Wind tomorrow. Should I fill the tanks?

[followingsea]

Originally Posted by BCam

There's an old adage in sailing that goes something like this: "If you're wondering if you should reef or not, reef." In other words, if you're wondering if the wind is bad enough to reduce the size of your sails, you should.

Translating to RV-speak: "If you're wondering if the winds will be too bad to drive, you should wait them out." I feel the same about other storm-related things.

I have the same criteria for sailing as driving an RV. If the sky is turning brown from blowing dirt, it time to get off the water or road.

A few years ago, thought I would have to lay up based on predictions but we had managed to get west of the storm. It was windy but manageable. Every time I saw a dust cloud it was caused by driving on a dirt road.

A dust cloud suddenly appeared on the left of the divided highway and I thought there was a road I did not see. A dust formed and came across the road. It lifted the MH from the right lane to the left solder and just as fast returned me to the right shoulder while trying to rip the steering wheel out of my hands.

[bigb56]

We were in a dust storm on I-8 West of Casa Grande, AZ. Visibility went to zero without warning. Ended up in a big pileup and totaled the car, minor injuries.

[Country Road]

Originally Posted by CamJam1

Driving through an area tomorrow where we expect 35+ mph gusts for 100 miles or so. My thought is to fill all the tanks, but our 100 gallon fresh water tank is at the very back of the coach as is the black water tank. Not sure whether taking that much weight off the front is a good idea or not. If it gets too bad we'll stay put, but that will make a mess of our reservations, so I'd like to push through this one windy 100 mile stretch if we can.

My chassis is a W22 Workhorse gasser.

I would probably plan to leave but have a backup plan if you feel you can’t fight the wind. Leave later than normal and have a place along your intended route where you could stop if it got to bad. 35 mph gust aren’t that bad but they can be if you overthink the bad stuff. Be safe. There’s always tomorrow.

[CamJam1]

Thanks for the responses, but only two of them answered the question. I think I'm capable of judging whether or not it's safe to travel once I see the conditions (there is no high profile warning so far), my question was whether putting water in the tanks will help or hurt in windy conditions given that they sit at the very back of the coach. Almost every extended trip we take we have at least a day or two with winds higher than we might like. Sometimes it's obvious that you need to stay put, other times it's just annoying but not dangerous. Here in the southwest you can expect breezy days more often than not, so judgment calls are not infrequent.

The area around Casa Grande is known for its dangerous dust storms, as is I-10 near Bowie, AZ. I've lived in AZ for 45 years and seen a few. Dust devils too, which can really raise the pucker factor!

[rarebear.nm]

For us 40 plus is a clean no go. But it depends if we’re in the MH or the 5th wheeler. They handle very differently in the wind. Problem is that at 35 you’ll have higher guests at drainages, semis and changing landscapes. These spots may be only a few yards long but enough to flip you. As the sailors have said if in doubt then stay put. We’ve hunkered down multiple times to let a storm clear.

I’ve seen these dust storms and frequently cause accidents with folks that feel they must push on. At least think about other people who might be impacted by your choice!

[rarebear.nm]

Ok. I also travel with full or nearly full tanks as SOP. In many MHs the weight of full tanks as a percentage of total weight is frequently small. Does it help, sure some but likely not much to change anything.

[CamJam1]

Originally Posted by rarebear.nm

For us 40 plus is a clean no go. But it depends if we’re in the MH or the 5th wheeler. They handle very differently in the wind. Problem is that at 35 you’ll have higher guests at drainages, semis and changing landscapes. These spots may be only a few yards long but enough to flip you. As the sailors have said if in doubt then stay put. We’ve hunkered down multiple times to let a storm clear.

I’ve seen these dust storms and frequently cause accidents with folks that feel they must push on. At least think about other people who might be impacted by your choice!

I'm really not much of a daredevil. We usually are the first ones to pull over when conditions get bad. In any case the forecast now includes a wind advisory, so we will likely be staying put.

Still wondering though whether the extra weight helps or hurts in a wind if it's at very back of the coach. I just removed my old rear CRT TV as it weighed 65 lbs., sat up high and against the rear wall. Figured it was probably a bit of a pendulum. Though 65 lbs of tail is not likely to wag a 21,000 lb dog too much, it all adds up.

[CamJam1]

Originally Posted by rarebear.nm

Ok. I also travel with full or nearly full tanks as SOP. In many MHs the weight of full tanks as a percentage of total weight is frequently small. Does it help, sure some but likely not much to change anything.

Thanks, rarebear.

[rarebear.nm]

IN 2019 back east one day a bad wind flipped three or more semis all in a row on I think I-40. I came though the next day and trees had cut off just at the edge of the pavement on the Interstate because there were so many down trees. That was one of the storms I sat out.

