Mountain RVing advice.
We're planning an extended RV trip for next spring that will put us in the mountains for part of it. Our Class C is a 1991 with a Ford 460 engine and automatic 3 speed (plus manual OD) transmission. ...
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Do not blow off people’s advice on brakes. My non-mechanic brother called me in a panic from up in the Sierra Nevada’s because he was having a severe and continuous problem with brake fade in his Ford powered 1991 Chinook. His problem was old brake fluid that had absorbed atmospheric moisture to the point where it lowered the temperature that his brake fluid would boil at. Since he’s my brother and I love him I flew out to California and rebuilt his entire brake system. But probably the one best thing I did was change out his DOT 3 brake fluid for severe duty DOT 5.1 brake fluid (not to be confused with DOT 5). DOT 5.1 brake fluid has a boiling point about 100 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the DOT 3 you probably have https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOT_5.1 . BTW he never had brake problems again.
As others have done I highly recommend the Mountain Directory. I purchased it online in the Cascades after I smoked the brakes on my class A on a long long long downgrade. BTW my 460 V8 powered rig, which is pictured in my profile, had no trouble going up mountains (albeit slowly), but going down mountains was a true learning experience even with DOT 5.1 brake fluid. Another thing I recommend is tire pressure/temperature monitors. It was how I learned that my brakes were overheating.
Steve
As others have done I highly recommend the Mountain Directory. I purchased it online in the Cascades after I smoked the brakes on my class A on a long long long downgrade. BTW my 460 V8 powered rig, which is pictured in my profile, had no trouble going up mountains (albeit slowly), but going down mountains was a true learning experience even with DOT 5.1 brake fluid. Another thing I recommend is tire pressure/temperature monitors. It was how I learned that my brakes were overheating.
Steve
