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06-12-2019, 09:19 AM
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#1
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New Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Athol
Posts: 3
M.O.C. #24238
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Idea to Keep Snow off Roof?
Hello fellow Montana owners,
I will be parking my 2018 3920FB Montana on my property through the winter in North Idaho. I was wondering instead of purchasing a portable building or something permanent large enough to store it for 10-15K, perhaps I could lay out heated mats on the roof to keep the snow and ice melted?
What are your thoughts?
Thanks in advance!
John
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06-12-2019, 09:33 AM
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#2
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Lake Havasu City AZ.
Posts: 1,811
M.O.C. #10552
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Heated mats sounds good to me. I may not take a whole lot of them or heat to keep the roof warm enough to keep snow off.
__________________
Wayne and Ann Moore
2015 Ford F-350 King Ranch
Firestone air bags, bed saver.
Add 40 GAL tank in bed.
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06-12-2019, 01:20 PM
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#3
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New Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Athol
Posts: 3
M.O.C. #24238
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waynemoore,
That was my thinking as well. Thanks
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06-12-2019, 01:37 PM
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#4
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Grand Rapids
Posts: 1,896
M.O.C. #9561
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i'd think about the heated pad thing. having snow on the roof shouldn't be a problem but what you are considering may cause some unknown issues with the heating of the roof.
another option, the one we like is go south young man
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06-12-2019, 01:49 PM
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#5
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New Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Athol
Posts: 3
M.O.C. #24238
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Exactly, the unknown. I could easily have 2 to 3' of snow sitting on it which I do not like the idea of for sure. I wish I could head South in the Winter, one day though.
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06-12-2019, 04:01 PM
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#6
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 1,788
M.O.C. #14547
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Why not build an 'A' frame and cover it with heavy clear plastic or possibly a blue/green poly tarp. Build it out of 1 or 1-1/4 inch PVC piping, some fittings and some nuts and bolts for assembly and disassembly. Anchor it well to the ground to prevent the wind from blowing it away.
A heated pad arrangement (costly to buy) would be electric powered with a pretty expensive bill. I would also worry that differential heat would damage caulk, causing leaks along with icicles down both side and heavy icing alongside.
A note - we have had up to two+ feet of snow on our different 5ers with no damage
__________________
Dave W
2014 Montana High Country 343RL (Sold!)
2011 Ford 6.7 Lariat CCLB (Went to PU Heaven)
2019 F150SC XLT SE Sport,w/full tow package
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06-12-2019, 04:20 PM
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#7
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Wilsey
Posts: 18,799
M.O.C. #11455
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Before we went full time our 2010 sat outside without any cover for two winters. Snow on the roof didn't cause any issues.
__________________
Dick, Joyce, Diego, Picatso and Gustav
2017 3720 RL, and 2013 HC 343RL
Pullrite Hitch, IS, Disk Brakes, 3rd AC, Winegard Traveler, Bathroom door mod, Dometic 320, couch for desk swap, replaced chairs, sun screens, added awnings, etc.
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06-12-2019, 04:24 PM
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#8
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Seasoned Camper
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Big Rapids
Posts: 51
M.O.C. #23792
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John I live in Mich and we get lots mof snow. So ia'm lucky and go to florida in winter. I have a pole barn that I keep my tractor in and enough room for to 40' campers so I rent it out to people that still work. maybe someone has a barn with extra room for your fifth wheel. just a though. badknees
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06-12-2019, 06:09 PM
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#9
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Winchester
Posts: 900
M.O.C. #19514
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We winter in Florida in our Monty, so no snow issues for us. Our daughter stores her 5er at the local fairgrounds in the cattle barn. The fair board rents space by the foot for the winter.
I saw a homemade RV cover once. It had a wood frame and was covered with plastic. It wasn’t pretty, but it did the job.
Just a couple of ideas.
__________________
2017 High Country 305RL
2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty
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06-12-2019, 07:11 PM
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#10
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Salem
Posts: 7,550
M.O.C. #2283
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If you build a temporary cover or shed be sure it WILL withstand the snow load and wind you have where you live. If it collapses it could and probably will cause more damage than you will save on your camper.
