Towing in the snow

The folk have hit it on the head. Go slow, go steady, keep an interval.

If you are going to winter camp, you will eventually run into ice and snow.

When we head south for a few weeks in the winter, there is always a couple of days of cold weather driving before we get out of the freeze zone.

I find the highway salt to be the biggest threat, it sneaks in and rusts the crack and crevices in the frame long after the snow is gone and it does not rinse out easily.

HalD wrote:
I was thinking that it had to do with the trailer track being some 10" wider that the truck (2014 SRW Ram 2500), and the thing just won't follow right.

That could be it.

If the TT tires are making their own path thru the slush, then yes, the trailer could get a little squirrelly.

But this wouldn't be a "bridge only" thing. This would happen all of the time.

One technique that might work would be to "pull" the trailer over the bridge. Slow waaaaaaay down before the bridge (pick a situation when no one's behind you) and gently accelerate to keep some tug on the trailer. See if that makes it feel less "wormy".

But go gentle on the throttle.

Never ever tow in the snow.

February 2014 we flipped a trailer & pick up on I-75 just North of the Ohio border. Was driving very slow and hit black ice. We flipped and so did many others around us ( Police spun out- trucks crashed thru barriers.

It's never worth taking the chance....

Black ice is the luck of the draw and all bets are off. This is true if you are towing or not.

Nasty scary stuff for sure.

be aware if bridges. when I was on fire dept a guy towing a trailer full of fire wood had the trailer go side ways and hit another car and killed the driver of the other car. bridges scare me. if I were towing I would keep a little pressure on the ball from the trailer to keep the trailer straight.

Towed in the snow once, 5" fell the night before our trip to Mesa, AZ in early March. It took us 4 hours to drive what would normally be a 2.5 hour drive before the snow disappeared. The two biggest things I can suggest is slow down and don't get distracted. Turn the radio off, and tell the DW to zip it. You'll need all your focus on your driving.

Fortunately my DW intuitively knew to zip it so I didn't have to say anything.

I tow a large enclosed snowmobile trailer across several states each winter. Of course the more snow the better for this activity. The idea of going slow is fine but there are exceptions. If you approach a hill going slow, and have no momentum to help you up and over, things will get real ugly when you come to a stop and need to back down with a rig that will be any which way but straight. I've had low information drivers go around me while waiting for cars blocking a hill to get out of the way, and then they just add to the problem.

BillB800si wrote:
Never ever tow in the snow.

February 2014 we flipped a trailer & pick up on I-75 just North of the Ohio border. Was driving very slow and hit black ice. We flipped and so did many others around us ( Police spun out- trucks crashed thru barriers.

It's never worth taking the chance....

I really don't agree with this. First Tractor trailers run in the snow all over the country in plains and mountains.

Snow or no snow is not the issue. It's two things only.

Are you overdriving your abilities?

Are the conditions truly so bad that the road should be closed and you should stop?

Some of us can safely drive in conditions that are much more challenging than others can or should handle, it's a matter of experience and frankly skill. But there are times when conditions get so bad that everyone should stop. Knowing that point, and more importantly knowing that point for your own experience and skill set is the most important thing.

A blanket rule is not appropriate in my view.

I made a living hauling logs in the snow with my RV on site.Sometimes on the logging truck I had all the drivers chained with one single on the front to steer and just one set on the trailer..As for the RV,one set or even just one tire chained up also makes a big difference as well as a set on the tow rig and maybe even one on the front for steering...

It all depends on the situation as to the correct choice for each particular case.The biggest mistake everyone makes,including some over the road truckers,is not to chain up thinking I can make it.Good chains are a must traveling anywhere it might snow.

I here on the scanner almost every day now(when snowing) of semi's/cars and trucks/RV's and even tow trucks and bus's spinning out and blocking the road on Whitebird hill, just 5 miles away.Even had plow trucks off the road..Even a tow truck chained up spun out and needed help..

My point...Don't travel in the snow unless you absolutely have to and if you do,always have enough chains and don't be afraid to use them.

Personally, when I'm in an RV and it's snowing,I pull over and camp until it's over and the road crews take care of the road.

Black ice, scary stuff. Driving around some curves a couple decades ago I learned the art of doing 360's in my pickup, right off into the ditch. Had no idea there was any ice anywhere!!! We get all kinds of road conditions here but black ice is the worse by far.