MtnDodge

I'm planning on hauling my horses up into the Sierras for a week of riding. The drive up is STEEP and LONG. This is my first diesel so I'm thinking ahead to the trip. What kind of preparation/ maintainance would you all recommend before the trip? I've heard some concern on here about the tranny possibly overheating and I sure want to avoid that as well. Would it be a good idea to have a gauge installed to measure that temp?

Thoughts?

dogger

You have a relatively new truck that is stock so you should have minimal problems. Keep your RPMs up and watch your engine coolant temperature gauge. Your coolant temperature is affected by both engine coolant and transmission fuild circulating through the heat exchanger in the radiator. These are dynamite trucks that can pull all day long.
You may wish to consider a transmission oil and filter change depending on the miles on your truck and possibly an aftermarket transmission cooler. I would also recommend at least two gauges, transmission temperature, EGT(Pyrometer) and then a boost gauge next if you whant another gauge. Drive by your gauges, you may not get there first but you definitely will get there, then you can have a good time.

L8r,.........dogger

Valv

Excellent suggestions Dogger, very good. I would install the gauges asap. In fact in my opinion transmission temp gauge should be stock from the factory

MtnDodge

Thanks Dogger. Any brand recommendations for the tranny temp and EGT gauges? Also- dealer install or DIY? Any pics or suggestions for best location for these two at least? I bought an extended warranty (100,000) on the truck since I bought it used- thoughts to whether it might void it?

The trip downhill should be fun....NOT. The other drivers I am going with described it this way:
It's longer going down than coming up. Feels that way anyway. There's a 1000 foot drop-off on one side and a rock wall on the other. Some drivers we've been with have chosen to hit the rock wall when the brakes got hard."

***? Besides being the first diesel this is the first auto as well! I've always gearing down before and now? My bro keeps telling me to install a jake brake but I'm not sure how often I'd need it. There is another way out of the pack station but it's about 2 hours longer. Still .....maybe that's my best bet?

dogger

As you can see from my autosignature I am a gauge hound, instrumentation is my gig. I have both DiPricol and Autometer. Both are good gauges, their are others that are also good, Westach, VDO, and ISSPro come to mind. Most popular are 2 1/16" but you can go larger, would not go smaller. Personally I like analogue gauges as I can look at trends from the needle rather than exact digital read out, was that a 236 or 286 degrees, but go with your personal preference. Advantage of digital gauges is you can get setup that will monitor several inputs on a single screen, IE Quadzilla Commander, BD X-monitor, and others. I installed myself and you can go to my photo gallery and check out the various gauge locations I used. Installs are fairly easy but if time is an imortant issue most performance or RV shops can do the install, just be prepared to pay for it. Enjoy your trip.

L8r,........dogger

JohnX

Are you talking about 395 between lee vining and bridgeport??? Pretty darn serious hill there. How much does your trailer with horses weigh? I towed my Jeep up and down that hill last summer. Trailer + Jeep = 6k roughly. Just try to keep a steady pedal pressure and maintain a comfortable speed. Only mods at the time were 4 inch exhaust and an air filter. I had gauges and the EGT never passed 1100, the trans temp wasn't connected yet. I had no trouble pulling the hill, had to keep it at about 45-50 mph due to some curves and traffic. If the tranny is shifting up and down or locking and unlocking the converter, you will build up too much heat. Going down was a non-issue. My trailer brakes were fair, and my truck brakes kicked ****. Down shifting doesn't really help, I left mine in drive and kept it under 50mph for the downhill. It is a VERY long hill.

Your truck should do just fine, but the gauges really are a good idea.

JohnX

One more thing...don't forget all the normal stuff...


Lube the truck, change the oil, check the tire pressure (trailer tires too), and top off all the fluids to the proper level.

MtnDodge

Close- talking Nine Mile Canyon up out of Pearsville to Kennedy Meadows area. Narrow and steep- no room for mistakes or problems! 50mph would be way too fast to negotiate some of the corners I'm told.

Trailer, loaded with horses, water, and gear, approx 8,500-10,000. I need to pack it full and take it to a scale.

Thanks for the help. Appreciated.

JohnX

Oh!!!

Big difference, much worse I've been up that road a few times, but not in the dodge. You could do 50mph through the corners...in a lotus Very nasty road to tow a big load, friend of mine burned his car to the ground trying to go up there. 10K plus the truck won't be any fun. Exhaust brake might be in order if you have the time and the funds. Power shouldn't be an issue, but you will be going so slow that the trans might cook itself. Double deep pan with fins would help, definetely get the gauges so you can keep an eye on things.

MtnDodge

yeah, see! That's what I was afraid of! I'm thinking of going through Kernville and out the Kennedy Meadows road. Haven't been that way yet- do you have any experience with it? I heard it might be a little less of a killer grade!

JohnX

Better double check that. I think from the kernville side to Kennedy meadows is dirt road access only. I have never been that way, but looking at Google Earth, it shows that road as a "forest route". I think its Nine mile or nothing at all?

MtnDodge

It's listed as NF-22S05 AND Sherman Pass Rd. Can't find any info on whether it's dirt or not but my buddy who suggested it didn't say it wasn't paved and he's hauled horses over it before. I'll double check though- because at 44miles it's a LONG trip on a dirt road!

Researched it on a few climber sites and it seems to be paved. LONG and WINDY but paved. Argh. That does NOT make the decision any easier!

gandrews

If you are that concerned about descending the road you are going to take, you need an exhaust brake - for yourself, your animals and the other people that share the road with you.
Make sure your truck brakes are in good working order.
Do you have a good brake controller?
Check out the brakes on the trailer and while you are at it grease the wheel bearings.
We tend to think about how many miles are on our tires and tread life for determining when to replace them. Sun light and sitting in dirt can weaken the sidewalls of tires. How old are tires on the trailer? The tread may look good but how do the sidewalls look? Is there any checking? 3 to 5 years is an old tire. Don't forget to check the spare also.
Finally after all of the above, check all of your lug nuts twice.

When you finally get on the road, if in doubt slow down!

Note: I do not have any interest in any tire business, either directly or indirectly, but have had to "learn by doing". And most if not all of my lessons did not come at the time or place of my choosing!


Good luck and be safe,

George

MtnDodge

Thanks George- those are all valid points. The trailer is only a year old so everything is in pretty good working order still! The brake controller works really well too. A nice little feature on the trailer is a brake away safety controller. If it breaks loose the trailer brakes automatically deploy. Might be a sudden stop for the horses but it's better than a sudden drop! I just had the brakes on the truck done too. Living in the mountains I don't mess around with poor brake, or tire, condition!

I'm thinking I'm going to postpone this trip until maybe next year. While it sounds great I'm not 100% confident that I have the equipment I need to be safe on that particular road with my horses. I would rather wait until I have a jake brake, and some tranny mods- including a temp gauge, before I attempt it. I'm no slouch or sissy but I'd rather wait until I KNOW we'll be safe and sound at both the top and bottom of the drive!

gandrews

"A nice little feature on the trailer is a brake away safety controller. If it breaks loose the trailer brakes automatically deploy." For this to work the trailer needs it's own battery. Some of them charge from the truck and some need to be replaced periodically - so make sure the battery in the trailer is in good condition.