White knuckle, near death experience!

[jbflag21ds]

so out of curiosity, since i like RV Trip Wizard, I made a quick trip from Camp Taylor to Columbia proper and it took me along that road. Here is a screen shot of the elevation and gradient in that section. I also dragged the route the other side too so you get two options.

Which was your first route and was the other the way you made it? Take Hemlock?

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by jbflag21ds

I prefer the Google Maps app, so before I head out I compare that to RV Trip Wizard's (RVLife) GPS directions and make adjustments to the Google Maps route and add waypoints as needed to match the RV specific route.

I prefer Google Maps in Android Auto, as well. Among other things, real-time traffic info is very useful.

If you use an iPhone, the publishers of RVLife (and of this web forum) are working on a CarPlay version. (It's not soup, yet.) That may make it easier to use in your vehicle.

I have an Android phone but my DW has an iPhone, so I updated my F150 USB ports to support CarPlay so I can use it when released.

[awellis3]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

Some GPS units will have some clearance and weight restriction limits available. But I don't think in your situation a different GPS would have given different directions.

My Garmin RV760 filters routes really well. It has helped me through the mountainous backroads of West Virginia on more than one occasion.

[Dirt Sifter]

My Rand McNally RV GPS put me on a down hill street that was signed "No trucks or trailers on this grade." After we were already heading down. Fortunately we had dropped the TT before entering town. I am a fan of Google Earth and have since subscribed to RV Trip Wizzard.

[Phil 179]

Suggestion. Get Google Earth and check out your destination from satellite. I used that a lot when doing fish surveys in unfamiliar areas. (Have seen reports of a few winter deaths, and near deaths, here in Oregon by folks following Google and other apps without question.)

[old40ford]

Originally Posted by GlennW

I have never had a bad GPS experience here in Canada. When In have talked to people who did have problems, they almost all told me they set the route preference to shortest route instead of fastest route.

Never pick shortest route.

GlennW

X2

[dmctlc]

Well even Garmin for RVs aren't perfect, I have just bought and updated a RV1090. On my way back to Mass. for a couple of months from our house in Florida my final layover was at a CG in Shartlesville, Pa.. well I review the trip the day before and even several times when I set it up. Got off the exit originally supposed to take first left going over Rt. 78 but it told me to go to another street. I thought it corrected it because I had a 45' MH towing the car. Well. As I started down that street Garmin directed me to go down I stopped quickly especially after seeing a sign said nothing over 3 tons.heck that was the car but my MH was about 10Xs that amount. Stopped quickly, street was somewhat narrow so unhooked the car. So fast DW was sure what was happening. Lol. Got her to back the car out of the street then I started then noticed traffic on both sides saw what I was doing and stopped to let me back out. Truly appreciated that. Backed out went down the originally recommended street that I saw review it on Google maps. Lessons learned, go with what you see, review carefully and be very attentive and always be ready for the worst then react quickly.

[Bob2019]

Garmin routing had directed me to a campground that included a road ahead to a boat ramp. Not sure if I continued the sea would have parted. Trust, but verify!

[Grumpy7159]

GPS system directed a six figure motor home down a two track road to a forest service campground. The campground hosts had put up signs to stop those that followed their GPS. After a quarter mile there is no turn around for about two miles. Said RV arrived at the campground minus air conditioners and antennas. The sides were scraped and the bottom chassis was full of debris. When he departed the campground, he used the smooth all weather road he should have used. He probably didn't think it was funny, but his RV going down the road with parts flapping in the wind looked like a vacation comedy movie.

[Shamrockthecasbah]

Originally Posted by jbflag21ds

so out of curiosity, since i like RV Trip Wizard, I made a quick trip from Camp Taylor to Columbia proper and it took me along that road. Here is a screen shot of the elevation and gradient in that section. I also dragged the route the other side too so you get two options.

Which was your first route and was the other the way you made it? Take Hemlock?

I was curious too, and checked out his route. The first route that you show is what the OP took: Mount Pleasant road from Rt 94. I looked along this road on google street view, and it's paved, but looks pretty steep with a couple of sections at maybe 15%? Doesn't seem like elevation gain that Rv Trip Wizard shows is correct.

[Luke Moseley]

I have so little faith in my Garmin GPS that I only use it as a easy to see speedometer. I simply have had so many bad experiences with it I have switched to Google maps or Waze.ill never buy a Garmin again.

Originally Posted by TTnewbie

I am not sure if this is going to help me in the future, but I am definitely buying one of those GPS navigation systems made for RV's. I would hope that a GPS made for RV's would have saved me from the near death experience that I had on Friday. That and an F250!

