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Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 11:03 am
by stevek
Took this pic this morning.
Good news was... it was only about 1 1/2 blocks long.
How would you like to live on that street and park your Born Free on the street or in the driveway?
Yes, there was houses on both side of street.
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 2:47 pm
by John S.
The steepest I have taken the BF on is 10 percent going out of Jackson Hole to the west and then back again. It was fine but I have many thousands of miles of mountain driving behind me. It did make me wish for a dodge chassis that I had ordered though. they come with an exhaust brake.
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 5:39 pm
by stevek
Why do they only have an exhaust brake on a diesel and not gas? Or do they?
Or they call it a Jake Brake?
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 6:39 pm
by randallrae
Ford exhaust brake button
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:10 am
by MarkB
I don't know what year they were added, my 2013 gasser has the tow/haul mode. I use it for braking all the time, downshifts the transmission to slow the beast. Not fond of the upshift though. The button on the shift stem needs to be larger for the slap engagement/disengagement.
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 3:27 pm
by jleebailey
I agree. My 2011 27' RSB has tow/haul that works pretty good. Somehow that transmission computer knows when I am pointed downhill and shifts down. Would be nice to have a more accessible button than the one on the end of the shift lever. I'm wondering if the computer has an inclinometer that senses up and downhill. When on the level it doesn't downshift as readily. Also is a little scary when the engine starts to climb over 4500 rpm. For me that is time for the brakes. By the way, when traveling through a burned over area near Clear Lake, CA a couple of years ago, I spotted a sign like the one above, except the top mounting bolt had failed and the sign had swiveled down until the truck icon was pointing straight at the ground. That is steep!
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2017 12:27 pm
by John S.
I have that button on my dodge but not my 2015 f550
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2017 5:37 pm
by Roger H
jleebailey wrote:By the way, when traveling through a burned over area near Clear Lake, CA a couple of years ago, I spotted a sign like the one above, except the top mounting bolt had failed and the sign had swiveled down until the truck icon was pointing straight at the ground. That is steep!
Hopland Grade? I lived in the Clearlake Riviera in Kelseyville for about 8 years... I don't recall anything else being THAT steep on the major roads.
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:21 pm
by jleebailey
I don't know the name of the grade. It is on hwy 175 headed south into Middletown. That was the Valley Fire I believe. I was with a friend from Clearlake Oaks who is a retired firefighter.
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:51 pm
by Roger H
jleebailey wrote:I don't know the name of the grade. It is on hwy 175 headed south into Middletown. That was the Valley Fire I believe. I was with a friend from Clearlake Oaks who is a retired firefighter.
Ok, yes... I just don't remember that grade being marked with signage when I lived there... but that WAS twenty years ago!
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 3:35 pm
by WardPAW
The steepest grade we have traveled was 16% in the Escalante Staircase Monument in Utah. Luckily we were going down the mountain into the Town of Escalante.
We have also driven the 10% grade going from Jackson Wyoming to Vinton, Idaho. It was a 10 mile climb. The Ford 6.0 Power Stroke handled it with ease.
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 4:53 pm
by dmews001
Sonora Pass, California, Eastern Sierra, at 26%. We were towing our Toyota FJ Cruiser up the pass, but decided mid-way up it might be safer to disconnect the FJ and drive our Born Free 26RSB up solo with the FJ following on its own power.
We just had a Banks system installed prior to this (Oct 2016) trip and it was doing OK. Still, I was a bit concerned being in 1st gear most of the time. It was fun though....
Detlef & Ursula Mews
2007 BF 26RSB full body paint (which we like a lot)
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2023 1:51 am
by Herbalface
jleebailey wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2017 3:27 pm
I agree. My 2011 27' RSB has tow/haul that works pretty good. Somehow that transmission computer knows when I am pointed downhill and shifts down. Would be nice to have a more accessible button than the one on the end of the shift lever. I'm wondering if the computer has an inclinometer that senses up and downhill. When on the level it doesn't downshift as readily. Also is a little scary when the engine starts to climb over 4500 rpm. For me that is time for the brakes. By the way, when traveling through a burned over area near Clear Lake, CA a couple of years ago, I spotted a sign like the one above, except the top mounting bolt had failed and the sign had swiveled down until the truck icon was pointing straight at the ground. That is steep!
Your talking about 175 towards 29 after Socrates Mine road... very steep... steepest grade I've driven was Ebbets pass... hwy 4 East towards South Lake Tahoe .. 24% grade on some very blind hairpins and switchbacks...
Re: Whats the steepest "grade" sign you have ever seen?
Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2023 11:34 am
by Tahoe
dmews001 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 15, 2017 4:53 pm
Sonora Pass, California, Eastern Sierra, at 26%. We were towing our Toyota FJ Cruiser up the pass, but decided mid-way up it might be safer to disconnect the FJ and drive our Born Free 26RSB up solo with the FJ following on its own power.
We just had a Banks system installed prior to this (Oct 2016) trip and it was doing OK. Still, I was a bit concerned being in 1st gear most of the time. It was fun though....
Detlef & Ursula Mews
2007 BF 26RSB full body paint (which we like a lot)
I totally forgot about Sonora Pass. I remember it well, and drove it once. Not in a BF, but in our Subaru. Steep grades going downhill in an RV can get your attention and keep it.