Driving and towing distances fatigue

First off I am 76 and until the last few years driving distances didn't bother me much. I just got back from an attempt at a 2-3 month vacation towing my 30' 5th wheel in my '01 2500 CTD Ram. I found it very tiring and I had to rest more than normal and ended my vacation after 3 weeks. I don't want to give up traveling and seeing more things but if this last experience is any indicator I may have to reconsider. I looked at my Issue 92 of TDR and saw on page 88 an article on Purple Cushions on this very subject. I then Googled truck cushions and found some similar products with similar reviews. I was wondering about other TDR members experiences with some of these products and if it increased their comfort while traveling distances and any recommendations. I have friends older than me who travel distances each years due to work or full timing it in their RV. Got any suggestions?
Gary

 

Gary, I dont get the magazine anymore, so I cant comment on the purple things.

My Dad has about 10 years on you, he had to readjust his speed lately. His life speed that is.
He summers in Maine and winters here in NJ. Him and Mom do the trip in one day, but in the last couple years it's been getting harder for him.
2 (minor) strokes etc. He usually naps in the afternoon anymore.
I'm only 52 but with my health concerns, the Wife likes to do "day trips" with our 28' TT.
The last few years I've been telling her if I have to hook it up. unhook it etc etc etc I'm doing it for more than 1 night.:/ I have no place special to be.

Take your time. Spend a couple days here & there. It might help.

I prefer driving at night. Much less foolishness happening. But my eyes are pretty good.

 

It seems to me that you've got quite a few seat-miles on that 2001. As I recall ours "mushed" out pretty quickly, but my bucket occupies a lot of seat, and the weight is factor in seat deterioration. Also is age... of the foam. The closed cell foams out now should really help with the fatigue factor, and it's a very slight price for a major upgrade. The newer trucks are much more mileage friendly, but their price isn't necessarily so. Hey, if it doesn't work, just stop more often, and enjoy new locations. Greg

 

I bought the Simply Purple cushion but have only used it a few hundred miles so far. It seems to be an improvement over the regular seat pad I've been using but not as great as I hoped. The more expensive and thicker pad might be better. My one complaint is that it seems get a bit warm after awhile.
As far as driving distance goes, I'm 74 and find that 400 miles is about my max but 350 is OK. On days when I'm trying to cover miles I can do 450 but usually feel pretty wiped out. 14 years ago I suffered a blood clot in my leg so my wife uses any excuse, like potty stops, to get me to stop every 2 hours or so to stretch and walk around. It adds to the length of the day but I do feel better when we get there.

 

I believe the kery is to stop every 90 minutes and walk around the truck and 5er. Let the blood circulate a bit. My wife and I are not very old yet, but we can see the differance from 10, 20 and 30 years ago. It's only normal. We switch off driving everytime we stop. That helps with the fatigue. We absolutely will not drive more that two hours and we try not to drive when it gets dark. It only takes a little more time to get there, which is better than getting fatigued and wind up in a ditch.

 

I try to limit my driving to no more than 350 miles a day. I am 73 and within the past 2-3 years I've noticed a real decline in my stamina. Yes, I have all the old age issues plus I had a heat-stroke several years ago that depletes my energy real quick in temperatures above 85. I use to prefer to drive at night but since having lens transplant surgery I can't handle the halo effect even with night driving glasses. Bear in mind that I love to drive and
look forward to being on the open road. I bought the Royal Purple 2" pad after reading about it in the latest issue of TDR and personally believe that
it has improved the driving experience; of course my seat was about shot so anything was an improvement.

My wife doesn't like to drive the truck and refuses when pulling the camper so my afternoon naps are non-existent when we're on the road. Hey, it's a new season in life with a new set of challenges. Unfortunately, when we get to where we're going most of the time it's dark and getting into a
campsite can be an aggravation without a little teamwork. We use walkie-talkies and she is a pretty good spotter but always says, "Hell, I thought you use to be a driver." Yeah, I use to be pretty good, but now I'm just trying to keep up.

- Ed

 

I find towing with the new 2015 much easier than the 2001.5 was for 14 years! Quieter, smoother, and does more with less driver input. With the transmission mods and exhaust brake on the 2001, you had to drive the transmission a lot more.

Also the seats in the 2015 are light years ahead of the older truck. Don't get me wrong, old blue did a great job towing a 12.4K 5th, you just had to work at it harder.

SNOKING

 

I have found that anything more than 350 Miles a day will wear me out, I have done 500 miles a day but no more. We tend to stop every two hours or so at a rest stop or truck fueling center and walk around for 5 to 10 min's at every stop. This way I am not to fatigued and legs are not cramping up from sitting to long. My wife will not drive the truck with the camper attached she said it's too much to worry about. So I do all of the driving while she navigates with maps and the "Next Stop" book. It may take us a little longer to get to where we want to go but we arrive more refresh than when we did the long day drives.

