At what windspeed will the trailer tip over?

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Wigpro

Wigpro

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Joined
Dec 23, 2012
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Location
Montana in Summer - S CA this winter
As I sit here working on the computer and the wind blowing a steady 30 MPH with gusts to what has to be 50...and the trailer shaking and rocking, I have to wonder what speed will I need to stake this thing down???

Just wondering....not sure winter in N AZ was a good choice....

Jim
 
We've been in 40 mph sustained winds with 65 mph gusts in our motorhome and didn't blow over. My parents 5er did blow off the rear stabilizing jacks one winter at Anza Borrego desert but didn't blow over. Hopefully, you're parked parallel to the wind, not broadside to it.

BTW, it's blowing a ton here in Lake Havasu City.

 
There is always a chance for high winds in any desert. In the midwest there are tornadoes, in the south there are hurricanes. There is a chance for extreme weather in every part of the country.
 
Wendy said:
We've been in 40 mph sustained winds with 65 mph gusts in our motorhome and didn't blow over. My parents 5er did blow off the rear stabilizing jacks one winter at Anza Borrego desert but didn't blow over. Hopefully, you're parked parallel to the wind, not broadside to it.

BTW, it's blowing a ton here in Lake Havasu City.
Click to expand...

Well it is blowing like the dickens here in Kingman as well, the trailer is rocking and rolling.

There was one gust where my sunglasses which are hanging on a hook above my head, were swinging. So, if I tip over it will be a mess!

Actually it would have to blow pretty darn hard to tip it over...

Just having some fun in the windy desert!

Had a large computer project to work on today for a customer and trying to get it finished today so I can do some exploring tomorrow and I am glad I chose today to do the work and not be out hiking etc. in this wind!

Jim

Jim
 
The rig is rockin here too. Drove the van to Frys and it was all over the road. Good thing we secured the patio stuff yesterday and took the top off the Ez-up.

Has any one of you seen the results of a microburst?? Watched one flatten 2 moblie homes several years ago south of Tucson. BOOM....and it was all over but the crying.
 
Breezy here west of the Tucson Mountains, but only 20's and 30's. We've had sustained over 50 and gusts up in the 60s or beyond, in Oregon. The motorhome weighs about 21 tons (42' Magna), so it isn't going anywhere very soon. It does rock a bit, though, in the big gusts. Knock wood, the slide toppers didn't have a problem, although in the heaviest of it, we retracted the slides a couple of times. In case of doubt, you could point it into the prevailing wind. It might help others to know where exactly are you and what size RV?
 
When you ask "What wind speed" a lot of the answers start with the senior answer to "Brief's or Boxers" that is "Depends"

I drive a class A, so far it's been wheels DOWN for 7 years come may.. (Actually 7 years last august now that I think of it, that's when the chassis was laid).

I have driven it in 100MPH winds, but they were coming dead astern, I mean tumble weeds were blowing straight down the road.. If I got to take high wind, that's where I want it, right up the tail.  Most stable aspect of the rig.

It does well head on too (But man does the MPG go down).

Sideways,  Well, if it hits just right 50 and toss it jacks up, Jacks down it's a bit more stable.

What is your jacks down speed, I can't say but if you are worried,  "Shrink" your wind profiel if you can. (IE Slides in).
 
Hard to know for sure but a side wind over 50 to 60 mph could get dicey....actually gusts are more dangerous since they can set up an oscillation, side to side, which then takes less speed to roll the thing over... what helps... full tanks, guy wires, stakes, skirts, point the front into the wind or the rear, hitch it to the tow truck, park behind a wind break like a wall or a building....

Be safe.
 
In SoCal there is a place called "Whitewater Grade", just outside Palm Springs on Hwy 10......... seems like every other time that I go through there, there is a M/H or 18 wheeler laying on it's side from wind gusts. Sometimes it pays to watch the weather forecast and just postpone going through certain areas until it is safe.
 
D = (1/2 PV^2 DsubL) * A      where:

D =drag exerted at the center of area
P = 0.0023
V = velocity in feet per second
DsubL = coef of drag = 1 for a flat plate (side of trailer)
A = area in square feet

Do the math. Account for the angle between off side tires and center of area against mass and CG.

Or just guess 50 MPH for trailer and perhaps 60-65 for a Motor Home. Note that D will double for an increase in V from 55 to 70 MPH; the dominent factor in determining gas mileage.

Your head will hurt when done and at best you'll have an estimate.

Ernie

 
Just heard on the news that 2 tractor trailer rigs blew over on I-10 in SoCal.
 
We had a peak gust of 60mph today and the only item affected on the motorhome was one window awning rolled itself up.  It did blow over our lawn chairs, but that's nothing new :)
 
Ned said:
We had a peak gust of 60mph today and the only item affected on the motorhome was one window awning rolled itself up.  It did blow over our lawn chairs, but that's nothing new :)
Click to expand...

DPs can motor along at 80mph if they're in a hurry... Now if there's a side gust of 60 mph... that will get your attention...LOL, ugh.
 
Last Memorial day weekend we were rocking pretty good with winds that set records of 80 mph.
 
Seems like it makes a difference if you're sitting still or toodling down the road. The things I've seen blown over were all on the move when it happened.
 
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