Traveling in wind

[Red-Rover]

Looking for opinions about towing in wind with tanks full or empty.
Should I have better control with full tanks and more weight or lighter and empty.
What about over the road freight haulers? Better empty or full?

[martipr]

IMHO If it's windy enough to worry about, you shouldn't be concerned about empty or full tanks. You should be off the road.

[Pogoil]

We travel with 100 gal. of water and 100 gal. of diesel 48 gallons of propane. Weight down low makes a huge difference on handling and cannot hurt when the wind is blowing.

Pogoil.

[ncrowley]

Truckers talk about being blown around a lot more when they do not have a load. So I supposed it could help to have full water tanks. However, I am with other folks that stated if it matters, then hunker down until the wind has passed.

[thirtydaZe]

^^Wow i'd be mad.

I'm not a fan of the wind period for any reason. We live in NE, and it is almost always blowing. I hate it.

When ever we travel i fill my tanks, not sure if it matters or not, however, i like being heavy, i like to truck to have to work for it...

[1L243]

I agree if it's windy enough to wonder if extra water weight will help it's time to consider getting off the road til the wind passes. This happened to us in New Mexico with high winds. We deicided to get off the road early and just one hour later the freeway was closed due to high winds...

What can happen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn3DQNqgzAA

[Red-Rover]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. Although overall 400 pounds of water may not make much difference, I guess it can't hurt. Will leave the waste water tanks full as well. Liked Veebyes analogy of a "box of air", so true.

[dave17352]

I agree with Veebyes the more weight down low in the wind the better.

[Veebyes]

For good reason, experienced a blowover, I am a big fan of having as much weight as low as possible when traveling in wind.

An RV is nothing more than a box of air.

[Alan_Hepburn]

We just spent a few days driving in windy conditions - from Albuquerque to Bakersfield with the wind coming from the southwest at 10-30 mph almost the whole time. The biggest problem we had was as we got to the exit off I40 to Kingman, Az - that's when a particularly big gust grabbed the slide-out topper on the driver's side and ripped it about 6 feet from front to rear. Fortunately we were right at the exit so I just pulled in to the Flying J station and cut the fabric off so we could continue on.

[traveylin]

wind is a problem in west texas through Wyoming and I have huddled up in a campground for days rather than drive a 40 mph cross wind. In a class a,,,,If it is bad, I always have time to park.

[FLY_4_FUN]

I think every trailer will tow differently as fresh tanks are located in so many different places. If your fresh tank is up front then towing with it full may give a higher tongue weight...and perhaps a better experience. If your tank is in the rear it may unload the hitch and give worse handling. Lastly your weight distribution system "should" negate the effects of 2-400 lbs of water. I personally haul water whenever needed and don't worry about the wind.

Daryll

[K_Charles]

My TT weighs about 8500 lb, I don't think the wind knows if I have a couple hundred pounds of water with me or not.
When I drove the flat bed was better then the trailer. It has more to do with the size of the sail that is catching the wind.