 

i'm not at your age. but i have to say the "WonderGel" seat cushion i got from bed bath n beyond is simply amazing!!! i'd suggest getting one and just trying it out.
i got the extreme first. it was to thick and raised me up to high in my seat.
so next was the standard one. WOW is all i can say.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/s/wondergel?ta=typeahead

 

Clocking in at 52 here. Some days are easy 10+ hour days, some days I don't even want to go two hours. Last summer we pulled from Glacier N.P. to one hour south of Bellingham, WA (almost 600 miles) in one shot. I could have kept going but it made sense to stop where we were (Cabelas!). Some days are just better than others. I do have to stop every 90-120 miles to stretch. Achy back. I've replaced the seat cushion twice now in my 06. Definitely makes a difference.

 

I'm 48, and haven't always been a long distance driver. In the last few years I've been making 700 mile per day runs. That's my limit. I can't see doing more than that unless you're a professional driver in top shape on the clock.
I've also been making "short hops" of 170 miles a few times a year to visit family.
The 170 run is done with no stops, or one each way for fuel, and depending on who's in the vehicle.
We just made a 700 mile run- from Tennessee to NYC in 12 hours that included a tour stop of about an hour, and two breaks of about 30 min each.
Theres no doubt that comfort and health is a major role in fatigue. I spend a bit of time getting the seat just right, and if there were a foundation issue, I would fix or replace the seat. I know recently members mwilson helped Ozymiandis from Switzerland source some premium air ride seats for his Ram when he was touring North America.
Also your mental state plays a lot into it as well. I read a book about the history of Auto Racing in America, and a section deals with a driver describing how he was "velocitized" during a long race. I find myself in that state. It's like being accustomed to traveling at 70, forgetting about mile markers, and letting the miles roll by.
When I get back into NYC where the max speed is 50, it really feels like you're not moving.

I really hope hope I can be doing this well into my '70's. I think dealing with that is knowing how to take care of yourself and knowing your limitations. If you have a clot issue, then you must stop and circulate!
Be safe out there. It's not a race!

 

At 68 I've found that old age ain't for sissies. During and right after college, I'd make a 500 mile run from Houston to Odessa, TX after school or work on Friday and back on Sunday afternoon with only one stop for fuel on the way and enjoyed the drive. When I bought this 2016 truck in May, I made a 508 mile run from Houston to the dealer in Daphne, AL and thought I'd never get there. Now that I'm retired, we're somewhat more flexible with our schedule, so 300-350 miles is about all we'll schedule ourselves to go on a day towing the 5th wheel, and many days are 250 miles or so. My wife spells me off driving, so that helps. As far as stops are concerned, the older we get, the more important it is to visit every Rest Area we see, so that gets us out of the truck every hour or two. I hope we're able to continue RVing through our 70s, but I guess that depends on how quickly our bodies give out.

Rusty

 

I am at 62 now and just finished a round trip from Tempe to Minot ND and back, Driving hours ranged from a minimum of 12 and a max of 18. I will be so glad to retire and can take more time to make trips like that.

Dave

 

I thank you all for your advice. While is my 60's I could do 500 miles a day and enjoy it but time does go by. I can't afford a new truck so the best thing is to get a new gel type cushion and to pull over at more rest stops and take more breaks and maybe even some "naps". Probably the max miles would be 300 and not push it. One thing I think would help would be taking roads that are not boring and tedious. I really don't want to stop seeing more of this beautiful country of ours. God Bless America!
Gary

 

I got a couple of Roho Airhawk truck seat cushions to deal with the seats in my '01 3500. They were not cheap then and seem to have increased in price a bit. They really helped with the hard seats and I have used them in the car on long trips and moved them to my '15 3500. The seats are way better than the '01 but after a while they can get uncomfortable.

 

Maybe a little off subject, but has anyone had the drivers seat in a 2nd gen truck rebuilt ? If so, how did it work out ? Any more comfortable etc ?

 

Gotta love them Rest Areas Rusty!!! I'm 52 and always look forward to seeing Rest Areas! LOL!

 

We go several times a year to St. Augustine Florida. From my door to where we spend the night is 835 miles and we've driven that in one day probably 2 dozen times or more over the years. We will be heading back down soon and the wife wants to stop half way this time. I'm not sure why she gets tired on the trips. She is sleeping from the moment we leave the house and only wakes up when we stop for fuel.

 

Its a bit out of the way, but go through pigeon forge, and especially hit Floyd Garret's muscle car museum before he closes up.

 

Thanks for the link. I'd love to stop there. If I don't make it this time down, it is close enough to me for a quick weekend trip.