GREAT!! Glad to hear you had a good trip. How did you fare with the F150,as I know you were talking about getting more TV with maybe the V_10 before you left. Really glad you had a good and safe trip.
I`m happy to say, the 5.4L did fine. In fact, suprisingly well in most circumstances. There were plenty of times when I could tow in OD, but as soon as it unlocked the converter, I pushed the button and went into drive. I never let it hunt back and forth. There were also other times when I was dismayed that it not only wouldn`t stay in drive, but it went to 2nd, even when the road looked flat! It doesn`t take much headwind to knock a trailer back. It was very deceptive out in the desert. I learned to read the blowing grass and trees along the road and not expect too much. I towed at 65-75 most of the way.
Then there was Wolf Creek Pass. It took about 25 min. to get up in low! 4200-4800 rpm @ 28-30 mph. It would accelerate out of low but wouldn`t hold 2nd, it just dropped right back into low. So, I just let it there and left it do it`s thing. We stopped at the top and took some pictures at the Cont. divide sign while she idled for a few minutes. That truck has a heck of a cooling system on it, the temp guage hardly moved the whole trip.
Overall performance with my trailer? I`d give it a B+. I won`t be trading up any time soon.
"It`s not important that you know all the answers, it`s only important to know where to get all the answers" Arone Kleamyck
"...An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." Col. Jeff Cooper
Sunset Creek 298 BH
Aah yes, Wolf Creek Pass. We were in Pagosa Springs, CO for 2 weeks in July doing a build with Habitat for Humanity. We drove the pass but without the TT. Got some great pictures tossing snowballs in 80-degree weather.
I also know what you mean about wind. When we drove across the Oklahoma panhandle there was a 30-40 mph headwind and the temperature was 104 degrees. We could barely maintain 50 mph and got about 5 mpg for that part of the trip. But the truck never overheated.
"The great object is, that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun." - Patrick Henry
Yup that's a bunch of money for gas but I'm sure it was well worth it. Personally I would have rather spent that amount of cash for gas then for the cruise we recently took. Your trip sounds like it was great fun.
A man, his wife, a son and Cody the Goldendoodle.
2008 Laredo 284BHS, 2001 Chevy Sliverado 2500HD 4X4 4.10, Equal-i-zer, Primus, Subaru RG4300iS
DW & I are presently on the return trip back to NH after a family reunion in Beckley, WV. We're at the Western RV Campground in Carlisle, PA (your home State). Stayed here on the way down, liked it, so reupped for another stay on the way back. As for gas - YUCK on gas mileage in WV. Those hills never seem to end! I've seen 4K rpm in 2nd gear quite a bit holding 55mph. At least the gas is a lot cheaper ($0.30-.40/gallon) than in NH! Averaging 9.1 mpg. Should get better the rest of the way. Was averaging 10.4 at 55mph until I hit WV.
Arnie & Mary
2004 4WD Dodge Durango w/5.7L Hemi/3.55/Tow Package
Reese WDH w/Dual Cam, Prodigy Brake Controller
2008 Jayco JayFeather 25F LGT
USAF (Ret) 1962-84 B-52D/G & FB-111A
Ham - N1BAC My Traveling Web Page
That`s not only my home state, but Carlisle is only about 18 miles from my home compound. Funny thing was, when we got into PA and near home, it struck me how really beautiful the scenery around here is. The whole way through our trip I was amazed at how the scenery changed in just the topping of a hill or the rounding of a bend. I probably have hours of video out the front windshield as I drove just because it fascinated me. And when I got near home, it struck me how nowhere else we had been had the terrain and beauty of home. Not just because it was home, but because it was unique. Funny how you don`t realize it till you leave and come back.
And yes, West-by-God-Virgina is an awsume state. I go there every year to hunt and I`m captivated by it. The mountains may not be as tall, but they`re every bit as relentless. That`s where the real people of this earth live.
DW & I have been marveling at the scenery on our trip. Something new and beautiful to see over each hill and even between the hills. We are so lucky to live where we do and have a chance to see all we see. That does not at all put down the rest of the US, just my comments at this moment in time. I also love Colorado with its mountains and scenery (my family has owned cabins on the Gunnison River in Gunnison since the early 1920s). One place out there I want to take my trailer to is Lake Irwin near Crested Butte and also to drive the Santa Fe Trail in my "covered wagon." Lots of places to travel to and see, so little time and money to do it!
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