GPS

[Buster52]

I was informed by someone that my trip from Nashville TN to Russellville KY would take me up a very steep grade and I may try a different route. My question is do any GPS or traveling program route you the best way by avoiding problems in a route?

[PHE]

Buster52 wrote:
......My buddy used his gps on a Motorcycle trip. It put him down a dirt road full of ruts. So I want to avoid problems while driving my 5th wheel.

Quite likely your "Buddy" selected "SHORTEST" when ask to select the route.

If he had selected "FASTED" he would not have been routed on back, dirt etc. roads.

This is a common problem and is often written-up (newspapers, TV News Stories, etc.) and often a "First-Time User problem"

phe

[ncrowley]

I had an interesting experience with my Garmin. I have the RV specific Garmin and we were in Prescott. We got in the toad and asked it to route us to Jerome, AZ, which is a small ex-mining town in the mountains. We knew it was about 30 miles away but the GPS said it was 110 miles away. We turned in on and off and it still said it was 110 miles away. We then realized the Garmin was still in RV mode and it knew the direct road going up there was no place for an RV. We put the GPS in car mode and it told us we were about 30 miles away!

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

My Rand-McNally RVND-7725LM 'Good Sam' GPS gives me steep grade warnings - anything over 6% - but not far enough in advance to avoid such routes.

For that - after I put in the route, I have to scroll through the entire planned route in the detail mode before I start the trip.

I can select a steep grade segment to 'Avoid' - either permanently, or just for that trip.

martipr wrote:
Don't know if it is still available but the "RV Road Trip Navigator" from Trailer LIfe has an option to show grade along your planned route.

That's the main reason I keep it on my computers - as a quick check.

[martipr]

Don't know if it is still available but the "RV Road Trip Navigator" from Trailer LIfe has an option to show grade along your planned route.

RV Plan and Go by Under Tow is available from Amazon and others, just Google it. It also has the grade warning option.

[Miles_Away]

There is a publication available (well really two) titled MOUNTAIN DIRECTORY WEST and MOUNTAIN DIRECTORY EAST. They list literally all steep grades in the United States. The grades are also noted on the included maps. Look them up on the internet for the name of a retail dealer. THEY ARE PUBLISHED BY R&R PUBLISHING, INC., 1836 NORTH 900TH ROAD, BALDWIN CITY,KS(785)594-2489. Their price is about $16 each.

[Buster52]

The reason I ask this question I have looked at the old paper maps and picked some that have been a big mistake. Like 152 from Gilroy to Watsonville CA. Luckily I was driving a 20' class C. You wouldn't want to put a larger rig over this route. My buddy used his gps on a Motorcycle trip. It put him down a dirt road full of ruts. So I want to avoid problems while driving my 5th wheel.

[prichardson]

Don't know what route you are planning; but I have traveled between the two several times and I don't recall any steep grades between Nashville and Russellville.

[bob_nestor]

scrubjaysnest wrote:
The only way to avoid stuff you don't want to travel with a GPS is do the route on a computer, verify it on Google Earth then up load to the GPS.
GPS's as point and shoot devices are either shortest route or fastest route and don't take things like traffic lights and mountain ranges into account.

As far as I know all Garmin GPS units have some built in avoidances like U-turns, toll roads, unpaved roads, etc. Some Garmins even have the ability to load custom avoidances, but you'd have to find them and load them via computer. There are many on-line sites have have a lot of these that can be loaded into Garmin, low bridges and underpasses for example. Creating your own set to load isn't all that difficult. All you need is a Lat and Long and a name that you want for that location.

[Bumpyroad]

in google earth you can check the various elevations of highways you are thinking of running.
bumpy

[scrubjaysnest]

The only way to avoid stuff you don't want to travel with a GPS is do the route on a computer, verify it on Google Earth then up load to the GPS.
GPS's as point and shoot devices are either shortest route or fastest route and don't take things like traffic lights and mountain ranges into account.

[travelnutz]

A year and 4 months ago we drove US-431 south from Central City, KY where we'd visited some rv.net forum friends and on south thru Russellville, KY and on to I-24 to connect with I-65 at Nashville on our way to Florida. We were pulling our 12,800 lb Carrilite 5th wheel.

Sure would like to know where that steep hill is because all we saw was rolling land and basically farms/farm lands and nothing steep or a long grade that's remotely worrying. Most of the road distance was very smooth and divided road areas and nice travel.

They were resurfacing one area but that was over a year ago. Our friends in Central City (is the ex-mayor of the city for 12 years) suggested we go that way south so we did and they were right as there wasn't a lot of traffic and was a nearly straight shot to I-65.