Wind Storms

[dimming]

Background story first, then the questions.

Me, my wife and 11 month old take our 29qbh out for the first time. The wind is howling all day long (I was born and riased in Kansas, so I know about wind), the camper is rocking pretty good but not to the uncomfortable stage. Fast foward to 2:00am, in and out of sleep because of the wind gusts, I awake to what feels like the camper being picked up and dropped. I think "this thing weighs 7000#, no way did the wind pick it up and move it." The wife wakes up at the same time, she says I think the camper just moved, I reassure her that nothing happened. Before going back to sleep she needs to use the bathroom, ok fine. She gets back into bed and says "I think I just walked uphill to the bathroom." I reply with "the wind may have rocked the camper enough to get it unlevel, no big deal I'll fix it in the morning." I need to go to the bathroom now...the wife was right uphill to the bathroom, downhill back to bed. I stick my head outside to check the camper and sure enough, the wind had picked up the tongue of the camper, swung it 3-4 feet to the side. Only damage was 2 crushed stabilizer jacks.

Questons:
Has this ever happened to anyone else and is there anyway to prevent it? (I'm guessing no way to prevent it)
Do the stabilizer members that go across the front and back of the camper really help prevent the side to side swaying?

Thanks

[McMonk]

Wow. That musta been some wind...

[wkc22fb]

WOW, that's serious wind. I'm guessing the tongue wght on your 29' is around 600-700#s plus the weight of two adults in forward bed. I bet wind gusts were probably 60+??? I sure haven't experienced that and hope not to.

[mcfarmall]

Did your awning survive?

[rbrumfield]

When we had the Derecho storm here in WV on June 29th I believe that they said some of the winds were 70+ around here. There is a vegetable auction up the road from my seasonal site and the wind picked a TT up and moved it sideways off of the concrete block under the tongue. I have no idea what they have in it but someone said they sell ice cream out of it during the auction. I do not believe I noticed any jacks down either. It did not look like it damaged the TT just moved it off the block.

[dimming]

Awing did survive, I have not used the awing yet as it is always too windy to put it out. The three of us spent the remainder of the evening in the truck in the Estes Park McDonalds parking lot. Not an ideal way to start the first trip witht he new camper.

[DieselX]

Dang, I have stayed in my old Terry through a tropical storm once with winds about 65ish, It was nerve racking but the trailer didn't move an inch. We use the x blocks and they seem to help.

[2edgesword]

Never have and hope I never will.

Beyond that, Estes Park is a beautiful place.

[MrKong]

Originally Posted by rbrumfield

When we had the Derecho storm here in WV on June 29th I believe that they said some of the winds were 70+ around here. There is a vegetable auction up the road from my seasonal site and the wind picked a TT up and moved it sideways off of the concrete block under the tongue. I have no idea what they have in it but someone said they sell ice cream out of it during the auction. I do not believe I noticed any jacks down either. It did not look like it damaged the TT just moved it off the block.

I am so glad I had all the stabilizers down when that came through. I was lucky and it did not move the TT, and the wind was strong enough it worked the power pole loose in the ground. It took 9 days to get electricity back.

[Terry]

I am almost thinking that is a blessing is disguise. As it pushed the trailer I am guessing it relieved some of the pressure from the wind. The other option may have been to blow the trailer over or at least pick it up and drop it and damage it. I am not sure anything short of securing the camper with straps like a mobile home would really protect you in those kind of winds.