Wind tomorrow. Should I fill the tanks?

[CamJam1]

Originally Posted by AKIQPilot

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.

Thanks for that info. I bought my coach from Sunshine RV in LHC 2-1/2 years ago and I think they had the local Workhorse shop do the brake recall before I picked it up. Home is near Sedona but the AZ state parks on the Colorado River have been regular stops for us.

[CamJam1]

Originally Posted by 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.

Good points!

[CamJam1]

National Weather Service showing 25 mph sustained and 35+ gusts here in Needles right now, so glad we stayed put. The last day of this trip was going to be only 110 miles, so we're just going to make the previous day longer and still get to SFO on our original schedule, hopefully before the worst of the holiday traffic.

Watching mohos and 5ers go by on the Interstate from our rear window and wondering if they're wishing they were parked. It's not a constant gale, but gusty enough to not want to be out in it.

[AKIQPilot]

Originally Posted by CamJam1

National Weather Service showing 25 mph sustained and 35+ gusts here in Needles right now, so glad we stayed put. The last day of this trip was going to be only 110 miles, so we're just going to make the previous day longer and still get to SFO on our original schedule, hopefully before the worst of the holiday traffic.

Watching mohos and 5ers go by on the Interstate from our rear window and wondering if they're wishing they were parked. It's not a constant gale, but gusty enough to not want to be out in it.

Yea, good call. That decrease in wind gusts that I imagined a few hours ago was definitely my imagination. Its blowing pretty good right now. Glad you decided to stay home. From Needles to Ludlow would be a white knuckle drive right now.

[CamJam1]

33 mph and 41 gusts at Needles Airport a few minutes ago. Just saw a short Class A with a CRV toad pull out from our park and hit the road.

[AKIQPilot]

Dead calm today. Not even a breeze. Have a safe trip Cam.

[CamJam1]

Originally Posted by AKIQPilot

Dead calm today. Not even a breeze. Have a safe trip Cam.

Thanks, Tom. Should be a nice drive to Tehachapi.

[zzotte]

Just stay put for a day

Zzotte

[Franey]

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 NEVER trave with more than 1/4 fresh water unless boondocking. worry about your gas tanks!!

[dmastroluca]

It does suck driving with a strong crosswind that is constant for hundreds of miles. My arms, wrists, and shoulders are usually barking loudly after a couple of hours of keeping the coach steady. I don’t add weight as I am heavy enough. The mpg is going to be terrible either way. I usually just slow down a bit and “push through” and think about us drinking a refreshing adult beverage around the fire at our campsite that evening.

[Dtango]

I also have a big sail in the wind, 37' Ford gasser.
We added heavier stabilizers but found the best add on were "Air Tabs".
Very inexpensive but really helps in those high wind days.
My wife drives much of the time and can't speak highly enough of them.
Let's face it, these boxes are not meant for those really bad days.
Be safe.

[sanddan]

I used to have a 33’ Seabreeze, a less tall version of yours I bet. At the time I was driving through the Columbia gorge a lot, it is known for being very windy. I installed bilstein shocks and heavy duty sway bars front and back. It could handle that kind of wind, did it many times. You just have to pay attention to your driving, no day dreaming. I now have a 40’ pusher with tag axle and that amount of wind doesn’t even slow me down. Worth upgrading if you drive in those conditions on a regular basis.

[Jim_HiTek]

I agree with Dtango. I installed the V-Spoilers (same as AirTabs) years ago and really like how they 'settle' any wind events. Hardly even notice when a big semi passes by going either direction.



What I do is hunker down and park when and if I see semis parking all over. The spoilers help a lot in the wind but over 17 years of full timing, I've seen a number of overturned RVs, 5th wheels, trailers, cube trucks, a couple Class A's, but even with the spoilers when I see when semi drivers are pulling over, that's what I do.

[10EC]

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 dont know if you should or not.
but if you lay it over, you will regret everything up to that point.
choose carefull, and good luck.