Our best trip yet... southern Utah!
Just returned from a 9 day trip to the canyons of southern Utah and WOW! We broke the 575 miles from Tucson to Moab into two legs stopping in Tuba City both coming and going. Spent 3 days and night...
Forum Discussion
pnichols wrote:
Desert Captain,
I'm curious ... did you travel those terrific grades you mention in your E350 Class C, or on your Harley?
We've traveled up some steep roads in our E450 Class C, but those climbs were for very short distances and we have a different differential ratio to help with transmission heating.
Phil, the 18 and 14 per cent grades were done on my Harley in the middle of a 225 mile 6 hour ride. We routinely run into 10 per cent grades in our travels in the E-350/4:10 rear end but since I always run in Tow Haul it has never been a problem. Most 6 to 8 percenters don't even require much, if any use of the brakes.
On the long climbs my trusty Scan Gauge keeps me apprised of the transmission and coolant temps. Even the eastbound climb up and out of Panamint Springs in Death Vally on a triple digit day in September did no harm but 224 and 230 were the highest readings I have ever seen and hopefully won't occur again. Once we cleared the summit they both immediately dropped back to normal {195/197}.
Just for fun here is a shot I took up in northern California just outside of grass Vally/Nevada City. It's not a long grade but what it lacks in length it sure makes up for in the steepness:
:C
