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| Trip Report [message #201211] |
Sun, 10 March 2013 14:12  |
Neil
Messages: 271
Registered: July 2007
Location: Los Angeles and Magalia, ...
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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On Friday, my friend Michael and I went off with our GMCs, trailers (with off road cars inside) and other camping stuff to meet friends who had arrived Thursday at the Dove Springs area of the Mojave Desert.
Warning #1 - it had rained the night before and for the first time ever, I could not leave my house and make it to public roads with the trailer attached. No traction. So we disconnected the trailer, pulled it with the 4x4 and drove the coach out under its own power. (The coach went fine by itself but can't pull a trailer up steep wet hills) That was a sign we should have stayed home.
But anyway, we motored up to Mojave with no incident. However, past the town of Mojave it started to snow. At the turn off to Dove Springs there was a pair of tracks in the snow in the dirt road. That was Warning #2.
Feeling commited to joining our friends and having a "good time" I made the trun and started driving up the dirt road. Which goes uphill. Made it a mile before all traction was lost.
Whereupon we backed up for a mile, in the snow, on the dirt, with trailers, back to the highway. That took over a half hour. Then we turned around and went home.
Oh yea, the coach ran great.
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/member-galleries/p47967-no-traction.html
Neil
76 Eleganza now sold
Los Angeles
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| Re: [GMCnet] Trip Report [message #201214 is a reply to message #201211] |
Sun, 10 March 2013 14:29  |
jimk
Messages: 6734
Registered: July 2006
Location: Belmont, CA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Neil,
It was your Legal Beagle instinct that drove you.
Means your an awesome attorney in my book.
On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 12:12 PM, Neil Martin <nmartin@hfbllp.com> wrote:
>
>
> On Friday, my friend Michael and I went off with our GMCs, trailers (with
> off road cars inside) and other camping stuff to meet friends who had
> arrived Thursday at the Dove Springs area of the Mojave Desert.
>
> Warning #1 - it had rained the night before and for the first time ever, I
> could not leave my house and make it to public roads with the trailer
> attached. No traction. So we disconnected the trailer, pulled it with
> the 4x4 and drove the coach out under its own power. (The coach went fine
> by itself but can't pull a trailer up steep wet hills) That was a sign we
> should have stayed home.
>
> But anyway, we motored up to Mojave with no incident. However, past the
> town of Mojave it started to snow. At the turn off to Dove Springs there
> was a pair of tracks in the snow in the dirt road. That was Warning #2.
>
> Feeling commited to joining our friends and having a "good time" I made
> the trun and started driving up the dirt road. Which goes uphill. Made
> it a mile before all traction was lost.
>
> Whereupon we backed up for a mile, in the snow, on the dirt, with
> trailers, back to the highway. That took over a half hour. Then we turned
> around and went home.
>
> Oh yea, the coach ran great.
>
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/member-galleries/p47967-no-traction.html
> --
> Neil
> 76 Eleganza
> Los Angeles
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
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>
--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Fremont,CA
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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| Re: [GMCnet] Trip Report [message #201217 is a reply to message #201215] |
Sun, 10 March 2013 14:35 |
jimk
Messages: 6734
Registered: July 2006
Location: Belmont, CA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Neal does have our limited slip, but the slushy snow and the toung weight
cannot be totally overcome by it.
On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 12:30 PM, Dan Gregg <gregg_dan@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> :lol: :lol: :lol:
>
> Neil, would Jim's limited slip have helped?
> The more I think about it the more I think I should have installed one of
> those.
> Dan
> --
> Dan & Teri Gregg
> Dexter, Mo.
>
> http://danandteri.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
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> _______________________________________________
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Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Fremont,CA
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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| Re: Trip Report [message #201227 is a reply to message #201211] |
Sun, 10 March 2013 17:18 |
C Boyd
Messages: 2629
Registered: April 2006
Karma: 18
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Senior Member |
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Neil, You coulda done like that Viagra guy on TV and got the offroaders out of the trailers and pulled them coaches up the hill. 
| Neil wrote on Sun, 10 March 2013 15:12 |
On Friday, my friend Michael and I went off with our GMCs, trailers (with off road cars inside) and other camping stuff to meet friends who had arrived Thursday at the Dove Springs area of the Mojave Desert.
Warning #1 - it had rained the night before and for the first time ever, I could not leave my house and make it to public roads with the trailer attached. No traction. So we disconnected the trailer, pulled it with the 4x4 and drove the coach out under its own power. (The coach went fine by itself but can't pull a trailer up steep wet hills) That was a sign we should have stayed home.
But anyway, we motored up to Mojave with no incident. However, past the town of Mojave it started to snow. At the turn off to Dove Springs there was a pair of tracks in the snow in the dirt road. That was Warning #2.
Feeling commited to joining our friends and having a "good time" I made the trun and started driving up the dirt road. Which goes uphill. Made it a mile before all traction was lost.
Whereupon we backed up for a mile, in the snow, on the dirt, with trailers, back to the highway. That took over a half hour. Then we turned around and went home.
Oh yea, the coach ran great.
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/member-galleries/p47967-no-traction.html
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C. Boyd
76 Crestmont
East Tennessee
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| Re: [GMCnet] Trip Report [message #201260 is a reply to message #201217] |
Sun, 10 March 2013 23:53 |
Adrien G.
Messages: 474
Registered: May 2008
Location: Burns Flat, OK 73624
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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JimK,
Would I be thinking wrong, that when towing trailers with a FWD, an easy-lift hitch would help transfer weight to the FW for improved traction.
