Cross winds?
Having owned both a 29’ 5th wheel (no problem) and a 40’ motor home, (big problem) crosswinds have become a large concern. I am downsizing to a 25’ travel trailer. I will be pulling it with a fully t...
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I don't think FWs are safer. Because they are a lot taller, they more likely to get blown (tipped) over. Drove on a highway last year with high cross winds and it was like driving on marbles and not fun (scary in fact). Only thing I could do was slow way down. Got to a rest area and a semi driver said even they have to pull over on that stretch sometimes. When we eventually got to our destination CG a local guy who drives that stretch frequently said that FWs have often been blown over on that stretch of highway.
It boils down to physics. On a TT, roughly 2/3 of the overall length is ahead of the axles and the other 1/3 behind the axles. With side wind, the 1/3 ahead of the axle and the 1/3 behind cancel each other out. Then there is 1/3 of the overall TT length at the foward end of the TT that the wind exerts a force against and wants to spin the TT about an imaginary vertical axis about the axles. If the wind is continually gusting and quickly changing velocity, that is pushing the tongue of the TT hard and then letting go repeatedly. Makes it very hard to control and you are the mercy of the wind. The only solution is to slow way down. If the wind is strong enough, pull over and wait it out. The longer a TT is, the harder it will be control in high cross winds.
If you watch this youtube vid closely, you can see the TT takes a sudden jerk to the right (at the tongue) then flips over.
JMHO.
It boils down to physics. On a TT, roughly 2/3 of the overall length is ahead of the axles and the other 1/3 behind the axles. With side wind, the 1/3 ahead of the axle and the 1/3 behind cancel each other out. Then there is 1/3 of the overall TT length at the foward end of the TT that the wind exerts a force against and wants to spin the TT about an imaginary vertical axis about the axles. If the wind is continually gusting and quickly changing velocity, that is pushing the tongue of the TT hard and then letting go repeatedly. Makes it very hard to control and you are the mercy of the wind. The only solution is to slow way down. If the wind is strong enough, pull over and wait it out. The longer a TT is, the harder it will be control in high cross winds.
If you watch this youtube vid closely, you can see the TT takes a sudden jerk to the right (at the tongue) then flips over.
JMHO.
