Wind - Montana Owners Club

owenwetzel · 03-11-2005, 12:31 PM

Got a question. We are in Myrtle Beach SC. and have sat through winds near 50mph. The other night when the big winds came Pat was playing on laptop at dining table and got surprized when the slideout tilted in at the top about 6 inches. Did this several times.

Did do one thing that morning we bought a tripod kingpin stabilizer and did not have excesive rocking during wind. Don't know how 5'er will do in strong winds while traveling.

Has any one been through high winds while traveling and if so how did 5'er handle ?

Bowie · 03-11-2005, 02:45 PM

The Montana did fine until we got more than a bit nervous and pulled into a truck stop to wait it out. We weren't the only ones--it was packed. Don't know what the actual mph were--but if the truckers pull over we think it's a good idea too.

HamRad · 03-11-2005, 05:12 PM

We have a 3295RK and pull it with a Ford PSD 450. We have been in many severe wind situations. We've only camped in severe wind one time and it wasn't all that bad. As far as pulling the trailer in the wind we've never had any problem whatsoever.

I can't imagine the slide being blown six inches! It's a wonder it didn't turn the trailer over. Good luck. I think I'll do what Bowie does..... pull over and park when you see the trucks parking.

HamRad

Montana_70 · 03-12-2005, 02:00 AM

Having experienced a little wind last summer, I feel there are some precautions that should be considered.

When parked at a campground and the winds are gusting steadily at 50 mph or more, I sometimes brought in the slides. Of course it depended on the direction of the wind and the movement of the fiver but I just felt better doing it.

When parked in the Disney parking lot at the All Star Resort during hurricane Jeanne, I pointed Miss Montana and LadyRam directly toward the wind. Keep in mind, in a hurricane this means the wind direction either came straight up the rear of the 5'r or straight toward the front of the truck. I had my emergency brake set, chock locks between the tires and bun-gee cords around the awning arms. Overkill....maybe...but this was a hurricane.

The sustained winds were 60 to 75 mph all day with gusts at 90 to 105. I watched from my room as awnings were torn away, AC units and antennas floping on rigs that were parked side to the wind or situated where the wind tunneled up through buildings. I also watched units rocked side to side while parked this way. Not so much the 5th wheels but the Class C's and A's.

So I think if one pulls off the road to get out of the wind, and they have a choice, it's important where your park relative to the wind direction. Also what you park under or around. People who shoved their lawn chairs under their rigs were sorry they did that.

CountryGuy · 03-12-2005, 02:12 AM

fla native

A great post and great suggestions. I think the MOC members that are long time boaters will agree, either get that boat OUT of the storm or head the bow into the wind. (Save our lives one time, thankfully the captain knew what to do!)

I don't think any of your measures were out of the ordinary considering what you were facing, even the bungy cords around the awning arms! At the factory repair facility they told us to put electrical ties around ours every time we travel with it, said they see a LOT of damage from awnings that let go at the most inopportune times!

Now, I don't know a thing about hurricanes, but does the direction of the wind change during the storms?? Was wondering if you had to go move Miss Montana?? Course, from the sounds of it, there were enough other units around that a move would be next to impossible.

Thanks for all the insight, great post!

Carol

Bill and Ann · 03-12-2005, 02:28 AM

A great post with lots of useful info.

Montana_70 · 03-12-2005, 04:58 AM

Carol

Hurricane winds blow counter clockwise from the eye. (center of the storm) So the first thing you have to consider is which side of the eye you "think" you are going to be on, the west or the east. If the eye is east of where you are you are not only getting hit head on with the full force wind speeds but also the speed the hurricane is moving. If you are West of eye you are getting hurricane force winds but I call them the "tail" winds. If you are in any hurricane these are the, and I use the term loosely, the preferred winds.

With the storms this summer they moved and changed direction so much it was a hard call until the couple of hours to know just where the storm was going to pass relative to where you were. So I did move LadyRam a few times "before" the storm, but finally settled on straight NE. I turned out to be right because the storms eye ended up just south/west of Disney.

I know I said I parked "directly toward the wind", but In the case of a hurricane you have wind coming toward the front and back of your rig. It's not that hurricane winds change direction, it's that they come from two directions. North and South. You prefer them coming out of the south. So basically I had this wash of wind coming over the front of the rig and coming back at higher force from the rear. I parked it this way because I just thought it might be better than the stronger winds pushing on my high profile end cap with my unit attached to my truck.

So relative to the hurricane itself there was no reason to move my rig after the storm started. But I sure wanted to when i saw a Class C had parked side to the wind about 6 feet from the rear of Miss Montana and started rocking side to side. It's awning started flapping in the wind and thought, Oh, my! Please Class C... stay put. At that point going out and moving was not an option. The Class C stayed put, but there were a few moments of "Oh! heart be still!"

CountryGuy · 03-12-2005, 05:26 AM

fla native,

Again, a fabulous and informative post! I am gonna have to read this a couple of times to absorb all this information.

Glad that Class C stayed put!

Thanks for the great response!

