Trip to Yellowstone

[jacketsbum]

We are looking to make a long trek from the Columbus Ohio area to Yellowstone and back in September. We'll be driving a '13 Ford F350 Powerstroke and pulling a '15 FR Sandpiper 35ROK fiver that is 2" shy of 42' long. The GVWR is 15000 lbs. I have never pulled that monster on a trip that far and don't really know what to expect. The farthest I have taken it is Mammoth Cave KY, about 600 miles round trip. I have many questions and have been told this is the forum to ask them. So.....
Is this rig too big to travel that far? Is there a place to find out Big Rig RV friendly roads? I am 13' 2" tall and don't need to run into 12' underpasses or hair pin turns! What's it like pulling something that big in the mountains? I figured I could travel 400-500 miles per day under normal conditions. Are campgrounds out there hard to find for a rig that big? Are they first come-first serve or do I need to make reservations? Are Full hook ups available or mostly primitive? Should I take a generator? I've heard traveling that far is hard on wheels and bearings on a rig that big, true or not? Is 2-3 weeks enough to see the Dakotas, Yellowstone and the Tetons? How about weather in Sept? Are the crowds gone then or at least minimized? How about overnight stays going out? Are Wal Mart lots really safe? How about truck stops, Flying J, Pilot, etc.? We would like to take our time and see things as we go, MT Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Badlands etc and then maybe just express it on the way back with quick overnight stops. I'm sure I'll think of other things and I'll post them here as we go. BTW, I am 67 and the better half is 66 so please take that into account. We won't be doing any long hiking or biking trips.
I would appreciate any and all answers and any other tips and advice any one posts! Thanks in advance!

[tinner12002]

Make sure you have a good spare aired up to proper inflation...something a lot of people overlook. I carry two spares but that's because I had 2 flats on one trip as a result of scrubbing the sidewalls, fortunately I had two spares then also...wasn't fun. Second spare doesn't take up much extra room...better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

[stsmark]

Rafter Bar J in Hill City is a real nice campground as well.

[shadows4]

jacketsbum wrote:
Ok, another question! We are planning on going to the Mt Rushmore, Black Hills, Badlands area. We are looking at Custer State Park or Custer Crazy Horse campground. http://rushmorecabins.com/ or if someone has a great place, we'll listen! We want to see everything in the area so maybe 3-5 nights? Is that too much or not enough? Figured we'll do some relaxing in that time also. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

You might try Beaver Lake Campground. Owned by a forum member here. Treated us like family and felt like they truely enjoyed us being there as much as we enjoyed being there. Good luck, John
P.S. Make sure you stop by the Purple Pie Place in Custer, S.D., awesome pie!!

[TGPILOT]

I try to go to the Teton's and Yellowstone every year. In one two year period, I visited the area 13 times. Never stayed at Grizzly, was thinking about it until I got on their web site and read a few negative comments. That and they are pretty pricy. I have stayed in Yellowstone with a 40 footer for a few nights about ten years ago, wasn't bad. It was a primitive campground. We are planning on spending two months or more in the area this year, leaving about June 15th.

[jacketsbum]

Ok, another question! We are planning on going to the Mt Rushmore, Black Hills, Badlands area. We are looking at Custer State Park or Custer Crazy Horse campground. http://rushmorecabins.com/ or if someone has a great place, we'll listen! We want to see everything in the area so maybe 3-5 nights? Is that too much or not enough? Figured we'll do some relaxing in that time also. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[thomas201]

You have lots of good advice. If you look at your map, and go across S. Dakota, then up the Yellowstone to Gardnier, you will have no big mountain passes to cross. I tow with a 6.7 Super Duty, like you, and the mountains are not a problem. I like staying in Gardnier at the campground right in town. The campground is on top of a big hill, but you can still walk to a garage and supermarket (at least in 2012).

Good fresh baked bread at the supermarket. Have the garage change the oil and maybe the fuel filters on a rainy or down day. They were reasonable in price in 2012. Bring your filters and synthetic oil for the Ford in case they do not have them.

If you are RC, go to mass at the log church in Teton Park. We got a Chicago Bishop out to Christen a family member. They were all real nice to a couple from lower Slobovia. Our jeans and travel shirts were a little out of place that day.

Add a week if you can, and do see the sights in S. Dakota. My NJ wife loves the Badlands, and I liked the girls with body paint in Sturgis (Motorcycle rally week). We saw Bighorn sheep in the Badlands, and big something else in Sturgis. And take the time to walk around Devils Tower. And drive the road less traveled.

Cheers

[45Ricochet]

milkman41 wrote:
We go to Yellowstone every other year. Sept will be beautiful, cold, sunny, rainy, maybe a little snow. Really nice cg is the Grizzly in west Yellowstone

X2 on the campground. We always camp outside the park and take day trips into the park. Yes 5-7 you should allow for Yellowstone and the Tetons. And you have to visit the Million Dollar Bar in Jackson Hole.