Lynwood
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06-13-2019, 12:25 PM
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#11
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Box Elder
Posts: 247
M.O.C. #21057
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Snow is an excellent insulator
__________________
2018 Montana High Country 331RL
2006 Ram 2500 SRW 4X4 Laramie Quad Cab 5 .9
Andersen Ultimate 20K Hitch Lippert Solid Steps Steady Fast stabilizes
Rex and Patsy
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06-13-2019, 02:01 PM
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#12
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 1,788
M.O.C. #14547
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Quote:
Originally Posted by footz1941
Snow is an excellent insulator
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But up to 20+ pounds per cubic foot depending on moisture content, can get really heavy
__________________
Dave W
2014 Montana High Country 343RL (Sold!)
2011 Ford 6.7 Lariat CCLB (Went to PU Heaven)
2019 F150SC XLT SE Sport,w/full tow package
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06-13-2019, 02:43 PM
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#13
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: POINTBLANK
Posts: 1,888
M.O.C. #19944
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave W
But up to 20+ pounds per cubic foot depending on moisture content, can get really heavy
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I put more than 20lb/ft when I walk on it
__________________
RAM 22' DRW 3500 Crew LB 40 gal reserve tank / RETRAX Bed Cover / 2020 373RD HC / IS / MOPEKA Tank Monitor / Furrion Side&Rear Cameras
Slide Toppers / EMS-HW50C / Sailun 85's
3rd AC / Dometic 320
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06-13-2019, 02:43 PM
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#14
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: POINTBLANK
Posts: 1,888
M.O.C. #19944
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Do you think www.shaderv.com product might work?
__________________
RAM 22' DRW 3500 Crew LB 40 gal reserve tank / RETRAX Bed Cover / 2020 373RD HC / IS / MOPEKA Tank Monitor / Furrion Side&Rear Cameras
Slide Toppers / EMS-HW50C / Sailun 85's
3rd AC / Dometic 320
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06-13-2019, 03:06 PM
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#15
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Salem
Posts: 7,550
M.O.C. #2283
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ram Montana High Country
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No. A heavy snow load will just collapse it.
John K why do you wont to keep snow off of your roof?
Lynwood
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06-13-2019, 04:22 PM
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#16
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Seasoned Camper
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Rudyard
Posts: 73
M.O.C. #21800
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We had a lot of snow last winter. Once my roof got over 2 feet with a 1/2 inch ice storm in between the snow layers, and I could not see the air conditioners I decided to rake some of the snow off like I do with my house.
Tried to be careful and it seemed to work fine. We received another 3 feet that I left alone, and it melted with no issues.
First trip up on the roof this spring revealed 2 broken attic vents and the bedroom ceiling cover damaged from my raking. Next year if it’s still outside, I will just leave it alone.
__________________
2015 Montana 3711 FL Legacy
2015 Ford F450 Platinum
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06-19-2019, 06:31 PM
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#17
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Heber City
Posts: 117
M.O.C. #23676
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I was just going to cover it with one of those ADCO covers and let the snow stay on it. I'm close to you in Utah and I'm at 7000' so we get some snow. I had a CW cover on it last winter and the cover didn't last 6 months. I probably never had more than 18" of snow on it at one time and there were no issues with damage to anything on the roof
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06-20-2019, 04:56 AM
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#18
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: home base IL, OTR anywhere
Posts: 533
M.O.C. #19382
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Quote:
Originally Posted by footz1941
Snow is an excellent insulator
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True enough, but the stuff also melts and freezes which is the real danger, do you really want water and snow freezing around your slides, vents and any other place that could be subject to water penetration. When snow melts and then the resulting water freezes into ice it expands and will open any gap like a giant pry bar that is possible to be opened.
As for the heated mats that have also been mentioned, they need a reliable source of electricity, otherwise you get the same problem listed above especially if the site is in a remote location.
To the OP... As I see it, you will have to develop a fanatical snow removal "religion" and actively stay ahead of any accumulation without fail. RVs (with the possible exception of an A-Liner) are not designed for heavy snow loading.
JMHO
__________________
2017 RAM 3500 Laramie CCLB Dually CTD Aisin, OEM auto level rear air-ride, B&W hitch
2020 3813MS Legacy Cobalt FBP, MORryde 8K IS & pinbox, PI EMS,DIY mods by in-house "craftsman", RV security system Mk1 Beagle Alerter
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06-23-2019, 02:41 PM
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#19
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Northville, NY
Posts: 807
M.O.C. #21158
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I'm in the Adirondacks of NY and we get the full gambit of winter weather from rain to ice to multi feet of snow. Temps can run anywhere from -30 to +40. Many folks here just cover it with a winter cover from CW or other dealer. They seem to have very few problems. Some will put storage tubs upside down over the vents to keep weight off.
My personal solution has been to head South.
__________________
Jim B
2017 Lariat F-350 FX4, CC, SB, 6.7 PSD 4WD
2018 MONTY 3731FL, at our private winter site in GA
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06-23-2019, 02:58 PM
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#20
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: North Ridgeville
Posts: 20,229
M.O.C. #2839
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We spent many, many years of winter in Northern ,Ohio. Winter can be brutal in Northern, Ohio. We both retired in 2006 and we have wintered in Florida since them. We have not seen ice, snow salt on roads, etc since then
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