Carol

P.S. As far as driving in the wind, I agree with Bowie, if the truckers are pulling over, PULL OFF! I have heard of units blowing over when hit with 80 MPH plus side winds. That is rare, of course, but it does happen. We have pulled in winds of maybe 40 MPH, give or take, and, if they hit you broadside, you can feel a little roll. It is barely noticable, and did not affect our drive for the day. But, like ice or snow, the Stevens ain't gonna travel in severe winds. We will be getting of the highway at the first opportunity and waiting it out, no matter how long, our safety is worth more than getting down the road another 100 miles.

DiananColin · 03-12-2005, 12:31 PM

When towing I always add extra straps to the awning arms - Camping World had a cheap solution - straps with velcro that adjust very nicely. Better safe than sorry.

Carol, you are absolutely on the mark - I frequently think "what would I have done with the boat?" and then use the same theory. Wind can do nasty things to those unprepared!

CountryGuy · 03-12-2005, 12:42 PM

DiananColin,

Yes, Wind can get cha! We are in the Rio Grande Valley, and anyone that has visited here can probably tell ya stories about the wind. Like today, they say it was blowing 23 MPH with gusts to 35 or so. HAHA, felt like a lot more than that! Blew my lawn chair over a number of times, blew the top off the metal trash can they give you on each site for garbage. I have seen those garbage can lids blow 20 feet, give or take, thankfully here, there is more room than that between rigs, or there would be a lot of dented rigs! And, this is not even STORM winds, like what fla native went through! We have yet to extend the awning here, and probably will not, it can be quiet for awhile, and then WAMMO, the wind kicks up. Even with awnings that are tied down, the wind can play havic with your rig, feels like you are gonna be the next space ship! lifting ya right up and giving you a little thrill! (hmmmm, maybe more than a little??) This is with the trailer chocked, blocked and all that good stuff, tripod on the hitch, extra stablizers under the middle of the rig, rotochocks, etc. etc. etc.

Lesson for us: never under estimate Mother Nature!

Carol

BillyRay · 03-12-2005, 12:44 PM

only had one problem with the montana...that was also at myrtle beach during a major storm. our living room was soaked from major rains, but it was raining sideways!!! in retrospect I would have pulled all of the slides in! never had any major wind problems driving...this combo handles real nice though.we did have some major wind problems several years back, but that was with our motorhome...and that would sway when a bird flew by! a monty it was not!

jsmitfl · 03-13-2005, 07:53 AM

While coming back from Atlanta this past weekend ,saw 2 diffrent wrecks of TT being blown over from the winds, granted the tow vehicles looked a little small too. One was a jeep cherakee and it looked as if it rolled with the TT. Saw lots of Montys headed north, see ya all next year.. BYE...LOL

Montana_265 · 03-13-2005, 08:30 AM

This would not work in a hurricane, but I read (probably in Trailer Life) that when it is windy, pull over and wait until the sun sets. According to the article, in some instances, the sun causes wind. Does that make sense to anyone?

Montana_70 · 03-13-2005, 08:33 AM

I have never heard that Sun causes wind, but I do know that it's quite normal in Florida for the wind to "die down" in the evening.

Montana_265 · 03-13-2005, 09:16 AM

Glad to hear the wind does die down in the evening... could be true that the sun or heat of the day can cause wind. Any weather men out there???

CountryGuy · 03-13-2005, 11:57 AM

Sissyph,

No weather man, but in my few years here on the planet earth (NOT telling how many,

) I have noticed that the winds will quiet down around dusk. Pilots will tell you this, and I'll bet firefighters might as well. When one of my daddy's fields caught fire, many moons ago, we were surely glad that it happened late in the afternoon, he told us, at dusk the winds will die down and may even reverse directions for a few minutes, this will help us put out the fire. Happened just the way he said. I have no idea why!

Carol

Montana_265 · 03-13-2005, 01:33 PM

Well, curiousity killed the cat and I had to look: Found a web site that I copied this from: The sun causes all our weather because it heats the earth unevenly. The contrast between the hot parts and the cold parts of the earth turns our atmosphere into a powerful engine. The engine keeps cold and warm air moving and makes changes in air pressure. Those air pressure changes cause wind. The heat of the sun also helps moisture to rise and form clouds, bringing rain, snow, or thunderstorms. So all the changes in our weather come, at least indirectly from the sun. For more on the summer sun, go here. http://www.wxdude.com/page13.html... Good to know.

CountryGuy · 03-13-2005, 01:35 PM

Sissyph,

And that says not one word about what the sun can do to our emotions and moods!

Carol

Montana_265 · 03-13-2005, 01:39 PM

I have heard "lunatic" comes from lunar... if the moon can cause the tides... I never thought about the sun having an effect on moods, but I am happier on sunny days, though I love a rainy day.... don't sleep well when there is a full moon... yep, your right!

Montana_1362 · 03-14-2005, 12:01 AM

During the spring of 1997 my brother had his mountaineer parked behind his house, and was hit with a straight wind micro-burst. It lifted the front of the 5ver (36ft) into the air, and dropped it back down, and drove the front jack pads 12 inches into the ground. After looking the 5ver over there was no obvious damage. Two weeks later they were camping at topsail island and he had just set up, and was setting by the camp fire when the front jacks failed and the 5ver dropped to its nose. Upon repair at a local rv center there were obvious cracks
that had occurred from the wind ride.

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