I use Waze for navigation on a daily basis without any problems. I used Waze on Friday to get to a campground and boy did I regret it. I was 5 minutes away from my destination. The GPS told me to make a left onto the campground road so I did. What it didn't tell me was that I was about to attempt to go up the steepest hill I have ever seen in my life. Long story short, I go up a steep hill so I think I am okay. I see a 2nd hill and figured I would make it. Well, I didn't. I stalled a third of the way up. My Yukon simply stopped. Engine started heating up. I told everyone to get out and reversed down a bit. Tried again and no go. I honestly thought that I was going to roll down both of the hills and die. It was the scariest thing I have experiences so far towing my trailer. Fortunately, there was a house with a U shaped driveway next to the hill. I pulled in and made a U turn. I called the campground and they gave me directions to the safe way to get to them.

The owner of the house came out when I made the U turn on his property. He was a really nice guy about the whole thing. He told me that almost on a daily basis vehicles towing trailers get stuck on the hill. He said that unless you have at least a 3/4 ton truck you ain't making up the hill towing a regular size trailer. Lesson learned.

FYI...for any Jersey folks out there, I'm talking about Mount Pleasant Road in Columbia, NJ, heading up to Camp Taylor.

[TTnewbie]

I'm glad that I wasn't lying or else I would have been outed very quickly out of this forum. There are a lot of savvy members on here. lol

I don't know if this will work but I found the exact spot where I realized that I was in trouble. In the link you can see straight ahead of me. That is what I saw as I inched ahead about 20-30 feet more and then came to a dead stop. The engine simply stopped working. I then slowly started slipping back. The house to the left is the one that I used to turn around and get the heck out of there.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.9619...7i16384!8i8192

[dkvoelter]

Ditto on putting hands on bottom of steering wheel, when backing, and turn the way you want to go

[Jfkmk]

Having been on that road, I knew you weren’t embellishing the truth! We had gone to Camp Taylor the first year we had a tt (previously had a class c). The tv we had was barely adequate for the job and I was so glad we heeded the warnings on the website. I wouldn’t want to go down the hill pulling a trailer either!

When we were there, friends joined us for a day. Since they weren’t towing they came up the hill. First thing out of their mouth was “you didn’t come up that hill, did you??”

We have a Garmin RV GPS and found it to work pretty well. It is a pain to have to research each route, but that’s part of the game I guess.

[mtnlvr]

Originally Posted by TTnewbie

I totally forgot about the wife part. I was ready to file for divorce by the time I made the U turn. It's true what they say about RVing, it can definitely make the monster come out of both spouses under the right, stress induced, conditions.

That’s why I travel with my dogs, instead of the ex-husband, they never complain.

[wjrdmr]

Had almost the exact same experience about 6 weeks ago trying to get to Giant City State Park in southern Illinois, except that I have an RV specific GPS. It tried to send me straight up the side of a mountain on a one lane road! To make matters worse, when I called the park office for help the gal i spoke with tried to send me through a low overpass. Fortunately we got turned around and found a Harvest Host site for the night. The next day we learned there was a much, much easier and safer route to the campground. All in all the RV GPS was wrong on 6 different occasions during that 3600 mile trip.

[daddy0420]

TTnewbie, don't waste your money on a rv gps unit
I don't think it would have helped your situation at all. I had bought a Garmin rv GPS unit thinking that
It wouldn't take me on these narrow side street short cuts. Well wrong ! One time, actually my first trip , out to Ruidoso MN it directed me onto a narrow road with a single lane bridge ! When I just could have stayed on the main road which I found out later.
On another trip it took us on a dirt road that led to nowhere. And there are many more mishaps believe me.

[Villagerjjm]

While driving to my Brother's house on Middle Cheshire Rd. in Canandaigua, NY coming up from Naples, NY, my GPS all of a sudden indicated that I should make a right turn onto Hick's Road from Rt. 21.. Of course, trusting the technology, I did the turn... onto a freshly oiled and gravelled 30 degree descent road to the bottom of the high hill overlooking Canandaigua Lake... and of course, at the bottom is a 90 degree curve with A STOP SIGN that you cannot see untill you are righ on top of that sucker!!!! My Colorado handled it perfectly... the trailer cooperated with the braking perfectly.... my nerves ARE STILL FRAZZELED after 5 years!!! I will NEVER trust any technology associated with navigation ever again!!! I am back to maps..!!!

[Virginian]

The only time I’ve had my Garmin RV780 send me down an inappropriate route, I realized after the fact (actually my wife did), I didn’t have the RV selected. It was on car mode. She noticed that the vehicle symbol on the display was not showing the trailer.

[NMWildcat]

It doesn't matter what app or device you use, or even if you use appropriate settings, they will all lead you wrong on occasion. When going somewhere unfamiliar we always research the route several various ways and even double check with an old fashioned paper map. And usually when a gps app has sent us wrong we suspect fairly quickly and stop until we are sure. And it happens more often than you would think when traveling a lot
What truly baffles me is that when we get to our destination and inform them of the incorrect route to their address they always say it happens constantly. And most of them have tried notifying the different apps/device manufacturers and nothing comes of it. Amazing.