Smoky Mountains question

Easy. Don't give it another thought.

And you'll be able to go as fast as you feel comfortable. There is plenty of power on tap to pass trucks on grades going much slower than you ever want to.

Find the RPM range and gear combo that provides the right power for your speed. Use RPM's for high horse power needs (passing) if needed. Gas engines get a bad rap ONLY because people are afraid of high RPM and using their right foot vs trying to keep RPM's low and babying the motor. Don't baby it!

A few things I have learned in pulling heavy loads that I can share with you:
Wheel bearings should be hand packed by removing the wheel and inspecting everything. New seals are in order when you do this. Do not use a grease gun and pump massive amounts of grease into the zerk fitting......it will end up on your brake shoes.

If there is grease on the brake shoes, replace them. It cannot all be cleaned off with a solvent....

Don't ride the brakes going downhill. Get on them to bleed off some speed and then coast and cool the brakes. Use lower gears.

When pulling up steep grades, don't arrive at the top and pull over to cool things off. The heat you have generated going up must be dissipated by keeping the engine running and the transmission in gear or at least in neutral. Some transmissions do not pump fluid through the cooler in Park....It's always a good idea to continue driving a few miles to let it cool down before stopping but if you can't just keep the motor running at a fast idle in neutral.

Tires on trailers are a big consideration. All of them until recently were made in China and cannot take much abuse. Folks call them China bombs because they blow. Even if they look good with great tread depth you should look at the code on the sidewall of the tire and determine manufacturing date, if over 5 years replace them!!!!!! Age matters more than tread depth. Also tire pressure should be at the recommended pressure stated on the sidewall.

Good maintenance and knowledge of what to prepare for will ensure you of a safe enjoyable trip

Likes to tow wrote:
Having ample power to pull steep grades is not the only consideration. You must be able to go down the other side. If you have never pulled a trailer in the mountains you need to think about the condition of your trailer brakes and trailer bearings. You cannot ride the brakes all the way down because they overheat and fade to nothing!! Gasoline engines will help hold you back if you use lower gears. Diesels must have an exhaust brake to do so effectively.

When we go to the Smoky Mts we always come in from the Interstate 40 down to the Sevierville area and stay at Ripplin Waters Campground. I always try to avoid steep grades when possible. I suggest you read all you can on this and other forums before pulling a heavy trailer in the mountains. Interstate highways generally are designed to allow safe travel. We have been on some roads that have caused the brakes on the truck to smoke when we stopped. Mountain driving is not dangerous if you know what you are doing and plan your routes accordingly.

Thanks for that info, I plan to do piles and piles of research so I can ensure I am as safe as possible. I wouldn't want to endager the lives of my family or anyone elses.

Having ample power to pull steep grades is not the only consideration. You must be able to go down the other side. If you have never pulled a trailer in the mountains you need to think about the condition of your trailer brakes and trailer bearings. You cannot ride the brakes all the way down because they overheat and fade to nothing!! Gasoline engines will help hold you back if you use lower gears. Diesels must have an exhaust brake to do so effectively.

When we go to the Smoky Mts we always come in from the Interstate 40 down to the Sevierville area and stay at Ripplin Waters Campground. I always try to avoid steep grades when possible. I suggest you read all you can on this and other forums before pulling a heavy trailer in the mountains. Interstate highways generally are designed to allow safe travel. We have been on some roads that have caused the brakes on the truck to smoke when we stopped. Mountain driving is not dangerous if you know what you are doing and plan your routes accordingly.

If you take I 20 to Columbia and I 26 to I 40, Asheville, the only big pull we have is on I 26 just south of Asheville. About a 6% grade for a few miles with slow truck lanes. We end up in 2nd gear about 35 mph right behind the semis. From there to Cherokee, Waynesville cutoff or Pigeon Forge is a breeze.

Let it rev up hill, slow down and down shift going downhill.

You will be fine.

Thanks,

Jeremiah

jwireman89 wrote:
Do not try to go from Cherokee to Gatlinburg through the park pulling a 5th wheel! There are several tight switchbacks and low clearance tunnels.

???

Have pulled a 30' 5th wheel from Smokemont to Cades Cove across New Found Gap every October for the last 10 years. Just use lower gears to help keep your speed under control.

what year is your truck. I'm thinking you should be able to tow more than your estimate.

Anticipate the grades and hit the bottom in the power band even if you have to downshift manually to get the revs up. You will be able to carry the grade much better that way. Let the engine rev, it's designed to do that. You don't state what year your truck is but I suspect 3500 RPM at least is where you want to be when you hit the grade and pour the coal to it to maintain speed.
Have fun, it's beautiful country.

I suspect your Cougar is under 7500 unloaded. I had two before my present one, a Sprinter. This new trailer is 11,000 lbs loaded and I pull it with a 5.7. I avoid the steepest grades and have no problem. I'm at the top of my truck's towing ability and plan to upgrade to the larger 6.4. The previous two Cougar 5th wheels were towed without problems. I towed over the Rockies and hit 8 percent grades. You should have no problem with your combo.