Towed heavy up Vantage Pass...twice!

[NIsaacs]

and Whitebird on 95 makes an excellent test area. 'Course there is not enough water around either to float a big boat so no reason to go there.

Yes, 7 miles of 7%, hauled it several times with my Ford and flatbed also twice with a big truck. The old highway was twice as long with a jillion switchbacks but I never hauled on it, just an empty pickup back in '72. The old timers said if you missed a gear with a load of logs on one of the supered switchbacks and stopped you would turn over



A 26% grade with 40# of boost in 2nd gear would be scary with a pickup running gear!



Nick

 

[Bill Stockard]

LOL! Thats what happens to the west enders when they get too far away from the water, their vehicles just give up. :-laf



Cabbage hill on I-84 is much more of a challege, and Whitebird on 95 makes an excellent test area. 'Course there is not enough water around either to float a big boat so no reason to go there.

One time I pulled Cabbage Hill eastbound, we had to use the westbound side since the eastbound side was under reconstruction. It's even more of a pull going up the westbound side... 6% for six miles and the outside temperature was in the 90s. I had my '97 3500 dually with an automatic transmission and towing a 31' 14,000-lb 5th wheel at that time. We passed several trucks towing trailers on the side of the road with their hood up. The CTD was running in 2nd gear and moving right along. It's a test of the tow vehicle's cooling system in the summer.



Bill

 

[Bill Stockard]

Yes we did go up that pass. . Our 2004. 5 3500 6 speed truck. NOT stock at all. . Like I said 2nd gear and near 40#manifold. . Coming down on the West side was also a 2nd gear thing, on the pacbrake all the way. As you can imagine we did not go fast up or down, lucky for us there was not much traffic. I did have a CHIP officer follow me for a couple of miles, he was in a cloud of black soot more than once or twice. I do know that I will NEVER trailer that Pass again. .

There are several of those roads leading west over the Sierras off of US-395 that have signs that read: "Steep Narrow Winding Road Ahead" and just below that it reads "No Trailers".



Bill

 

[BIGNASTY]

There are several of those roads leading west over the Sierras off of US-395 that have signs that read: "Steep Narrow Winding Road Ahead" and just below that it reads "No Trailers".

Bill

I wasnt going there but sense you did I have read the same signs. Im not saying IT DIDNT HAPPEN its just like WC Fields said THERE'S ONE BORN EVERY MIN.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Yes, 7 miles of 7%, hauled it several times with my Ford and flatbed also twice with a big truck. The old highway was twice as long with a jillion switchbacks but I never hauled on it, just an empty pickup back in '72. The old timers said if you missed a gear with a load of logs on one of the supered switchbacks and stopped you would turn over

A 26% grade with 40# of boost in 2nd gear would be scary with a pickup running gear!

Nick

Did The Old Whit Bird Pass when I first started driving Trucks I STILL DONT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT THANK YOU

 

[JLeake]

BIGNASTY;



I worked summers on the Teton National Forest in the late '60's early '70's when Wyoming DOT built that road. If you want a real eye opener take the old road which was a real killer downhill from the "new" road. It stayed below the avalanche chute that the bridge was supposed to go over, and then the bridge went down with the first avalanche of the winter. Turns out the engineer measured vertical clearance not perpendicular to the slope and down it went. The road now in service is much easier than the old one, which had very tight hairpins and very steep grades. A airstream trailer burned up on the old road from overheated brakes one summer.



Another good grade to test on is the Wolf Creek Pass west side climb from Pagosa Springs Colorado on state highway 160. CW McCall has an older song about that monster. That grade starts out at 11,000 feet has a 14 mile winding descent running to the west that had a hairpin turn at 8700 feet at the hairpin turn, and lots more downhill after to town at 7200 feet.

 

[BIGNASTY]

BIGNASTY;

I worked summers on the Teton National Forest in the late '60's early '70's when Wyoming DOT built that road. If you want a real eye opener take the old road which was a real killer downhill from the "new" road. It stayed below the avalanche chute that the bridge was supposed to go over, and then the bridge went down with the first avalanche of the winter. Turns out the engineer measured vertical clearance not perpendicular to the slope and down it went. The road now in service is much easier than the old one, which had very tight hairpins and very steep grades. A airstream trailer burned up on the old road from overheated brakes one summer.

Another good grade to test on is the Wolf Creek Pass west side climb from Pagosa Springs Colorado on state highway 160. CW McCall has an older song about that monster. That grade starts out at 11,000 feet has a 14 mile winding descent running to the west that had a hairpin turn at 8700 feet at the hairpin turn, and lots more downhill after to town at 7200 feet.

JLeake
I dont know or remember that grade out of Pagosa Springs but have traveled all over CO back when I was an O/O I delivered MANY Lincoln log cabins to CO. That is one state that you dont want to go to if you have fear of CLIFFS/UP HILLS/DOWN HILLS. A few years ago the wife and I vacationed in CO and ran the Million Dollar Hwy very nice place but you can get into trouble pretty fast on that one also . The above mentioned White Bird Pass gave me a great lesson the old road said trucks not recommended well that was only a recommendation when I got to the bottom I was very glad and changed my attitude about driving.

