"Snow birds" and their tires?

[Little John]

Afternoon all!
As I look out my window here in Calgary and see the snow starting to come down it makes me think about the future and when my wife and the I can spend some of our winter months down south...(that's if we still will be aloud...)
I would like to hear from others what they do/use for tires on their tow vehicles heading south,maybe still dealing with ice or snow before getting to there final destination?
Thanks ahead to all that reply and all the best for this coming camping season!
LJ



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[GOTTOYS]

I haul my trailer about 1/2 way to where I go and leave it in a storage lot in Oct. No way will I ever consider towing it through ice, snow and road salt.

[PTaylor883]

I don't do anything special, but I do replace my tires as recommended by the tread-wear bars. During the annual commute from home to down south, I keep an eye on weather forecasts (knowing they are always pessimistic) and will stay in place rather than have a stressful trip through ice or snow.

Here's a tip I haven't read elsewhere: If you're pulling a trailer on ice, set the brake gain to zero. That way your trailer won't skid sideways.

[brianre]

We travelled from SE BC the last two winters in January with Hankook i-pikes pulling a 34 ft travel trailer. No problems either trip, however we did pick our travel dates dependant on the weather and stayed extra days at several locations due to ice, fog or wind. We plan to head South this year in February. Different TV this year with Firestone transforce HT m & s tires. We have also considered towing the trailer part way down and storing.

[old guys]

B F Goodrich Radial TA KO's have always worked well for me. The new style with a more aggressive tread pattern and stronger sidewall seem even better. They have also apparently changed the rubber compound to better affect the mileage. I have had them on since summer and find they are even quieter than the original KO's and they are great in the snow and are even rated as snows for insurance purposes. I seldom pull the trailer in winter but did it last November when we went to Southern Lights with FROG. That was 2015 when Buffalo got the huge snowfall. We went through just as it was getting going but had no problems even on the hills where others were having issues. We had the original type KO's on then. No matter when you drive or where you should always have good tires of your choice on your tow vehicle and also check your trailer tires regularly. Good luck on your future decisions. Old Guys

[ScottBrownstein]

Little John, Canadians have always been fast and forever partners with Americans. Don't believe what anybody says, our unfortified and totally open border will forever remain.

Besides, we spend our summers in Cottage Country in Ontario as well!!!

From SW Florida...

[old guys]

By the way. I run them year round as they are rated as mud and snow and I find they are good in sand too as I drive a 4x4 pickup. I personally think they are as quiet as the original Goodyear Wranglers were. Old Guys

[grandpacsf]

Hi Little John!
I have GY Wrangler all season tires with the snow emblem on my 2007 Ram 6.7 3500 4x4 with air bags and GY Marathon tires on our 2013 33RL Silverback with Trail Air Hitch and Onan 4000.


We have travelled to AZ about 8 times on the I15 that you may also plan to travel. I check the 5 day weather maps to see what systems may be moving through the route we want to take. We leave about December 27 from home just north of Saskatoon, and get to Great Falls, MT for the first night at the FJ. We bypass the "Bute Pass" by taking the low roads from Boulder to Dillon - many semi's also take this route to avoid ice on the Bute pass. The second night would be around Salt Lake City area. I always check the local weather to see if any storms are forecasted to see if we need to leave early to avoid snow fall. St George is a good place to wash the salt/grime off the TV/RV and summer rise after that. The return trip home is usually early April. There have been several times when snow/slush was encountered and 4 wheel drive was used.


RV usage - 4 to 5 months of the year

[FrankG]

Originally Posted by ScottBrownstein

Little John, Canadians have always been fast and forever partners with Americans. Don't believe what anybody says, our unfortified and totally open border will forever remain.

From SW Florida...

X2

[Gee Force]

We run Michelin m/s 2's on the TV & had a set of Sailun S637's put on the trailer last November.
I run 65 lbs on steers, 85 lbs on TV rears & 105 lbs on trailer.
Have never had any trouble with tires to date (touch wood)
I have about 10000 miles on the Michelin's now & have put 4000 miles on the Sailun's to date.
I am very pleased with these tires.


2014 Sanibel 3501
2011 Ram 3500
statemap

[itat]

You could have an all terrain, all season LT tire installed on the TV. Many snowbirds just head south before the snow flies and come back in April to file their income taxes. That avoids the stress of towing in poor weather and exposing your trailer to salt. If you head south every year, just buy and leave a trailer down there.

[No more shoveling]

Originally Posted by brianre

We travelled from SE BC the last two winters in January with Hankook i-pikes pulling a 34 ft travel trailer. No problems either trip, however we did pick our travel dates dependant on the weather and stayed extra days at several locations due to ice, fog or wind. We plan to head South this year in February. Different TV this year with Firestone transforce HT m & s tires. We have also considered towing the trailer part way down and storing.

Brianre, be extremely careful with those firestone transforce ht tires. I live up here in the northeast where we have tons of snow off of lake Ontario. My 2012 Ram 3500 Limited came with those tires and in wet and snowy conditions they were the worst tire I ever had on a truck, I had zero traction in the snow unless I was in 4 wheel drive and even then pulling a two place snowmobile trailer was a chore. I swapped them out with only 28K on them and they wouldn't have lasted much longer. I put a set of BFG T/A KO2'S on and it was the best thing I ever could have done. I can go places in two wheel drive where I would never think of going with the firestones and never had a issue pulling my 5er. Good luck drive safe.

[Butch Wilson]

Y'all Canadians keep comin' down we need ice for our bourbon !

[Little John]

Good one BW...eh!


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[Little John]

Thanks for all the replies so far!
I should have mentioned that besides spending our cooler,no colder months in the south we will need our trailer with us back here in the summer months as we are going to try Full-timing it ...
Also we are using a "dully" as our TV and so far what little I have used it in any snow and the tires that are on it scare me!
This truck pulls great and is way more stable in the wind than the 2500 used for a few years but so far glad we only use for pulling our 5er from spring to the fall!
(We got in 78 nights this year!)


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[bruane]

Originally Posted by PTaylor883

I don't do anything special, but I do replace my tires as recommended by the tread-wear bars. During the annual commute from home to down south, I keep an eye on weather forecasts (knowing they are always pessimistic) and will stay in place rather than have a stressful trip through ice or snow.

Here's a tip I haven't read elsewhere: If you're pulling a trailer on ice, set the brake gain to zero. That way your trailer won't skid sideways.

X2. Keep an eye on the weather forecasts and dont cross mountain ranges like the Appalachians if their is a smell of snow. Also leave before the heavy weather starts on the east coast down in the mid atlantic region which is after the 2nd week in Jan. I left this year at the begining of December. Oh and dont come back before the 2nd week in April.