Point is that because the guy in front of you made it past point x does not means you'll be as lucky. I've missed avalanches twice by seconds in western mountain driving in winter. Watched one spin the car around that was right in front of me. It was about 2000 feet wide and 30 deep thick across the road.

[AKIQPilot]

We are in Havasu about 20 miles south of Needles. The wind picked up about an hour ago and is blowing from the north at a steady 20, gusting to nearly 30. Its supposed to get worse after sunrise.

I’ve driven west from Needles to Barstow several times in the wind. Once with gusts to 40. 40mph gusts were blowing semi’s into the left hand lane. Those gusts blew our 39’ W24 coach around a lot too. It was not much fun.

As others have said, extra weight behind the rear axle would hinder handling. Im curious what coach you have that the water tank is behind the rear axle. The 75 gallon fuel tank is already behind the rear axle. I didnt know any builder also put the water tank on top of the fuel tank.

But yes, its blowing right now across I40 but not all that bad. Its supposed to pick up.

[AKIQPilot]

Originally Posted by wolfe10

A good site for wind and wind gust forecasts is:


https://www.ventusky.com/?p=30.9;-10...=20211121/1500


Zero in on the area you will be transiting and forward hour to hour.


Tell us where you are/where you are going and perhaps there will be some first hand information.



Most dangerous winds are cross winds with occasional wind breaks/18 wheelers that occasionally block the wind.

That link is pretty accurate and predicting winds through Havasu almost exactly as they are right now. It also shows winds picking up after sunrise and hitting the 40’s all through I40 westbound from Needles to Barstow. Broadside gusts of +40mph is about all I would want in my coach.

Thanks for the link. I will add it to the other 4 or 5 I use. This one seems very accurate.

[CamJam1]

Originally Posted by AKIQPilot

We are in Havasu about 20 miles south of Needles. The wind picked up about an hour ago and is blowing from the north at a steady 20, gusting to nearly 30. Its supposed to get worse after sunrise.

I’ve driven west from Needles to Barstow several times in the wind. Once with gusts to 40. 40mph gusts were blowing semi’s into the left hand lane. Those gusts blew our 39’ W24 coach around a lot too. It was not much fun.

As others have said, extra weight behind the rear axle would hinder handling. Im curious what coach you have that the water tank is behind the rear axle. The 75 gallon fuel tank is already behind the rear axle. I didnt know any builder also put the water tank on top of the fuel tank.

But yes, its blowing right now across I40 but not all that bad. Its supposed to pick up.

Yes, winds have finally picked up here in Needles now at 4 a.m. PST. Wind advisory started at midnight but it's been calm until now. We'll stay put today and get to the bay area on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Unfortunately that means we'll run into Thanksgiving traffic. The winds are only expected in the Colorado River Valley and greatly diminished before Barstow, but the 100+ miles between here and there wouldn't be much fun.

Our coach is a National Dolphin. Fresh water and black water tanks are at the very back and visible from the rear-most basement lockers. I believe the gray water tank is over or just behind the rear axle, though I can't actually see it as it's under the floor. We seldom travel with more than 10 gallons of fresh water as we aren't boondockers.

[Psneeld]

One thing about wind...its predictable by large geographic areas...but not so much for local conditions. Windy and others I believe are just computerized animations of current and predicted isobar maps.

Wind can funnel and shear causing much higher true and apparent winds. In a valley crossing a bridge you can have significantly more wind speed.

Also liquid in tanks can help or hurt as others mentioned. Just a few inches can mean a lot depending on location. Also the shape of the tanks. If long and skinny, liquid that can flow from side to side usually doesn't help with stability.

Be careful.

[AKIQPilot]

Originally Posted by CamJam1

Yes, winds have finally picked up here in Needles now at 4 a.m. PST. Wind advisory started at midnight but it's been calm until now. We'll stay put today and get to the bay area on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Unfortunately that means we'll run into Thanksgiving traffic. The winds are only expected in the Colorado River Valley and greatly diminished before Barstow, but the 100+ miles between here and there wouldn't be much fun.



Our coach is a National Dolphin. Fresh water and black water tanks are at the very back and visible from the rear-most basement lockers. I believe the gray water tank is over or just behind the rear axle, though I can't actually see it as it's under the floor. We seldom travel with more than 10 gallons of fresh water as we aren't boondockers.

Yes the winds do diminish quite a bit by the time you get to Ludlow. Seems like the winds will die down in the early afternoon today and by about 4pm even the gusts are in the low 20’s. You might consider a late departure today and get some of the drive behind you. But driving almost directly into the setting sun is never that much fun either.

It may just be my imagination but the winds seem less now than they were 2 hours ago when they woke me up.

Good Luck with your drive. If you ever need Workhorse service there is a pretty good shop here in Havasu.