I have a Toyota Tundra and a 2011 North Trail 28' 5600lbs dry weight and looking at pulling camper to the mountains next year. My truck pulls this camper like it isn't there and brakes on camper and truck with great. What are some things for a newbie pulling a camper into the mountains? I've pulled many TT campers and boats just not in any mountains. What would be any advice you'd offer to someone new to pulling in mountains? Thanks for any advice?

Typical advice is, whatever gear you use to climb the mountain, use the same gear to descend. So, if you're on your way up and your truck is "searching" for the best gear (shifting back and forth a lot), select the lower gear for it. Stay in that gear as long as you need to. As you near the top, you can put it back in its automatic mode. Then, on the way down, when you find yourself braking a lot, put it back in that lower gear and use the engine to brake. You don't want to ride your brakes all the way down, that's for sure. As you begin to reach the bottom, and engine-braking doesn't seem necessary, put it back in automatic.In my experience, the braking part is more important than the climbing part. My first time through the Rockies with a trailer I pretty much burned up a set of brakes because I didn't know about this rule of thumb.Good travels!-Speak

Use lower gears going up hill to keep the engine RPMs up. Better engine cooling. Manually shift to lower gears going down. Do Not ride the brakes. Let the engine do all the work. I drive the mountains all the time.

Ditto what others have said. I had a Tundra at one time as well and pulled about the same size trailer. I'd suggest once you crest the hill to leave it in the gear you climbed up in and start down slowly. Don't put it in to D and count on the engine slowing you down -- before you know it you are speeding up quickly and applying your brakes. Keep it in the low gear and start off slow and let the engine keep you slow.

Ditto on all the above advice. I live in Colorado and drive these roads a lot and usually smell burning brakes (not mine) coming down the passes.And watch out for them sidehill gougers, I think they have them up in BC, too.And I might add that if you see a runaway truck ramp, don't use it for a place to pull over unless it's an emergency. My grandfather, upon seeing one many years ago when they first started putting them on the passes, pulled over into one and sank up to his axles in gravel and was pretty darn stuck.

If your Tundra is equipped like ours, it may have a form of engine braking built into it, which is a big help in mountains. We've used it a lot(but not in place of gearing down). As others said, gear down going both uphill and down. Assuming you have the 6-speed tranny, you have a sort-of-manual setting on your gear shift. That's how we tow all the time. You will probably find uphill towing to be a pretty neat experience. The most frustrating thing about it to me is that our truck tends to accelerate uphill, while others don't, and getting stuck behind someone who's struggling can be a bit irritating. :)Enjoy your trip!

Planning Mountain Trip | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

myredracer
Explorer II
May 25, 2016
krobbe wrote:
coolbreeze01 wrote:
When you see a 15mph curve sign, believe it ;)

X2
When driving a car in the mountains, those curve signs are suggested speeds.
When towing, they're pretty accurate.

It's my understanding that transportation engineers and departments set the max. curve speeds for the highest that the largest/heaviest of vehicles can safely negotiate. I've yet to find one that seemed higher than it should be when towing our TT in 4 states and BC.

One of the best upgrades I've done to our TT is installing shocks plus I installed Bilsteins on the truck. The handling of our truck + trailer together works very well on mountain roads that are really curvy with lots of bumps and dips. I keep the TT tires at 65 psi and the truck at 75F/80R.
bigbullelk
Explorer
May 25, 2016
coolbreeze01 wrote:
On steep downhills, pick a gear lower than you think is needed.On steep downhills, pick a gear lower than you think is needed. Overheated brakes, while hard to believe, still happen and ruin trips.

X2!
krobbe
Explorer
May 24, 2016
coolbreeze01 wrote:
When you see a 15mph curve sign, believe it ;)

X2
When driving a car in the mountains, those curve signs are suggested speeds.
When towing, they're pretty accurate.
coolbreeze01
Explorer
May 24, 2016
When you see a 15mph curve sign, believe it ;)
bluepost
Explorer
May 24, 2016
As others have said....start the downhills slow....no more than 50 mph depending on the amount of turns. Manually shift between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th on the way down on the steep sections.

Keep your hand operated brake controller close and ready. Your trailer will be pushing you downhill, IF it starts to sway, you want to activate the trailer brakes manually before hitting your truck brakes. If you happen to stab your truck brakes, and depending on your brake controller, you could get your trailer coming around the side of you. When you do brake normally, BRAKE and then release.....take at least 3-5mph off, don't use brakes to hold a speed.

This all sounds more complicated than it is. Just keep it slow.
coolbreeze01
Explorer
May 24, 2016
On steep downhills, pick a gear lower than you think is needed. Overheated brakes, while hard to believe, still happen and ruin trips.
RiverRat78
Explorer
May 24, 2016
kknowlton wrote:
If your Tundra is equipped like ours, it may have a form of engine braking built into it, which is a big help in mountains. We've used it a lot(but not in place of gearing down). As others said, gear down going both uphill and down. Assuming you have the 6-speed tranny, you have a sort-of-manual setting on your gear shift. That's how we tow all the time.

You will probably find uphill towing to be a pretty neat experience. The most frustrating thing about it to me is that our truck tends to accelerate uphill, while others don't, and getting stuck behind someone who's struggling can be a bit irritating. :)

Enjoy your trip!

Yeah I have a 2008 with 6 speed tranny. I've had several different brand trucks and this has been my best truck I've ever owned. Never been this happy with a truck purchase.

Thanks everyone, I have several plasma to hit the mountains with our camper and just trying to figure things out for driving wise.
kknowlton
Explorer II
May 24, 2016
If your Tundra is equipped like ours, it may have a form of engine braking built into it, which is a big help in mountains. We've used it a lot(but not in place of gearing down). As others said, gear down going both uphill and down. Assuming you have the 6-speed tranny, you have a sort-of-manual setting on your gear shift. That's how we tow all the time.

You will probably find uphill towing to be a pretty neat experience. The most frustrating thing about it to me is that our truck tends to accelerate uphill, while others don't, and getting stuck behind someone who's struggling can be a bit irritating. :)

Enjoy your trip!
2lazy4U
Explorer
May 24, 2016
Ditto on all the above advice. I live in Colorado and drive these roads a lot and usually smell burning brakes (not mine) coming down the passes.

And watch out for them sidehill gougers, I think they have them up in BC, too.

And I might add that if you see a runaway truck ramp, don't use it for a place to pull over unless it's an emergency. My grandfather, upon seeing one many years ago when they first started putting them on the passes, pulled over into one and sank up to his axles in gravel and was pretty darn stuck.
bigbullelk
Explorer
May 24, 2016
Ditto what others have said. I had a Tundra at one time as well and pulled about the same size trailer. I'd suggest once you crest the hill to leave it in the gear you climbed up in and start down slowly. Don't put it in to D and count on the engine slowing you down -- before you know it you are speeding up quickly and applying your brakes. Keep it in the low gear and start off slow and let the engine keep you slow.