Towing in the wind.

[rbpru]

We just finished a 250 mile trip to down state Illinois. We had 20 to 25 + mph crosswinds all the way; so, we held the speed to 55 mph.

I was pleasantly surprised that the wind buffets were not that bad, but the gas mileage was a bit less than 8 mpg. :E usually it is closer to 10 mpg.:C Also at 55 mph everything passes you. We kept off the Interstate most of the way.

My TT is only 25 ft. and weighs about 6000 lbs. so it is not a huge wind sail. Still my driving sweet spot is normally about 60 to 62 mph. but it just was not working in the wind so slow and steady was the pace.

The question is, what speed works for you in a moderate cross wind, particularly the bigger TTs.

I am told the 5vers have less wind problems.

[Mr__Camper]

Unless it's absolutely necessary we never travel on interstates. Many years ago I read Blue Highways and there was a guy from the Miami, Florida area who put out a newspaper on RVing and he used the term Shunpiking, which meant he also stayed off interstates. Only way to see the USA.

[PeteK-Hou]

Doug33 wrote:
I close my eyes only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity

Towing in the wind, all they are is towing in the wind

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

Towing in the wind, all we are is towing in the wind

The answer my friend, is towin' in the wind, the answer is towin' in the wind (my apologies to Bob Dylan)

[colliehauler]

I have towed in high crosswinds (In Kansas) imagine that. It was a white knuckle ride with a lot of stress. Winds were 45mph with gusts to 60mph, thought I was going over a couple of times. I had to be back for work and drove at 35mph. I will NEVER tow in high crosswinds again. If the crosswinds get over 35 to 40 I will pull over.

[Shane549]

Good One Stovepipe!!!

[profdant139]

Doug and Stovepipe, you both made me dribble coffee on my shirt this morning -- laughing too hard -- well done!

One more thought -- watch out for overpasses -- the wind quits suddenly as you pass under, and then it hits you on the other side -- it is essentially a man-made gust.

[Stovepipe]

How many roads must a man tow down
Before you call him a man ?
How many pulls must a big truck make
Before she parks in the sand ?
Yes, how many times must the 5th wheels fly
Before they're forever canned ?
The answer my friend is towin' in the wind
The answer is towin' in the wind.

[myredracer]

downtheroad wrote:
Towing in the wind can be a problem regardless if it's a travel trailer of 5th wheel or....whatever.

When it gets too windy, and I can feel it more that I like, we stop.

Is the photo I-90 in eastern Wa? Looks familiar. If those trucks are on I-90, I can understand why.

We drove on I-90 last August from Spokane to Seattle. The winds were gusting around 40-50 mph as we neared the mountains and it was very unnerving. Could only drive around 45 mph and it felt like I was on marbles the way we were being blown around. Stopped at a rest stop and asked one of the truck drivers about it and he said that even semis have to slow down sometimes along that stretch. Got to our destination CG and spoke to another RV-er who travels that same stretch often and said he's seen numerous FWs on their sides.

Strong gusting sidewinds are the worst. It's like there's a big hand pushing on the side of your TT and letting go suddenly. You can't maintain a steady straight line down the road no matter how hard you try. All you can do is slow down a lot, or if really bad, stop somewhere.

While in Spokane, a storm warning came up on the radio advising people to seek shelter. The storm came up out of nowhere and a haboob swept through nearby but didn't cause damage. Never heard of a haboob before - it's like a tidal wave of dust.

[Doug33]

It is worse when it is gusty. Consistent wind of 10-15 MPH can be dealt with, but when you get the 30+ MPH gusts that come out of nowhere, that can be a real problem. I'm always nervous about crossing high bridges because of wind. Along I-95 in central Maryland, there is a bridge over the Susquehanna River, and there are warning signs that mention the prevalent high cross winds experienced at that location. I always slow down in those situations and try to avoid being around any other trucks.

[jaycocreek]

I pulled a 35 ft fifth wheel from Coeur d'Alene Idaho to Lewiston. The first day I made it 39 miles barely to the first truck stop in Spokane because of the wind and especially the gust. The second day was white knuckles for about 100 miles to lewiston.

My point is the fifth wheel wasn't much better than a properly set up WD hitch. Of course that is just my opinion based on having both.

Wind is nothing to mess with towing. I've seen it take down some great over the road drivers!

[dadmomh]

Trip to CO and on an overnight in Amarillo, the winds started during the night and were so strong they bumped the trailer enough to wake DH. I remember waking up and wondering why he was standing and looking out the door. Next morning was a real stinker....winds 30 - 35 with gusts around 40. We gave it a very brief thought and decided to see if they had room for us to overnight again. Got lucky. We just felt that the strong gusts out of the south had all the possibility of flipping our TT right onto it's side....or further. It was the best choice for us. We tend to go on the conservative side and most definitely, when winds come up, the speed drops to whatever we feel safe at.

Another stinker of an area is coming south into Nashville on I- 65. You're coming downhill at a pretty good drop and the winds gust through the valley. Signs warn very clearly, but apparently not everyone notices or takes the advice. Of the thought that if the winds will flip a semi, a TT is way more susceptible. Slower, for sure, but if it means finding a safe stopover, I wouldn't hesitate. Maybe for just a few hours, maybe into an overnight. But of the thought that whatever it takes is well worth it. Glad you made it safe and sound.

[BurbMan]

Nice Kansas Tribute!

Yes and no about 5ers....no sway because the of the hitch being over the truck's axle, but also higher profile...I don't get any sway either with the Arrow hitch, but 32' is still a lot of sail area. Wind doesn't generally bother us at 20-25 mph, but last year coming down I-75 through Ohio we had crosswinds that had to be in the 30+ range with gusts at 45+...I usually run at the 70 mph limit easily, but when you see the semis in line at 55 mph, I did the same. Scott is correct, the effects of the wind were much less at 55 than they were at 70.

[jaycocreek]

Towing in the wind can be a problem regardless if it's a travel trailer of 5th wheel or....whatever.

Exactly.. I don't tow in the wind unless I have too.

[downtheroad]

Towing in the wind can be a problem regardless if it's a travel trailer of 5th wheel or....whatever.

When it gets too windy, and I can feel it more that I like, we stop.

[Doug33]

I close my eyes only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity

Towing in the wind, all they are is towing in the wind

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

Towing in the wind, all we are is towing in the wind

[rockhillmanor]

rbpru wrote:
We just finished a 250 mile trip to down state Illinois. We had 20 to 25 + mph crosswinds all the way; so, we held the speed to 55 mph.....The question is, what speed works for you in a moderate cross wind, particularly the bigger TTs. .....

All roads leading south in Illinois are windy bad! :B

I travel that north south route thru Illinois a lot. The winds are just awful most of the time. The tail wind is great for gas mileage but the crosswinds are real dangerous there. It's all open farm land nothing to stop the winds.

Crosswinds I pull off.
IMHO no speed was safe when I had my TT and the last trip I was driving a MH towing. Thought it would handle the crosswinds better than the TT. Was wrong on that one! It did not and I pulled off the road with it too until the winds subsided.