Wind scares the **** out of me

41' 5er hooked to a 1 ton dually.
I can't tell if it is windy or not.
I just rock and roll down the road.

The worst crosswinds I ever drove through were on I15 SB north of Salt Lake on our way to Moab last year. The wind was so bad the freeway was closed to all high clearance vehicles, including RVs. We were on a mission to get to camp, so we had to duck off and take several highways to the east, near the mountains, which is where the wind was at its worst. We made it through, but I saw my buddy's Lance 1575 lift a driver's side tire at one point, and I couldn't keep in my lane even at 30 mph. The winds were a constant 50 mph, gusting to 80. We decided to never tempt fate like that again.

We were out exploring NE and Central Oregon last week and dealt with winds every time we were on the road. My buddy noticed it with his setup, but the only way I could tell was by how bad my fuel mileage was. :B

It doesn't matter if you have a large trailer or a small one. A dually or not. The right gust WILL getcha. I've seen all of them laid over on the shoulder. Ive learned to just relax when I drive. If the trailer does sway, let off the throttle a little and let the rv recoup behind you and continue.

OBSPowerstroke wrote:
The worst crosswinds I ever drove through were on I15 SB north of Salt Lake on our way to Moab last year. The wind was so bad the freeway was closed to all high clearance vehicles, including RVs. We were on a mission to get to camp...

That is definitely a problem with Moab. You lose your mind about trying to get to that adult playground and possibly make poor decisions. I feel your pain! ;)


Back on point. A good, fine tuned WDH on a TT with a proper TV can handle winds as well as a 5th.

RedRocket204 wrote:


That is definitely a problem with Moab. You lose your mind about trying to get to that adult playground and possibly make poor decisions. I feel your pain! ;)


Back on point. A good, fine tuned WDH on a TT with a proper TV can handle winds as well as a 5th.

except with a tag trailer the wind wants to turn the tow vehicle, not just push it sideways due to the moment from the back wheels to the hitch ball. With a 5er the pivot point is directly over the rear axle so there's no moment and the wind pushes the whole thing in one direction. With my old TT I was always correcting with the steering wheel pointing in the same direction as the wind, now it is into the wind with the 5er.

YnotTurbo wrote:
Bumper pulls will give you the white knuckle experience. Next rv, try a fifth wheel. They tow a lot better in a crosswind as well as when an 18 wheeler rolls by...

Not all...and not all the time...

Those with Hensey/Propride hitches know its very much like the experience pulling a 5th wheel. Incredibly stable.

nayther wrote:

RedRocket204 wrote:


That is definitely a problem with Moab. You lose your mind about trying to get to that adult playground and possibly make poor decisions. I feel your pain! ;)


Back on point. A good, fine tuned WDH on a TT with a proper TV can handle winds as well as a 5th.

except with a tag trailer the wind wants to turn the tow vehicle, not just push it sideways due to the moment from the back wheels to the hitch ball. With a 5er the pivot point is directly over the rear axle so there's no moment and the wind pushes the whole thing in one direction. With my old TT I was always correcting with the steering wheel pointing in the same direction as the wind, now it is into the wind with the 5er.

As I mentioned about the fine tuned and proper TV, I did all the adjustments to my dual-cam WDH and tow my 9000lb TT with a 1-ton, CC LB diesel. Towing manners are extremely good and even with gusty cross winds, my combo can get moved but as a whole unit. I'm sure proper trailer loading along with the extended wheel base and weight on my truck has a lot to do with it but point still is, my combo tows excellent even with 25-30mph cross winds that I experience in Wyoming.

RedRocket204 wrote:



As I mentioned about the fine tuned and proper TV, I did all the adjustments to my dual-cam WDH and tow my 9000lb TT with a 1-ton, CC LB diesel. Towing manners are extremely good and even with gusty cross winds, my combo can get moved but as a whole unit. I'm sure proper trailer loading along with the extended wheel base and weight on my truck has a lot to do with it but point still is, my combo tows excellent even with 25-30mph cross winds that I experience in Wyoming.

that combos SHOULD be very stable. a dually towing a 9k TT, you've got a LOT more truck than necessary.

nayther wrote:

RedRocket204 wrote:



As I mentioned about the fine tuned and proper TV, I did all the adjustments to my dual-cam WDH and tow my 9000lb TT with a 1-ton, CC LB diesel. Towing manners are extremely good and even with gusty cross winds, my combo can get moved but as a whole unit. I'm sure proper trailer loading along with the extended wheel base and weight on my truck has a lot to do with it but point still is, my combo tows excellent even with 25-30mph cross winds that I experience in Wyoming.

that combos SHOULD be very stable. a dually towing a 9k TT, you've got a LOT more truck than necessary.

It is a SRW and actually, not really on the "a lot" more truck than needed. I frequently load my 800lbs trail ready Grizzly 700 on the truck and pull my TT.

Although, through Wyoming with the heavy cross winds, I did not have the Grizzly, only a couple of roof mounted kayaks.

OP here...
I'm pulling the toy hauler with a new Ram 1500. I know it's not ideal It's a shortbed crew cab and I'm not sure if it has the 3.21 rear end with 8,000 towing capacity or the 3.92 with 10,000 towing capacity. The toy hauler is about 8,000 loaded
I had a new heavy duty Ram 2500 Cummins diesel long bed before this one because I was pulling a 12,000 pound boat. That thing was a train.
I got rid of the boat and then one day I dismantled two cars in a school drop off zone. I didn't even realize I grabbed them until I completely took them apart. Everybody was yelling at me to stop and I looked in the mirror and saw a trail of bumpers, fenders and grills behind me.
I figured I should get something that wasn't a weapon of mass destruction so I traded it in on the 1500 and now I have another trailer.
I retire next month and I'm pulling the toy hauler from my place in San Diego to Idaho in August and staying a month or so.
I'm worried about the hills on the way with that 1500 tow vehicle
Maybe I'll put one of those Hensley hitches before I go. Right now I have WD hitch and a friction sway control bar

EDIT... I just got off the phone with the dealer and they went through the whole thing and said I have 8,750 capacity so I'm getting close to max with my rig