Towing in Freezing Weather

d-mac1 wrote:

joebedford wrote:
Assuming you mean zero F, I would winterize. I've towed with the fridge on but never the furnace.

Temp during this tow will probably be in the mid 20s F and snowing some. Not zero yet.

This will be my first tow in snow and not thrilled about it, but hopefully they don't get too much. I don't know whether I should lighten up the brake controller if/when it gets slick?

You'll want to keep your trailer breaks aggressive to eliminate fish tailing if it's slick. Too much truck break may cause the trailer fish tail and/or push your truck if slick.

Thanks everyone for all the great responses and tips.

Dave

I have run mine primarily to arrive with a reasonable temp in the trailer.
As long as the slide does not cover the vents while travelling you are good to go.
I set the thermostat a bit low at maybe 60F in transit then bump up upon arrival.
My tanks and waste pipes are fully exposed with no heat until I arrive and plug in.

I've done it, no so much to keep pipes from freezing, but to keep the rig at a reasonable temperature so I didn't freeze my arse off once I got to my destination and have it take all night to warm up the interior once I got to where I was going.

I would bet some of the class A motorhome folks run with the furnace heat on, because there's no way the dash heat will keep the cavernous interior warm while driving.

I would leave my LPG heater on the lowest setting when towing my Weekend Warrior through freezing weather. I had insulated tanks, but did have the holding tank valve freeze up once. Luckily my DW had her hair dryer and I was able to thaw the valve by running the generator and an extension cord from the outside outlet. The supply line to the water heater was the most likely to freeze due to the wind chill in the forward compartment, but I ran foam insulation over almost all the forward water lines and eventually in the kitchen where the pump was located.

My Arctic Fox has all the lines wrapped in foam from the factory, so it saved me some work. Unless it's bellow 20 degrees, I don't bother to run the heat in the AF while traveling.

when we go to Florida from Chicago in December we will have winterized. But on the way we might keep the furnace on 50 degrees F or so to make our coffee breaks in the RV more pleasant.

How long will you be towing at those temps? If it is only for a couple of hours, don't worry about it.
I've towed in snow but for a short amount of time. I didn't do anything different and all was good.

If 20 is the lowest you are going to see I would just pour a little antifreeze in the black and grey tank and be done with it.

When you arrive, fire up the generator and plug in an electric heater or two to assist the furnace. You will be toasty warm and the rig will be just fine.

If you are really concerned you can open the cabinets under the sinks for heat to get in there but I did not do it and was camping in single digits.

Oh- and if you have hook ups be sure to unhook your hose at night and store it inside the shower. If anything freezes it would be the hose.

I have towed my TT in those temps and left the heat on but everything on mine is in heated space. If it was me i would pour rv antifreeze in so that your valves are protected until you get where your going.

joebedford wrote:
Assuming you mean zero F, I would winterize. I've towed with the fridge on but never the furnace.

Temp during this tow will probably be in the mid 20s F and snowing some. Not zero yet.

This will be my first tow in snow and not thrilled about it, but hopefully they don't get too much. I don't know whether I should lighten up the brake controller if/when it gets slick?