I'm not saying it would have solved Neil's snow-dirt road/trail challenge. I'm glad he was able to back out, it have been worse.
Adrien & Jenny Genesoto
75 Glenbrook (26-3) Mods LS3.70 FD / Reaction Sys / 80mm Front&Intermidiate / Hydroboost / 16" Tires / Frame Rebuild / Interior Rebuild
Yuba City,Ca. Text 530-nine-3-three-3-nine-nine-6
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| Re: [GMCnet] Trip Report [message #201286 is a reply to message #201260] |
Mon, 11 March 2013 09:20 |
Neil
Messages: 271
Registered: July 2007
Location: Los Angeles and Magalia, ...
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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Well,
A LSD can not overcome physics. Going up hill in marginal traction towing a heavy trailer, especially if turns are involved, the front tires cannot hold on.
I have yet to have a traction problem with the GMC alone since putting in the LSD.
And a plug for Jim K - we flat haul A over the hills towing with the 3.70 final.
I think I am going to put a trailer hitch on the off road car, so we would have the option of uncoupling and pulling the trailer with the car.
I did think of pulling the whole mess with the off road car. It is a Chenowth with a buick v6 and has lots of power and traction. However, the wife has lived through several GMC "adventures" (as she often reminds me) and as the tires started smoking going up hill off road in the snow, slipping a little sideways, and as she started crying, I knew she was not up for either driving the off road car towing the GMC or sitting in the GMC trying not to run over the off road car when traction returned.
Plus it was cold.
With age comes wisdom.
So we backed out, went home, cooked over a BBQ and that was that.
Neil
76 Eleganza now sold
Los Angeles
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| Re: Trip Report [message #201293 is a reply to message #201227] |
Mon, 11 March 2013 10:29 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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| C Boyd wrote on Sun, 10 March 2013 15:18 |
Neil, You coulda done like that Viagra guy on TV and got the offroaders out of the trailers and pulled them coaches up the hill.
| Neil wrote on Sun, 10 March 2013 15:12 |
On Friday, my friend Michael and I went off with our GMCs, trailers (with off road cars inside) and other camping stuff to meet friends who had arrived Thursday at the Dove Springs area of the Mojave Desert.
Warning #1 - it had rained the night before and for the first time ever, I could not leave my house and make it to public roads with the trailer attached. No traction. So we disconnected the trailer, pulled it with the 4x4 and drove the coach out under its own power. (The coach went fine by itself but can't pull a trailer up steep wet hills) That was a sign we should have stayed home.
But anyway, we motored up to Mojave with no incident. However, past the town of Mojave it started to snow. At the turn off to Dove Springs there was a pair of tracks in the snow in the dirt road. That was Warning #2.
Feeling commited to joining our friends and having a "good time" I made the trun and started driving up the dirt road. Which goes uphill. Made it a mile before all traction was lost.
Whereupon we backed up for a mile, in the snow, on the dirt, with trailers, back to the highway. That took over a half hour. Then we turned around and went home.
Oh yea, the coach ran great.
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/member-galleries/p47967-no-traction.html
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Hey, I've done that. Unloaded the Jeep off the trailer and used it to pull the Motorhome and empty trailer out of the sand. I'm not sure it would work with horses like the Viagra guy, but sometimes all you need is a gentle tug to get your momentum going again.
Still, it's REALLY hard to get traction in snow and slush. I was heading up a snowy (about 8" -12") mountain trail in the Jeep one time, in four wheel drive, and just got to a steep part whee it stopped going forward. We played in the snow and did some sledding for a while and backed down.
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: [GMCnet] Trip Report [message #201295 is a reply to message #201286] |
Mon, 11 March 2013 10:41 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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| Neil wrote on Mon, 11 March 2013 07:20 |
Well,
A LSD can not overcome physics. Going up hill in marginal traction towing a heavy trailer, especially if turns are involved, the front tires cannot hold on.
I have yet to have a traction problem with the GMC alone since putting in the LSD.
And a plug for Jim K - we flat haul A over the hills towing with the 3.70 final.
I think I am going to put a trailer hitch on the off road car, so we would have the option of uncoupling and pulling the trailer with the car.
I did think of pulling the whole mess with the off road car. It is a Chenowth with a buick v6 and has lots of power and traction. However, the wife has lived through several GMC "adventures" (as she often reminds me) and as the tires started smoking going up hill off road in the snow, slipping a little sideways, and as she started crying, I knew she was not up for either driving the off road car towing the GMC or sitting in the GMC trying not to run over the off road car when traction returned.
Plus it was cold.
With age comes wisdom.
So we backed out, went home, cooked over a BBQ and that was that.
|
Yeah, you made the right choice. Think about the off road car throwing a bunch of rocks and gravel at the front of your coach and breaking the windshield. That would have only worsened the situation.
I have lost traction even with my 3.70 LSD too, when that happens, you need to know when to quit. I have NOT attempted to drive my coach in the conditions you describe though, and have always only needed a light pull to get out.
I wonder if the type of tires I run on the front would have helped:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/dodge-front-wheels-5-10/p34779-dodge-front-wheels.html
Maybe not:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/towing-etc/p41602-sand-dunes-2011.html
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: [GMCnet] Trip Report [message #201311 is a reply to message #201302] |
Mon, 11 March 2013 12:59 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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I'm sure you're right. Judging from those pictures, it wouldn't have mattered if you'd had Super Swampers on it. 
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
[Updated on: Mon, 11 March 2013 12:59] Report message to a moderator |
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