Mine: 2011 Ecoboost, screw, 5.5 bed, 3:73 gears
Truck 2: 2011 5.0, screw, 5.5 bed, 3:55 gears
Truck 3: 2006 5.4 Triton, crew, 6.5 bed, 3:55 gears
All of us going camping this weekend with campers of 27 to 33 ft.
Not knowing of the alternate route to the campground we followed the gps route through the hills. Most of the hills were steep, up and down of up to approx. 1/4 mile at some points.
The torque of the ecoboost and the 3:73 helped and I found I could run up the hills a bit ahead of the other two. Truck 2 and 3 were running the same speeds up hill. Down the hills both 2011s did better for braking and downshifting. Brakes faded badly on the 2006. At the campgrounds all brakes smelled hot and all tranny temps though were
209 to 215.

 

IMO, If you fade the brakes on any year vehicle towing any kind of trailer, you either don't know how to drive in the mountains or you have too much trailer for either your towing experience or vehicle, or you had some other mechanical failure..

I've faded brakes before, but the trailer brakes weren't working from the start.. I knew that before I left, but this was about 20+ years ago and it was a JOB and a PAYCHECK that forced me to do it.. And I didn't hit anyone, but it was close at times!!

You can gear down with even a 3 speed C6 and do fine on the down grades (if your trailer brakes are working) and not fade your truck brakes... Yeah, you'll be going slower than molasses, but you also don't want to test out those 'truck run a way ramps' either..

Comparing two 2011 trucks to a 2006 is not really an "apples to apples' comparison either...

If all of your brakes smelled when you stopped, than you all were going too fast for the conditions and were pretty lucky to not lose your brakes completely..

Mitch

 

I was only trying to give some comparisons of the trucks. Wasn't bragging or belittling any truck or driver. Of course for one to make an opinion one would have to been there ....right? Not saying there was or wan't driver input. So "excuuuuusse meeee"

 

He was not belittling anything or anyone he was stating facts. If you all smelled burning brakes when you got to your destination you were all.

Inexperienced towers over your heads on a route you didn't know.

Going to fast down the grade with a trailer.

Towing to heavy a trailer for the truck.

All had trailer brake failures or the controllers were not set correctly.

Have no idea how to determine and maintain a safe speed down a grade towing a trailer.

This kind of stuff is what gets people killed and puts everyones family in danger on our roads. My truck and trailer combo grosses out at just under 20,000lbs and we hit some pretty good grades where I live and I have never once smelled burning brakes from my truck or my trailer. Do you know what your truck and trailer combo gross out at or if you are even above, at, or under the max towing capacity of your truck? I am going to take a SWAG and say no. And most guys here don't need to be there to know what happened because most of the guys in this section have the "Been there done that" shirt in the closet with the matching hat and coffee mug.

 

My trailer was weighed at a Cat scale and I know to be the heaviest of the 3. I am 3800 lbs under my tow capacity. I have towed small utility trailers to 53 foot semi trailers in my job of 32 years. Only one of us you might say had little experience. Like I said " I guess you would have had to been there". I refuse to reply to anymore of this nonsense henceforth.

 

Were you also under your payload capacity, GVWR, and GAWR?

Were you properly using tow/haul mode on the tranny and taking maximum advantage of engine braking?

 

Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers rich, but your OP was one that got my juices flowing by you stating 'smelling the brakes on all 3 vehicles'.. Of course, not being there was my reason for listing out the possible actions that lead to the hot brakes plain and simple..

Not saying that brakes don't get hot driving in the mountains, or that you wouldn't be able to smell them, but you don't seem to be concerned about it, so thanks for the comparison as you meant it.

Mitch

 

Not to be a jerk, but I didn't really see much of a comparison there?? Truck 1 would smoke the other two on paper alone, much less what you mentioned here. Kinda like stating the obvious. A good comparison would be you pulling the same trailer with all three trucks and providing some results.