Pulling 5.0 in windy conditions

[LuGreen]

Good morning. We are heading out on our first cross country adventure in our 5.0 tomorrow: Wisconsin to southern Utah. To avoid mountain passes, we are taking the following route....Iowa->Kansas->Oklahoma->Texas->New Mexico -> Utah. We are seeing some high winds in the forecast on parts of our route : 20-25 with gusts up to 40. Towing with a Toyota Tundra. Have taken two week-long trips in Wisconsin since our receiving our 5.0 in Aug. Tows beautifully.

However, not sure about these winds. Do you pull your 5.0 in this type of wind? Any guidance you can offer would be much appreciated!

[cpaharley2008]

I would try to avoid towing into high winds. I had one experience where both the trailer and truck was pushed over into the adjoining lane unexpectedly, fortunately no one was there but lesson learned. If it gets too high, pull over where it is safe.....

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by LuGreen

Good morning. We are heading out on our first cross country adventure in our 5.0 tomorrow: Wisconsin to southern Utah. To avoid mountain passes, we are taking the following route....Iowa->Kansas->Oklahoma->Texas->New Mexico -> Utah. We are seeing some high winds in the forecast on parts of our route : 20-25 with gusts up to 40. Towing with a Toyota Tundra. Have taken two week-long trips in Wisconsin since our receiving our 5.0 in Aug. Tows beautifully.

However, not sure about these winds. Do you pull your 5.0 in this type of wind? Any guidance you can offer would be much appreciated!

Hi: LuGreen... To be honest I hardly notice. Worst case we encountered was towing N/B on I75 thru Ohio in 70 mph crosswinds. Blew so hard it took one of my 4X4 pads for the front legs out of the truck bed and the trailer ran over it. That was the first indication something was going on. Batten down the hatches and be prepared for lousy mileage. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[JStelly]

My 5.0 tows great in any condition. Once we passed the fringe of a powerful Texas thunderstorm in open country. I suspect the crosswind gusts were 40-50mph. I didn’t notice any change in towing. I will pull over for rain and visibility. I’m not as concerned about wind.

[davidmurphy02]

Our 5.0 handles any kind of wind very well, it has never been an issue. On a long trip out west you may encounter strong headwinds that reduce your gas mileage but that's about it.

We are leaving Austin on Monday for a trip to southern Utah - maybe our paths will cross out there!

[Jim Bennett]

I have towed my 5.0TA in many strong winds and felt next to nothing. With the pin above the rear axle any side pressure is on the axle and tires, very solid. It almost seems more stable than driving the truck without it.

[cpaharley2008]

I believe the 5th wheel set up is more "wind resistant" than a bumper pull, but either unit can be impacted by winds.....just be careful.

[Bea]

Great question LuGreen. For those with bumper-pulls, do any of you have a certain weather forcasted wind number (50, 60,70 mph?) where you decide to wait it out? Seems like we're getting more and more 'wind events' here in CA and curious where your comfort level is when planning to tow on blustery days. Thanks, -Bea

[gbaglo]

I'd not avoid mountain passes. That's where the scenery is. Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas? You'll die of boredom.

[brroberts]

Spent 25 years in Alaska before I moved to Kansas in 2012. I don’t find either boring, but I do find both more windy than south and east Texas where I grew up.

As far as go / no go, there are lots of factors in tow vehicle, trailer, set up, route, and driver skill. Wind can kill, but most of the time it can be managed. It’s usually, but not always, gusts that get you. I’d drive in 50-60 if I had too, but after 35-40, if I didn’t have to, I’d relax another day. At 70, I’d wait it out. It could probably be done okay, but you would be in for a fight and increased risk. Wind pressure on a surface basically quadruples when the speed doubles.

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by LuGreen

Good morning. We are heading out on our first cross country adventure in our 5.0 tomorrow: Wisconsin to southern Utah. To avoid mountain passes, we are taking the following route....Iowa->Kansas->Oklahoma->Texas->New Mexico -> Utah. We are seeing some high winds in the forecast on parts of our route : 20-25 with gusts up to 40. Towing with a Toyota Tundra. Have taken two week-long trips in Wisconsin since our receiving our 5.0 in Aug. Tows beautifully.

