Forum Discussion
Thanks! I know I was a little short on info. It's actually not the mountain driving I'm concerned about, it's whether the truck is up for the grades. It is a 2020 F-150 with the 2.7L Ecoboost and towing package which tops out at about 9,000 lbs capacity. I haven't weighed the trailer but your guess matches mine, probably about 6,000 lbs fully loaded. We went up an 8% grade recently and it felt like that would be its limit. The transmission temp was 210 (I'm not sure how much that matters but it's the hottest it's been since I've been watching). That was a relatively short grade, maybe 3-5 miles. I don't know how it would handle a long uphill slog because this is only our second season and haven't encountered anything like Yosemite.
I've been trying to find someone who's actually been up these roads because the guidance on the website is ambiguous. For example, on the CA-140 (Big Arch entrance) it mentions a 45' vehicle length restriction but offers a 60' combined vehicle restriction (max 35' trailer). The CA-120 entrance mentions the 45' limit but not the combined vehicle. I'm not sure if that's a fact or a website oversight. Also, I've read to take the CA-140 entrance because it's flatter and < 3000' elevation but once you're in the valley if you need to go to a campground at 7,600' then I'm not sure if it makes much difference taking CA-140.
My bad. I thought it was driving apprehension not equipment concerns.
I’ll check but I’m almost certain those 10 speeds run around 200deg normal operating temp. My last 2 Chevy 10 speeds did (same trans). I’ll check the F150 I’m driving now.
Keep the gears low, rpm’s up especially if the trans is building heat. And good trailer brakes. Wouldn’t bother me to pull that trailer with that truck up a mountain.
If I showed you pics of 10klbs on a 4klb trailer behind a half ton Silverado with the factory weenie rear tires pumped up to 65 psi over Chinook, Cayuse, White, Snoqualmie, Blewett, or Stevens passes or pulling the grade out of Vantage either direction from the Columbia. Sometimes on hot summer days, you would have no worries about your trailer in Yosemite.
Let er buck!