We've returned home from our "Annual" winter tour of the South and West. We traveled to Southern Kentucky for a week. Then Southeast to {Augusta} and {Savannah} Georgia for six days.
Two weeks in Fla. @ Lakeland, Silver Springs and Ocala.
Next we went West to Ocean Springs Mississippi where we got caught in a Mardis Gras parade and got buried in {15 LBS of} beads.
We blew a tire on the travel trailer in downtown Houston at rush hour, [another story in itself] on our way to Corpus Christi, Texas. After a week in C.C., We took 6 days to get to Apache Junction, Arizona, with a stop at SMB Austin for some very minor warranty repairs.
We left Apache Junction three weeks later and meandered East on I 40 through Az., N.M., Tx., Ok., Ar., and Tn., to Nashville where we turned North on I 65 to Bowling Green, Ky, then East on Ky. 80 [future I 66] toward I 75.
Stops throughout Southern and Central Kentucky took up another 9 days.
We took three days getting through Ohio to home.
The trip was mostly uneventful except as noted above and below.
Transmission temperature shot up to {195*} post cooler during traffic jams, construction zones, and particularly through the Salt River Canyon where the speed limit was occasionally {15 MPH} and manual shifting was needed to maintain control on downhills and then get up to speed on uphills.
It was also in the canyon that the pyrometer reached {900*} measured post turbo. At no time were either of these temperatures surpassed nor were they sustained for more than a few seconds.
We traveled 7300 miles through all types of terrain leaving the transmission in OD and using Cruise Control to maintain the set speed of {60MPH}.
Only once was it necessary, [because the cruise control couldn't hold the set speed], to slow to 45 MPH in third gear on a {10 mile long 7% grade} hillclimb in New Mexico.
We were heavily loaded with the E350 6.0L PSTD SMB RB15 Motorhome and trailer weighing {20,000 LBS GCW}, yet we again averaged 10 MPG for the trip.
Having those gauges relieved me of a lot of concern and showed that the vehicle is capable of taking care of itself in most all situations.
There was never a "lack of power" concern and the cooling system worked phenomenally in my opinion.
There will probably not be many changes to our E350SD 6.0L PSTD SMB RB15 Class "B" Motorhome in the near future except maybe more gauges.
A new larger trailer is in the planning stages possibly before the next trip.
CUL8R;
Ken Kill Sr.
2005 E350SD 6.0L PSTD
SMB RB15 Modified
All Electric
Two weeks in Fla. @ Lakeland, Silver Springs and Ocala.
Next we went West to Ocean Springs Mississippi where we got caught in a Mardis Gras parade and got buried in {15 LBS of} beads.
We blew a tire on the travel trailer in downtown Houston at rush hour, [another story in itself] on our way to Corpus Christi, Texas. After a week in C.C., We took 6 days to get to Apache Junction, Arizona, with a stop at SMB Austin for some very minor warranty repairs.
We left Apache Junction three weeks later and meandered East on I 40 through Az., N.M., Tx., Ok., Ar., and Tn., to Nashville where we turned North on I 65 to Bowling Green, Ky, then East on Ky. 80 [future I 66] toward I 75.
Stops throughout Southern and Central Kentucky took up another 9 days.
We took three days getting through Ohio to home.
The trip was mostly uneventful except as noted above and below.
Transmission temperature shot up to {195*} post cooler during traffic jams, construction zones, and particularly through the Salt River Canyon where the speed limit was occasionally {15 MPH} and manual shifting was needed to maintain control on downhills and then get up to speed on uphills.
It was also in the canyon that the pyrometer reached {900*} measured post turbo. At no time were either of these temperatures surpassed nor were they sustained for more than a few seconds.
We traveled 7300 miles through all types of terrain leaving the transmission in OD and using Cruise Control to maintain the set speed of {60MPH}.
Only once was it necessary, [because the cruise control couldn't hold the set speed], to slow to 45 MPH in third gear on a {10 mile long 7% grade} hillclimb in New Mexico.
We were heavily loaded with the E350 6.0L PSTD SMB RB15 Motorhome and trailer weighing {20,000 LBS GCW}, yet we again averaged 10 MPG for the trip.
Having those gauges relieved me of a lot of concern and showed that the vehicle is capable of taking care of itself in most all situations.
There was never a "lack of power" concern and the cooling system worked phenomenally in my opinion.
There will probably not be many changes to our E350SD 6.0L PSTD SMB RB15 Class "B" Motorhome in the near future except maybe more gauges.
A new larger trailer is in the planning stages possibly before the next trip.
CUL8R;
Ken Kill Sr.
2005 E350SD 6.0L PSTD
SMB RB15 Modified
All Electric
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