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Snow on roof.

Old_Days
Explorer II
Explorer II
Do you sweep the snow off your TC? And how much snow is too much to have on your roof? I do know the Lance 825 is really not meant to be walked on. I do have a cover on it. I appreciate any help.
13 REPLIES 13

ewarnerusa
Nomad
Nomad
I'll sweep the snow off of one of the solar panels if it has been covered for a week or so. But otherwise I don't bother with the rest of the roof. Solar and batteries are left hooked up, but I have the fuse pulled for the stereo/propane detector/refrigerator circuit so I have virtually no parasitic loads to discharge the batteries.
Aspen Trail 2710BH | 470 watts of solar | 2x 6V GC batteries | 100% LED lighting | 1500W PSW inverter | MicroAir on air con | Yamaha 2400 gen

towpro
Explorer
Explorer
the cover is a Classic Accessories PolyPRO. Its not really 100% water proof but for the most part it does shed a lot of the water load.

hear on the East side of USA we get these storms called "nor'easters"
moisture comes across the bottom of US, hits the ocean and turns north up the coast, as it goes north it gets stronger. Most times this is heavy snow great for making snowman.

Even though I am 100 miles inland, most of the land around us is 300 feet above sea level, but I live at 1000'. Going home its like changing climates. many times we see rain than the last mile or so its snowing.

Plus to the west of me is another large valley (Lancaster Valley) so wind wipes across valley than accelerates as it climbs up the large hill I live on (we call it a mountain on East coast ๐Ÿ™‚ )
2022 Ford F150
Sold: 2016 Arctic Fox 990, 2018 Ram 3500, 2011 Open Range
Sold Forest River Forester 2401R Mercedes Benz. when campsites went from $90 to $190 per night.

jefe_4x4
Explorer
Explorer
Tow,
You can see the drifting on the roof of the TC. That's a nice cover. Is it made for a truck camper? Does it keep the camper dry or just UV protected?
The snow that we get on the West Slope is invariably called, "Sierra Cement". Fluffy, billowy power rarely comes to mind. The snow flies here at 4114 feet elevation between 32F degrees and 28F. It has a very high water content coming off the Pacific Ocean. If you don't get it off your machinery pronto, it hardens into ice and you might as well forget it until it melts, which may be a while. The other woe is its weight. Sierra Cement is around 8:1 as to water content making it very heavy per volume. I still like the first snow around here. It's so invigorating....for a while. Here's a few seconds of our first snow a few weeks ago:
'01.5 Dodge 2500 4x4, CTD, Qcab, SB, NV5600, 241HD, 4.10's, Dana 70/TruTrac; Dana 80/ TruTrac, Spintec hub conversion, H.D. susp, 315/75R16's on 7.5" and 10" wide steel wheels, Vulcan big line, Warn M15K winch '98 Lance Lite 165s, 8' 6" X-cab, 200w Solar

towpro
Explorer
Explorer
When it snows it usually comes with wind where I live. Helps me keep it off the camper.

2022 Ford F150
Sold: 2016 Arctic Fox 990, 2018 Ram 3500, 2011 Open Range
Sold Forest River Forester 2401R Mercedes Benz. when campsites went from $90 to $190 per night.

hedge
Explorer
Explorer
I think you guys worry about nothing. When I had my fifth wheel I left it at the farm all winter and never swept the snow off ever and it was just fine.

I've never seen anyone clean the snow off their unit in any of the lots I park in over winter either.
2017 F350 Platinum DRW
2013 Adventurer 89RB

Old_Days
Explorer II
Explorer II
And to think I was worrying about a 12 inch snow fall. Thanks everyone.

jefe_4x4
Explorer
Explorer
Since we moved to snow country in 2006, I've been battling the winter wonderland with schemes to beat the white one. At first we used a 16'x20' green plastic tarp. I refused to be associated with a blue plastic tarp. That only lasted one winter and was easily abraised. Next came a heavy cotton duck tarp. Ah, a real tarp that could take some abrasion. It's only woe was it was awfully heavy and difficult to put in place by yourself. Then came a pole barn which for permit reasons was made 10 feet wide and 20 feet long. This was more like it. A tight squeeze, but did the job. It also housed just the camper without the truck and our mighty little Kioti.

