How much is too much snow on the trailer?

[davescape]

Originally Posted by Chris & Patricia

This is what we do!!

Yeah, it's hard keep snow on the roof when the trailer is on its side

Nice storage area btw.

EDIT: I rotated the picture, so this comment may not make any sense now. - Donna

[skyfree]

Having a house in South Lake Tahoe, I'm pretty familiar with how heavy snow on a roof can be. Fresh snow at about 10% water content is only 6.2 lbs / cubic foot. An Escape 19' is about 7 X 16', or 112 sq feet. A foot of fresh snow on that would be about 694 lbs which wouldn't be a problem at all.

The problem in Tahoe is that we sometimes get 4' or more at a time, and it can be dense. This concerns me because this will eventually be our primary residence and the Escape will live there. On that side of the house right now there is about 7' of very dense snow.

Multiple storms make it more dense, and add in some rain in on top of that and roofs that don't get cleared can be carrying an incredible amount of weight. In South Lake Tahoe code is for 150 lbs / sq foot. On the Escape 19 that would be 16,800 lbs! Of course that's not going to happen because that would be equivalent to 10' of 25% density snow. On a 7' wide roof I doubt you could ever get more than about 3-5' of snow on it so let's conservatively call it about 4,000 lbs. Not great, but I don't think it would cause any damage since the weight is spread out evenly.

[C&G in FL]

Sorry, I cannot resist chiming in on this. Having moved from Snow Hamp....., oops, I mean New Hampshire to Florida in 1985 because I wanted to divest myself of the slightly curved, wide bladed shovel, I would have to say even one snowflake would be way too much for me. Here at Scamp Camp in Sebring, it got down to 60 degrees F last night, with a high of 82 F predicted for today. I love being able to wear my Escape T-shirts!

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by skyfree

Not great, but I don't think it would cause any damage since the weight is spread out evenly.

And once snow condenses, it forms a solid pack, and the weight of it would sit more towards the side.

I have never pushed snow off a trailer, ever. Granted, the most accumulation you see here before Chinook Winds melt it away is rarely more thab 50 cm.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

... I would have to say even one snowflake would be way too much for me. Here at Scamp Camp in Sebring, it got down to 60 degrees F last night, with a high of 82 F predicted for today. I love being able to wear my Escape T-shirts!

Yah, but watch out for those giant boa constrictors under your trailer...

[steve dunham]

I have helped clean the snow off my trailer roof by turning on the furnace and setting the thermostat to 70 or 75 . If the outside temps are in the 20's to 40's and the trailer is tilted slightly , the snow will melt and the water runs off .

[War Eagle]

From the looks of the photos Tammy sent out earlier of their recent snow in Chilliwack (ETI - Snow Day), the trailers can withstand a considerable snow load. I hope our poor little Alabama-bound trailer is still parked inside!

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

From the looks of the photos Tammy sent out earlier of their recent snow in Chilliwack (ETI - Snow Day), the trailers can withstand a considerable snow load.

Yeah! 82 cm is 32 inches! I'm not going to worry about my 8.5" then. Although it did look like the snow was removed or melted off quite a few of the ones in the back area.

[JohnB]

My guess is that most of the snow was blown off the trailers. They tend to get a lot of outflow winds in that part of the Fraser Valley. The temperatures have remained fairly low so little snow melt has happened. Today with the sunshine there would be some melting on the trailers, but mostly contained on the southern exposed side.

Here in Vancouver today the snow was melting where the sun was shining on it. In the shade it was still frozen. The transition was right where the shadow line was.

[reetired]

Originally Posted by ice-breaker

12 inches of light dry fluffy snow versus 12 inches of heavy wet snow on a trailer roof makes a huge difference in weight. I would guess that snow on the west coast is typically quite wet and therefore quite heavy. If it was my trailer, I would be pulling it off the roof before it got to more than about 6 to 8 inches deep. I have used a snow rake in the past (when my Escape is covered) and it has worked quite well. Could potentially scratch the trailer if you don't have a cover, in which case, using a ladder and your arms/hands or something similarly gentle may be the best approach.

Agree!
If it's the fluffy stuff...it's ok. Heavy snow...I wouldn't let it accumulate or if it's going to rain and then temp drop to freezing...then the stuff turns into ice!
Hah the roof rake....we used 5 poles to reach the top of our roof in the Adirondacks. Learned really fast to not let it get to thick! Learned that it doesn't snow in AZ so here we sit..not missing the 5 ft of lake effect...they got in two days!
A push broom might be easier on the finish if the trailer isn't covered.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by thoer

Yah, but watch out for those giant boa constrictors under your trailer...

Always try to find them. They taste like chicken!

[Old Fulica]

I pushed 30 inches off the roof yesterday with a push broom. I didn't like the idea of the weight on the solar panel. It's snowing again as I write.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by thoer

Yah, but watch out for those giant boa constrictors under your trailer...

Or gators. I saw this today in Myakka River State Park, near Sarasota.

[ReagentGrade]

With all those Kayakers it's no wonder the gaters are smiling.

[Canadark]

I decided 24" / 60cm was too much and pushed all of this off today. We have warming temps and rain predicted in a couple of days. That much snow soaking wet with rain would be a very heavy load for the trailer to bear.

[gbaglo]

Kimberly eh? Was that picture shot last summer?

[JohnB]

Kimberly is a great town.
Would not mind being there right now and get some skiing in.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

Or gators. I saw this today in Myakka River State Park, near Sarasota.

Wow, look at all those waterproof cowboy boots down there. Reptiles and amphibians have always fascinated me.
Dave

[thoer]

Originally Posted by ReagentGrade

With all those Kayakers it's no wonder the gaters are smiling.

Crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle.

[Iowa Dave]

[QUOTE=Mike Lewis;181855]Or gators. I saw this today in Myakka River State Park, near Sarasota
I've seen a few gators in the south. I have a couple good gator stories from the days when we had them in the Bever ( right spelling) Park Zoo in Cedat Rapids, Iowa.
Are you surprised Eric?