towing in the snow

PA

pawntan

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2015
Posts
230
Can you please share the tips of what you did in the past when towing, and suddenly the snow shower come down ?
I need to tow my 28 feet camper from Mass to Tampa Florida next month. Mostly flat , and no mountainous winding road
 
Last edited by a moderator:
tlmgcamp said:
Never been in that situation but I would suspect to start deceleration with the trailer brakes to avoid the trailer from trying to pass the TV.
Click to expand...
Yeah that can definitely happen but it is safer if you go slow enough that neither the rv or tv lose any traction. In that case i never had to hit the brakes. If i did i would have definitely used the rv brakes first
 
Pay very close to weather conditions and forecast along your route. If interstates are dry, no issues. However, water may freeze as it runs across the road, or if the road is shadowed by a hill from the sun, ice and snow doesn't melt. Exercise extreme caution. Daytime towing is preferred. Black ice at night CAN NOT be seen until it is too late. If you anticipate getting into an area of snow pack on the road, I'd stop and spend the night somewhere. Proceeding is not worth the risk.

We live in middle TN. Here I've noticed two things: one is going uphill or one is going downhill. Be sure trailer brakes are correctly adjusted and working as they should. This is no time for a science experiment nor physics calculation. And be sure the tow vehicle is NOT overloaded. Likewise for the trailer. If things are unbalanced, load wise, life can get very very exciting. Pucker factor can exceed 10 !!!

Bob
 
pawntan said:
Can you please share the tips of what what did you do in the past when towing, and suddenly the snow shower come down ?
I need to tow my 28 feet camper from Mass to Tampa Florida next month. Mostly flat , and no mountainous winding road
Click to expand...
Not a trailer but a couple of times we encountered snow while driving our Class A pulling a tow. Worst was last winter when driving through KY/TN area. Dealing with snow thereabout is not one of the road crews strong suits. One of two lanes drivable mainly due to traffic warming the road surface. Many exits not touched at all.

In general my advice is to pay close attention to conditions, obviously. Wet heavy snow with temps above freezing, slow way down, turn on 4 way flashers (there's always some drivers that think they know how to drive in snow). The worst case scenario is when snow or rain turns to icy conditions. That's an absolute show stopper. Get off the highway, find a safe place to pull over, and wait.

And as others have mentioned, plan on MUCH longer stopping distances that you would normally. Gentle braking and above all, patience. That guy "stuck" behind you blowing his horn? Just smile and wave. ;)
 
No one has mentioned chains but you may need them.

Very very important is to make sure you have as much space between you and any vehicles in front of you.

If someone is too close behind you, increase your gap in front to give both of you safe stopping distance.

It's not easy to do this but it increases your chances in any potential accidents.
 
Only time I towed a trailer in snow was on the farm with a Tractor (14MPH top speed and we drove slower in snow). In case you wonder... The "Trailer" was full of political promises (it was after all a dairy farm)
 
pawntan said:
Can you please share the tips of what you did in the past when towing, and suddenly the snow shower come down ?
I need to tow my 28 feet camper from Mass to Tampa Florida next month. Mostly flat , and no mountainous winding road
Click to expand...
I’ll second what Bob said. Watch the weather forecast closely and shoot for a weather “window”, that has favorable conditions for your trip.
 
Watch the weather. Wait for a period with no precipitation and head to a warmer climate. Snow can be an issue towing or not. The bigger issue during winter driving is black ice. I've never pulled a trailer in snow but I spent close to 20 years driving in all conditions in Minnesota. Once the sun comes out our there is significant traffic on the highways, black ice is less of a problem.
 
Do not use your cruise control. If you do not have chains you can improvise with rope. If the roads are making ice just stay put.
 
What Darsben said.
Don't get in a hurry to brave the weather. There is no smooth flat road all the way down. The closest to that is staying on I-95, which has it's own adventures. But, the Baltimore to Richmond corridor is NOT going to be any fun at all - especially if the weather gets nasty. Find a two day range of decent weather, and haul ass.
 
You can be the best/safest driver out there but you can't control how others drive. I've been caught towing in the snow a few times, usually while heading home to the Adirondacks in mid April. Tractor trailers are the biggest issue for me. They weigh a lot and mistakenly believe that they can do 70 in any conditions. They will ride your rear end and make you uncomfortable. Slowing to 50 or so due to conditions really pisses them off. I've found this to be the case even when not towing. I'll be doing 55 in a 4wd truck in the snow, feeling like I'm going too fast and the big rigs headed to Canada are riding my butt. Secondary roads are best in those conditions, or just take a break for however long you need, or just don't leave if the weather looks bad. It's no surprise that the news stories on winter storms have pictures of big rigs jackknifed or sliding off the road.
Before I get yelled at, I know its not all TT drivers and I also know they're trying to make a living. I'd rather give the road to them and get off the interstate.
 
Compadre said:
I've been caught towing in the snow a few times, usually while heading home to the Adirondacks in mid April.
Click to expand...
Not in an RV but can well remember when I lived up around the Adirondacks, driving on the Northway in bad winter conditions with Canadian snowbirds FLYING south down the highway in their big sedans seemingly oblivious to the conditions there were driving in.
 
jymbee said:
Not in an RV but can well remember when I lived up around the Adirondacks, driving on the Northway in bad winter conditions with Canadian snowbirds FLYING south down the highway in their big sedans seemingly oblivious to the conditions there were driving in.
Click to expand...
Canadians probably aren't oblivious to the conditions, they're used to them.
 
I like the Canadians, most here are from Montreal and like most big city drivers they tend to be in a rush. Same can be said for those from NYC or NJ. I can tolerate them. Canadian TT drivers have a real bad rep around here though.
jymbee said:
Not in an RV but can well remember when I lived up around the Adirondacks, driving on the Northway in bad winter conditions with Canadian snowbirds FLYING south down the highway in their big sedans seemingly oblivious to the conditions there were driving in.
Click to expand...
 
Very slow: 10-15 mph if I ABSOLUTELY MUST drive with the camper. Sometimes even slower. It all depends on the road. Also 4x4 engaged on the truck, and use the trailer brakes / brake controller and avoid using the brake pedal.

But I have learned, IF there is snow on the road to just wait a day or so for the street / highway department to clear them for safer travel. Still, when getting off the main roads after being cleared, secondary roads, county roads, street roads may still be snowy. Actually ... "snow" is not bad. Actually towing in "snow" is very possible. It's the ice under it that's dangerous!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

scottydl
Back in the saddle
grashley
grashley

New posts

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top Bottom