On the way back from hunting last nite I was coming back over MacDonald Pass. It crosses the Continental Divide thru the Rockies near here. It's a four lane and quite curvey. Caution signs range from 45 to 60 mph around curves. It's a 70mph road. The last ascent to the summit is a mile long very steep climb(7%+) just after a long curve.

I was passing people on the left, as you are supposed to. I had it in Drive and at a steady 2800RPM so I was doin about 70-72. The road was dry. As I came around the last curve just before the long climb this Dogde(maybe a year newer than mine) pulled into the left lane in front of me. He had to of seen me and he wasn't passing anybody. Just him and me. So I pulled within two lengths of him and passed him on the right just sweet and pretty as ya please. The two inside wouldn't even look over at me as I went by. I was a 1/2 mile ahead of them when I hit the summit.

I didn't get anything hunting so that made my day!

 

Here we go again, So was the Dodge floored? you have no way of knowing, was he TRYING to race you? You have no way of knowing. How Much gear did you have in your truck compared to his, how much fuel? How many people, towing trailers?
What Tranny did he have, Auto or Manual, what was he taching compared to you? Maybe he never kicked out of Overdrive?
JUST BECAUSE YOU PASS SOMEBODY DOES NOT MEAN HES RACING YOU ..

Ron
00 Excursion Limited 4x4 V-10

 

I had my window down a little bit and it sure sounded like he had it floored to me.

The fact that he was in the right lane and pulled into the left lane right in front of me, as I was already in the left lane to pass him, tells me he was being an *** and was trying to prove something.

Both lanes were dry and there was no traffic in front of us. I'll take it for what it's worth....I'm not a racing kind of guy. You take it for what it's worth. You weren't there. I'm not stupid...I know how many factors can go into a fair race. I heard his engine revving quite loudly. I just kept up my steady pace at 2800 RPM. He was the one that initiated it....not me.

 

Guess I won't ask you where you were hunting.....I'm hoping to hit it hard the wknd before Thanksgiving. Weather will determine where I'll be.

For you 'right coasters' nobody has much pedal left at the top of a 7% grade out here, but it sounds like the Dodge guy was just being a jerk. Glad you made it home safely.

 

If you want to test your truck for power up an upgrade, go to Osoyoos BC and take the #3 Eastbound from there.

It is a 15 mile 7% grade.

I pulled my fully loaded trailer up that in 1997 with my fully loaded truck, the slowest I ended up was 70 KPH or 42 MPH.

KTM has it right, Unless you are under equal approved conditions, you couldn't have any idea what was going on in his mind.

 

Hi Mtflat,

I was behind the prison property West of Deer Lodge. I got a cow tag for that area. It's been tough. Not a lot of people getting much, altho they say a lot is out there. Was out yesterday also. Usually supposed to be a piece of cake. Not so far! Lotta walking and putzing around. Snowed a bunch yesterday....had to use chains for most of the day. I need to get a set for the front. Got kinda iffy for a while. Keep in touch. Let me know how you do.

 

You are talking a 7% incline from horizontal correct? for some reason that just does not seem like alot.....or is it like 7%under a 45 deg climb?

 

I'm not sure, but either way, it's going constantly up hill for several miles. I've been in a similar situation when I was driving to Ohio from Maryland - up in western Maryland (Cumberland), they have a lot of real hilly roads. On some of those grades, you start running out of pedal (or the stupid transmission upshifts, leaving you totally powerless )

Nice scenic view, though.

XXL

 

Yes, I am certain that it is a 7% grade. And yes, it is from level. I design highways for a living. It is the maximum allowed for a highway receiving federal funds. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is. To build a road segment with a steeper grade requires approval from the FHWA. I know that that section of road I was on doesn't have a design exception for a steeper grade.

On a 7% grade, the road is climbing 7 feet per every 100 feet you travel.