The thing to note here is the crushed rock floor. This would later become very valuable as to its flexibility.

Then came a 3.5 inch lift and taller tires. Oh-oh. The big white box on wheels is now too tall to fit in the barn. Luckily, I have that tractor and used the box scraper to lower the floor 8 inches allowing the TC once again to fit into the barn.



You just have to keep pulling on that string to make it work. Since our camper is now 15 years old and has no leaks that I know of, it is a prime target for water intrusion so I try to keep it out of wetness.

jefe
'01.5 Dodge 2500 4x4, CTD, Qcab, SB, NV5600, 241HD, 4.10's, Dana 70/TruTrac; Dana 80/ TruTrac, Spintec hub conversion, H.D. susp, 315/75R16's on 7.5" and 10" wide steel wheels, Vulcan big line, Warn M15K winch '98 Lance Lite 165s, 8' 6" X-cab, 200w Solar

d3500ram
Explorer III
Explorer III
Now THAT'S some snow!!
Sold the TC, previous owner of 2 NorthStar pop-ups & 2 Northstar Arrows...still have the truck:

2005 Dodge 3500 SRW, Qcab long bed, NV-6500, diesel, 4WD, Helwig, 9000XL,
Nitto 285/70/17 Terra Grapplers, Honda eu3000Is, custom overload spring perch spacers.

jefe_4x4
Explorer
Explorer
Snow on roof? I have some firsthand proof that an old wood frame camper can take a little snow load on the roof and come out unscathed. Below is a picture show of a pretty good storm in 2010 that dumped 50 inches of snow on the TC roof. Quickly move through the pix like a 1922 movie. We were getting ready to go on a winter trip so I had the camper ungloved and plugged in at the house for loading. Mother nature had another idea: It starts with a pic out the front window of our place.







That's 5 foot 3.5 inch Jeanie under the parka:

finally, here I'm using my roof rake to remove the bulk of the snow. The suspension was on the snubbers with I don't know what snow load.

jefe
'01.5 Dodge 2500 4x4, CTD, Qcab, SB, NV5600, 241HD, 4.10's, Dana 70/TruTrac; Dana 80/ TruTrac, Spintec hub conversion, H.D. susp, 315/75R16's on 7.5" and 10" wide steel wheels, Vulcan big line, Warn M15K winch '98 Lance Lite 165s, 8' 6" X-cab, 200w Solar

d3500ram
Explorer III
Explorer III
What mkasner said!

I try to get to it as soon as possible. If not, snow will melt right atop the roof and freeze. If it get bad enough it will actually start (a la ice dams on a house roof eave) to collect and lift roof components if they have any lip of sorts. Vents, AC cover, Heki skylight on my TC are susceptible to it.

If I can get the snow off then generally the next sunny day will allow the ice to melt from direct sunlight even if the temps are below freezing. 2 weeks ago was not too bad even though we had 18+ inches... the wind was so intense that I had no snow to sweep.

Not to hijack the topic, but has anyone who lives where dry powder snow is common- have you ever used a leaf blower to clear the roof?
Sold the TC, previous owner of 2 NorthStar pop-ups & 2 Northstar Arrows...still have the truck:

2005 Dodge 3500 SRW, Qcab long bed, NV-6500, diesel, 4WD, Helwig, 9000XL,
Nitto 285/70/17 Terra Grapplers, Honda eu3000Is, custom overload spring perch spacers.

mkasner
Explorer
Explorer
I don't cover our camper so any snow I sweep off ASAP! Right now there is about 2 inches of ice I'm trying to get off.

Old_Days
Explorer II
Explorer II
My roof is only 1 and a half inches thick so I think it is best to get all the snow off. The last thing I need is it to start sagging. I will get a long broom to clean it off. The last couple years we didn't get much snow but this year is starting off with a lot.

donn0128
Explorer II
Explorer II
Anything more than 6 inches then I would sweap off. On my Creek SIL did it for me with about 18 inches on it. But then again I can walk on my roof.