Speedbowl14
Ryan Preece and short tracks
@dpkimmel2001 @Nitro Dude and anyone else with experience driving big trucks.
I'm renting a 16ft Penske box truck for my cross-country move I'm taking next week. It's a long haul...Connecticut to Indianapolis to see the speedway museum, then to Bismarck, ND, and finally to the destination of Salt Lake City Utah. Should be 2,800-3,000 miles over 8 days. Me and my buddy switching off. I've driven full-size pick-ups (quad cab, extra long bed)... this is a different beast but the overall length is only a couple feet more. They seem to have idiot-proofed these trucks so you'd have to be a total greenie to screw up....rearview cams, automatic transmission, governors, etc. So I'm pretty confident with driving it...after all, the hardest part will probably be getting it out of CT and navigating the ridges/valleys/cities of PA! Of course, any advice is helpful though!
A few things I'm looking for opinions on.
First, I'm not sure about the power on this thing. V8 gasoline. It will be fully, fully loaded. Any suggestions for getting up hills other than "hammer down" or is that all I can really do with an automatic? Is it smart to downshift on the decline?
Any idea what the governed speed is on these things? I've looked all over the internet and I hear anything from 55mph to 70mph. Related...say it is governed down to something low like 60mph...on the sections of 80mph speed limit highway, would you recommend travelling with flashers on or would that be more of a nuisance for other drivers than a safety feature?
I hear Penske trucks are notoriously easy to steal. My idea is tightly chaining/locking a cinderblock to one of the wheels each night. Overkill? Would you call this a form of theft deterrent or would it just attract more attention? Would it be smarter to chain one side of the rear wheels together? What I mean is...they're dual tires in the back, chain together of set of these dual wheels through the holes in the wheel its self?
Anything in particular I should know about respecting the other big trucks on the road? Beyond the obvious of don't draft, don't fake a pass, etc.
Last, I really don't want to drive this thing in the snow so I've built in extra time on our itinerary. But....it's looking like at least snow showers in PA on Monday. Looks very light. I have the four wheels in the back...think I'm OK for an inch of snow if we find some? Not gonna drive through more than that.
Very excited! Any help is appreciated! So glad not to be doing this in a U-haul, lol.
I'm renting a 16ft Penske box truck for my cross-country move I'm taking next week. It's a long haul...Connecticut to Indianapolis to see the speedway museum, then to Bismarck, ND, and finally to the destination of Salt Lake City Utah. Should be 2,800-3,000 miles over 8 days. Me and my buddy switching off. I've driven full-size pick-ups (quad cab, extra long bed)... this is a different beast but the overall length is only a couple feet more. They seem to have idiot-proofed these trucks so you'd have to be a total greenie to screw up....rearview cams, automatic transmission, governors, etc. So I'm pretty confident with driving it...after all, the hardest part will probably be getting it out of CT and navigating the ridges/valleys/cities of PA! Of course, any advice is helpful though!
A few things I'm looking for opinions on.
First, I'm not sure about the power on this thing. V8 gasoline. It will be fully, fully loaded. Any suggestions for getting up hills other than "hammer down" or is that all I can really do with an automatic? Is it smart to downshift on the decline?
Any idea what the governed speed is on these things? I've looked all over the internet and I hear anything from 55mph to 70mph. Related...say it is governed down to something low like 60mph...on the sections of 80mph speed limit highway, would you recommend travelling with flashers on or would that be more of a nuisance for other drivers than a safety feature?
I hear Penske trucks are notoriously easy to steal. My idea is tightly chaining/locking a cinderblock to one of the wheels each night. Overkill? Would you call this a form of theft deterrent or would it just attract more attention? Would it be smarter to chain one side of the rear wheels together? What I mean is...they're dual tires in the back, chain together of set of these dual wheels through the holes in the wheel its self?
Anything in particular I should know about respecting the other big trucks on the road? Beyond the obvious of don't draft, don't fake a pass, etc.
Last, I really don't want to drive this thing in the snow so I've built in extra time on our itinerary. But....it's looking like at least snow showers in PA on Monday. Looks very light. I have the four wheels in the back...think I'm OK for an inch of snow if we find some? Not gonna drive through more than that.
Very excited! Any help is appreciated! So glad not to be doing this in a U-haul, lol.