If you liked this video, or if it's been helpful to you, please give us a thumbs up!
We premiere new outdoor adventure travel videos each and every Wednesday,
so if you're not yet a Grand Adventurer,
hit that subscribe button down in the lower right corner of your screen.
We'd be honored if you shared Grand Adventure with your friends and family,
and we remain available for your questions or comments
in the comments section below this video.
Until next week, remember...
life is nothing but a Grand Adventure!
We'll see you next week!