Hi there fellow travellers, has anyone had any issues coming down Mount Ouzley heading towards Wollongong? We have just bought a Regal Comfort Tourer thats 23foot long and have not gone down a long hill yet. My husband is fretting somewhat and have a brake guy coming to check out our redarc system to make sure all is good before we head off down south on Friday. He has studied up by using YouTube etc but still does not feel confident.
blaze said
12:25 PM Mar 3, 2020
go slow in a gear that requires minimum braking, on a long steep hill you should only need to slightly aply the brakes a few times to keep engine revs to acceptable level
cheers
blaze
DMaxer said
12:41 PM Mar 3, 2020
As Blaze says, just take it slowly in a lwer gear. Hop into the left hand lane and get in behind one of the many trucks and you will have no problems.
littledick said
12:42 PM Mar 3, 2020
Gypsies wrote:
Hi there fellow travellers, has anyone had any issues coming down Mount Ouzley heading towards Wollongong? We have just bought a Regal Comfort Tourer thats 23foot long and have not gone down a long hill yet. My husband is fretting somewhat and have a brake guy coming to check out our redarc system to make sure all is good before we head off down south on Friday. He has studied up by using YouTube etc but still does not feel confident.
Sit behind the trucks, 2nd or 3rd gear that's what I do. My van 23ft6in, 3.2t.
Little bit more brake on the van, works for us. you will be ok.
Dick.
Long Weekend said
12:48 PM Mar 3, 2020
Do what the coal trucks do going down the same mountain - put the tug in a low gear. Going down that same mountain (and others such as the Clyde and Brown) I find that (sports mode) 3rd in our Ranger slows down enough so that it only requires a touch on the brakes from time to time.
By the way, the coal trucks are restricted to only 40 km/h! Other traffic has a 80 km/h limit.
Automatics work the same as a manual vehicle - just that you don't have a clutch to worry about.
Murray
PS: Selecting a low gear also works when climbing up a steep hill!
-- Edited by Long Weekend on Tuesday 3rd of March 2020 12:56:49 PM
Aus-Kiwi said
02:47 PM Mar 3, 2020
Yes play or use auto to get the experience BEFORE hand . Off throttle even with no exhaust brake . Diesels have good engine braking . Just be aware not to over rev engine !!! Machine shop I often visit has many diesels in there with dropped valve etc mainly due to changing down , over revving engine . Could be mistake with manual
Trans ? Should be at speed at top of hill . The same speed you want to be at the bottom. Dont brake continuously. The odd brake to let them cool . Between applications.
Mike Harding said
02:54 PM Mar 3, 2020
Ensure you change the brake fluid in the tow car every two years.
Automatics get a lot more brake usage in hilly country than manuals and brake fluid, naturally, absorbs water which can boil under harsh braking conditions which means you won't have any brakes!
Don't hold the brakes on for a long period rather do a few seconds of medium braking and then let the brakes off for a few seconds - repeat. If possible stop half way down for ten minutes to allow the brakes to cool.
Whenarewethere said
03:21 PM Mar 3, 2020
If its auto & you have sport mode stick it in low gear, & you get a whisker more braking with the air conditioning on.
Cupie said
08:17 PM Mar 3, 2020
Aus-Kiwi wrote:
Yes play or use auto to get the experience BEFORE hand . Off throttle even with no exhaust brake . Diesels have good engine braking . Just be aware not to over rev engine !!! Machine shop I often visit has many diesels in there with dropped valve etc mainly due to changing down , over revving engine . Could be mistake with manual Trans ? Should be at speed at top of hill . The same speed you want to be at the bottom. Dont brake continuously. The odd brake to let them cool . Between applications.
I have a manual petrol tug.
Have pulled a 21'6" van over & down most of the ranges in Au.
I just wind up the brake controller a couple of notches, get into the truck lane in 2nd gear & 'wind' it down. Just occasionally touching the brakes to keep the revs in check.
After 200,000k I replaced the van brake shoes with still about 50% of meat left. Similar experience with the Patrol's pads. Maybe two sets in 280,000k.
I am guilty of rarely changing the hydraulic fluid though.
I just smile as the @#$%heads race past leaving behind a whiff of burnlng brake shoes.
My brakes are just as good at the bottom of the range as they were at the top .. & no smell! or driver stress either.
travellinglew said
06:38 AM Mar 4, 2020
Rule of thumb is to always use the same gear going down a hill that you need to get up the hill.
oldbloke said
07:11 AM Mar 4, 2020
A simple check that i often do is after a drive where there has been a fair bit of brake use. (Say around suburbs or down a moderate hill) I pull over and carefully check all van brake drums are hot. If not you have a problem. Another is screw up the redarc to about 6 or 7. When you apply brakes it should be very obvious that the van is pulling the van up. If not, y oiu have p r oblem.
