How to avoid getting blown all over the road

myredracer wrote:
Haven't been here ever since the border closure, but thought I would see what's up lately and saw this thread. Been meaning to post my thoughts on this subject for quite a while.

Ignoring what would happen if the wind is strong enough to tip the trailer over, here's a sketch showing what happens when there is a sudden sideways/lateral gust of wind. It's basic physics. For simplicity, assume the TT "box" is 30' long and that the centerline of the axles is 2/3 back from the front of the TT. When you get struck by a sudden strong gust of wind, the force against 1/3 of the TT sidewall behind the axles and the force against 1/3 of the TT sidewall ahead of the axles cancel each other out. What's left is the wind pushing against the most forward 1/3 (10') of the TT sidewall. Doesn't matter what speed you are travelling, the lateral force will be the same.

The sudden "punch" of wind then pushes the tongue laterally (sideways) against the hitch on the tow vehicle. That in turn wants to point the TV in a different direction. Result is, the driver then makes a steering correction to try going in a straight line down the road. Then the sudden gust of lateral wind stops (or reverses direction) and then the driver again makes a steering correction to maintain a straight line.

So if you are trying to drive on a stretch of road that is experiencing high lateral gusting wind, you are going to find it very difficult to maintain a straight line and could be dangerous. Slowing down substantially would be the first course of action.

To minimize the effect of gusting wind, you'd want to make the trailer and TV as least susceptible to lateral movement as possible by doing:

1 - have TT tires with higher load rating and inflate to max. side wall psi.
2 - install shocks on TT.
3 - use WDH with pro-active self-centering action like Reese DC and ensure it is properly adjusted.
4 - ensure TT is level to nose down and ensure WDH is properly adjusted to transfer sufficient weight back onto steer axle.
5 - have as much tongue weight as possible (up to 15% if TV can handle it.)
6 - install heavy duty shocks on TV.
7 - Use LT tires on TV with stiffer sidewalls (kevlar).
8 - inflate LT tires to max. psi on rear and say 70 psi on front.
9 - a 4x2 TV instead of 4x4 for lower center of gravity would help but just about all trucks now are 4x4.

I experienced high gusting side winds once on a trip on I-90 from Spokane to Seattle. Pretty dicey and it felt like driving on marbles, even at slow speed. Pulled over a rest stop and a truck driver said semis get blown over sometimes. Got to the destination CG and someone said even FWs have been known to get blown over there.

So we've done all of the above except we have the usual 4x4 truck. Have GY Endurance pumped up to 80 psi. Driving in strong side winds is WAY more stable now. At freeway speeds, tractor trailer units can pass all day long with no effect. It's as if I'm on rails now. If you get caught in severe winds, pull over somewhere and hope you don't get blown over. I don't know how well other WDHs like SwayPro and Equal-i-zer 4 point compare to a Reese DC but I would never give up ours for anything else. A longer wheelbase truck would help too like crew cab + long box.

Just my thoughts... I hope the border re-opens some day so we can back to regular camping in the US.