Getting some snow here - question for the cold climate experts

[MandK]

We have received 48” of snow in the last 18 hours and the National Weather Service just released an update that indicates we may get another 32” by Monday morning on top of what has already fallen. The temperatures here are 30-32 degrees now so it’s heavy. It could end up with about 5’ of snow on it or more.
I have heard and read that wet snow weighs about 12 lbs per cubic foot. It is at a storage yard so I can’t go to it (all highways are closed and won’t be opening anytime soon) I store it with all the jacks down and on good blocking so I’m not worried about the suspension having to support the extra 15-16,000 pounds but I am a little concerned about the roof. Point loads will be less than a man walking on the roof, but can the structure support that weight? Has anyone been there and done that with no problems. I’m a little nervous.

[mlh]

I think if it was my camper I would get some of that snow off IF you can do it safely. I don’t know if your roof if strong enough for that much snow load and that is why I would get it off. It isn’t worth hurting yourself for.
Lynwood

[dieselguy]

I think you are between a rock and a hard place ... I know it's hard not to fret, but just looking at the snow on the Weather Channel up there ... and you already admitting a visit to the storage area is not currently nor in the near future a possibility ... you're at "parade rest" for a while. Your fiver will more than likely weather the storm just the same as all the other RV's in storage up there. Attempting travel of any kind in the area just doesn't look wise to me no matter what damsel is in distress.

[Mikendebbie]

Being life-long Texans - we had only experienced heavy/deep snow fall one time and that was Thanksgiving 1983 when we were living in Denver. But after the Feb 2020 deep freeze we had here - my hat is off to you guys that go thru this kind of weather.

I recalled a picture of a strong RV roof and I found it. A 1977 Holiday Rambler brochure showed an Oldsmobile on top of the travel trailer. Then I found the isometric view of a Montana from a 2000 Montana brochure. I am not saying our roofs would hold up to the weight of a car - but once upon a time they made them to support a good load.

[MandK]

I’ll take the Oldsmobile. Thanks for your opinions and comments. I will go take a look as soon as I can and I will be driving by an RV dealer that probably has 100 SOB 5ers on their lot which is only a half mile from my house and see if they are removing snow. It may rain on Tuesday making things heavier They also sell Airstreams, I bet they shed snow pretty well lol.

[Foldbak]

Ya not sure what you can do but I would be concerned about it. I doubt their built for a heavy snow load. A few feet wouldn't freak me out but 4 feet might.


There are a lot of full timers in here and I'm sure some of them have experienced snow. I'm sure that dealers can't always stay ahead of snow removal all the time. I did a quick google search and found this. It's pretty generic...



How much snow load can an RV handle?


An RV roof can generally support around 2 feet of snow pile-up. Depending on the model, an RV roof can withstand 250-300 lbs. However, this is not a set limit. The amount of weight your RV roof can handle depends on multiple factors such as the thickness, material, age, and condition of your roof.


Maybe find covered storage?

[R.S.O'Donnell]

We have a seasonal summer spot near lake Champlain with lots of others that leave their rigs unattended all winter with no apparent damage. That being said we typically do not get the snow over there that you get off the "big lakes".

I did find this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX1fWhGQIzc

[Cat320]

We used to live in northern Utah, where they made the roofs built to take all that extra weight...maybe it's the same where the OP is. The real danger is when that snow starts to melt, then refreezes at night.

[MandK]

Some good news. The wind has changed a little pushing the snow bands north toward the city so we are getting a little break. It also got colder and windy last night so new snow is lighter and blowing around so hopefully won’t build up too much more on the roofs. We were able to get out and shovel off our walkway and the bottom 3’ of snow is really heavy but the top couple of feet is not too bad. Hang in there Monty!

