Wednesday, January 28, 2015

RV's Handle Differently! - What About Snow?

    After the massive snow fall today, I got to thinking. I've driven an RV in the snow...twice. It's not something I would like to try again. Yes, I survived and it wasn't all THAT bad, but it did get me thinking about what COULD happen when your heavy vehicle loses traction and begins to slide. Yes, you can do what you would do in any vehicle, namely steer into the slide (look it up!)...but the fix would happen MUCH more slowly. Heavy vehicles have more mass....takes a lot more to get them to change direction. There is nothing quite so horrible as being in a large vehicle headed toward something solid with no way to change its path.

The first time I got stuck driving in snow in an RV was in a rented 40 foot diesel pusher. It was very late at night (well early morning really,) driving down a steep hill in a blizzard coming down into Roswell, New Mexico. Lots of strange lights in the sky, of course it was just my headlights lighting up the driving snow. No UFOs...kind of a bummer really. I remember, at the time, thinking how solid the rig felt on the road. I didn't feel as if it would careen off the side of the road (which was on a mountain!) The snow eventually petered out as we came down into the town proper. It was sunny the next day! Very cool place to visit. Neat museum. One Day, maybe I'll get through that way again.

The next time was in my RV on a flat highway in Pennsylvania someplace in the middle of nowhere with no exits. Couldn't see anything because of the blowing snow, cars eventually stopped on the road and then we were blocked by an accident. I was on my way to a friend's wedding in North Carolina in October. That time it wasn't all that bad either. Though I was delayed for well over an hour, I was warm, dry and had myself a nice hot dinner and some tea. All the while watching the poor motorists around me standing around in the snow or stuck in their cars being  miserable . You know, I really like RV's!

The main point here is to be careful. Be wary and aware that your rig doesn't handle like a normal sized passenger vehicle. Depending on the type of RV (Class A, B, C, etc) each will have its' own distinct handling characteristics. It pays to figure those out before you get into bad weather. It may just save your life and property. A bit of prior knowledge can forestall a costly mistake!

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com

2 comments:

  1. I retired after 40 years of trucking. I've driven in it all. My new motto is, "If it's snowing, I ain't going".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MrTommy,
      I think I'm going to use that one!

      Rich "The Wanderman"

      Delete

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