Driving in bad winter weather

[cimplexsound]

In Utah you do not have to use chains under normal conditions but when the weather calls for it they will require use of chains and check to make sure your in compliance.


1979 Dodge Tioga Class C 24 foot. 1987 Fleetwood Bounder 34 Foot.

[nctox]

Originally Posted by JFXG

That's the key right there. If you can get suddenly hit like that, you weren't paying attention.

Yes, yes, I know weather can be capricious, but in truth the legendary "storm from hell that came out of nowhere" is really very very rare, outside of well known areas.

Midwest US in spring and early summer? Don't go there unless you know how to follow the weather and love tornados. Western upstate NY, around Buffalo, in cold January with a NW wind? Don't go there unless you're prepared for full whiteout conditions and snowfall rates on the order of 5-6 inches per hour.

When I was still flying I was well skilled and well paid to fly airplanes into undesirable weather conditions. I also had a large support network behind me and around me full of other skilled people - lots of them now on this forum - who made it safe and relatively easy to do so. When I had my boat, and now with my motorhome, people ask why I'm staying. And I say "because I can!" If it ain't fun, I ain't goin'!

There's nobody watching out for you but you. You're the Captain, you're supposed to be the grown-up here. You MUST pay attention to the weather, and you MUST be willing to defer departure, delay en route, or divert.

It's just that simple, people.

John,
My feelings exactly.

[mwwade]

I was taught when driving in wet weather after dark, and the temperature starts to drop, keep close attention to the rear view mirror housings! You can see water droplets dripping from the mirror. When the water stops dripping, and the mirror housing is forming ice, beware of black ice forming on the road.

[cimplexsound]

Originally Posted by mwwade

I was taught when driving in wet weather after dark, and the temperature starts to drop, keep close attention to the rear view mirror housings! You can see water droplets dripping from the mirror. When the water stops dripping, and the mirror housing is forming ice, beware of black ice forming on the road.

👍


1979 Dodge Tioga Class C 24 foot. 1987 Fleetwood Bounder 34 Foot.

[RW8804]

I'm an experienced winter driver in my car, but when it comes to my RV, I scan multiple websites for the weather forecasts and reports. I do so in advance of a trip, and make decisions based on what I read as the departure date gets closer. I delay travel if weather looks bad. I do the same while on the road. If things look bad, I stop if I've already left.

For example, last January I had to delay for almost a week. My campground manager even phoned to warn me not to travel!

Why take chances? The journey is part of my trip!

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Jbmsr

Attachment 75359Attachment 75360Attachment 75361
Hey we are from Florida!
We parked it for 2 days at a truck stop until it blew over.
First time driving in snow.
Jesse

That's just a dusting, now it needs to have some freezing rain on top!

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by mahon1993

Your RV, no matter what you have, bumper pull, 5th wheel or MH, handles really lousy in ice and snow. I know from experience. Pull off the road as soon as you can and find a safe place to wait out the bad weather. It's not worth loosing your RV or your life.

Actually a DP handles pretty well in the snow/ice. Not that I like to do it but I have done it.
One January we headed for Quartzsite, the morning we were scheduled to leave we got hit with a snow/ice storm and they closed I-5 through Portland. Waited a few hours till they got it opened and headed out. Went just fine except for trying to leave enough stopping distance and the cars filling it up. Got to watch cars go sliding into the ditch in front of us several times. In fact people were still climbing out of their vehicles at the time.
Another time it started snowing as we were packing up from a show, went north on I-5 to get propane and watched several cars in front of us go into the ditch.
Got the propane and headed south to a Wal*Mart to call the DOT for road conditions. While inthe store they announced that I-5 was closed so we stayed the night. In the morning we headed out again and saw more cars and truck in the ditch. In all those miles I don't remember having any trouble stopping or getting going again.

[Just For Fun]

Born and raised in Chicago. I go my drivers training and license in the winter in all of that gorgeous weather!!!!!

Bought out first MH in Oklahoma in the middle of February - their storm season - and spent our break-in weekend snow-bound in a local shopping center.

Fortunately I'm too scared to risk the lives of my family, myself and my MH in those conditions. I feel for the fools that are in a rush!!!!!!!!!

