RV Driving On Extreme Mountain Grades

A Lug_Nut point of view.  Extreme mountain grade driving is something most RVers prefer to do in their towed vehicle rather than with their motor home or truck trailer combination.  Steep climbs and drop- off downhill grades can turn a pleasant days run into a white knuckle survival experience.  So what exactly is considered extreme mountain grades?       Interstate highways and the majority of state routes are generally limited to 6% to 7% grades.  This means for every 100 feet travelled you would climb or descend six or seven feet.  A long downhill grade of this descent requires a constant resistance of lower gear operation, Pac Brake, Jake Brake and or service brakes.  The heavier the vehicle the harder it is to maintain a reasonable speed.  While you can generally use your brakes to check and maintain your speed in your automobile or light truck, the same cannot be said for most RV rigs.  Brake friction to slow a heavy rig quickly produces excessive heat that may lead to poor braking efficiency or even full brake failure.  While drum type brakes are perhaps more affected by this, disc systems can also overheat and fail. Extreme mountain grades can be upwards of 18%, well over double what you would normally encounter in the U.S or Canada.   These can bring the climb speed of a heavy motor home or trailer combination into single digits on the speedometer at full throttle.  Likewise on the descent an extreme resistance will be required to hold back the vehicle. ... Read more

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