Posted 2005-08-02 9:14 PM (#28799) Subject: Best way to do steep hills
Member
Posts: 48 Location: WA
I have a question about pulling up a pretty steep grade on gravel. Am I best to pull in 4wd low, or 4wd high? I feel like I want to get up some speed for the steep parts, so that would tell me 4wd high would be better, but my owner's manual says 4 wd low is best for pulling up steep hills.
Posted 2005-08-02 9:57 PM (#28802 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by csshea on 2005-08-02 9:14 PM
I have a question about pulling up a pretty steep grade on gravel. Am I best to pull in 4wd low, or 4wd high? I feel like I want to get up some speed for the steep parts, so that would tell me 4wd high would be better, but my owner's manual says 4 wd low is best for pulling up steep hills.
What is your experience?
For "pretty steep" I'd go with 4Hi, for "Very Steep" 4Lo (-:
How long might help decide whether you can realistically "rush it" by getting up speed. If its only a few hundred yards - maybe, if it is more than that then you'll loose your momentum anyway. Being on gravel is another factor against rushing it.
In any case I wouldn't try to rush a hill with horses aboard, so I guess that means 4Lo when loaded.
It REALLY depends on how steep is "pretty steep" and how long it goes on for.
Is this your driveway, a private dirt road into a mountain retreat, or something similar ? I think you should try it in 4Lo the first couple of times - just take the time to get up there safely.
Posted 2005-08-02 10:54 PM (#28805 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Member
Posts: 48 Location: WA
Thanks for responding. I drove the road once without the trailer. It looks on the topo map like about 1200 feet incline over a little over a mile with 2 switchbacks. It is on gravel with some loose rock. I need to be going slow enough to take the switchbacks without disturbing the horses. I try and drive by a suggestion I read on this site, like I have hot coffee between my legs with no lid. I am driving a 1/2 ton, but will be at less than 75% towing capacity. Or if I'm really worried about it, 50%. My rig seems to have handled just fine on lesser hills. We are also prepared to unload and ride the horses to camp and drive the truck up alone, if need be. I just wondered what my best chance would be to make it, and more importantly, what would be easiest on the truck. A mechanic told me to go 4wd low for these grades. I wondered what your opinions were on this. Thanks Keep the ideas coming.
Posted 2005-08-03 12:56 AM (#28810 - in reply to #28805) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1011 Location: Oregon
Slow and steep...I would go with 4 low. We have a couple of those where I live, and when pulling I do not try to get speed up on gravel roads. I have seen rigs and trailers "slide" on loose gravel. I would rather be safe than sorry.
Posted 2005-08-03 8:15 AM (#28814 - in reply to #28805) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Expert
Posts: 2689
Originally written by csshea on 2005-08-02 10:54 PM
Thanks for responding. I drove the road once without the trailer. It looks on the topo map like about 1200 feet incline over a little over a mile with 2 switchbacks. It is on gravel with some loose rock. I need to be going slow enough to take the switchbacks without disturbing the horses. I try and drive by a suggestion I read on this site, like I have hot coffee between my legs with no lid. I am driving a 1/2 ton, but will be at less than 75% towing capacity. Or if I'm really worried about it, 50%. My rig seems to have handled just fine on lesser hills. We are also prepared to unload and ride the horses to camp and drive the truck up alone, if need be. I just wondered what my best chance would be to make it, and more importantly, what would be easiest on the truck. A mechanic told me to go 4wd low for these grades. I wondered what your opinions were on this. Thanks Keep the ideas coming.
Ummm, lessee - you're planning a route using a topo map, that tells me SOMETHING (-:
1200 ft in a mile ?
1 mile = 1760 yds = 5280 ft
reach for calculator...
1 in 4.4 AVERAGE ? (somebody check this, PLEASE)
maybe 1:4 for the "little over a mile".
Any chance you could leave the truck and trailer at the bottom and pack horse everything in to the camp ?
If not then I'd definitely go 4LO and I'd probably walk the horses up.
Another choice would be to pack everything on the truck and leave the trailer at the bottom, if that option is available. This would give you better traction, since you would have ALL the load on driven wheels.
Good luck, just take it easy. Remember that you'll be miles from help, etc.
