towing up hill question

[EMurillo]

i am planning to go camping at my brother in law's property in tehachapi,

pulling a fifth wheeler 27. 5 approx 10,000 lbs. getting there is not a problem

at all but the problem is as you come to a complete stop you make a left

and as you make a left the -approx 6-9 deg. hill is right in front of you, so

i have to punch it to pick up some speed and as i do that i am affraid my

torque converter might slip and get my trans hot. :{ the hill distance is about 350ft. and then you start to go down hill. forgot to mention going up

the hill is a dirt road.



any experts have any suggestions on this?



________________________________________________________________



2004. 5 CTD, 325/600, 4 x 4 , 48re, 3. 73, slt, swb, k & n intake, magnaflow,

westin step bars, autometer phanton gages, .

 

[MMeier]

Nail it !!! You'll be fine, just make sure everything in the 5 'er is tied down!! :-{} Short distance like that I would n't worry too much about.

 

[dan shss]

If the road is straight enough and not very many turns just put it in 4low and cruz up the hill... I would not worry about the trans either as stated above for a short distance. .

 

[Texas Diesel]

Dont give it a second thought.



I toured the Chrysler Arizona Proving Grounds. They have a 30 (?) degree hill that they pull max GVRW loads up and down. Start - stop - start - reverse, WOT to get moving.



You shouldnt give this a second thought.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

if you are concerned, turn the hill, then yes, put the sucker in 4 LO and go slowly. Can't remember what the drive ratio is on the tcases but you are looking at somethinglike the equivelent of running 10's instead of 3. 73's. You should not need to punch the fuel to get up the hill.

 

[Bertram65]

Just drive it up the hill, whatever you do do not put it in 4 wheel low, that is probably the best way to tear up a drive line, even though the road is straight there is still a difference in ratio between the front and rear diff, as the ring and pinion are not the size so the ratio cannot be exactly the same being on dry pavement in 4wd with a load is the worst thing you could do.

I have been on hills like that only much longer, the only problem is the shift from 3rd to OD, the jump is too great, like 700 rpm or so I just stay in 3rd at about 55mph to the top, which is around 2500 rpm for me.

 

[TinyInOhio]

As long as you keep the RPMs up, you will be moving plenty of fluid, so as not to worry. Keep it out of O/D, stay around 2800 RPMs, and let the Cummins do it's job.

 

[MMeier]

Damn guys, this so called "hill" is only 350' long, seriously doubt he has to worry about OD, or lock up or even 3rd gear!!!!!

 

[CLAYTON]

Manually put it in first gear which activates another clutch and leave it in first for the duration of the hill.

 

[BGlidewell]

Manually put it in first gear which activates another clutch and leave it in first for the duration of the hill.

+1 ... ... .....

 

[thejeepdude]

+1 ... ... .....

+2 ... ... ... .



... at those speeds you won't get out of 1st before 350' anyways so might as well lock it in 1 until the top... no 4lo neccessary. Just make sure she has time to cool off before you shut'er down.

 

[EMurillo]

thanks guys, i forgot to mention the road is a dirt road driving up that hill

 

[FloridaEd]

Just put the transmission in "Drive" and give it the gas. 350' does not really count. I came up the Peace River Canyon in Canada, which is 8 - 10% for three miles on hard road, with my Furd (3. 73 rear) and 10,500' 5'ver and the transmission stayed in 2nd gear at 2700-2800 RPM. No problem.



You've got lots more torque with the Cummins than I had.



The only problem you might encounter is the wheels slipping on the soft surface of the road. Then, I'd look around for a tractor.....



The worst part, always, always, is coming down. If you have the trailer brakes too tight, the trailer wheels will lock up and slide, and then you lose all braking from the trailer wheels. Then comes a sharp turn. That's when you will pucker on a dirt road.



Florida Ed

 

[Mingoglia]

You guys are way way way over analyzing this 350' hill. Since you're offroad, put it in 4lo and be done with it. You will also not have a problem in 4hi. With the extra weight over the rear end you may even get away with 2hi, but I would stick it in 4lo just for the heck of it. A 9-10% is nothing even if you stop in the middle of the hill. I went up a steeper hill than that about 2 months ago that was washboarded. I stopped half way up to shift into 4lo and with my 5sp I just let the engine fuel up without touching the accelerator in 3rd gear low range, when I slowed down again because of the huge washboard I restarted in 2nd low range just because 3rd the previous time was just a little too high (even though it didn't *require* a downshift, just thought it was easier on the clutch the next time).



Oh yeah, I was pulling a tag with 1650 tongue weight and my gross combined is about 19,800 (I've weighed a few times loaded in the past), I have a '01 dually.

 

[FJfonda]

Just drive up it ---- let the trans do its thing. For a cooldown ---- remember that if the trans is in park it is not circulating thru the cooler... only in drive gears and neutral. Should you decide to use neutral to cool the trans down, don't forget the wheel chocks to suppliment your ebrake. I have a paved version of kinda the same thing and pull 12,000lbs up it. One part requires almost full throttle to crest, trans temps do climb ... and continue to do so once you are stopped.

 

[Bertram65]

thanks guys, i forgot to mention the road is a dirt road driving up that hill

That puts a whole different paint job on it, in that case put it in 4 wheel low, easier on the transmission and better traction.

 

[GerryDrake]

If you do put it in lo range, just don't 'romp' on it... . I've heard of a twisted axle, and other problems when you put that tremendous amount of torque on it with a big load... Normal acceleration, but no 'romping'. .

 

[Boondocker]

Power is not an issue. Traction is probably not an issue either. The only thing I'd be concerned about if turning into a grade is the attitude of the trailer to truck. Go slow and keep an eye on your rig. Your 4x4 is tall, probably leaving only the minimum bed to trailer clearance. Just make sure the front of the trailer doesn't get in a bind with the back of the truck.

 

[yycguy]

OK to fully analyze this we need some pictures of the hill, preferably some Aeriel shots as well as some surveyors drawings. Then we can come up with a full report.