What to expect with a new gasser
Looking at a new gas class A on the Ford F-53 Chassis and am wondering just what to expect. Would need a 5K toad which would put me up close to the GCWR of 30K. All this from a 320HP 460 Torque gas ...
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We have taken our F53 over the Rockies, Sierras, Appalachians, Cascades, and all over Alaska. We run at about 26K lbs. Yes, we slow down a bit, especially on very long grades, but we get there. Our two worst experiences so far:
In the Brooks Range on the Dalton Highway we hit a section dubbed, "The Roller Coaster." The day we hit it, it was a muddy unpaved 12 percent grade mess going up. We were more afraid, if we got going too slow, that we would slide off the side of the road and into the very deep ditches. We made the top, chugging along at a quick 20 MPH. We also picked up about 200 lbs of mud between the toad and the bus.
Around Verde Valley in Arizona, on Route 17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff, there are some very long grades. We have done them both ways, a few times, and they are a slog when going up. Near the end, we are dragging butt at around 35 MPH, but so are the trucks so we always have company. Going down never seems to be a problem.
In the Brooks Range on the Dalton Highway we hit a section dubbed, "The Roller Coaster." The day we hit it, it was a muddy unpaved 12 percent grade mess going up. We were more afraid, if we got going too slow, that we would slide off the side of the road and into the very deep ditches. We made the top, chugging along at a quick 20 MPH. We also picked up about 200 lbs of mud between the toad and the bus.
Around Verde Valley in Arizona, on Route 17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff, there are some very long grades. We have done them both ways, a few times, and they are a slog when going up. Near the end, we are dragging butt at around 35 MPH, but so are the trucks so we always have company. Going down never seems to be a problem.