[R.S.O'Donnell]

Originally Posted by MandK

Some good news. The wind has changed a little pushing the snow bands north toward the city so we are getting a little break. It also got colder and windy last night so new snow is lighter and blowing around so hopefully won’t build up too much more on the roofs. We were able to get out and shovel off our walkway and the bottom 3’ of snow is really heavy but the top couple of feet is not too bad. Hang in there Monty!

My bet is your rig will be fine. Those kinds of snow depths are common in the Sierra and I've never heard anything about issues up there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIYKZF4TJqs

[R.S.O'Donnell]

I did a little more digging and found this from another forum: https://www.rvforum.net/threads/snow...w-roof.124145/

[Foldbak]

Like I said I would be concerned. 4' of snow load on my property would be catastrophic. We are not designed for that kind of snow load. 4' of snow brings down oak trees. My home at 1400 feet above sea level isn't designed to handle 4' snow load....

[Mikendebbie]

I did some googling over on the IRV2 forum and found lots of threads over the years asking the same question. Tons of “engineer calculations” proving pounds per SF and 8000 lbs dead load over the whole roof. I saw a couple of stories like “knew a guy whose roof collapsed in Wyoming 20 yrs ago.” Lots of advice…you should store the unit under cover…or I remove the snow on my roof when it gets to 24”…or I’ve had RVs for 30 years and never had a problem.

One guy said “for every RV that is stored under cover there are 10s of thousands out in the elements. Show me the hundreds of threads titled “HELP - snow collapsed my roof”.

I tend to agree.
Do people have trouble with hydraulic slides and levelers?
Do shackles and spring hangers break?
Does InCommand act weird sometimes?
Do furnaces act up sometimes?
YES! And there are tons of threads discussing and helping with the problems.

I think the snow load question is a valid concern and a great question. It’s a shame that none of us responding to this thread can find a definitive response from a factory engineer for any make or model stating the factual load design. I would love to know the answer.

If snow load crushing RVs was a thing - we would know about it and it would be discussed on all forums. Dealers would be warning you during the delivery walk thru. Insurance companies would issue warnings. YouTube influencers would have video after video. That said - I’m in Texas…easy for me to say “don’t worry about it”.

[AZ Traveler]

Mark,

There is no need to worry as you can't get to it and remove the snow.

Sounds like it is time to find a place to live further south.

[DutchmenSport]

Just heard on the news that Buffalo, NY now has 77 inches of snow. 72 inches is 6 feet. Yikes!

[mhs4771]

Simple, hook up and drive under a 13'6" over pass, will remove all the snow,
OH wait roads are closed, so I guess you just have to keep your finger crossed.

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Simple, hook up and drive under a 13'6" over pass, will remove all the snow,
OH wait roads are closed, so I guess you just have to keep your finger crossed.

I like that thought process


6' of lake effect snow in Buffalo today. I'm sure there are some stories there...

[rames14]

Que the weight police. Curious what it would take to tow that to the nearest overpass. Best of luck.

[Mikendebbie]

Speaking of weight police - I suppose if the RV gets topped with 60” of snow (an added 8000-9000 lbs load) - the leveling legs better be down to transfer that load thru the walls and frame to the legs. What would the extra weight do to the springs and tires if the rear legs were up?

[Wisconsin Retiree]

That is obviously a lot of snow which equals alot of weight. It is always best to remove the excess snow as soon as possible but only when it is safe to do so and in a safe manner. In Northern Wisconsin over time many cabins and trailers build up high levels of snow for sometimes days or a week before you have the ability to remove some of the weight. Removing that snow can be a challenge and a very dangerous task. Unfortunately, yes some structures fail and the roofs cave in. I have yet to see or hear of any RVs over my 58 years of living here where RV roofs collapsed but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened or other forms of damage haven't occurred. Not sure how much room you have around your unit to work but When possible and safe to do so I would use a roof rake with the long extension handle and attempt to carefully remove what you can to assist in lightening that roof load and hopefully it will all be fine. I would not recommend climbing up the ladder or attempting to stand on that roof for it would be very treacherous and quite the distance to fall.