Towing in the snow

[HalD]

This is my first post, so excuse my ignorance.
Last winter we were pulling our 30' trailer out I10 in west Texas, and the bridges were frozen over or had slush on them. I kept feeling the trailer get "wormy" no matter how I approached a bridge. Light throttle, no throttle, never on the brakes - still wormy.
Other than parking it, what does anyone else do?

[joelc]

Very good advise above, but for me if I had a camper, I would just stay put until the roads are clear or safe then leave the CG.

[rhagfo]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Driving in snow while towing means driving slow. Been there, done that. I had no problems after the first few miles and figured it out. We're talking blizzard, snowing, snow covered interstates where the road department had not cleaned anything off.

First ... slow ... I mean we could barely get over 25 mph, but we had to keep moving. No choice when that happened.

Second ... never use the tow vehicle brakes. I relied on the trailer brakes if I need to slow down, but mostly, just let the entire rig slow on it's own by taking my foot off the gas peddle.

Third ... watch as far ahead as you can see to give yourself plenty of time to react with the slowest reaction possible.

Fourth ... drive in 4 wheel drive for maximum control of the tow vehicle. Especially in the mountains of Southern Kentucky and Northern Tennessee, this was an absolute must ... and most important if using an exit ramp to be in 4x4.

Fifty ... you cannot get in a hurry. In weather conditions like this ... it's 100% about safety, NOT SPEED! You have to forget about red-necks behind you. If they are THAT desperate, they will pass. Otherwise, ignore them. It's all about YOU getting "there" safe! Yes! under these circumstances, it really IS all about ME! (or you!)

Sixth ... If you have to stop, there is nothing wrong with spending the night in a motel!

Pretty much X2!
Little different feeling on the speed of travel, TV was in 4X4, road was fresh snow, speed varried between 40 and 45, but we didn't have blowing snow. We did a couple times have heavy falling snow.
Chains if snow is too wet or icy.

We also needed to stop on an uphill grade for a spin-out with State Patrol and tow truck on site, now issues getting going.

[Community Alumni]

If you hit ice then you definitely don't want to lift, switch gears, accelerate, turn the steering wheel, brake, take a bite to eat, cough, think about something else, etc. Any one of those actions can cause you to break traction which is very bad.

Think of your combo as a curling stone. It's important to set the correct speed and path at the very beginning (before you get to the obstacle). You want to be on the turtle setting, not the rabbit. Just like a curling stone, once you are set out on a path and speed, you'll want to continue on that same path and speed. Corrections can be done, but they're small and take some time to complete. That's why it's important to make sure everything's in order before you get into it. You'll have a little bit more control on the slushy stuff since your tires can pump some of it out of the way, but you won't be so lucky on ice.

One winter while heading to Canada, we (I) decided to continue our travels in a named snow storm that turned into a named ice storm. When you're driving and your only buddy is a plow truck then you know it's bad. When the plow truck suddenly does a U turn and you continue then you know you've messed up. There were no more turnoffs, exits, or civilization until you hit the border. The first 10 miles were ok since it was snow covered and we had some grip. The next 20 miles to the border was covered in 1 in thick ice. We were the only fools out there! We slowly crawled to the border with the hopes that the grass was greener on the other side. Sure enough it was a night and day difference once we crossed. Although the Canadian side of the border was equally as desolate, their side was constantly plowed and salted.

Two things I've learned from my travels in winter months. 1) Anyone can learn drive in winter weather, even Texans and Floridians lol. It just takes a while 2) You would think those who've spent their entire lives in areas that received lots of snow and ice would automatically be expert drivers in it. Boy is that way of thinking completely wrong. So wrong.

[jaycocreek]

All those times, we were towing snomo trailers with a TC's and had a warm place to sit out a blizzard or two when it got so bad that i couldn't see. We spent a 1/2 day in a parking lot somewhere. You just have sometimes, wait it out, the roads will be plowed soon enough. The downside is the road salt eating up your RV

How true..I would take a pickup/camper combo any day over a travel trailer/pickup on snowy roads.

We once were stuck on the wrong side of a mountain hunting during a terrible snow storm pulling a travel trailer with a pickup..Made it to the hiway and it was worse, but we only had one summit in our way.So we chained up only to spin out before the top right in the middle of the road..Dropped the weight distribution hitch to put the weight in the back of the truck and we chugged right over.

WD hitches can be your enemy on slick or snowy roads.

If I were traveling the roads all winter with any RV,I would put studded tires all the way around.They make enough of a difference to sometimes get you to the next pullout.

[bobndot]

We don't have too much choice, sometimes we get stuck in a storm (8x).
Been riding for 20 yrs,making a one way 500 mi. trip. We sometimes get stuck with bad weather and simply slow down. For me the snow covered road was really NOT the issue.
Spray from passing semi's was always a problem because it would cut down my vision. The road spray would ice up my windshied.
You have to crank up your heat on your defroster and i learned to wear a short sleeve T-shirt in such a hot cab.
All those times, we were towing snomo trailers with a TC's and had a warm place to sit out a blizzard or two when it got so bad that i couldn't see. We spent a 1/2 day in a parking lot somewhere. You just have sometimes, wait it out, the roads will be plowed soon enough. The downside is the road salt eating up your RV . :E

[jaycocreek]

Here is a prime example of how conditions can change in just a mile or two..Main highway is clear to the bottom of the hill,then this at the top..



Once you are committed to the hill,there are no pullouts or places to stop and chain up, so a CB in this case, can be your best friend while your at the bottom in the chain up area with your RV.

I definitely would wait it out in the chain up area pulling my travel trailer.CB's have there place while traveling..

[dave17352]

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.

[jaycocreek]

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.

[KBOnTheRoad]

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.

[Lynnmor]

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.

[allen8106]

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.

[old_guy]

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.

[rbpru]

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.

[BillB800si]

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....

[pconroy328]

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.