 

umm....so then WAIT!!!! this is saying that that is only a 3.5% climb then up 7 for every 100 across is a 3.5% climb....or is it 14 ft per 100?.....that is unless it means that a 100% climb is actuall going the opposite way upside down.....but either way.....I could swear that if I was to take a lvl to some of the interstate hills and all it would be more tahn that.....and as far as not having power on that type of climb....I am sure that If I can accelerate up a 33 deg climb in 2nd on gravel, then I should have plenty of power going up a 7% climb in 4th...unless I was towing a trailer..even then it is iffy, I know I have towed my stang up some of the larger bridges and hills around Little Rock (There are some pretty steep ones) while still having alittle pedal left....understand my truck is a V6 5spd.

 

Nope...A 7% grade is climbing 7 feet for every 100 feet of travel. Think of it as 7/100ths.....or 0.07 ft/ft. 7% is 7 parts of 100. Or 7 feet of 100 feet. If you figure it out on paper a 7% grade would make a 4 degree 00 minute 15 second angle from level.

7% is the max due to towing conditions and tractor trailers. Also up north here anything greater than 7% would be hard to navigate during the winter months due to ice and snow. I know it's hard to believe but true.

A 33 degree climb would be climbing about 65 feet for every "level" 100 feet. This would be a 65% grade. This would be a pretty tough grade to climb...but doable...I think?

On paper it goes like this. On a right triangle the "level" line would measure 100 feet. The angle we are working with is 33 degrees. The equation is like this to find the height of the triangle. The Tangent of the angle (in question) = y/x. Y being the height and x being the level length. So...... Tan 33deg = y/100. Then....The tangent of 33deg = 0.6494.....
then again...0.6494 = y/100...
So y = 0.6494 x 100.....y = approx 65 feet. So if you climb 65 feet in 100 it is a 65% grade.

Sorry bout the long geometry lesson. It's just what I do for a living. When I'm not getting caught screwing around on FTE!!

FYI....A 45 degree grade = a 100% grade.

 

Hey, DClarson...
Did you hear what Fish and Game did???


On their late season Elk tags for the Gardiner area, when they printed the tags they forgot to sya wheather it was a Cow or Bull tag....hehehe...it was classified as either sex, either species...thats gonna suck for the nice big bulls...heheh, i wish i would have applied for a late season tag...

 

Its those damn wolves.
My dad was hunting the early season south of Red Lodge and said that there weren't any elk up there. Those wolves are taking more than their fair share.

 

Here is a TRUE story about how I blew the doors off a Dodge.

I used to own a 1994 F-350 crew-cab dually with the 460 EFI engine, and automatic tranny.

I was taking a trip up to Vegas. Right before Kingman,(if memory serves right?) there is a 7 % up hill grade that lasts for 1- mile.

There was this older couple in a new at the time 1996 Dodge 2500 Dually, with the automatic tranny, and Cummins Turbo Diesel. They were driving behind us for about 2 hours.

When we reached the big hill, the road seperates into 2 lanes, He takes the left I take the right, The old fart gives me the thumbs up and mashes his gas, I mash the gas on my mighty 460.

We were neck and neck for about 200-500 feet, then I steadily pulled away from him. By the time we reached the top of the hill I was beating him by 1 truck length.

Then both of us stopped at a truck stop in kingman, and we looked at eachothers trucks. it turns out this guy was a Retired truck driver for Swift. He did it for about 15 years!! He told me he is going to sell his Darn dodge and get a truck like mine.

THIS IS A TRUE STORY!!

 

Cool story !
Here's one of my own - I was in my 2002 F-350 with a 7.3L Auto. with a Diablo Delta 3 stage power chip. I was on I384 in the left doing about a good 73 or so MPH, when this guy in a newer Chebby 1500 starts approaching fast in the right lane. Me, being young and dumb, decide to "play". I floor my truck, and he floor's his, next thing you know we're both doing 100+ MPH and we're dead even. I eventually had to let off the gas, as there was approaching cars. He gave me a "thumbs up", and so did I. How his truck could keep up with mine still remains a mystery . . .

OK, lets here more race storys . . . .