Snow Load on Roof

[mtnhntr]

At what point should I get worried about the depth of snow on the roof of the 5er? We have 12" of fairly wet snow as of now and it is still snowing. The slides are in , so I am not worried about them. Should I get a ladder and push the snow off? Thanks for any replies, however I may not be able to respond promptly since we are sitting here with no power and powering the house with our RV generator off and on.
Ken

[Ozzie]

I can't answer about the snow load, but if you decide to clear snow off, do it with a push broom and be really careful around the vents and vent covers. You could easily snap something in the cold.

[bsmeaton]

I have seen gas station canopies collapse under snow load, high schools collapse under snow load - but I have never seen a trailer of any type collapse under snow load - and there are a bazzillion of them around in all types of climates. We've had roof rippin blizzards in CO that came up to my chest when I opened the garage door, and the last thing on my mind was the Monty down the street in outdoor storage.

I'm thinking the roof truss design is engineered to handle the stress of travel and is a small enough area that snow load is not a factor. I would almost say there is a greater risk of damaging your roof, or even your keester trying to get up there to clean it off. The only things you really should watch are your plumbing vents and refrigerator vent (if on the roof rather than the side).

I could be wrong - but I'd be interested to hear otherwise.

[jsmitfl]

I wouldn't worry about the load on the roof. Your span isn't large enough and you have party walls also to support some load.

[LonnieB]

I believe Brad and jsmitfl are right on. If the roof can withstand a 200 + lb. load in an area the size of a mans foot, it will have no problem with a snow load spread over a much larger area.

[Montana Sky]

Guess I am going against the grain on this one. If it were my coach, I would be up a ladder with a push broom knocking off the snow. If climbing a ladder or step stool is not a problem, why put that kind of load on your roof if you dont have to? I would not go up and walk on the roof to get snow off, but from the side of the coach on a step stool or ladder is another story. Just my opinion...

[mallardjusted]

well ... I'm not worrying. We got about 14" of snow last night (east side of the sound, east of Whidbey Island), and it's holding up well. I have some heat on in the unit, so 3/4 of it melted off the roof today. But for those things that I don't have heated (duckboat, outbuilding sheds, etc) I cleaned off, as I wouldn't want another bunch of snow to add even more wight to it (they didn't melt off much, without the heat).

[Bluegill]

I currently have about 1' of snow on my slides... slide toppers. The canopy is stretched down and is touching the top of the slide. The next chance I get I will try and get some of it down, in between snow flurries.

[bsmeaton]

For those that feel compelled to clean off the snow - be careful! You are running a high risk to injuring yourself to prevent a no risk problem.

A 5" truss system wood equivalent and 8' span has a ground snow load of >65 lbs ft/square. A 40' trailer X 8' wide represents a total roof area of 320 ft/squared conservatively. At 320 ft/square X 65lbs per ft/square - your roof should handle 20,800 lbs of snow over area. I think your axles would bend and your tires would blow out first.

I guess if you find the weight of another 1-1/2 fully loaded Monty's resting on your roof I would start thinking about climbing the ladder.

[mtnhntr]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I am still on the generator and it has stopped snowing. Looks like we won't get much more, so I am going to leave it as is and not try to remove it. If by tomorrow morning I have much more, then I might try to get some of the easier areas off.
Ken

[Wrenchtraveller]

I also believe that you may run a higher risk of damage by going up on the roof when you can not see the vents. Lonnie is right on and a 200 pound guy's footstep puts well over 400 pounds per square foot of force on a roof. Concrete poured 4 inches thick only weighs about 70 pounds a square foot.
Even wet snow is light compare to concrete. My Montana has 8 inches of wet snow on it right now and I am not concerned. We are having winter on Vancouver Island. Some years we never see snow.
Not this year!

[JH Sechelt]

I've seen 3' on top of 5th wheels and nothing happened. I agree, you would do more damage trying to get it off.
Looks like the the whole North West got a blast this past weekend. We have about a foot here on the Sunshine Coast.
(and right now its 22 degrees F).

J&D

[Glenn and Lorraine]

SNOW?? What's snow???

22 degrees?? What your therometer broke???

[Tom Gina 06]

Way to funny Glen! I feel the same way as others here. Our Family has had RV's since the 60's and never worried about the snow. Growing up in Northern MN, I remember the old "Trailblazer" with 3-4 ft of snow on it and never a problem. My dad used to remove the snow from a ladder in the spring just to keep the old metal roof from freezing and thawing causing the seams to leak. Resealing the seams with that old metal looking stuff was always a real fun job. Trying to brush that stuff on usually getting more on myself than the trailer. Boy oh boy, Thank God RV's have gotten better over time....LOL

I asked a friend of mine that started fulltiming this year how far South he was going to head this year. He said he was going to strap his snow shovel to the front of his bus and the first person that asked him what it was, then he knew he made it far enough South and spend the Winter.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

Vote for the LEAVE IT UP THERE! Too dangerous to do otherwise, and not necessary in our minds.

Also Blue, don't worry bout those toppers saggin, as the snow melts and the water evaporates, they will come back up.

[GlobalDouglas]

My 3400 is staying at the dealership until Spring. The dealership (with 100s of units for sale /storage) is in MI- lots of snow! Was talking to dealer yeasterday about the snow loads. He said snow build-up on Monty is NOT a problem, they do not remove it from units in inventory.

[illapah]

I would worry more about slipping off and hurting myself. Interesting posts here.

[mtnhntr]

Thanks everyone. I left the snow on the roof. I do have Max-Air covers on all 4 vents. They are just little humps now.
Ken

[bsmeaton]

Ken,

If you start using the Monty again, just be sure to uncover your 2 plumbing vents to keep the smell for backing into the trailer, and uncover your refrigerator vent on the roof (long rectangular box above the side vent). That will ensure a good flow for the refrigerator if running on gas.

Brad

[Steve and Brenda]

Snow. I read about it. Thats what happens when rain gets too cold, right?