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Just For Fun

Born and raised in Chicago. I go my drivers training and license in the winter in all of that gorgeous weather!!!!!

Bought out first MH in Oklahoma in the middle of February - their storm season - and spent our break-in weekend snow-bound in a local shopping center.

Fortunately I'm too scared to risk the lives of my family, myself and my MH in those conditions. I feel for the fools that are in a rush!!!!!!!!!

Sorry you feel that I'm a fool for driving a MH in the snow and ice, but at least that's just an opinion and we all have them.

[sirpurrcival]

More or less variations on a theme. Assuming the RV is in good shape and so on, it comes down mostly to the following.

1. Avoid the battle you don't have to fight. If the weather is closing in, wait it out. You are better equipped that most drivers with an RV that has heat, hot food and an warm place to sleep.

2. If you do get caught in the bad weather and can't stop for some reason, drive with caution. That means slow and steady. 99.9% of winter driving accidents are the result of poor driver choices; either going too fast or thinking that your 4x4 is 1 step below that M1 Abrams. News flash, it isn't and if it isn't, then your RV certainly isn't.

3. Prepare!!!! If bad weather is possible, then have the items you need to deal with it. Warm clothing, a shovel, road flares, high visibility clothing, cell phones etc. If possible, a check in system (i.e. if you don't call the relatives every day by a certain time, they should know roughly where you should have been on your journey because you have thoughtfully provided them with an itinerary).

If people do those 3 things, chances are very good that you will never have a problem

[nothermark]

I don't get it. Given the easy access to weather predictions all over the country from a smart phone or computer with a network connection there is no reason for retired folks to be on the road in bad weather. If the going gets messy find a pull off. Better yet if the prediction is messy find a more comfortable place to sit until it blows over. I find that is major advantage of the portable cabin. Home is where it's parked. I suspect that is the same attitude for most of the snowbird examples in the first message. ;-)

[Belgian]

Several years ago we were on Hwy 12 in Utah going north from Escalante to Torrey. The weather was fine until we got half way up the mountain, just before Torrey, and it started snowing, lightly at first. An important fact here is I’m from sunny So Cal so I don’t have experience driving in snow. Within minutes it was snowing pretty hard. Hwy 12 is a small two lane mountain road with very little shoulder and no place to turn around, plus I was towing a car on a dolly at the time. I slowed down to less than 10 MPH and really concentrated on what I was doing. Luckily there were no cars so I could just concentrate on driving. We came over a rise in the road and there was a Coke truck jack-knifed in the ditch and another car going up the hill just spinning his wheels. My first thought was ‘if a Coke truck that drives this road all the time is jack-knifed, what am I in for’? We slowed down even more and my wife stuck her head out the window and asked if he was OK. He was, and we continued. About three miles later it stopped snowing because we were at a lower elevation. I could finally breathe!
The MH actually handled very well. The snow wasn’t real deep, just a few inches really, and just keeping the speed down and the tires rotating made all the difference. At least that’s what I think.
We woke up the next morning with about 6” of snow. Luckily we were nice a snug in our warm MH. Waited till the next day to leave, after all the snow melted.

[cimplexsound]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Sorry you feel that I'm a fool for driving a MH in the snow and ice, but at least that's just an opinion and we all have them.

I have to agree with the other. The reason you have a Motorhome is it just that. A home you drive. So it's better to hunker down and wait out the storm than it is to lose your life or your RV. Our RV's provide us with all the comforts of life when Mother Nature leaves us stuck in mud hole ( medafore). Winter driving is a whole different ball game. So if you have to go just do so with absolute safety in mind. Better to get there in one piece than have a wrecked RV.


1979 Dodge Tioga Class C 24 foot. 1987 Fleetwood Bounder 34 Foot.

[MartySQ]

Be aware that some more southern states aren't very well equipped to handle more than an inch or 2 of snow. Oklahoma comes to mind...although the interstate is first to get cleaned, the Native American toll roads seem last...
And truckers who travel north to south all year long are used to all sorts of weather, and just keep on trucking and packing the snow down hard on the roads so the plows have to make many passes to get to asphalt. Not fun... and extremely bumpy when it gets packed and gouged like that. Not done it in an RV, but have in a regular car and it was the longest drive of my life just going through Oklahoma North to South.