There are are a lot of vans out there with brakes not working as they should.
When aproaching a downward grade, start at the top at a low speed. Apply brakes on, and off. And as mentioned select lower gear.
P.S. Very very important the unit under the dash is fixed firmly in position. Not just taped to a few cables as was done to mine.
-- Edited by oldbloke on Wednesday 4th of March 2020 07:15:59 AM
valiant81 said
09:21 AM Mar 4, 2020
travellinglew wrote:
Rule of thumb is to always use the same gear going down a hill that you need to get up the hill.
I also 2nd that.
Greg 1 said
12:37 PM Mar 4, 2020
I use the Redarc's control to wind in a little bit more brake at top of descent and a bit more on the descent if it's a long and steep one. Use a low gear as well, for me usually 2nd if I am on something like Clyde or Brown mountains. Haven't gone down the one you are talking about but both of the above are quite steep and long. Ranger with 3 tonne van was no issue just using common sense and starting slow at the top.
Don't get stressed about people behind. Just get to the bottom safely. Let them through only if safe to do so. You should be quite ok if you follow the basics that have been mentioned in the posts on here.
Warren-Pat_01 said
10:47 PM Mar 6, 2020
A number of years ago when I had my GQ 4.2L diesel Patrol, I "ran out of brakes" at White Cliffs. The brake pedal went to the floor! I checked the brake reservoir - was ok & I couldn't see any hydraulic leaks anywhere. I didn't have a master cylinder kit with me so we proceeded on, relying on the electric brakes on the camper trailer (tent trailer). Sight seeing involved driving around the town using the gears & hand brake.
The next major spot we came to was Charleville - found it would take a number of days to get spares from Brisbane & as we made it so far with no trouble, I decided to head for Emerald. There was only one problem as I found - there was a long fairly steep hill down from the gem fields to Emerald. Fortunately there were no bends but the camper trailer's brakes & low gears ensured we arrived there safely. The master cylinder kit was replaced & fixed the fault.
Our D-Max doesn't have the compression braking that the Patrols had but it's still better than a petrol car.
As the others above have said, pick your gear, stick behind the trucks & take it easy, touching the brakes occasionally if you have to.
Cupie said
11:45 PM Mar 6, 2020
Warren-Pat_01 wrote:
A number of years ago when I had my GQ 4.2L diesel Patrol, I "ran out of brakes" at White Cliffs. The brake pedal went to the floor! I checked the brake reservoir - was ok & I couldn't see any hydraulic leaks anywhere. I didn't have a master cylinder kit with me so we proceeded on, relying on the electric brakes on the camper trailer (tent trailer). Sight seeing involved driving around the town using the gears & hand brake. The next major spot we came to was Charleville - found it would take a number of days to get spares from Brisbane & as we made it so far with no trouble, I decided to head for Emerald. There was only one problem as I found - there was a long fairly steep hill down from the gem fields to Emerald. Fortunately there were no bends but the camper trailer's brakes & low gears ensured we arrived there safely. The master cylinder kit was replaced & fixed the fault.
Our D-Max doesn't have the compression braking that the Patrols had but it's still better than a petrol car.
As the others above have said, pick your gear, stick behind the trucks & take it easy, touching the brakes occasionally if you have to.
Apologies for taking this off topic for just a bit ..
Your experience reminds me of a clutch pedal issue in my GQ. I had driven from Cobar to Wilcannia where I filled up. About 100km out I thought that I would go up to 5th as I had a following wind. Pushed the clutch pedal in .. didn't disengage clutch. Decided to drive on to Broken hill and knock it out of gear as I came into town & get a mechanic.
A passing truck blew of my old clip on mirrors & I scratched around trying to retrieve & re attach them with SWMBO steering.
After an hour or so with a few ranges coming up I thought that I should try the clutch again. Guess what? OK.
Seems that my thongs had slipped forward & jammed under the pedal limiting its travel. My scratching around fixing the mirror moved them out of the way. Phew! Never had a problem since & make sure that thongs are well out of the way.
Back on topic ... As may have previously have been mentioned, use the gear coming down that you would use going up.
Greg 1 said
01:44 PM Mar 8, 2020
Better still, don't drive in thongs! Wear some sensible footwear.
Gypsies said
09:25 AM May 21, 2020
I want to thank you all for the replies on going down massive hills and want to apologise for not replying earlier as we got caught up in Covid. We did make it down and up Mt Ouzley without real problems other than nervousness!
