The Truth About Towing a Travel Trailer In High Winds

[@michaelkay9442]

Excellent advice! We have a 28 foot travel trailer that we used to pull with a 1/2 ton pickup. We live in central Illinois so we know all about the effects of the wind. It can be a bit unnerving at times. We just upgraded our tow vehicle to a 2024 Ram 2500 6.4 Hemi so that should help but nothing helps more than using common sense just like you said. Keep up the great videos!

[@darylwhetstone3959]

That's fantastic advice!! I'm 62yrs old, and have have every type of RV made. I constantly see people pulling their trailers 70mph or higher. Pulling a trailer at 65 is perfectly okay!! Go slow...arrive safe is always preferred. Excellent video!!

[@liveyourfree]

@@darylwhetstone3959 100% agree!

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Great advice. Simply slowing down in rough conditions helps a lot with stability and safety. Cheers

[@liveyourfree]

@ThomperBeThompin thank you my friend

[@jeremsgarage]

GREAT VIDEO! Great Topic! I'm about to make a similar video and im going to shout out yours too and link it in my show notes! I had 13 hours of towing in wind, rain, and gusts with my 36ft trailer and your advice is SPOT ON. Keep up the great work. Earned my sub!

[@liveyourfree]

@@jeremsgarage thanks! I look forward to watching and supporting!

[@seanmccoy6694]

LYF, I love your channel! Random question for you. What octane are you running in that truck? Do you alternate octane when you tow (I.e 87 for daily driving and 89-93 when towing)? Thank you

[@CommonCentsOutdoorsman]

I've been preaching this for years. I have a 31' and keep it below 65 in the best conditions with my F-150. Had 50+ wind gusts one time and had to slow to

[@TIREDOFEVIL]

I am a old class A type of person who just switched to a 30 foot camper. Even with the old A, wind was not your friend and yes the camper is a little bit different to drive in high wind and common sense is not in great supply out there today.

[@liveyourfree]

@@TIREDOFEVIL Amen on the common sense piece! Say it again for the people in the back!

[@johndeilus7333]

I was waiting for your next video for a while. Great advice about towing and speed. I upgraded my 1/2 ton to a 3/4 ton Ram 2500 gasser becuase of being thrown around during a storm. I was going 25 MPG and my trailer is only 28fT. I would never go over 60MPG with the 1/2 ton. I average 63-65 MPH on my 3/4 ton. I could go 70 Comfortably, but I drive slower to save on gas. I try to keep the RPMs at 2K. That give me the best milage.

[@liveyourfree]

@johndeilus7333 hey there my friend. Yea it's been a while. Life kind of took off on me for a bit. I'm getting back in the swing of things now. Should be seeing more, more regularly. Thanks for hanging with me!...Congrats on your upgrade! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

[@SJZajac]

New viewer (and now subscriber.) I totally enjoy your useful information presented in a straightforward, no-BS manner. I'm a new pull trailer camper (however had 30+ years in Class A motorhomes) so your advice is appropriate to our rookie status. Thanks!

[@liveyourfree]

@SJZajac thank you and thank you for subscribing. 30 years doesn't sound "rookie like" to me! Class A motorhomes are no joke to handle either!

[@mountainsintomemories]

Wind sucks. Not only does it throw you off course, but can have a negative impact on fuel economy as well. We towed through some serious winds on our way through Michigan and were getting like 6mpg in flat land.

[@liveyourfree]

@@mountainsintomemories THIS!!!! ☝️You are 100% right. It killed our fuel mileage! Great point for sure

[@connorrowe2667]

I''m new to owning a 6.4 HEMI and watned to know if you let your truck warm up upon start up? I know its not a diesel but 5 minutes or until not cold? Thanks

[@liveyourfree]

@connorrowe2667 I normally let it warm up for a couple minutes in the summer and until it's warm in the winter. I don't let it idle too long though

[@leonardcole5095]

Do you find it difficult towing a camper that length? Example, finding campgrounds that can accommodate that length, difficulty fitting into campsites, general maneuvering when towing? Looking at a camper about this length so I was curious about your thoughts. Thanks.

[@liveyourfree]

@leonardcole5095 it is not that bad. There is an adjustment period for the first couple of times you take it out. The biggest thing is being proactive with your refueling strategy when going on longer trips. Eventually your confidence with it increases and that becomes easier as well

[@leonardcole5095]

@@liveyourfree Thanks for the response. I currently have a 2800BH like you had. We are looking to move to a different camper and were looking to stay around 35ft. However, there are some floor plans out there that we like that are in the 37 to 38ft range. I do have an advantage when fueling as I have a Diesel so I get to go through the semi truck lanes. My concern is the tighness of some of the campgrounds/sites.

[@liveyourfree]

@leonardcole5095 ahhhh I gotcha. I missed the important part of your question. It is a little tighter but there isn't anywhere we've traveled that I wasn't able to maneuver through that I was with my 2800BH. With that being said there have been 3 or 4 times when I was unable to book a site at a campground because the length was over 32ft. It didn't happen a lot but it did happen a fee times. I imagine those would be the times when it would have been an uncomfortably tight situation. We have been able to fit in all the same sites at the state parks we did when we had the 2800bh. Having both and knowing you have the luxury of a diesel, I personally would not hesitate on the decision one bit. Easier said when you've already spent the money on it but I honestly believe it was the perfect move for us

[@leonardcole5095]

@@liveyourfree Thanks. This will help our decision process.

[@davidgroves8049]

can someone help me out? I am considering getting a half ton truck. My travel trailer is 28 feet total length. 7400 wet and I have a equal i zer sway distrobution hitch.. I have never owned a half ton truck nor have I ever towed with one. I currently own an f450 and tow it with it. The issue is that the f450 is huge and i now need a daily driver. I do not tow the rv that much (weekend worriers). I do not want to get in over my head and freak out when towing. I have towed this trailer all over the country and never had an issue. Will this be like a night and day change?

[@wellthatdidntwork]

New camera? Looks very clear and precise! Great advice, just slow down. Wind is not your friend when you have a home connected to your truck that catches a bunch of wind! Some hotshot truckers are limited to 25mph winds. Anything over that and they are grounded until it subsides. Its just kind of a rule of safety to keep in mind. Also, I continue to see the tail wagging the dog examples along the highway of ill-equipped trucks pulling travel trailers and 5th wheels that are too long or too heavy. Now you can have a camper within the limits of your vehicle but if you pack it incorrectly, now its too nose heavy and you now have an issue. Its very dangerous. You wanting to camp is not worth your family's safety or anybody elses safety on the road. We gotta do better as a community with safety.

[@liveyourfree]

@wellthatdidntwork Great wisdom in your response!

[@doodlethebeagle2078]

Great advice 🙏 Does a 5th wheel have any advantage in high wind or mountain? I've been looking at travel trailers but starting to consider 5th wheels (but too exp).

[@liveyourfree]

@doodlethebeagle2078 Thank you. I would say the 5th wheel may have a slight stability advantage because you have more weight directly over the rear axles. With that being said, the principles of towing in high winds stay the same and the threat is still true even with 5th wheels. I agree, units in general mare really expensive right now. Not sure if they will ever come down because dealerships are so upside down on their inventory. They need to lower the prices as it relates to demand but can't afford to. Much like the car market right now.

[@oconnellwhite370]

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