Route Advice. 75 or 24 and 65

Agree with Jeb5. Drove a truck up and down there. USHIP will tow it for about $1/mi.

UP date.... I made it home.

Thank you for the advice..

by my guess. I may have been 500 pounds over weight....

me, wife. 300 pounds of tools and big floor jack. 5 days of cloths each. 200 pounds of fiberglass truck cap.

plus 3,300 pounds of trailer

and Dodge said it could pull 3,300 pounds.

gas mileage... V6, 11.6, 13.1, 11.8, 12.1 North Georgia to Cleveland Ohio.
and maintained 60.... a couple of 50 going up the large hills.
50 in third = 3,200 rpms.

Thanks All,

currently in London Ky... 300 miles yesterday (Thursday)
truck is doing well .. mostly 4th gear. a couple of hills in 3rd..

as long as the engine is at 3,000 or more. it has good power.

and I did have to pass a few truck going up the large hill. did OK...

will continue I75 to I71...

Chuck, we live about 10 miles off 75 around Findlay (between Toledo and Dayton). I would advise coming north on I-75 to I-71 south of Cincy. Then take I-71 to Cleveland. At least that is what I would do. Other than Atlanta being a PITA it was a fairly easy trip. The only real pull you have is Jelico in Northern Tennessee. Good Luck and Happy Camping and Safe Travels.

PS. We have also traveled I-77 which will take you to Cleveland. If I remember right this will have more pulls on it than I-75.

Thank You again.. jaycocamprs....

I for-see 3rd a lot and some 2nd... at 4,000...rpm's.

and forget 5th.. the truck empty will not pull hills...unless its over 80.

We will see.. I am currently in Georgia.. will pull out tomorrow (Thursday)
I hope we make it home. 675 miles one way.

Chuck_thehammer wrote:
I have a 04 Ram 1500 V6.. 3.7 with a 5 speed manual transmission...

Clutch is the most likely weak link. Once you get rolling I think you will be all right. I doubt you will be able to use 5'th gear at all. Find a speed that you can run in 4'th that has decent RPM. I think that the steep hills will take 3'rd, and I would shift into 3'rd early enough that you get 3,500+ RPM. If you can hold that RPM good, climb the hill at that speed. If not drop to 2'nd and repeat. But I think that you should be able to pull the 6% grades with 3'rd. Watch out for real slow trucks, (heavy haul and oversize) the one that are doing 5-10 MPH. You don't want to stall out, and they have lower gears than you do.

I have a 04 Ram 1500 V6.. 3.7 with a 5 speed manual transmission.

I just replace all 4 brakes last week. changed motor oil, transmission fluid AND final drive lube... has 3.55 true-loc... yesterday...all synthetic

truck has 45,000 miles... I bought it New...

I am just trying NOT to kill my truck..

Trailer is a Golf Stream. Ameri-lite... 21MB.. 21 foot, twin axle.. and trailer has anti-sway bars.

Thank You for your help and understanding.
and for the info in OP.. I can not seem to locate how to do it..

I now understand your situation. A little more info in your OP would have been helpful. Since this is a one time trip,and based on your circumstances, I would select the I-75 option, as it is a little flatter and traffic through Knoxville will be easier than Nashville. Keep your truck under 50 mph on the hills and below 65 on the flat, and you should have no issues. Most semi's slow to these speeds when climbing and descending steep hills, so you will still be in the flow. Stay in the right lane and make people pass you. Make sure your truck's transmission and brakes (including the trailer) are in good working order before departing. Make sure your truck has a transmission cooler and fresh oil(15K miles or less). An engine oil change may also be in order. Keep an eye on your engine temp (very important) and don't be afraid to pull over and let it cool down when necessary. You didn't say what kind of trailer your towing. If it's a TT, make sure you have the correct hitch and weight distribution system, because your tow rating is dependent on a "properly equipped tow vehicle". Lastly, don't get in a hurry and you should be OK.

jaycocamprs wrote:
I-24 you have Monteagle. As said about 5 miles of about 6%. It is 3 lane up the east side, 2 lanes down the west side. I-75 you have Jellico Mountain, longer but not quite as steep. 2 lanes up and down. There are of course lots of short hills, some of which are over 6%. The flatest way would be I-20 over to I-65 in Birmingham and north from there.

Thank You... this is useful information.

I-24 you have Monteagle. As said about 5 miles of about 6%. It is 3 lane up the east side, 2 lanes down the west side. I-75 you have Jellico Mountain, longer but not quite as steep. 2 lanes up and down. There are of course lots of short hills, some of which are over 6%. The flatest way would be I-20 over to I-65 in Birmingham and north from there.