[rmalik1]

jacketsbum wrote:
Wow, lots of good advice here and quick! I have a F350 Diesel SRW. I've never had a problem pulling the big rig weight wise, plenty of power! As to why I bought a rig that size, well, we were at a camper show and .....you know how that goes. We had a 35' Cougar TT before that and believe me, the fiver is easier to pull than that! We love the rig but was just concerned about pulling it that far and what to expect.
I appreciate all the replies and am printing a lot of them for reference.

mostly good advice given - if ur weight/truck is correct, use advice on how to get overpass heights(motor carriers atlas, Garmin Diezl GPS), me and wife have stayed @ walmart etc, check area online before stopping. We only travel 300 mi. per day but up to u, probably will have to stay outside of park. Have Fun

[AH64ID]

Most modern cars run sealed wheel bearings, and have for several decades. That isn't really a good comparrison.

[Ivylog]

The rear axle on a FWD car is much the same design as your trailer axle. How often do you repack those bearings?
Since it's not until Sept, buy a IR temp gun ($10 on Ebay) and start checking your tire and bearing temps after a couple hundred miles now. You are looking for something out of the norm... not more than 120 for the bearings and 130 on the sidewall of the tire near the tread on a hot day. Pull into a rest area without using your brakes and start checking your temps to establish a base line. If one is hotter than the rest, it could be a dragging brake, not the bearings.
With a turbo diesel truck there is very little difference in towing in the mountains except for the longer down hills. Use the tow/haul, not your brakes to keep the speed down... you'll be fine.

[AH64ID]

jacketsbum wrote:
Again more great tips and suggestions. I'm a little concerned with the weight now if towing in the mountains makes a huge difference on pin weight. I'll get that checked next week. We've had the unit a year and camped about 12 trips, weight has never been an issue, half the time I forget its back there! But the mountains are a different animal, I will take the advice of those who have 'been there, done that'!

Even though we've been on a dozen trips, there is probably no more than 3000-3500 miles on the rig. Would wheel bearings need repacked after that? They are supposed to be EZ Lube but it seems a little early for that!

Mountains make zero difference on pin weight, either you have enough tire for the load or you don't.

No need to let it scare you, just find out that you are working with before embarking on a long road trip.

I would have the bearings repacked. Mosly because mos OE pack jobs leave a lot to be desired, IME.

[taken]

Another thing you could do is get a Garmin 760 RV NAV unit. You enter your weight, width, and height and it will avoid anything that isn't right for your RV. I didn't have one on my last 40' rig, 102" wide, 16k rig, and never had to turn around once in 10k miles and 7 states/Canada. This one came with it as part of a NAV/Back Up Camera option on our new rig and worked fine on the 800 mile trip home from OH. Like most options, I don't feel I need it, but I do like gadgets so I'm glad I have it. The back up cam showing up in the NAV screen is cool too.

Bottom line, you'll be fine on your trip. Use a ladder as a analogy. If you can climb a 10 footer, you can climb a 12 and so on. It's just one more step...

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Sometimes they don't get greased very well when the unit is assembled. A torque wrench and socket for the camper lug nuts is essential.

[cummins2014]

jacketsbum wrote:
Again more great tips and suggestions. I'm a little concerned with the weight now if towing in the mountains makes a huge difference on pin weight. I'll get that checked next week. We've had the unit a year and camped about 12 trips, weight has never been an issue, half the time I forget its back there! But the mountains are a different animal, I will take the advice of those who have 'been there, done that'!

Even though we've been on a dozen trips, there is probably no more than 3000-3500 miles on the rig. Would wheel bearings need repacked after that? They are supposed to be EZ Lube but it seems a little early for that!

Its unfortunate that some have put doubt in your mind. I live in Utah , I have towed a lot of the western grades, trust me you have no worries with what weight you have, and that 6.7 Superduty. If you like the way it tows back east, you won't have a thought when you go over some of the mountain passes here in the west. I bought my fifth wheel in Indiana, and went back ,and picked it up. If you go the route I went to New Castle ,Indiana it was a walk in the park back to Utah. If not it still not an issue.


My fifth wheel is 15500 GVWR , last weigh in I was just shy of 13K partially loaded. Fully loaded right around 13300. Up until just over a year ago I towed that 38' fifth wheel with a 1999 Ford Superduty 350 with the 7.3 diesel. It didn't win any races on the long grades ,but did okay. With this new Ram with the 6.7 cummins its not an issue.

If it makes you feel better, have the bearings packed ,and brakes adjusted. I go longer then most ,but once a year will keep you out of trouble.