Advice Please

[SonnyB]

Would it be a mistake to drive my. MH to North Dakota? Wouldn't be there no more than two days then return home. The weather is -20 to -30 degrees. Sorta scares me, what you think?....oh it's a 2014 Anthem.."

[hawgguy]

Livin' on the edge Sonny. A lot depends on road conditions.
Assuming the roads are good, and your basement heat works.
Might consider a space heater or two and electric blanket for insurance.

[PeaceOwl]

Sounds pretty complicated risks to me. Freezing pipes etc.nAnd too cold to enjoy. Depends on the weather I guess.

[kalynzoo]

I certainly cannot and will not speak for others, but for myself...ARE YOU KIDDING! Ok, I'm a Southern California guy, my heaviest jacket is a windbreaker. I have driven to the snow in the mountains in my car, put on snow chains, and hated almost every minute of it. The temps dropped to well below 30 degrees (positive). We delayed our trip to Durango last spring by a day because there were snow flurries in Williams Arizona, we spent an extra night at the Williams KOA because no one in our group of 3 motorhomes wanted to brave the dusting of snow on the road. At minus 20 to 30 (what is that anyway) you are talking Ice Road Trucker. Even if you are a mildly experienced cold weather driver, and I take it your not by this thread, you will be on the road with loonies from out here in the West who have only seen snow and ice on TV or in their cocktail glass. If you must go, fly in, rent an all terrain vehicle, stay at a big chain hotel, I prefer Marriott, and make sure the service bar has lots of hot chocolate. You asked, I offer my honest opinion.
Happy Trails, and Happy New Year to you and yours.

[adamfolger]

What zoo said X2

[bamaboy473]

Let's assume that you are REALLY, REALLY, motivated to go...otherwise the OP wouldn't exist, right? If that's the case, change your tune to, " ...what do I need to do to survive a 3-day trip to really sub-zero conditions?"


OK, you have a genset with power, so how about a couple of seriously warm-air heater/blowers running full time under the coach? Some form of skirts to block the underside from ambient wind? Several space heaters inside? Heck, you don't care about your personal warmth because LL Bean, et al, can supply what you need.

What does the Coach need to stay warm...and the main point is for only a few days?

[SonnyB]

Yea guys I'm leaning on not attempting this, thanks for your input.

[bamaboy473]

Originally Posted by SonnyB

Yea guys I'm leaning on not attempting this, thanks for your input.

Well, that's too bad to let common sense get in the way of an adventure

If we all followed common sense, we'd be speaking Spanish and talking about Queen Isabella. The 4-minute mile would still be a myth. Breaking the sound barrier would be too stupid a risk for anybody but Yeager to try.

OP, what is your motivation? I bet that WE can make the trip do-able!

[xtechgeek]

Just returned from a 2 week trip to Tahoe & Park City. For two days, the trip in the motor home is probably not worth the hassle.

Things to consider:
1. Snowy / ice packed roads can really be white knuckle driving. We caught a weather window across Wyoming, but it was not my favorite part of our trip. High winds and slick in spots.
2. The salt build up and cleanup afterwards. It will take all day tomorrow to wash / deactivate the salt on the undercarriage with Salt X, and re-winterize in case our heated garage fails.
3. There is always the risk that some part of the Aquahot system fails and you have no heat and are forced into a rapid winterization. I carried the winterization supplies with me in case of this scenario.

I know my DW would differ with me as she enjoys the convenience of the MH when traveling, but she's also not the one dealing with the things to consider!

I will say the trip went of without a hitch and the coach (including basement) did a wonderful job staying warm. Temperatures ranged from 2 - 26 F.

Regards

[Papa_Jim]

Well, we live north of North Dakota, in Manitoba, Canada.

You'll be fine, as long as you drain all your water, winterize the entire plumbing system, add heaters in your wet bay and basement bays. Run your generator full time so that you can run a couple of electric heaters to complement your furnace that can't keep up. Good idea to winterize your windows with those plastic winter window kits. Buy those insulation plugs for the ceiling fans. Make sure you put winter fuel and anti-gel in the fuel tank, and make sure your coolant is good for -40 below.

Oh yes. Buy at least a couple of pairs of long johns and winter boots.

Make sure the fuel and propane tanks are kept full. Never know when you'll have to pull off the road because of ice.

Oh yes. Do have your tire chains ready for use at a moments notice.

No sir. Shouldn't be a problem at all.

Jim

[bamaboy473]

expanding the OP question leads me to ask whether I would try it...a fun way to think about things.

If I was alone and didn't have to worry about a DW that's in a fragile state, then driving a new MH with all of it's power would be a walk in the park, because my clothing would be set, my food and water would be set, heat from several sources would be available...so what's the problem?

["007"]

There are some brave ones that do attempt the drive and camping.
Here is a link to threads on how they do it. ITEM's # 4 & # 5.

[SonnyB]

Thanks again for y'all's input...decision made NOT go....Grandson working up there and may get laid off and would need to bring all his belongings back thAt would require my pulling a enclosed trailer, just isn't worth the risk. Again thanks.

[MRUSA14]

Good decision, no, GREAT decision, Sonny.

I was starting to get nightmares and I'm not even asleep!