Question 2 - Should wind affect a good set up truck

I hear you OBSPowerstroke. But my winds according to the forcast were to gusting 25 mph. So should I have experienced that type of pushing with that little of wind? I have a 2500 truck which I assumed would be plenty for my trailer....

Winds can definitely disrupt an otherwise stable towing combination. Between my F350 and 26 foot trailer, it's rock-solid 95% of the time, but we hit a nasty wind storm in Salt Lake City a month ago that closed down I-15 to high profile vehicles. Winds were blowing 40-50 mph with 80 mph gusts off the mountain range east of SLC.

In order to detour around the closure, we had to head east, towards the worst of it, and then south on surface streets, which meant we were taking the brunt of the storm as crosswinds. Even driving at 30 mph the gusts were blowing my rig a lane over. My friend that was in front of me has a smaller Lance and F150 and I saw a gust push so hard against their trailer it came very close to lifting a wheel off the ground. If the slide hadn't been on the windward side, I'm pretty sure it would have gone over. In all the years towing in snow, ice, and rain, that was the most white-knuckled 40 miles I have ever driven.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

Remember, just because the wind is blowing 25 MPH doesn't mean microbursts can't blow at 2 or 3 times that amount. They can.
If the winds or microburst are that strong slowing down doesn't do much; you need to seek shelter. (Behind a building or in some trees or under an under pass ect..............)

Well like I said, I am only going by the forcast saying 25mph gusts...I suppose it could have been worse.
I did look at the trees and they were swaying back and forth at the tops pretty good...

I guess I will have to just see how it tows next time and if there is wind to see if somehow my set up has changed and needs readjusting.

No one yet has suggested that could be the problem, so I will just monitor my next trip.

Take a look at this for your answer.



Here is your answer.......... visually.


Remember, just because the wind is blowing 25 MPH doesn't mean microbursts can't blow at 2 or 3 times that amount. They can.
If the winds or microburst are that strong slowing down doesn't do much; you need to seek shelter. (Behind a building or in some trees or under an under pass ect..............)

It's normal. The clue is that you say everything is fine at other times. Everyone gets moved around in the winds, even in 25 mph gust. Next time you're hooked up, look at the truck and trailer from the side. That's a lot of area real estate that perpendicular forces can act upon. It doesn't take much force to alter your tracking. Even the big trucks get moved around. Even though they're a more stout, there's even more surface area. Another thing to keep in mind, reports from a weather station miles away may not give the full picture where you are currently. The wind field on the roadway can be awfully turbulent and sometimes gusts are even stronger.

I tow a 25 ft. TT with an F-150. A 25 mph gust has about the same feel as a truck bump. 45 mph gusts across OK and TX slowed us to about 35 to 40 mph off the interstate.

We were actually windbound in NV with 45 mph winds and 65 mph gusts. The dust storms were a real mess, so we just spent an extra day in camp.

My biggest complaint is my mileage drops about 20% when the wind pick up.

I was once driving a 31 fl. MH from getting it gassed up, back to the dealer for delivery, I got one blast of wind that actually lifted one side of the MH up and luckily I got it back down on all wheels before it went over on it's side.
As stated slow down and drive slower better to get home later than not at all.

Strong winds--
1. As I begin planing an RV route, I use one of the flowing Application "The Weather Channel", "Yahoo" or Underground" and pick the cities/towns I will be driving through. I use the app. to make up a list of cities/towns. I then look select the areas and get a 10 day projection of wind conditions. If strong winds are projected, I will stay where I am at for a day or two or until calmer winds are projected.
2. My second choice is to find a new RV route to get around the windy areas
3. drop my speed by 15 to 20mph or lower if needed.

I don't know... a 25mph cross wind, while not a light wind, is not that significant. 40-50mph cross wind gusts is when I recall things starting to get dicey and potential for danger conditions with semi's. Your tow combo at 25mph cross winds should push the combo but not lead to white knuckle towing or a feeling of disconnection between TV and trailer.

A couple weeks back we had 25-30 mph winds and I was pushed around a bit. Saw others that were worse than me.