Tony LEE said
09:50 AM May 22, 2020
Research "snub braking". It is the system recommended for heavy vehicles and works just as well for any vehicle
Hi there fellow travellers, has anyone had any issues coming down Mount Ouzley heading towards Wollongong? We have just bought a Regal Comfort Tourer thats 23foot long and have not gone down a long hill yet. My husband is fretting somewhat and have a brake guy coming to check out our redarc system to make sure all is good before we head off down south on Friday. He has studied up by using YouTube etc but still does not feel confident.
cheers
blaze
As Blaze says, just take it slowly in a lwer gear. Hop into the left hand lane and get in behind one of the many trucks and you will have no problems.
Sit behind the trucks, 2nd or 3rd gear that's what I do. My van 23ft6in, 3.2t.
Little bit more brake on the van, works for us. you will be ok.
Dick.
Do what the coal trucks do going down the same mountain - put the tug in a low gear. Going down that same mountain (and others such as the Clyde and Brown) I find that (sports mode) 3rd in our Ranger slows down enough so that it only requires a touch on the brakes from time to time.
By the way, the coal trucks are restricted to only 40 km/h! Other traffic has a 80 km/h limit.
Automatics work the same as a manual vehicle - just that you don't have a clutch to worry about.
Murray
PS: Selecting a low gear also works when climbing up a steep hill!
-- Edited by Long Weekend on Tuesday 3rd of March 2020 12:56:49 PM
Trans ? Should be at speed at top of hill . The same speed you want to be at the bottom. Dont brake continuously. The odd brake to let them cool . Between applications.
Ensure you change the brake fluid in the tow car every two years.
Automatics get a lot more brake usage in hilly country than manuals and brake fluid, naturally, absorbs water which can boil under harsh braking conditions which means you won't have any brakes!
Don't hold the brakes on for a long period rather do a few seconds of medium braking and then let the brakes off for a few seconds - repeat. If possible stop half way down for ten minutes to allow the brakes to cool.
If its auto & you have sport mode stick it in low gear, & you get a whisker more braking with the air conditioning on.
I have a manual petrol tug.
Have pulled a 21'6" van over & down most of the ranges in Au.
I just wind up the brake controller a couple of notches, get into the truck lane in 2nd gear & 'wind' it down. Just occasionally touching the brakes to keep the revs in check.
After 200,000k I replaced the van brake shoes with still about 50% of meat left. Similar experience with the Patrol's pads. Maybe two sets in 280,000k.
I am guilty of rarely changing the hydraulic fluid though.
I just smile as the @#$%heads race past leaving behind a whiff of burnlng brake shoes.
My brakes are just as good at the bottom of the range as they were at the top .. & no smell! or driver stress either.
A simple check that i often do is after a drive where there has been a fair bit of brake use. (Say around suburbs or down a moderate hill) I pull over and carefully check all van brake drums are hot. If not you have a problem. Another is screw up the redarc to about 6 or 7. When you apply brakes it should be very obvious that the van is pulling the van up. If not, y oiu have p r oblem.
There are are a lot of vans out there with brakes not working as they should.
When aproaching a downward grade, start at the top at a low speed. Apply brakes on, and off. And as mentioned select lower gear.
P.S. Very very important the unit under the dash is fixed firmly in position. Not just taped to a few cables as was done to mine.
-- Edited by oldbloke on Wednesday 4th of March 2020 07:15:59 AM
I also 2nd that.
The next major spot we came to was Charleville - found it would take a number of days to get spares from Brisbane & as we made it so far with no trouble, I decided to head for Emerald. There was only one problem as I found - there was a long fairly steep hill down from the gem fields to Emerald. Fortunately there were no bends but the camper trailer's brakes & low gears ensured we arrived there safely. The master cylinder kit was replaced & fixed the fault.
Our D-Max doesn't have the compression braking that the Patrols had but it's still better than a petrol car.
As the others above have said, pick your gear, stick behind the trucks & take it easy, touching the brakes occasionally if you have to.
Apologies for taking this off topic for just a bit ..
Your experience reminds me of a clutch pedal issue in my GQ. I had driven from Cobar to Wilcannia where I filled up. About 100km out I thought that I would go up to 5th as I had a following wind. Pushed the clutch pedal in .. didn't disengage clutch. Decided to drive on to Broken hill and knock it out of gear as I came into town & get a mechanic.
A passing truck blew of my old clip on mirrors & I scratched around trying to retrieve & re attach them with SWMBO steering.
After an hour or so with a few ranges coming up I thought that I should try the clutch again. Guess what? OK.
Seems that my thongs had slipped forward & jammed under the pedal limiting its travel. My scratching around fixing the mirror moved them out of the way. Phew! Never had a problem since & make sure that thongs are well out of the way.
Back on topic ... As may have previously have been mentioned, use the gear coming down that you would use going up.