However, not sure about these winds. Do you pull your 5.0 in this type of wind? Any guidance you can offer would be much appreciated!

I have had some experience with first our Scamp 19 and now our Escape 5.0 TA. Both have done very well in windy conditions but realize that at some point the winds will be too much and it is time to hunker down. If you see tractor trailers on the road you will probably be ok....if the truck stops are starting to fill up and gusty winds are forecast, time to pull over and wait it out. Whenever you are camping and towing a trailer and conditions are getting a bit sketchy pull over and wait it out...you have everything you need with you! Tomorrow it will probably be better...Realize if you are in tornado country and be safe!

[UncleTim]

I live in the Front range of Colorado, one of the windiest places anywhere.

I drive my 5.0 with a 2018 Tundra 5.7L 4x4 in very windy conditions and never have any problem. The Tundra is a beast!

[TTMartin]

As I said in another post, if your trailer feels 'squirrely' SLOW DOWN.

Minimum speed on most Interstates is 40 mph.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by TTMartin

As I said in another post, if your trailer feels 'squirrely' SLOW DOWN.

Minimum speed on most Interstates is 40 mph.

Hi: TTMartin... Here in Ontario on our busy 401 everybody drives like the posted Maximum is the minimum until you hit the mid Toronto 22 lane parking lot. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by TTMartin

As I said in another post, if your trailer feels 'squirrely' SLOW DOWN.

Minimum speed on most Interstates is 40 mph.

What do you mean by squirrelly? I have towed both my Escapes up to 125kph, though usually a bit less, and have never had a single issue with control in any way.

Going that slow on an interstate would be extremely dangerous. I wonder why it would be so low.

[salmo7000]

I wouldn't worry about wind towing a 5.0TA, they are inherently more stable than a bumper pull. I've towed my 19 in some pretty strong crosswinds in eastern Montana and did fine. I can sometimes feel a really strong gust (like a 50+ mph gust), in other words I can feel the trailer being pushed to the side, but it's not extreme and always straightens out really fast. I also don't go much over 60 mph in really windy conditions.

A far bigger concern, based on my experience and others, is towing on a road with ruts. That's where I've had trouble with sway. In my case, I was on a dirt road that had become very soft overnight from extreme rain, and it was either punch it and deal with the sway or get stuck. In others' cases, it's happened on pavement where ruts were formed over time from heavy traffic. If you ever encounter this situation, move to another lane if there is one (going your direction of course!), and slow down. I'm not sure a 5.0TA would sway like a bumper pull under those conditions (probably not), but best to avoid finding out if possible.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

What do you mean by squirrelly? I have towed both my Escapes up to 125kph, though usually a bit less, and have never had a single issue with control in any way.

Going that slow on an interstate would be extremely dangerous. I wonder why it would be so low.

I found myself in Interstate traffic going way too fast. 125 kph is nowhere near as fast as you can pull those trailers. It just proves you are smarter than I am.

Don't ask! Don't. Beer first, then ask.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

I found myself in Interstate traffic going way too fast. 125 kph is nowhere near as fast as you can pull those trailers. It just proves you are smarter than I am.

Don't ask! Don't. Beer first, then ask.

Okay, I am not going to pull on a smart cap, but sure would be into sharing a beer while discussing things. [emoji481]

[marsman]

As I have mentioned in another thread, we crossed the Rockies on the Crows Nest pass in BC, Canada on a particularly windy day with sustained 25-30 mph headwinds but with gusts up to 50 mph (sometimes perpendicular to the roadway depending on where you were in the curve when the gust hit) and the 5TA felt really stable; the only thing I noticed that day was our horrific gas mileage (from average of 16L/100kms to 22L/100kms); OUCH - BP Petroleum sent me a Xmas card that year!!

[CADreamin]

We're in Kingman AZ at the moment, on our way to Monument Valley via Flagstaff. Had some strong winds driving in from CA and winds last night were intense but things have calmed down a bit. Our issue is snow is predicted for tomorrow ...