Long upcoming drive

[RoamingBadger]

My wife and I are going to be taking our Roo from northern FL up to TN in a couple weeks. It's going to be a 570 mile trip. Any suggestions for a long drive like that?

[bodzcampers]

I would stop in chatanooga and visit the civil war park. I believe its the largest in the country.
Have a fun trip!

[Dave_Monica]

That's about the same length of drive we've frequently done from Ontario to West Virginia...about 11 1/2 hours with stops. Take a short break to stretch every few hours, have access or hot or cold drinks and plenty of tunes on the stereo.

Dave

[Weezer]

We're leaving in the wee hours of this coming Friday morning, from NE Louisiana, headed to TN as well. Pidgeon Forge actually.

This is our first long haul and I'm apprehensive about it...especially after reading about all the tire failures and blow outs.

[RoamingBadger]

We are heading to Pidgeon Forge as well. You'll have to let me know how it was.

[bikendan]

sorry, for us out West, 570 miles is not considering a "long" drive.
that's pretty common out here.

[DDC]

Originally Posted by bikendan

sorry, for us out West, 570 miles is not considering a "long" drive.
that's pretty common out here.

I was thinking the same thing I use to take the kids down to Pigeon Forge for the week-end 660 down and 660 back a mere thirteen hundred miles but that was without a trailer. It;s funny to read this cause I had just said to the DW it weight be an idea to go to Pigeon Forge in September.

[roanmountaincampers]

Heading up to Berlin, OH the second week of Sept. it will be the first trip of more than 80 miles. Close to 400 from here. Plan on doing it all on one day. We'll see how it goes. Friends are also traveling with us towing their trailer which makes me feel a little more secure. Always nice to have help around if you need it.

[F and E Damp]

IMO, anything over 200 miles a day is a long drive. Being retired (since 1999) we don't go any place in a hurry.

I used to drive transit (second career after 30 years with Boeing) and I found that the Recaro seats in the coaches were good for 8 hours a day with just one break. I can't do much more than 90 minutes without a break in the awful Flexsteel seats in the RV.

[ependydad]

250 mile days are ideal for us. 350-400 are our max and it becomes unpleasant with the number and length of stops we have.

We did make it from MD to FL- about 900 miles in about 20 hours by leaving at 11pm and driving thru the night. I slept the afternoon before and them my wife took the wheel after breakfast. We arrived at about 6pm exhausted.

[bikendan]

we just got back from a camping trip in SoCal. was a 465 mile drive, one way.

living in California, that kind of driving is a fact of life, if you live in one end of the state and want to camp at the other end.

as far as suggestions, i drive until i get tired and the DW drives for a hour or two. then i drive the rest. only stop for fuel and food.

[NewBerkFamily]

We just returned from a 1047 mile trip - Northern VA to Lake George, NY and back. Here's what I would recommend for safety, comfort, and peace of mind:

1. Before you go make certain to do a safety check of your tow vehicle/trailer or motorhome so that you can be confident that you are in the best shape you can be for such a long journey. Check tire treads, tire pressures, fluid levels, lights and turn signals, etc. You can find a good video on You Tube for info or check on here for a checklist if you need to.

2. Find the closest CAT (or other) scale on your route and run your rig over it to check your weights. It only takes a few minutes and can be a life saver. It also takes some of the stress out to know that you are set up properly on such a long trip.

3. Stop every few hours (you'll have to for gas anyway ) and make sure to get out and stretch your legs. Try to find some Flying J or other RV-Friendly truck stops in advance of your trip. Stop there for gas/breaks if you can to ensure easy ingress/egress and less stress.

4. Switch drivers when you need to take a break.
5. Stop for the night if you need to or there is a fun stop along your route.
6. Have fun!!!

[Triguy]

I think you have great advice on driving these distances. My short answer is to take your time getting somewhere, don't go over 65mph, and take more frequent breaks than you would if you were not towing.

As I recall, this is a new trailer for you so make sure to check your tire pressure and verify that the EZ lube axles were greased.

[roanmountaincampers]

Thanks for all the advice. I plan on taking it slow and will stop often. We plan on leaving very early on the day and a lot of stops. With a 20 gallon tank I don't have much choice. I have already marked all the truck stops on my map. I'd the 8 hours going up is too rough we'll take 2 days coming back.

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by bikendan

sorry, for us out West, 570 miles is not considering a "long" drive.
that's pretty common out here.

Well for someone who has owned their TT for less than three months, gone out four times, three within an hour's drive, the last one being the longest...3 hour drive...this *IS* a long one for us.

We're new to this...keep that in mind.

(I'm aware you were talking about the OP. The drive for us will be 675.)

DH says 10.12 hours. We're figuring 12-13 hours with the TT.

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by RoamingBadger

We are heading to Pidgeon Forge as well. You'll have to let me know how it was.

This is where we'll have our home base:

Pigeon Forge RV Park - Up the Creek RV Camp in the Smokies, Spacious RV-Sites

[Truth B Towed]

Originally Posted by ependydad

250 mile days are ideal for us. 350-400 are our max and it becomes unpleasant with the number and length of stops we have.

We did make it from MD to FL- about 900 miles in about 20 hours by leaving at 11pm and driving thru the night. I slept the afternoon before and them my wife took the wheel after breakfast. We arrived at about 6pm exhausted.

X2

[hagar]

We bought a Tundra Crew in Feb and a new 264L in March but are totally new to camping. We made three local trips of 50 miles, and then jumped into a 300 mile trip to western NC for a week and just returned last week. Some learnings:

1. Our rig is long and not very maneuverable in tight places, so I tried to plan our fuel stops by looking at aerial photo's to find places with plenty of room. FYI -concrete curbs do not show up on aerial photo's.

2. Take your time. 60-65 is just fine. On the 2-lane sections I tried to pull over once in a while when the parades developed behind me.

3. Have some awareness of the hills you will encounter. There's a book on the web that describes grade, length, and location of most of the long hills in the eastern US. Going up is just a matter of gas, but you don't want to be half-way down and way too fast before you realize you should have down-shifted at the top for the descent

4. Believe the manufacturer's warnings on checking bolt tightness. When I was hooking up for the return trip, I happened to notice that parts of my Equalizer hitch had worked loose to finger tight. I had a torque wrench and then went thru the entire hitch system to tighten things up.

[pwrstroke2012]

We've done long trips but always broke them down to 300-350 miles per day. Planning your exits is good, there are some good apps out there but we have a book called "the next exit" that is good for back up and to have another reference. Check your trailer connections after each stop you leave your camper just to make sure all connections are good. Also good to look at tires while your at it. You get more fatigued towing an RV so frequent breaks are recommended

[rockfordroo]

FYI -concrete curbs do not show up on aerial photo's.

Try using Bing Maps and click on the Birdseye view. You might be able to see the curbs if you zoom in.