There are many NASTY ups/downs all over the country some not so long but may have turns and short steep sections. Just have to take them as we see them. Our trucks are little power houses and every-time I take it out on a road trip pulling something they still amaze me and what they ALL can do. This is mine, first vehicle I ever bought NEW and wouldn't trade her for any other

 

[NIsaacs]

Our trucks are little power houses and every-time I take it out on a road trip pulling something they still amaze me and what they ALL can do. This is mine, first vehicle I ever bought NEW and wouldn't trade her for any other

I agree, I smile every time I haul with one of mine and will almost haul for free just to haul



Nick

 

[BIGNASTY]

Another NASTY grade that Californians dont think about much is Baker Grade 18 miles lower part 5% near the top 8% but daytime temps in the summer can easily reach 115*in the shade. I 8 from San Diego to El Centro 9 miles but VERY STEEP same day time temps.

 

[cerberusiam]

Take Hwy 14 out of Greybull Wy to Burgess Junction on top of the Big Horns then down the east side to Sheridan. I did it with a small 12' trailer, not gonna do a big one. Kept hoping nobody was coming down as I went up or we were gonna have issues on hairpin corners.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Another good grade to test on is the Wolf Creek Pass west side climb from Pagosa Springs Colorado on state highway 160. CW McCall has an older song about that monster. That grade starts out at 11,000 feet has a 14 mile winding descent running to the west that had a hairpin turn at 8700 feet at the hairpin turn, and lots more downhill after to town at 7200 feet.

Yep, I towed over that one many times both directions beginning back when US-160 was only narrow a 2-lane road. I towed travel trailers over it several times with 454 cid Chevies and later with CTDs. The 454s lose power rapidly in the increasingly thinner air while the CTDs just keep going thanks to turbocharging. That's a beautiful view to the west traveling westbound off of Wolf Creek for a couple of miles before the hairpin turn at 8700-ft.



Bill

 

[Bill Stockard]

Take Hwy 14 out of Greybull Wy to Burgess Junction on top of the Big Horns then down the east side to Sheridan. I did it with a small 12' trailer, not gonna do a big one. Kept hoping nobody was coming down as I went up or we were gonna have issues on hairpin corners.

Yep, I did that one hauling a slide-in truck camper... never tried it with a trailer and don't want to either.



Bill

 

[NIsaacs]

Take Hwy 14 out of Greybull Wy to Burgess Junction on top of the Big Horns then down the east side to Sheridan. I did it with a small 12' trailer, not gonna do a big one. Kept hoping nobody was coming down as I went up or we were gonna have issues on hairpin corners.

Yes, a scary road for sure. I never hauled on it but spent the night in '71 at the Bear Lodge Resort, my sister worked there that summer. They used to call that the Dayton-Cane Hyw.



Nick

 

[craiggo]

Is that on the east or west side of the hill? I've pulled from SF up to Sonora but not down the other side.

 

[Hummin Cummins]

Flatlanders. J/K of course. Couldnt resist tho. Hehe#@$%!

 

[labarn]

I only asked where the pass was to make sure It was Interstate 90. I have towed and driven that road many time in the last 50 years but being called a pass fooled me. If the traffic doesn't slow you down and you can pass the trucks it doesn't slow you down much. I towed that highway in June.
labarn
wenatchee wa

 

[MLee]

Take Hwy 14 out of Greybull Wy to Burgess Junction on top of the Big Horns then down the east side to Sheridan. I did it with a small 12' trailer, not gonna do a big one. Kept hoping nobody was coming down as I went up or we were gonna have issues on hairpin corners.

You might think that I'm out of my mind, but I did that one a couple weeks ago with my 38' fiver, and stayed at Siblet lake. And yes it is a bit tight going up. I was to meet four other trailers there but we met at Sheridan in stead, they came up from Thermopolis through buffalo. Then to top it all off on our way out of Wy. We went over the Snowy Range. All was beautiful country. I just drove it with a lot of caution and made it a very exciting experiance.

The East side of that pass on 14 was re-worked a couple years a go and its a very nice piece of road now but it is steep. You just drive with a lot more nerve and caution.

 

[AH64ID]

Vantage is approx 10. 75 miles of constant climbing, from 650 to 2550 feet, or an average of 3. 3%. There are small stretches at 6% mixed in. The thing about vantage is that it's always quite hot/dry and long, but it's nothing crazy. In fact the hill just on the other side of the river, E side, is steeper but shorter. Snoqualmie going E bound is also steeper.

Last time I pulled Vantage I was at about 15K combined (not heavy) but pulled it in 6th at 70 at about 1000° and 15 psi.

 

[Gonzo 1066]

Take Hwy 14 out of Greybull Wy to Burgess Junction on top of the Big Horns then down the east side to Sheridan. I did it with a small 12' trailer, not gonna do a big one. Kept hoping nobody was coming down as I went up or we were gonna have issues on hairpin corners.

One of my other favorite highways, 14a through northern Wyoming 13 miles that average 13 percent. That is another test hill. 2nd or 3rd gear in the switchbacks.

 

[kcook]

I believe the OP did mean this climb was or is the Vantage grade, cresting to an area called Ryegrass on top... The vantage grade is not a pass, and the pass dividing the east from the west on I-90 atleast is snoqualimie Pass. Vantage is a good long climb West bound takes some swooping corners that can slow you down a little... HWY 20 or the North cascades pass is a pretty good climb also in and around Wa.