EDIT:
{after a bit more thunking}
IF you DO decide to drive them up in the trailer and IF YOU DON'T have enough traction you could be stuck with having to unload them on the hill (NASTY !) I'm not suggesting that you get yourself into this situation, but if you do the chances of being able to hold the truck and trailer on that sort of loose surface steep grade are "not good", i.e. the truck's parking brake will probably not hold it and you'll need someone to chock several wheels while you stand on the brakes. So, carry lots of substantial chocks and have a plan to use them in an emergency. This could be in the form of a dozen firewood half rounds (-:
Posted 2005-08-03 8:59 AM (#28817 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Kansas City
Going up is the easy part - if there are problems you stop and unload. Going down is the more dangerous part. Gravel can act like ice and even though your tires are stopped, you can slide. Weight in the trailer can push you down the hill with all wheels locked. Pushing down a hill on a switchback when you have no steering is most likely something to avoid. Think about backpacking. Much easier to go up than to walk (slide on your butt) down.
Posted 2005-08-03 9:48 AM (#28819 - in reply to #28816) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by santelikk on 2005-08-03 8:52 AM
Reg,
Yeap your math is correct 22%-25% grade for a mile. Definately take it slow up and down.
Ummm, I do KNOW what 24-25% feels like on a bicycle.
I havn't ridden it in a few years, but at the top of Mt Washington there is maybe a couple of hundred yards of 26% grade blacktop that forms the end of the bicycle race. It LOOKS LIKE a WALL and comes as a surprise because you're SO SURE you've finished, but just as you hook around this hairpin turn there it is. Not surprisingly, it separates people into two groups, those who "fall or stall" and those who don't. If you do fall or stall it is just so steep that you can't get going again. I wouldn't be telling about this if I had ever fallen or stalled on it (-:
Gee, I musta bin in better shape then than I am now )-:
I Second the notion that coming down is harder to control. Same site, same race, it used to take me about as long to get down as to get up, about 50% of the road was unmade or broken and letting your speed build, even on the good blacktop parts, would be a regretable mistake.
Posted 2005-08-04 9:53 PM (#28890 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322 Location: Fort Madison, Iowa
Makes me think of a place I use to go camping in Missouri before they moved to a different campground.
They had a real steep hill getting out of their campground. I was talking with one of the owners of the business asking what gear would be the best getting up that hill. He told me to go in granny low or the lowest gear I had. He said he's actually had to take the tractor out to pull 4x4 dually's up the rest of the hill. He said the problem was that they'd take a running start, then they'd start bouncing and they'd get stuck spinning out on the gravel. He said you're better just going slow and the low gears will get you up at an even pace. Always worked fine for me.
I had problems once coming down a mountain with the brakes getting too hot. Luckily we had stopped for someone else and then I realized my brakes were smokin. Luckily we had a mechanic in our group otherwise I wouldn't have driven the rest of the way down even after the brakes cooled down and had good brakes. He said I should go down in a lower gear and sometimes he switches using the trailer brakes and the truck brakes to help prevent brakes overheating. Found out later I had a problem with my brakes so it might be a good idea to get them checked before you good.
I'd vote for 4wd low going up and down if your load starts pushing you on the way backd down.
Posted 2005-08-04 10:05 PM (#28891 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Member
Posts: 48 Location: WA
Thanks for your suggestions. I actually bought a bigger truck tonight. I still plan to use your suggestions with the bigger truck. The campground host says that most rigs make it up no problem. So, I'll follow these suggestions, and let you know how it goes. Keep the information coming. I value everyone's experience.
Posted 2005-08-06 9:35 AM (#28923 - in reply to #28891) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by csshea on 2005-08-04 10:05 PM
Thanks for your suggestions. I actually bought a bigger truck tonight. I still plan to use your suggestions with the bigger truck. The campground host says that most rigs make it up no problem. So, I'll follow these suggestions, and let you know how it goes. Keep the information coming. I value everyone's experience.
So, what did you get for a truck ?
C'mon, you can BRAG about it here, you're among friends (mostly)... (-:
Posted 2006-03-05 6:40 PM (#38293 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Regular
Posts: 70 Location: Spanaway,Wa
I'd just like to know the name of the camp they went to. I go to alot of horse camps in Washington and if it's truly a 20+% grade (doubtfull) I would rather not try it. 25% is too much to risk on gravel.
Just my $.02
CS
P.S. Anyone else looking forward to spring? The indoor arena seems to get smaller every time I ride..........
