With high winds

[bennydog]

An opinion question

If you were to find yourself in a high wind situation with your trailer would you set the corner jacks down or leave them up or something else. We experienced high winds on our last outing and as the trailer was being buffeted around I got to thinking about what kind of damage could be done with the weight of the trailer moving around on the stab jacks. Bent or broken jacks, bent frame, bent???

What would you do and why?

Thanks

Bob

[Flyguy]

Well I have not had that occurrence and so I don't have anything made up to secure the trailer under those conditions, but if I lived in an area where that sort of thing happened frequently I would cut two 2 X 4's the width of the trailer and insert screw-eyes in each end and place one at the front and one at the back on the roof, then string some rope at an angle from each screw-eye to a heavy stake into the ground, I would probably install some angles on the 2X4's that would provide a catch for the trailer sides at the ends of each 2X4, don't know how well that would work cause I've never tried it. Another idea would be to cut four pieces of metal angle and provide a slot and a screw-eye welded to the angles so that a ratchet strap can go between them and then the ropes to the stakes in the ground, the straps can then be cinched up so that the angles hold the trailer sides securely and of course the angles should be padded so as not to damage the trailer sides. It should be easier to carry that arrangement.

[Wyotraveler]

Originally Posted by bennydog

An opinion question

If you were to find yourself in a high wind situation with your trailer would you set the corner jacks down or leave them up or something else. We experienced high winds on our last outing and as the trailer was being buffeted around I got to thinking about what kind of damage could be done with the weight of the trailer moving around on the stab jacks. Bent or broken jacks, bent frame, bent???

What would you do and why?

Thanks

Bob

I'd put the slide in. There were times my 5th wheel, when parked, would rock around so much I thought it was going to roll over. Once the slides were put in it calmed down and didn't move around. My next RV? Something without slides. Slides are great and will give you more room but it seems to change the center of gravity.

[mhs4771]

I think I would leave them down, unless we're talking Hurricane Force winds. That's what they are for, to stabilize the unit and I don't think a reason wind would put enough pressure on them to cause any damage to them or the frame (remember this is just my opinion, no basis for the response). Our 35 foot 5er has a large living room slide and a bedroom slide, but we also have a 6 point leveling system and while we're parked for an extended period I also deploy the rear stabilizer jacks so we have 8 points of contact on the ground and it make us pretty solid, but again we're never weathered a hurricane force wind either.

[camper 2010]

We lived in our 27RLS during several strong storms in the past, Cape Hatteras, NC with a Nor'easter, was one of the strongest. We kept the jacks down with the slide pulled in with no damage to the jacks. Putting the slide in helps with the trailer movement.

[Outbackmel]

In the north GA mountains where we keep our 36ft 5er parked. We keep it on site, concrete pad. Rear stabilizers. Often the winds get so strong I move my 1,000 pound Harley Davidson behind the RV to keep it from blowing over. Never had any problem with the slides out when in the RV. When not in use, I pull the slides in.

I will agree that if I were in it with slides extended and the wind force was sooooo bad I was really concerned, I would retract them for peace of mind.
We are fortunate the positioning of our RV is almost always nose into the wind. (We have a 5yr lease on the same pad.)

Ain't RV'n fun!!

[Beachnut]

While prospecting and camping in the Mojave Desert last December we had some SERIOUS 65+ MPH wind gust's, (Per the "severe weather alert" out on the news). I parked my 4x4 truck with camper shell up wind the best I could to shield the trailer, which was parked on a flat plateau, up on the side of the El Paso Mtn's. on BLM land. The wind blew SO hard that it was picking up small gravel and dirt off the flat plateau and blowing it at and over our trailer to the point it sounded like a HARD rain on the roof! I kept ALL the 4 jack stands cranked down for fear if not, it would blow over! I did pull the "Outback" bed in and that did help. I had some 5 gallon buckets 1/4 full of concentrate dirt stored under the trailer, and the wind blew those over, and down the hill as this WAS a direct cross wind to our trailer. It was a rocking and rolling all night, but we survived! I figured with a full water tank, (800+ pounds) sitting so low on the trailer that it should keep it down, with the jacks support, it did...

The good thing about that kind of experiance is the trailer survived the STRONG "Mojave Zephers" (as we later heard the locals call them). Now that we survived that, the little gusts we get while camping at the beach, are nothing, and NO worry!

So, yes, for me, I keep the jacks down, keep it from getting any more movement from the strong gusts. Those jacks are stronger than they look! I saw one guy lift the whole side of his trailer (28' with a slide), to change his tire with those jacks!!!

Beachnut