Question 2 - Should wind affect a good set up truck

[samhain7]

Interesting question #2.
I have had my trailer/truck combo for two years and never had a problem towing. (set up is in my signature)
We were towing home this weekend and although I can't determine the wind, the weather channel said gusting 40kmh (25mph).
Our drive home was pretty treacherous and I felt like I was being blown all over the road. I had to travel around 90kmh just to keep control and there were some white knuckle moments.
Should those types of winds do that for a properly set up truck and trailer. I pretty much tow the same weight, and have not adjusted my trailer/truck/hitch set up since I first set it up.

[CavemanCharlie]

I am just a weekend camper pulling a 22 foot TT with a 04 Chevy half ton. ( A very lightly build truck I may add )

I don't have a WDH or anything else like that.

Last weekend I could not get around towing home in a 25 mph hour cross wind with gusts to 30.

I'm usually the guy who says "floor the go pedal" and get where you are going. This time I towed home at 45-50 mph with both hands on the wheel.

There was never a "white knuckle " experience but, for the first time I did notice that the TT was back there.

For the first 10 miles I was a little nervous. After that I relaxed and drove home slowly and safely.

The fact that you made it home means that maybe, maybe, you were just over thinking it. I do that a lot too. Sometimes you just have to relax.

[TundraTower]

Surprised no one mentioned this, but you might consider re-checking the adjustments on your sway control and weight distributing hitch. Too little sway resistance, or too much weight transfer off the front axles of the tow vehicle, could make a difference. Or, perhaps the TV and trailer were loaded differently on that trip?

We live in the flat-lands (north Ala) but have made two trips out west in the last 24 months. I have my EQ hitch set very tight. I can feel 20-30 MPH side winds but they are not much of an issue. But every time we go thru NM and west TX panhandle we get into 40-45 MPH winds, and that will get my attention. 2-3 hours of 45 MPH gusts and I'm ready to stop for the night. I can control it, but it just isn't fun.

[samhain7]

Update #2.
My issue was obviously the wind gusts. We went to the same campsite and took the same roads this weekend and the trailer didn't move behind me.
I am still shocked that what I consider some very mild gusts, rocked me around so badly....

[rbpru]

Wind not only affects the rig it also affects the driver. If you are not confident slow down or stop.

There is no way you can conquer the wind; you can only adjust or pause.

[Rumtan]

On a recent Alberta trip we were following others going camping down the highway, it was windy and EVERYONE was swaying. If the wind makes you sway the only two things you can do is go slower or wait it out at a rest stop. There were 20 of us in a wagon train with all kinds of set ups and each of us thought the same thing as we pulled over then proceeded on a secondary highway at a slower pace.

[OBSPowerstroke]

samhain7 wrote:
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....

I've noticed a lot of it depends on how the winds are blowing; if it's a steady 25 mph from one direction, I don't really notice it, but if it's 25 mph gusting winds coming from multiple directions, it'll move the trailer around quite a bit. I've learned to just relax a bit and let the trailer do its thing in those types of conditions, as trying to correct for it usually makes things worse.

You definitely have more than enough truck for your trailer, but it is a bit longer and likely taller than mine being a bunkhouse, which means you have a good deal more surface area to deal with.

[samhain7]

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....

[OBSPowerstroke]

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.

[samhain7]

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.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

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..............)

[Community Alumni]

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.

[rbpru]

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.

[nineoaks2004]

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.

[MarkTwain]

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.

[RedRocket204]

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.