Let me preface this post by saying I am a firm believer in life experience being a far greater teacher than any book or professor. With that said, my DW and I are planning a trip in the next 1-1 1/2 years to the area of Ashville NC. We want to set up a base camp and then explore areas like Brevard, Blueridge Parkway, Boone, Hendersonville just to name a few. I will be towing a 30' EW 6100# TT with a Ford F-150 eco boost, all of my towing experience is on the flat land of Florida and Georgia. I'm asking you guys for advice from your experiences on what to expect towing in that area, what routes should I avoid or take advantage of and ideas of where to camp. I've driven various routes in that area before but not towing a TT. Prior to the trip, I plan on having the brakes checked and replacing the off brand tires with either Maxxis or Carlisle tires. Feel free to PM me if you'd like with any info or just keep this post going. Thanks and safe travels.

You have a good combination and should have no problems.Kind of a thumb rule: Go down hill no faster than you towed up that hill.(Living and camping where we do, it's hard to think of not dealing with mountains and steep grades).Having been to Florida a number of times I remember that the highest elevation was an overpass on the highway.....:)

You won't run into more than small hills going from Florida to NC. Don't sweat it. Gear down on hills and if you need your brakes use them in intervals rather than riding them constantly so they have a chance to cool and don't overheat.

We did the entire Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive last summer. We found that 50 miles from base and return was enough for one day, since we wanted to allow time for frequent stops at overlooks and various points of interest. Therefore, we picked bases spaced about 100 miles apart. Asheville was the first base, then we moved up to Boone. (Although you may not need a base beyond that, our other bases were in the vicinities of Meadows of Dan, Natural Bridge, and Harrisonburg.)Near Asheville, we were happy with Campfire Lodgings. That was a small RV park with great views from a mountaintop and very friendly hosts. The final approach to Campfire is a pretty steep grade!

Biggest thing would be to understand how to use your transmission and lower gears to go down hill, not riding your brakes down hill, you will over heat the rotors and shoes. For the most part there are no really hair raising hills to deal with in that area but..... you are not in FL any more Toto and you will be dealing with hilly terrain. Your route may make a difference too. 95 to 26 on into Asheville is tame and no real issues.

On any mountain or hill road; gear down going up and gear down going down.

TT towing advice for the mountains | Good Sam Community

34 Replies

GrandpaKip
Explorer II
Jan 24, 2017
We live on a mountain in Henderson County. We've been most places that you will tow your camper up here. I don't believe you should have any problems towing as long as you stay on paved, main roads. Do not trust your GPS as it can send you on some pretty, hairy drives.
BizmarksMom
Explorer
Jan 24, 2017
Here in Idaho, there are extremely few options for paved turnouts. If the gravel is level, I go ahead and use it. I'm probably going to be using a gravel road to get to my campsite anyway.
dpowli
Explorer
Jan 24, 2017
You are correct! I misread what was being stated.
time2roll
Nomad
Jan 23, 2017
dpowli wrote:
hohenwald48 wrote:
A little nit picking point. Most grades in the US are indicated in percent and not degrees. A 7 percent grade means that you go up 7 feet for every 100 feet of roadway. A 7 percent grade is the equivalent of about a 4 degree slope. "Degree" and "percent" are not interchangeable terms.

Sorry, but I beg to disagree. A 100% grade equals a 45 degree angle of slope.

Clicky
That is the same thing. 45 degree is 100% in that you move forward 100' and you go up 100'.
What is the confusion?

The original point was that 45 degree was not the same as 45 percent.
tragusa3
Explorer
Jan 23, 2017
OP, I have a very similar rig and your targeted area is my home turf. You should have no issues whatsoever. Climbing or descending, I have never felt the need for more truck.

You guys have too much testosterone with your "our mountains are bigger than yours" banter. Yes, they are higher and longer out west, but generally not any steeper. In many ways, I find our mountains to be a tougher place to tow due to the tight quarters, extremely twisty roads causing low visibility of what's coming up (don't use BRP as your gauge, it is not representative of most of the smaller roads). I have been more relaxed generally during our time in the Rockies.
dpowli
Explorer
Jan 23, 2017
hohenwald48 wrote:
A little nit picking point. Most grades in the US are indicated in percent and not degrees. A 7 percent grade means that you go up 7 feet for every 100 feet of roadway. A 7 percent grade is the equivalent of about a 4 degree slope. "Degree" and "percent" are not interchangeable terms.

Sorry, but I beg to disagree. A 100% grade equals a 45 degree angle of slope.

Clicky
RPreeb
Explorer
Jan 22, 2017
hohenwald48 wrote:
I refuse to pull over in gravel or off a road edge drop off. I'll take my chances with the local LEO's. I'm not going to risk damage to my tires or rig just because the folks behind me might be in a hurry. If I'm going the speed limit I'm not pulling over regardless unless there is an extra driving lane on the right. Say what you want, quote all the laws you want I'm not taking the chance.

A lot of my driving is already on gravel roads. If I had a problem with pulling off on gravel, I wouldn't be doing much driving.:R
hohenwald48
Explorer
Jan 22, 2017
I refuse to pull over in gravel or off a road edge drop off. I'll take my chances with the local LEO's. I'm not going to risk damage to my tires or rig just because the folks behind me might be in a hurry. If I'm going the speed limit I'm not pulling over regardless unless there is an extra driving lane on the right. Say what you want, quote all the laws you want I'm not taking the chance.
coolbreeze01
Explorer
Jan 22, 2017
RPreeb "Where the opportunity exists, I pull over on paved turnouts. Where no such opportunity exists, I look for option B, and that would be a gravel turnout with a minimal drop off. I'm not going to take a chances with my rig, but I'm also not going to force anyone to follow me any farther than necessary."

Me too, but the mountains is where a diesel really shines. Seldom have a need to pull over. Plenty of power going up and exhaust braking going down, allowing faster yet safer descents than gasoline engines.
RPreeb
Explorer
Jan 22, 2017
Terryallan wrote:
RPreeb wrote:
hohenwald48 wrote:
profdant139 wrote:
One more tip -- look way ahead for good spots to turn out and let the folks behind you pass safely. A really good turnout will be paved and long, with no dropoff from the road to the shoulder. Many are short or unpaved or un-level or all three. Signal way ahead of time before pulling over, and get your speed way down before leaving the pavement.

I would never pull over to let others pass unless there is a lane specifically for that purpose. Pulling off to an unpaved shoulder or driving over any kind of road edge drop off is a sure fire way to damage your tires.

If there is no significant edge to the pavement, I'll always pull over at a wide spot when I've picked up a train. Waiting for a paved turnout isn't always an option, and I'm not going to be that jerk who thinks he owns the road.

you would wait for a turn out in the Blue ridge Mountains. Our mountain roads give you 2 choices. Stay on the pavement, or either hit the cliff on one side, or go down the cliff on the other. Rarely is there another choice. Our mountain road just aren't real wide. We have several that you have to use BOTH side of the road to just get by. You literally can look out the side window, and see the side of the TT.

It all depends on the situation. I'm in Colorado, I've driven extensively in the Rockies, and your Blue Ridge has nothing on our mountains. We have hills and curves and no shoulders, and we have them all the way up to 12,000 feet.

Where the opportunity exists, I pull over on paved turnouts. Where no such opportunity exists, I look for option B, and that would be a gravel turnout with a minimal drop off. I'm not going to take a chances with my rig, but I'm also not going to force anyone to follow me any farther than necessary.

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TT towing advice for the mountains

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