Towing in the wind

[Gazza1]

Hi,

We were off to Chatsworth CCS this weekend, has anyone else been put off by the wind forecast, 20-26mph winds?

I would of been towing up the M1 so very exposed.

Experience has made me air on the side of caution! I last towed in 16-20mph winds over the New Year and my XC90 (circa 2.5ton loaded) was moved around quite a lot even at a very safe 73% match, loaded correctly, stabiliser and ATC.

Cheers

Gazza

 

[CyberCynth]

Hi Gazza, I had to tow my Carousel back from Norfolk in the teeth of a gale a while back. It doesn't normally bother me, as the Gobur is a folder so at least not affected by head winds, and is normally very stable. However I got 'smacked' in the side by a sudden, very strong gust which sent the 'van into a bit of a snake. When I was towing my Elddis I must admit I used to avoid driving in anything approaching a gale! You mentioned having driven on the M1 in strong winds; I tend to find it is not so much the exposed roads that are the problem, but, say, coming from a more sheltered part of the route, like a cutting, then back out into open spaces is when you can find yourself getting battered about a bit. Good luck if you do decide to venture out, but be prepared to pull off the road if conditions deteriorate. Always better to err on the side of caution. Stay safe!

 

[bertieboy1]

About twenty years ago I unwisely towed in high winds to spend a weekend on the Mull of Kintyre.The wind was quite strong when we left home but towing through the glens we were sheltered and no swaying was experienced.
However after passing through Tarbert the road crosses the Mull of Kintyre to the seaward side and goes down a hill with the road elevated above the fields on each side, a car coming in the opposite direction started to flash his headlights,just as he passed us we started to sway violently,thought we were goners,the cause of this was a glen running at right angles to the road acting like a wind tunnel,luckily for us we had slowed down and passed the danger safely,alas we spotted a caravan that had been caught in the side wind lying at the bottom of the road banking, looking like the whole outfit had been blown over,there was no one around so it must have happened long before we came along.
Ever since then I've been reluctant to tow in high wind.