Posted 2006-03-06 10:42 AM (#38323 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
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Posts: 2689
I think we might have lost that one )-:
Anyone know EXACTLY where this was supposed to have been ?
We should at least have the decency to alert local authorities so they can send out a recovery team.
Posted 2006-03-06 10:07 PM (#38356 - in reply to #38293) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385 Location: washington
Originally written by paintthatain't on 2006-03-05 6:40 PM
I'd just like to know the name of the camp they went to. I go to alot of horse camps in Washington and if it's truly a 20+% grade (doubtfull) I would rather not try it. 25% is too much to risk on gravel.
Just my $.02
CS
P.S. Anyone else looking forward to spring? The indoor arena seems to get smaller every time I ride..........
My first guess as to the horse camp referred to in the gravel/grade question is Haney Meadow, up at the top of Blewett Pass. It's a big'un. I drove up there last summer without the trailer (test run) and it is indeed long, and steep, with lots of switch-backs, a few tight turns on them, and one looooong section that is wide enough for ONE truck and trail only...it's called the "slide road" and is a like driving on the rim of a huge bowl. God forbid you start up when someone is coming down, or vice versa. If you stop at either end of that section, you can watch and see if it's clear before continuing. There were lots of rigs up there though, a big group of Back Country Horsemen with trucks, campers, trailers... the works. They all said it is not problem, and to just take it nice and easy. I'd want to send a scout ahead on a scooter to make sure nobody comes down while I am going up. A heart stopper, that is for sure. I ended up not taking the horses to Haney Meadow, partly due to the road and partly due to the time I had. I opted for a closer camp (Cayuse Horse Camp) near Roslyn. Anybody ever see the TV show called Northern Exposure? It was filmed in Roslyn, Washington. The scenery is absolutely beautiful in the Cascade Mountains of Washington.
Wich I knew how to add a picture - I'd include one of the drive up to Haney Meadow.
*
Posted 2006-03-06 10:28 PM (#38357 - in reply to #38356) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385 Location: washington
Actually, come to think of it, Haney Meadow is about 8 miles on gravel, steep but not 20%, that's for sure... I have a paved hill near my home, and it's a 12% grade, and I don't think any part of Haney is any steeper than that. I think it's about a 2500' elevation gain in that 8 miles, on gravel. The campground is 6000 feet above sea level... cold at night :) This is the warning posted on a backcountry horseman site:
NOTE: Check all of your brakes and Safety Systems before you make the trip. Take a break at the Snow Park at Blewitt and let you engine cool down before starting the climb. FS 9712 is steep and narrow in places, with few turn-outs! Watch for traffic coming down and turn your CB to Channel 14. BLOW your Horn on Blind curves! It may look scary, but Motor Homes make it all the time and the Trails at Haney Meadow are worth the trip!
My friend has taken a motorhome pulling a 3-horse Sundowner up there - twice !
Posted 2006-03-07 8:30 AM (#38369 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Veteran
Posts: 246 Location: Northern IN.
Here's my advice,(for what it's worth). Piss on those hills and go to Oklahoma or Kansas!! Oh yeah, now we're talkin'. Just readin' about all those grades makes me start to sweat, and I'm fearless! lol. Just can't understand what makes ridin' (or driving) in hilly country so appealing? I've been all over this country and seen a lot of hills and canyons that would make yer eyes bug out and NEVER once thought, "ya know, I'd realy like to ride my hoss through there." Give me FLAT, boys.lol Talk to y'all later.
Posted 2006-03-07 10:20 AM (#38376 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Elite Veteran
Posts: 824 Location: Kansas
Guess I just live in the wrong part of Kansas. Coming from the southeast corner headed toward Wichita there's a pretty good hill I have to climb. OK, not the grade you guys are talking about, and certainly not gravel, but hey-it's not really that flat here!
Posted 2006-03-07 11:44 AM (#38380 - in reply to #28799) Subject: RE: Best way to do steep hills
Veteran
Posts: 246 Location: Northern IN.
I lived just south of Liberal KS., in Turpin OK., I worked a feedlot just North of Liberal for a little bit, and no hills out there are any where near a 25% grade! Yikes!
Best way to do steep hills
. Definately take it slow 
up and down.
I've been all over this country and seen a lot of hills and canyons that would make yer eyes bug out 
and NEVER once thought, "ya know, I'd realy like to ride my hoss through there." Give me FLAT, boys.lol Talk to y'all later.