Yesterday I parked my 5ver at a campground on Lake Robinson just north of Greenville, SC. Problem is being 40' long they put me in the first space right off the highway and there is a pretty good grade getting out of here. I have no room to gather momentum to climb the gravel driveway. Campground owner says I'll make it, if any problems he has 2 duallies and a tractor. :o He's probably does this 100 times but it is my first with this size rig.

So I'm already planning my departure on Monday. My thinking is I need to drive the truck for a few miles to get engine/tranny temps up, put the E/J on level 1(2?)hook the 5ver up, put the truck in 4x4 low and crawl out of here. ):h The 5ver is pretty heavy right now at somewhere between 16-17k lbs.

Am I on track? Any constructive suggestions. I'm probably worrying over nothing. JJ :)

I say just let her warm up there. Then when ready to go 4 low and you are "on the road again."

i dont think you will even need 4 low, i would do it in 4 high. with all the extra pin weight on the rear tires you should not spin them unless the gravel is deep, but I imagine it is packed down enough. definitely let er warm up and get the fluid movin'. just use enough pedal to keep it movin steady and you will be fine

If it's really steep and you want precise control, 4WD low, might be a good idea. I wouldn't bother about the Juice setting, though. You're not going to be anywhere near under powered in a low gear (regardless of 4WD hi/lo setting), even at stock power. Traction is going to be your only concern. Just let'er warm up a little before moving out.

TC

Can't u pull out and back up the drive to give a little more running start?

If the gravel is a natural stone (smooth round like marbels) vs a crushed stone makes a big difference on climbing traction.

BTW if for some unseen reason u don't make it, be ready to grab the trailer brake controller and put the brakes on manually.
The trailer brakes probably won't work and since the truck lost 4 wheel traction it could slide backward, brakes locked and no steering = jack knife.

I agree with Dmax Tim. Back down the drive some to get a running start. Have someone standing at the road to signal you when traffic is clear and go for it.

No backup space at all guys. :o I'm literally at the entrance with no where to go but up. I plan to drive the truck for a few minutes to get everything up to operating temps, E/J on level 1, 4wd low and crawl out of here. I will also have the guy here at the campground available with his dually if need be.

If it hadn't been so late and cold I likely would have kept looking for another campground. Right now we're having an ice storm here in Greenville SC, so there is no way I'll be able to get out of here on Monday as planned. I'm going to leave the 5ver here for a couple of weeks and come back to get it. Will advise. Appreciate the feedback. JJ :)

4 Lo and let it crawl up the hill . With the weight on your truck it will crawl up easy enough.

JJ
I'm going to go against the grain by saying 4 Hi is what you need to be using. The last thing you want to do is spin on the gravel. Using 4 Lo causes torque increase by using lower gearing, which I think will make it easier to spin out. You probably don't have a problem getting the trailer moving on the same slope sitting on asphalt, so the the main issue you will have is not causing torque spin. 4 Hi will also allow you to get out of the way quicker when you hit the hi-way. IMHO.

I have alot of experience pulling trailers on steep grades in the Rockies. You should be able to just start the truck and drive out. Be careful not to spin the wheels and 2 wheel drive should do.

Thanks for the replies. I'll be hooking the 5ver up next Friday, I left it in Greenville since next stop is Atlanta. Plan is 4wd low and crawl baby crawl! I'll post afterwards to advise. JJ

JJ, You'll be fine in 4lo and crawling. Carefull with that accelerator pedal, it's very touchy in 4 lo.

JJ

No problems???

neverenuf, I'll know on Saturday morning when I hook the 5ver up and hit the road. I'm traveling from Jacksonville to Greenville on Friday, then heading with the 5ver for business in Atlanta.

My plan is to drive the truck for a few minutes to get it warm, fill it up with diesel for some extra weight over the wheels, hook the 5ver up, go to 4 low and crawl out of there. :rolleyes: The guy that runs the campground has offered to have his dually on standby in case I need it.

Appreciate all the feedback. JJ :)

JJ

You'll do fine, I've had similar situations, and the key is not to start slipping.

One peice of advice though: If the "pavement" is covered in stones, you should "duct tape" or tie on several layers of .3 mil plastic, or even a peice of old carpet, to the full width of the truck's bumper, and long enough to clear the ground. This is a good "temporary" stone-guard, which can save you a bundle in RV repairs (to the front of the trailer). In 4 X 4 and limited slip-diff, the throw back can launch loose stones, attaining sufficient velocity that can go right through your rubber "mud guards"! The "carpet" acts as a net, catching the flotsam, or at least slowing it down, so as to not damage the trailer. Once you are back on solid ground, take it off and dispose, or save it for the next time.

Good luck!

Warm the truck and ease it out in 4x4 High range. The TQ in Low "will" spin the tires. However, J1 or J2 will spin in high. I would use "o" and lightly use high to pull out of the camp grounds. If you do slip........ look out for the barking.):h

RF3, it is a dirt/gravel driveway, no pavement. I hadn't thought about launching stones. I have mudflaps but they sit too high to catch the stones. Thanks, good intel! :D

Burner, I planned on using level 1 E/J for the extra hp/tq. Am I giving up much pulling power in 4 high versus 4 low? I'll have around 7k lbs on the rear wheels between the truck and pin weight. The rig will be somewhere between 22-23k lbs combined weight(12k truck, 10k trailer).

This will be one more learning evolution for me with my truck. This combination is the biggest I've had to date. So far the LLY has met the challenges I've put it through. Appreciate all the feedback. JJ :)

... I thought the ECM would "back out" in low if the TQ was too high. Anywho, I'd use 4x4 high and keep it below 1,900 RPM's.

You defanitly don't need any "Juice" if you start in 4lo. Put it in 4lo sometime without a load and see what I mean.

THOU SHALT NOT DOUBT THY DURAMAX! :grd:

The truck performed flawlessly. I decided to take the 4x4 low/crawl approach. Thanks to each of you that posted, it really put me in my comfort zone for doing this. I didn't even bother the RV guy to have his dually on standby just in case.

JJ :)

Heck JJ, it sounds like you coulda pulled him out too!

Zip, looking back you are likely right. The size of this rig (40' @17-18k lbs) just appeared to be a heavy duty job for a light duty truck like mine. I try to avoid getting myself into situations like these when towing. :o: So I learned 2 lessons this run: don't be too quick to back into a campground at night without surveying the conditions; and the 3500 D/A has a considerable amount of grunt for pulling.

It was soooo easy to pull out of there. JJ's out for now, that is until I find myself in another fix! JJ ):h

THOU SHALT NOT DOUBT THY DURAMAX! :grad:

The truck performed flawlessly. I decided to take the 4x4 low/crawl approach. Thanks to each of you that posted, it really put me in my comfort zone for doing this. I didn't even bother the RV guy to have his dually on standby just in case.

J :)

Probably didn't need to give it much pedal if at all. Should be able to tie it to a building and stick it in low range and spin the tires just a little above idle. :cool2:

Sorry Arguy, I'm behind on reviewing the threads. I gave er' as little throttle as needed, say around 800-1000k rpm's. Really surprised/shocked me how well it pulled that grade with that much weight. JJ :)

It should tell you something when you have to stand on the brake pedal to keep her stopped in 4 lo at idle.

It's like driving a tractor in 4 lo.

Certainly made a believer out of ol' JJ here! :ro)