My first loaded trip

[Don Bradner]

Yes, you are going to find that your weight to horsepower ratio is less than it
was with the Beaver. When you get a chance you will want to weigh your coach,
both for information and to make sure you run proper tire inflation by axle.

You happen to be in the one state where it is easy to get free, accurate
weights. Most Oregon highway scales are closed most of the time, and when they
are closed the scales with outside display are left on for anyone to use. When
you see a closed weigh station (unless it is barricaded, which means completely
out of service), just roll on in and stop on each axle and get the weight.

Don Bradner
90 PT40 "Blue Thunder" 49,000 lbs combined weight in normal full configuration,
with 475HP - still slow up the steep ones!
My location: http://www.bbirdmaps.com/user2.cfm?user=1

On 5/16/2009 at 2:57 PM jburgessx2 wrote:

>We've taken our first trip in our BB with it loaded. We full time and
>have for 7 years now. We did most of that time in a Beaver and just
>recently bought our Bird. We left the Ventura, CA area on Thursday and
>took 101 all the way to North Bend, OR. I've taken a motorhome (not the
>Bird) on 101 all the way from Seattle to San Diego. In the 85 PT40, it
>was a good trip for the most part.
>
>While this trip was good, it's not for the weak of heart. The portion
>from Oakland to North Bend is full of hills, twisties, Redwoods, etc. and
>gives your driving skills a test. It also tests your ability to shift and
>use the retarder without overheating it. It's a workout that tests your
>skills - especially with lots of traffic to contend with. Only once did
>my retarder exceed 230 (closer to 260) and it couldn't be helped at the
>time - I had to get slow enough to make a corner that snuck up out of
>nowhere!
>
>I guess I must have more weight in the coach than I thought. Since we do
>full time, I have my tools, golf clubs and other goodies that fill the
>basement. But, it's no more than we had in our 40' Beaver (no tag axle).
>I was surprised at how slow it took the steep hills and I'm not sure if
>this is normal. The steep hills had us crawling at 20-25 mph all the way
>to the top. The engine temp stayed about 185 and the tranny at about 215
>so I was in no danger of overheating. I somehow thought the horsepower of
>the Detroit (330?) would go up hills faster than the horsepower of my 3208
>Cat from the Beaver (250). I do know the BB is much heavier right out of
>the gate. Plus, I had 300 gallons of diesel, a tank of water and the tow
>car (a Miata - 2450 lbs).
>
>On the straights, the Detroit hauled butt with zero problems. In fact, I
>had to watch my speed because it wanted to run faster (70-75) and I wanted
>to conserve fuel and go 65 at best. My question: Is it normal for the
>Bird to go up hills at 20-25 mph?
>
>Other than that, it was a great trip and we should be headed back to SoCal
>in about 2 weeks.
>
>Jerry
>85 PT40
>
>
>
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