A Frame Campers and Wind Dangers

[rfloyd]

Folks please keep the people in the Midwest in your prayers as they suffer the loss of life and property during these horrible tornadoes. If anyone hears of an A Framer that has been affected please post on here so we can rally around them and try to help. Wishing all of you safety from this storm.

[D-mo]

Most of us know that our trailers are much heavier than Aliners ... and most have bought them because they are:
A: more robust
B: have better framing ..which means much heavier ...
C: cant be towed by a small car.

dynamics being what they may ... bottom line is ... drop/move/protect your Aframe RV during heavy winds and pay close attention to the weather radio .. which we all should be carrying during our trips ...

d-mo

[rawlus]

Thankfully, in the northeast we don't generally see that type of wind.... In the windy states where major storms are common and tornadoes are routine, even some houses are ill prepared to deal with these forces. Put another way, I generally would not see winds around my camping spots that would drive me out of a regular tent... And I don't tend to make a habit of standing tight with it all popped up if weather were to get extreme or extreme weather were forecast. Ymmv.

[Pooneil]

Let me summarize those two long posts. Use the various resources available to check the weather when you are out of doors and use caution when winds are expected to exceed gale force. (The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as 39–54 miles/hour of sustained surface winds.) Use good judgement when deciding to strike your trailer in high sustained or gusty winds. Does that about cover it?

[Weehaven]

Seems to sum it up quite well. I'd maybe add: Anticipate and watch out for flying debris in windy conditions. The best gadget is common sense.

Originally Posted by Pooneil

Let me summarize those two long posts. Use the various resources available to check the weather when you are out of doors and use caution when winds are expected to exceed gale force. (The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as 39–54 miles/hour of sustained surface winds.) Use good judgement when deciding to strike your trailer in high sustained or gusty winds. Does that about cover it?

[1A Camper]

I noticed a bolt on the driver side of the front roof panel, it is about half way down that will go into the side wall that will keep the roof from lifting in strong wind is that not the same purpose that the wind kit does? It came from the factory that way.

[rfloyd]

Hello 1A Camper.
You are very correct regarding the bolt on the front roof panel. Though it has been discontinued, the early model Rockwood and Flagstaff units had these "wind pins" that were designed to auto insert upon raising the roof panels and locking them in place. As will all wind protection devices in use today this pin protects the roof panels from blowing apart when they are raised and locked into place. Chalet has used this method for a few years also. They too have discontinued the wind pins. There are many devices in use today that provide the same protection as these wind pins. One flaw in all of these devices is they are disengaged when raising or lowering the roof panels and therefore afford no protection whatsoever during this critical period. If one is looking for wind protection one should always research and compare everything and find what is best for their own situation. Manufacturers are constantly trying to solve this "puzzle". Each have their own ideas as to how to do so. Great observation by you.