Towing in the wind

kb0zke

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2021
Messages
981
We had 35 mph crosswinds today while towing. I kept the speed to 60 or so on the level, dropping down going up the hills. No problems at all. We got going about an hour later than planned, so arrived after dark. First time towing after dark. Snagged the last pull-thru site, pulled in, plugged in and put out the slides.
 
When on the road and overnight without ressies We call while driving and reserve so we get a pull through. So much easier in the dark and tired from driving all day.

Wind can be a mileage killer, tail winds are nice though
 
We own a beautiful RV Park and would always welcome you to one of our spacious pull through sites, but when we are on the road it is always a Walmart or something similar or Harvest Hosts. Why pay for a night when all you do is park for 10 hours or so?
 
There have been a couple of times where wind has caused us to delay our drive by a day. Stayed at Oliver Lee State Park in NM last March. Had a night with 55mph winds. Thought the solar panels would rip off the roof. Come the morning there wasn't a tent left standing. There were dozens of them ripped to shreds and all the tent people were either in their cars or had left in the night.
 
I towed Monday from Lake Benbrook to home in a direct crosswind of about 15 gusting to 20ish mph. My
mpg was showing 8 mpg . that's not a really severe wind but its so tiring
 
I towed Monday from Lake Benbrook to home in a direct crosswind of about 15 gusting to 20ish mph. My
mpg was showing 8 mpg . that's not a really severe wind but its so tiring
It is extremely tiring. I pull over at rest areas more frequently than I normally would just because of the fatigue from trying keep in lane. High crosswinds in western Nebraska each time so far. Was happy it was a short run from Scottsbluff to North Platte. MPG does take a hit.
 
High crosswinds are tiring. I'm within a couple hundred pounds of my trucks GVWR and always wrestling with 'do I' or 'don't l' upgrade to a dually. We tow about 6k miles a year on a couple long trips. Other than those trips, everything about a dually would be a negative for me.

I noticed that all the comments in this thread seem to be SRW owners. Would DRW make that big of a difference?
 
I noticed that all the comments in this thread seem to be SRW owners. Would DRW make that big of a difference?
Im useing a CC LB Chevy dually and wouldn't tow anything over a 12000 gvwr rv without one ,just my personal requirement I went to a dually from a 3/4 ton LB CC when towing a Jayco 321RLTS with a 14500 GVWR and never regretted it. You get used to parking way out when going to the Walmart RV supply.
The x-wind has to be really strong to get a noticeable amount of sway but its the compensating that tires you
 
Agree with above. I towed for years with SRW trucks. It was never awful, but some crosswinds were a bit stressful.

Now with a DRW, crosswinds are really no issue on a windy day. That is unless there’s some serious storm stuff going on. I experience that this summer. Had to be a 40-50mph direct crosswind. Downdrafts from a nearby cell. Couldn’t stop due to no room, so best I could do was 35mph without feeling uncomfortable.
 
Couple years ago we were towing our 42' 20K# Solitude on I40 between Williams and Winslow, AZ. Wind was 50+ MPH straight across the highway. Our 1 Ton dually was amazingly stable. Yes, it pushed us around a bit but never once out of our lane. The extra width and weight provides a lot more stability.
 
Comes down to the old saying. Big is good, bigger is better. Pull 2 trailers with 2 different trucks. 28" with 3/4 ton SRW and 28, travel trailer. Will tow if wind is not to strong. Easier to see things around town. Then pull with F450 and 44' 5th wheel with triple axles. No problem in wind @ 50 mph.
 
I've towed in some very high crosswinds, and have never felt uncomfortable. But I've towed all the 5th wheels with a dually. Came across Wyoming one time on motorcycle, and the crosswind wore the tires unevenly on one side. Riding leaned over all the time. There was a bit of pucker factor when passing windbreaks. :) Luckily it was on the interstate so didn't have to worry about swerving into oncoming traffic.
 
High crosswinds are tiring. I'm within a couple hundred pounds of my trucks GVWR and always wrestling with 'do I' or 'don't l' upgrade to a dually. We tow about 6k miles a year on a couple long trips. Other than those trips, everything about a dually would be a negative for me.

I noticed that all the comments in this thread seem to be SRW owners. Would DRW make that big of a difference?
I'll be the odd man out. I tow with a DRW now but started with a SRW. I don't think it makes much difference especially if you're within spec of the truck.

My worst experience with wind was in South Dakota pulling our previous 377. 50mph+ head/cross wind. Doing 50MPH I was getting 4 1/2 MPG
 
I'll be the odd man out. I tow with a DRW now but started with a SRW. I don't think it makes much difference especially if you're within spec of the truck.

My worst experience with wind was in South Dakota pulling our previous 377. 50mph+ head/cross wind. Doing 50MPH I was getting 4 1/2 MPG
Yeah, my brother married a lady from South Dakota, she always said the only windbreak between South Dakota and the North Pole was a three strand bob wire fence. :)
 
I'll be the odd man out. I tow with a DRW now but started with a SRW. I don't think it makes much difference especially if you're within spec of the truck.............
Thanks for the reply. I think there is some truth to this. Although I'm within a couple hundred pounds of my GVWR, I'm still under all the limits of our truck (see sig). This past April on our way back from FL to MN we had 40+ mph gusts out of the NE all the way home. While I'm sure a DRW truck would have been more stable, I was pleasantly surprised how well the SRW combination did. While there were times where I took all of the lane we were in, we were always able to stay in the lane we wanted. Was it extra work? Sure was. Fortunately, in the 5 years we've been making this trip we've only encountered winds that bad this one time.
 

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