Easiest tow route to Harlan?

BigClay

BigClay

Knower of useless ZJ things
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Location
Winston-Salem
I know this has been covered before and I know there are various opinions, so post them here. What is the easiest tow route to Harlan?

I ask because I don't tow with a diesel, so I can't go 120mph up a 80 degree incline pulling 40k pounds doing figure eights and still get 50mpgs haha
 
77 to 81 S (I assume ???).Then exit 57B in Kingsport TN onto I-26,then Hwy 58 at the VA state line all the way to the McDonalds in Big Stone Gap.58 Alt thru BSG/pennignton gap,then 421 on to Harlan.Might not be the closest but it cuts out all that up and down thru Duffield all that mess from Abington VA.Note there is ALOT of construction on that stretch-es of road.Im sure folks will question or disagree but I always run to BSG and go in.Its a lot easier on a truck to not have to pull one mnt after another when turning left at the Mcdonalds in Duffield.
 
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Something like.
Screenshot (20).png
 
81S to 26N to 23/421, right on 38 and roll right into the Dairy Hut for them there tater munchers! Above route doesn’t sound too bad either.

I’ve gone the wrong way twice before and it was awful. First time I went thru big stone gap, and came into Evarts in 38 going the Georgetown and Holmes Mill. That was the worst tow I’ve ever done.

Interested to see some other routes.
 
@1-tonmudder so by running further up 23 to that McDonald’s you avoid construction on 58? I usually turn sooner. Also, I can’t remeber where that big long two lane hill is at. Does that route avoid that? I don’t mind pulling it, but it might be best to avoid it, and Clay might do much better avoiding it.
 
77GreenMachine said:
81S to 26N to 23/421, right on 38 and roll right into the Dairy Hut for them there tater munchers! Above route doesn’t sound too bad either.

I’ve gone the wrong way twice before and it was awful. First time I went thru big stone gap, and came into Evarts in 38 going the Georgetown and Holmes Mill. That was the worst tow I’ve ever done.
Interested to see some other routes.
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I checked it one time and FOR ME it was about 15 miles out of the way to go to BSG and go in versus turnin at Duffield.time was close to the same.
 
77GreenMachine said:
@1-tonmudder so by running further up 23 to that McDonald’s you avoid construction on 58? I usually turn sooner. Also, I can’t remeber where that big long two lane hill is at. Does that route avoid that? I don’t mind pulling it, but it might be best to avoid it, and Clay might do much better avoiding it.
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Sorry,my bad.The const is on 77 and 81,Dont know about 58,havent been that way in a while.You mean the steep(5% or so) grade that 3-4 miles long then theres another climb behind it for another mile or so??? If so that's when you turn left at the McDonald on 58 in Duffield.My route cuts out all of that.Its all four lane until you cut off in BSG.Then its a mix of city streets and four lane until you make the right hand turn at the gas station in Pennington Gap.
 
Been a while since I've been to Harlan but the last few times I came into evarts from Virginia and not Harlan (don't remeber the roads). Maybe a bit slower but I felt like it was easier on me and the obs 7.3.
 
I just went to Ohio and had to take a detour to avoid the construction on 77. Is that still going on? That was 2 weeks ago.
 
I was in Salisbury last week end and took 77/81 home and they were still working on it.
 
I recall going out 40 and going north through Tazwell, TN the easiest. Went that way once, it took longer. Other than that I can tell you how much boost and speed a modified Cummins can make on the other routes:burnout:
 
GONOVRIT said:
I recall going out 40 and going north through Tazwell, TN the easiest. Went that way once, it took longer. Other than that I can tell you how much boost and speed a modified Cummins can make on the other routes:burnout:
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40 down thru Waynesville,maggie valley to Int 81??
 
From Winston Salem, 52 to 74 to 77 to 81, then get off 81 in Bristol, TN. I just follow Google maps this way.
Screenshot_2018-08-08-01-19-11.png
 
71chevytruckguy said:
From Winston Salem, 52 to 74 to 77 to 81, then get off 81 in Bristol, TN. I just follow Google maps this way.
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I have rode a few times w some guys from Richmond Va and they say that stretch from Bristol to gate city is pretty shitty,(curvy).I think its 58/421,dont know if its the same route or not.
 
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1-tonmudder said:
I have rode a few times w some guys from Richmond Va and they say that stretch from Bristol to gate city is pretty shitty,(curvy).I think its 58/421,dont know if its the same route or not.
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Can confirm. I don’t even like driving that in a Jeep alone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
3CE19CF1-4BC2-4118-8CDE-1C64753A12F6.jpeg
I agree. I’m not sure why y’all don’t run on down to 26? It literally is less than a 10 minute difference and it’s all wide open, way easier with a trailer. I tried to mark up a screen shot.
 
GONOVRIT said:
Not really, it’s the high lighted one here
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Been everyway. I choose to go 40 to 26 to 421. But,.....
The high lighted route shown here, while longer, is by far the easiest route to keep the RPM's down.
Every other route you have either a lot of twisty roads, and or, some major hills. The route up 40, 81, 25E has one major hill, and that's Old Fort Mnt. which is only a few miles.
 
Ive been all the ways descried here.
I go up and around, Greensboro, I74/I77 but then i go....
the way 81/TN32(Hwy25E) [11W/32]
and US119 / KY-38E
[the numbers change a bit BUT it is mostly all Highway 25E]
and there is a Pilot Travel Center (truck stop) (2 miles North Cumberland Gap.)
and it 3/4 the way all 4 lanes.
6.5 hours (from North Raleigh)
YMMV
 
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yager said:
the way 81/TN32(Hwy25E) [11W/32]
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I don't mind going 11W, either. Drivers tend to be more aggressive on I81 and I26 around Bristol, but haven't had anything like that on 11W. But I take New Beason Well Road to Bloomingdale Road to TN93/VA224 to Weber City, then on to Harlan. I pull the goosenecks through there no problem, but that might be narrower than some folks can tolerate.
 
1-tonmudder said:
Something like.
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Did this alternate route around the big pull outside Duffield by accident one time when coming in from Boone at night. If you're loaded heavy and/or don't want to flog your shit its not a bad option and only added maybe 15-20 min to the trip. That said, I'm with @GONOVRIT and can tell you what a mildly modified 7.3 6spd and turned up 24V auto truck will do pulling similar loads up the stairway to heaven outside Duffield. Besides, if a guy in a Tacoma pulling a buggy can do it bouncing a 3.4 rev limiter, yall can all do it.
 
Chris_Keziah said:
@BigClay I'm prob gonna run this route, also glad you posted this cause I hadn't made my mind up yet on how we were going in.
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About 2 miles after you turn at the McDonald's you encounter the hills from hell. Back to back steep climbs in a 45-55 mph zone.
Make sure you gassers fill up as there isn't much between there and the KY line.

BTW- That's the route I have always taken myself. 3 hours from AVL.
 
Jody Treadway said:
About 2 miles after you turn at the McDonald's you encounter the hills from hell. Back to back steep climbs in a 45-55 mph zone.
Make sure you gassers fill up as there isn't much between there and the KY line.

BTW- That's the route I have always taken myself. 3 hours from AVL.
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Theres a station (Marathon I think) there now just beyond the left turn toward pennington,and they have fuel as well.A guy told me one time he topped the hill at 85 mph w a toy based buggy and trailer behind a Nis Titan.
 
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