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!

[jacketsbum]

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!

[Sturgeon-Phish]

We pulled our ’31 QBH out west two years ago and took our grandkids with us. We took a month to cover just shy of 7000 miles as we live in Portsmouth, 100 miles south of you.
Are you taking kids, pets, spouse? Each adds a degree of complication and due consideration. Here is what we did.
Consider getting a National Park Pass. IT will save you money after about the third National Park you visit. Start getting reservations now. The campgrounds fill up fast and many will not accommodate a long camper. Measure your camper to get the length as sometimes the name in feet is misleading. Outside of the National parks are campgrounds that will accommodate longer campers.
Completely service the mechanicals on both the camper and truck. Being a newer unit the camper tires should be OK but get the wheel bearings greased. On the truck get the brakes and brake lines checked, all fluids changed, (motor oil, front and rear diff, transfer case, trans fluid coolant) and carry extra oil, coolant and trans fluid.) Get a way to change a flat on the camper and practice it before you need to do it. There are a lot of posts on this.
Go through the camper and get rid of unnecessary items, like the third crock pot, or more chairs than you have people to set in them. Just cause you have the room doesn’t mean you have to take it. You’re within the limits of the truck, but more weight when not necessary is wasteful.
A good investment is a means of monitoring your truck vital signs in addition to the factory gauges. You especially want to keep an eye on the EGTs (exhaust gas temperature) because many of the grades a very long and the temperatures can creep up before you realize it. I highly recommend an Edge Insight. It is much better than factory gauges and you can keep track of more vital going on of the drive train, and if you throw a code it will tell you what the code is and allow you to reset it.
We have an auxiliary fuel tank and that was a big asset having 80 gal. plus of fuel. Keep a roll of gorilla tape and not all the tools from the garage but enough to do minor fixes.
Maps and up to date GPS, worth their weight in gold. Our itinerary was fairly flexible and there were days when we went 500 miles and other days when we went 200. We had in mind what we wanted to see. I think we went to 8 National Parks on our trip. My bride kept all our reservations and the like in a binder.
Take clothes that will let you be comfortable in anything from 30°F to 110°F, and sunscreen and hats and sunglasses.
Have at least 2 extra sets of keys to the truck and the camper. A set for each adult and a set to hide on the camper and the truck.
Just a few thoughts.

Above all take plenty of patience and maintain a sense of humor.
Jim

[Ivylog]

And as luck would have it the next post was from the weight police worrying about the size of his truck. I like the size of his RV because I have a 42' one also and I do not have problems finding sites large enough. Sure it's a little harder but not impossible to find sites big enough, especially out West.
Like the OP I bought one that large because that's what I wanted and I don't see the point of why you had to question why we would do that.

[bgum]

Don't recall a comment or questions about weight. I did ask about size. Yes with the size of your rig it will be more difficult to get around than it is for a smaller rig. It is still possible but requires more planning. Ivy log does tend to jump to conclusions.

[kknowlton]

After Labor Day, some of the CGs in Yellowstone will be closing, and many of the ones inside the park won't have room for a rig your size. I recommend Grizzly RV in West Yellowstone - just outside the park boundary by only a few blocks, and has lots of pull-thru FHU sites for big rigs. Nice place to stay, and it makes for a good base camp for the park. I suggest a reservation, but I suspect that if you're going to be there much after Labor Day, it won't be essential as long as you arrive by 4 or 5 PM. (I almost always make reservations anywhere, but that's just me - I don't like unpleasant surprises.)

Renee is right, crowds are down but not gone, and many of the hotels, shops & restaurants in the park are still open. Depending on how late in September you go, you may get some fall color in the aspens, and you just might get a chance to hear elk bugling. Whether or not you get snow, you should be prepared for freezing temps overnight in the park, since the altitude is high (7000-8000 ft; West Yellowstone is at 6600 ft.)

Are you talking about 2-3 weeks total time for the trip? If so, take 3, minimum, and plan to spend about a week in Yellowstone & the Tetons. (You can take a day trip to the Tetons & Jackson from West Yellowstone; we've done it, with time for a picnic, lots of photo stops, and ice cream.)

[Naio]

I second the suggestion that you need to plan some days that are non-driving AND non-sightseeing. You will need to do laundry, get groceries, and just chillax :).

Personally, I like to drive 2 days (overnight in a cheap campground or a parking lot) and then stop for 2-3 nights in a real RV park. Longer if it's a destination spot, of course.

[time2roll]

Any questions on weight capacity should start with a trip to the scales.

[milkman41]

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

[cummins2014]

PM sent

[AH64ID]

The 15K will not be combined as that would be a light trailer and one much shorter than he mentioned.

500 miles a day is a lot at 60-65 mph, I would plan on 6-8 hours traveling a day and enjoy youreself.

Just be sure to avoid the bear tooth highway with that rig, otherwise paved roads shouldnt be an issue. Make your reservatoins soon.

Power is rarely the issue on a SRW, its wheel and tire capacity. Before setting out on a long trek I would hit the scales to confirm you are not overloading your rear tires.

[agesilaus]

You haven't towed in the mountains yet. The pin weight on that 5ver could be 3700 pounds which probably exceeds your payload capacity. It would on my truck.

[jacketsbum]

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.

[Padlin]

Made the trip last Sept, avoid the holiday weekend for travel unless you make reservations or will stay at WM's or the like. Had to spend a couple unplanned nights in Cody WY due to a snow storm.

[ReneeG]

agesilaus wrote:
"Do not let bgun's comment bother you as your rig looks like it's about the right size to me."
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Actually we don't know what he has other than a F-350. If he has a DRW 6.7L Diesel then he's probably OK. But if he has a SRW gasser then maybe not. A rig that big is enough to make you think about a MDT

He says he has a Powerstroke. Could be SRW, could be DRW. Our 2011 F350 DRW can tow up to 21,500. His is a 15K combined (I'm assuming).

[agesilaus]

"Do not let bgun's comment bother you as your rig looks like it's about the right size to me."
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Actually we don't know what he has other than a F-350. If he has a DRW 6.7L Diesel then he's probably OK. But if he has a SRW gasser then maybe not. A rig that big is enough to make you think about a MDT