Traveling in windy conditions

you have to judge for yourself, but over 30 mph steady is getting fairly bad. Every rig and region is different. In our region gusty winds of 30 - 45 mph are very common so I learned to deal with it but I've definitely been known to cut a day short and get parked. The highest winds I've towed in were 55 - 60 mph but they were a tail wind. Not only got fantastic fuel mileage that day but had the pleasure of watching trash blow past me on the shoulder of the road when I was at 55 mph highway speed.

Brian

If it makes you nervous, its time to park. Why jeoperdize your safety, and that of others.

Above advice makes sense to me. You can also judge it by whether or not the semis have pulled off the road.

Bowti wrote:
I am new to the FW, and wondering at what point do side wind speeds hitting the trailer start to get you nerves. With my unit being high and light, I want to pay attention to this before traveling and having to fight the wind.

harold1946 wrote:
If it makes you nervous, its time to park. Why jeoperdize your safety, and that of others.

It would help if you stated your TV and 5er that has a lot to do with it. A 5er will be far more stable in a wind than a TT.

It really is a personal thing you will just have to judge for yourself. I have towed my 35' high profile 5er behind my F350 SRW many times across the TX panhandle in steady winds of 30 mph and higher gusts. Really does not move around much. Does make driving a little more tedious, but really doesn't bother me except for the drop in fuel mileage.
Different trucks and different trailers no doubt will react differently.

Thanks for the info. My plan would be to stay put and wait it out if side winds are around the 30 mph level. No sense to get on the road only to have to find another camping spot after leaving a good one behind. I just was not clear on what others considered rough going.

I updated my signature, hope it works.

Thanks again.

I tow either a sailboat or the 5er. The boat, on a bumper-pull trailer, is streamlined, 6 feet shorter than the 5er, weighs half as much and has about a tenth the hitch weight.
In gusty crosswinds the boat jerks the tail of the truck around.
In gusty crosswinds towing the fifth wheel the rig feels solid. Towing the 5er, gusts are less noticeable than with the truck alone.

As my DH has said - when you become white knuckled - it's time to pull over!

I would rather pull through snow than wind - but can't be helped sometimes. As others say, watch what the truckers are doing. Hold that steering wheel after coming through an underpass - the sudden gust of wind on the other side of the bridge can push you into another lane.

If you have the freedom to park it, You will benefit from the fuel savings as well by towing after it calms down. I hit an all time low of 5 mpg in a headwind once. I could have saved $200 in fuel just by waiting until the next day.