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Me_Again's avatar
Me_Again
Explorer III
Apr 30, 2018

Towing large 5th wheel in strong wind with modern SRW

Back in the mid 80's I think we went East Bound from San Diego to Yuma on I-8 in a 85 Honda Prelude flying low and fast.

Yesterday we went West bound with our 2017 Bighorn 3575el full length high profile 39'4" 5th wheel behind our 2015 RAM 3500 CC SB 4x4 SRW truck.

Starting just before Ocotillo we got into strong winds and they increases as we climbed into the mountains reaching over 4,000 feet several times.

It was not fun, however we never felt unsafe. Would I want to do it again. Not really. Coming from Gold Canyon in the East Valley of Phoenix to San Diego, if I was going to do it again, I would take I-10 and a 52 mile longer route. Mountains on I-8 were pretty with all the rock formation on the East side and I do not mind mountain passes at all, the wind is another matter. MPG dropped like one of the large rock on the East side.

Radiator water barrels every few miles on the side of the highway on the climb were a telling image of this route.

Somewhere short on Ocotillo(377' elevation) was a road sign that said "Sea Level", so we climbed 4,000 feet in not that many miles.

7 Replies

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  • ford_truck_guy's avatar
    ford_truck_guy
    Nomad
    Apr 30, 2018
    Me Again wrote:
    Second Chance wrote:
    Second Chance wrote:
    We've towed that route both with our pervious Sierra SRW (Duramax/Allison) and with our current F350 DRW (PowerStroke 6.7). The DRW truck is noticeably more stable When expecting high winds, I keep the fresh water tank - which is over the trailer axles - full for an extra 500 lbs. ballast (a concept left over from my sailing days). Neither truck had any issues with that climb, though I had to tap the brakes a few times going down the west side to keep speeds down where I wanted them. We've been caught on the road (mostly in west Texas) where winds were 35 - 40 with gusts to 50 and above from all angles. With the MOR/ryde independent suspension and shocks on the trailer and Bilsteins on the trucks, lane-keeping was easy and the drive was really pretty comfortable. One time coming back from California, the 40 MPH winds were from the rear... man did I get good fuel mileage that time!

    Rob


    PS - I'll echo what BB_TX said about the motorhomes... they were all over the place!


    In the mirrors, I could see the trailer getting pushed around a bit, however the truck felt very little of this. I sure that the 275/70R18E tires and new very stiff frame of the 2013+ 3500's helped. Trailer has Sailun ST235/85R16G tire and shocks. Is loaded very close to its 16K rating.


    I will echo that statement... These newer gen SRW's are really good towing vehicles... Had High wind warning a week ago here in the North East.. Crossed a big bridge and saw some minor movement in the rear views, but no worries... Much better than the 05 and the 09 I had... I also think the suspension on the RV helps.. shocks... and in my case the MORryde IS just glides
  • Me_Again's avatar
    Me_Again
    Explorer III
    Apr 30, 2018
    Second Chance wrote:
    Second Chance wrote:
    We've towed that route both with our pervious Sierra SRW (Duramax/Allison) and with our current F350 DRW (PowerStroke 6.7). The DRW truck is noticeably more stable When expecting high winds, I keep the fresh water tank - which is over the trailer axles - full for an extra 500 lbs. ballast (a concept left over from my sailing days). Neither truck had any issues with that climb, though I had to tap the brakes a few times going down the west side to keep speeds down where I wanted them. We've been caught on the road (mostly in west Texas) where winds were 35 - 40 with gusts to 50 and above from all angles. With the MOR/ryde independent suspension and shocks on the trailer and Bilsteins on the trucks, lane-keeping was easy and the drive was really pretty comfortable. One time coming back from California, the 40 MPH winds were from the rear... man did I get good fuel mileage that time!

    Rob


    PS - I'll echo what BB_TX said about the motorhomes... they were all over the place!


    In the mirrors, I could see the trailer getting pushed around a bit, however the truck felt very little of this. I sure that the 275/70R18E tires and new very stiff frame of the 2013+ 3500's helped. Trailer has Sailun ST235/85R16G tires and shocks. Is loaded very close to its 16K rating.
  • Me_Again's avatar
    Me_Again
    Explorer III
    Apr 30, 2018
    path1 wrote:
    Yes, very hard pull. (Being your familiar with NW) We find that pull one of the hardest, even more so than the Lewiston grade. Every time we've been over it the wind is at 12:00 versus broadside. That casino at the top...last time there credit card machine was broken. Hard to get fuel when that happens. Atleast you have new equipment. What was your lowest speed?


    We were down slightly below 40 a couple time. 40+60 MPH wind lets know what it would be like driving 100 MPH with the trailer. Burst of wind would make the rig feel like it stopped forward movement for a second once in a while.
  • Second_Chance's avatar
    Second_Chance
    Explorer II
    Apr 30, 2018
    Second Chance wrote:
    We've towed that route both with our pervious Sierra SRW (Duramax/Allison) and with our current F350 DRW (PowerStroke 6.7). The DRW truck is noticeably more stable When expecting high winds, I keep the fresh water tank - which is over the trailer axles - full for an extra 500 lbs. ballast (a concept left over from my sailing days). Neither truck had any issues with that climb, though I had to tap the brakes a few times going down the west side to keep speeds down where I wanted them. We've been caught on the road (mostly in west Texas) where winds were 35 - 40 with gusts to 50 and above from all angles. With the MOR/ryde independent suspension and shocks on the trailer and Bilsteins on the trucks, lane-keeping was easy and the drive was really pretty comfortable. One time coming back from California, the 40 MPH winds were from the rear... man did I get good fuel mileage that time!

    Rob


    PS - I'll echo what BB_TX said about the motorhomes... they were all over the place!
  • Second_Chance's avatar
    Second_Chance
    Explorer II
    Apr 30, 2018
    We've towed that route both with our pervious Sierra SRW (Duramax/Allison) and with our current F350 DRW (PowerStroke 6.7). The DRW truck is noticeably more stable When expecting high winds, I keep the fresh water tank - which is over the trailer axles - full for an extra 500 lbs. ballast (a concept left over from my sailing days). Neither truck had any issues with that climb, though I had to tap the brakes a few times going down the west side to keep speeds down where I wanted them. We've been caught on the road (mostly in west Texas) where winds were 35 - 40 with gusts to 50 and above from all angles. With the MOR/ryde independent suspension and shocks on the trailer and Bilsteins on the trucks, lane-keeping was easy and the drive was really pretty comfortable. One time coming back from California, the 40 MPH winds were from the rear... man did I get good fuel mileage that time!

    Rob
  • BB_TX's avatar
    BB_TX
    Nomad
    Apr 30, 2018
    My 5er is "only" 34 1/2' and also high profile also towed by a SRW, 2012 F350 6.7 crew cab long bed. We have traveled across TX high plains in very high winds. And while I could feel it, it really was not bad and never felt unstable. Much more stable, I think, than some of the MHs I saw moving side to side in the lanes ahead and behind us.
  • path1's avatar
    path1
    Explorer
    Apr 30, 2018
    Yes, very hard pull. (Being your familiar with NW) We find that pull one of the hardest, even more so than the Lewiston grade. Every time we've been over it the wind is at 12:00 versus broadside. That casino at the top...last time there credit card machine was broken. Hard to get fuel when that happens. Atleast you have new equipment. What was your lowest speed?

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