wind speeds

[lakedubay]

What would be maximum winds to pull 35 foot rig with 2500 Chev duramx? Winds look to be 20 to 30 on Monday.

[rhagfo]

we have towed on 101 in 25 to 35 mph wind from the West just south of Garibaldi, OR where 101 is fully exposed to the Pacific. This was with our 2001 Ram 2500 with our 32' 12,360# GVWR (scaled at about 11,400# at the time)with zero issues.

[4x4ord]

You'll have to ask this guy how fast the wind was.

[memtb]

Almost all of the semi roll overs are with an empty (or nearly so) dry van....unless the driver ran off the road. An empty dry van, weighs about the same as a fairly heavy tt or 5er, and has a much larger surface area. This makes it actually easier to roll over than aforementioned relatively heavy RV!

[RinconVTR]

When you're getting into 40 and 50mph winds and even stronger gusts, your speed and attention wont save you.

If there are semi's going over on your route, don't think for a second you're rig is less prone to get pushed over!

[memtb]

Wyoming may “not” be number 1 in wind and roll overs, but we try to hold our on. On Nov. 21,2017, on I 25 between Cheyenne and the Colorado border (approximately 8 miles) we had 9 semi roll overs. The next day from Wellington, Co. to Cheyenne, Wy. ( I 25) we added another 14. Didn’t see the numbers for I 80 on those two days....but I’m sure we got a few more!

I was going to give a link for our weekend forecast.....but doing so was above my pay grade! 😮

[hotpepperkid]

I use this site sometimes for wind

[colliehauler]

hotpepperkid wrote:
If I know it is going to be windy I like to travel with lot of liquid in the holding tanks. Low weight does wonders

This is what I do as well, adding ballast down low. Head wind or tail wind is not a issue other the fuel millage. Crosswind is another story and usually don't travel with crosswinds above 40-50 mph.

On the news you hear of semi's being blown over on I-70 every once in a while. Nebraska is the windiest state followed by Kansas.

The only time I've had the carp scared out of me was in Wyoming on I-80. I got hit by a very strong crosswind that took the trailer and truck as one unit into the next lane and their wasn't a thing I could do about it, luckily no one was in that lane.

[hotpepperkid]

If I know it is going to be windy I like to travel with lot of liquid in the holding tanks. Low weight does wonders

[ford_truck_guy]

A few years back, I was going to Indiana from PA, there was a HUGE front coming from the west. Almost the entire trip I was dropped into passing gear and averaged about 5 mpg... Talk about a head wind !

Like many have stated, it’s up to your comfort level, and your set up..

[Veebyes]

Basically if you have any concerns, stay put till it dies down. Better to be delayed by a day or so than to on the the side of the road picking up the pieces of you life.

[garyp4951]

Last year in WY I had a 40mph gust blow me in to the lane to my left which was thankfully a four lane, and no one there, but it happened so quick I could not prevent it.
I now watch the wind forecast when towing, since that incident could have killed someone.

[laknox]

lakedubay wrote:
What would be maximum winds to pull 35 foot rig with 2500 Chev duramx? Winds look to be 20 to 30 on Monday.

Correct answer is, "it depends". Tailwinds are good, mostly! Headwinds aren't bad, per se, but play hell with mileage. Crosswinds are the killer, but it really depends on how much of a crosswind. It really depends on how comfortable you are and how bad the winds are. I've read many accounts here where people just stay for an extra day or take a late start to avoid winds. If they get caught on the road, they'll pull off or even hunker down under an overpass. I've also read about other people who =have= to make miles and they'll slow down and fill their holding tanks for extra weight and stability. It's really up to you as to how comfortable you think you'll be and how much extra you want to spend on fuel.

Lyle

[reluyog]

I'll tow with a cross wind up to 40 mph and higher gusts, but after that I pull over mostly because of the other people on the road. We're fairly low slung and stable. Last time across Kansas East to West we saw a box van come very close to going over.

[Veebyes]

Through the spread of answers you can tell, it depends. It depends on lots of things.

We had a blowover in 2009. Tore the 5er right out of the 5th wheel. Spread the jaws, rolled & went down a 50'embankment, totalling the trailer. Windy day but the semis were travelling as usual. Huge gust caught us near the top of a mountain pass.

These days we are super aware of wind. Gusting 30 broadside is going to be our limit when faced with a choice at the beginning of the day. We are aware of where the weight is in the trailer. Most are much heavier on one side with the fridge, stove, all the stuff in the pantry etc. On a windy day, or maybe encountering wind, we travel fully loaded with water. For us that is 100gal & the tank is located down low right between the wheels, lowering our center of gravity.

Driving we watch the semis, look for flags, look for direction of ripples on ponds, look at trees & grass to get a sense of wind direction & speed. Many years working on the water brings a heightened sense of the weather around you.

5ers are so much better in wind than TTs. The thing is, when things go wrong because of wind they go wrong very quickly. Other than a few shudders along the highway miles before where we lost our trailer, there were few warnings. This was Wyoming. No trees, no grass, no flags, no water, highway signs used for wind warnings not lit. The last we saw of our trailer, the driver side wheels were off the ground. It was on its way.

Something else to think of. Those full height 13' 5ers are nice but think of all that additional windage they have. Try holding even a half sheet of plywood up in a breeze to get an idea.