WOW, big pull over I-70

[5er_tom]

Actually we are going to Estes Park today. We'll go Trail Ridge Road as the weather should be okay. I have been over Trail Ridge Road on a motorcycle but that was many many years ago.


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[ependydad]

Originally Posted by 5er_tom

Actually we are going to Estes Park today. We'll go Trail Ridge Road as the weather should be okay. I have been over Trail Ridge Road on a motorcycle but that was many many years ago.

Whereabouts are you staying?

We did Pike's Peak last week and today are either going to Cave of the Wind or to the Cliff Dwellings.

[5er_tom]

We are leaving Colorado Springs headed to Denver for 2 nights.


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[5er_tom]

We are now at Dodge Ridge RV Resort in Golden, CO. Be here 2 nights, then heading south.


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[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Whereabouts are you staying?

We did Pike's Peak last week and today are either going to Cave of the Wind or to the Cliff Dwellings.

Need to try Trail Ridge Road, it goes higher than Pikes Peak and go across the suspension bridge. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TOW anything.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Need to try Trail Ridge Road, it goes higher than Pikes Peak and go across the suspension bridge. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TOW anything.

Oh man, that sounds cool! Unfortunately, we are out of time.

[madmaxmutt]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Need to try Trail Ridge Road, it goes higher than Pikes Peak and go across the suspension bridge. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TOW anything.

Yeah, no. . . Trail Ridge Road is a great drive, but it is nowhere near the max elevation on Pikes Peak. TRR max is just over 12,000 ft.

Longs Peak which can be seen from the road is a little taller than Pikes Peak, though.

IIRC Mount Evans is the highest paved road.

[f5moab]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Ugh, I'm thinking of doing this Monday evening. We are driving from Colorado Springs to some random overnight stop between there and Moab, UT. It's 400-ish miles, so I want to get a headstart on Monday before finishing it out on Tuesday. The problem is, I won't be able to start until the evening after a day at a RV repair center.

Any concerns to making the drive in the dark?

Not a problem at night, just take your time; done it more times than I can count, but NEVER pulling anything as large as you are.

I'm finishing up the past two weeks of dispersed camping (real dispersed no campgrounds) in NV and UT, and headed in about an hour for Moab for a few days, then home. So if you see someone walking two large malamutes through town, honk the horn and say hello!
There is also a nice dog park (if you have a dog) in Moab, on the corner of East 300S and South 1st East. (In lay terms, 3 blocks south of Center st; 1 block east of Main (Hwy 191).

[PhoneDude 8289]

We were in that area a month or so ago. Stayed at Colorado Springs KOA just a few miles south of CO Springs, Fountain is the name of the town, beautiful spacious sites. If you are headed west in I70 a stop at Glenwood Springs at Ami's Acres is another great spot, was there for two weeks before continuing on to Salt Lake. Made this run often pulling a 5r with my Tundra, no problem. Lots of road construction on this last trip, don't know if that is over yet.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Ugh, I'm thinking of doing this Monday evening. We are driving from Colorado Springs to some random overnight stop between there and Moab, UT. It's 400-ish miles, so I want to get a headstart on Monday before finishing it out on Tuesday. The problem is, I won't be able to start until the evening after a day at a RV repair center.

Any concerns to making the drive in the dark?

Well, we made it to Avon, CO (just west of Vail) last night. We didn't leave Colorado Springs until after 6pm and had to stop for propane after that. Our whole drive was in the dark. As you all said- not bad, just take it slow. Between the exhaust brake and downshifting, I actually had to often accelerate down a hill or two.

But now- going up some grades, I could do 60-65mph but on some of the steeper grades, the truck was maxed out at 45-50 mph. My pedal was to the floor and I couldn't go any faster. The truck is a 2012 Ram 3500 with 4.10 gears. It's GVWR is 12,300 and I think I'm running down the road loaded at 12,300-12,500 with us, pin weight, and stuff in the truck bed. The camper is 42' X 13' 4" high and has a total loaded weight probably around 16,000 lbs.

My real question- is this performance up hill what I should expect? I can't say what I expected as I've never towed heavy before this.

[Mountndream]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Need to try Trail Ridge Road, it goes higher than Pikes Peak and go across the suspension bridge. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TOW anything.

Suspension Bridge? where is a suspension bridge on Trail Ridge Road?

[lbrjet]

If I was you I would run across some CAT scales.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by lbrjet

If I was you I would run across some CAT scales.

I scaled back in June and also did individual wheel weights about the same time. We've made some changes since then- removed stuff, added stuff, etc. So my numbers should be pretty close to accurate.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Well, we made it to Avon, CO (just west of Vail) last night. We didn't leave Colorado Springs until after 6pm and had to stop for propane after that. Our whole drive was in the dark. As you all said- not bad, just take it slow. Between the exhaust brake and downshifting, I actually had to often accelerate down a hill or two.

But now- going up some grades, I could do 60-65mph but on some of the steeper grades, the truck was maxed out at 45-50 mph. My pedal was to the floor and I couldn't go any faster. The truck is a 2012 Ram 3500 with 4.10 gears. It's GVWR is 12,300 and I think I'm running down the road loaded at 12,300-12,500 with us, pin weight, and stuff in the truck bed. The camper is 42' X 13' 4" high and has a total loaded weight probably around 16,000 lbs.

My real question- is this performance up hill what I should expect? I can't say what I expected as I've never towed heavy before this.

I certainly can’t say with authority, but I think maxing out at 50 MPH with the load you are pulling is probably normal for the mountain grades you traveled. Don’t forget, wind speed also affects performance. It seems as though every time we’ve headed west the headwinds were always terrible.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Oakman

I certainly can’t say with authority, but I think maxing out at 50 MPH with the load you are pulling is probably normal for the mountain grades you traveled. Don’t forget, wind speed also affects performance. It seems as though every time we’ve headed west the headwinds were always terrible.

I can say that I was passing big rigs up these hills. Not by a lot, of course.

[LANShark42]

Garden of the Gods

[Randy-2198]

The I-70 corridor can be like rush hour traffic in the summer. (And winter with ski traffic)Avoid Friday afternoon and Saturday morning going westbound, and Sunday noon to 8 pm east bound.
I've pulled my 12000# fifth wheel with a GMC 2500 diesel no problem. Truck will even pull Vail pass eastbound @ 65 mph which is faster than I care to go.
If you are underpowered, keep your eyes open way out front. Once you get trapped behind a slow moving vehicle it will be very hard to get back your speed when towing.