Towing while it's raining.

[mandolindave]

Please add to this list...looks like rain on the way to the mountain
#1 Pull over, play mandolin, then take a nap, then eat ( did this last week )
If it keeps raining, call up work and tell them it's raining???????
#2 Emergency flashers, slow as possible, loosen friction sway control

That's all i can come up with. Would applying just trailer brakes be of any help?

Bueller.....Bueller......anybody???

[Jim Clark]

I just keep towing. Lot of rain here down south, if ii quit towing everytime it rainded I would never get anywhere.

[DKB_SATX]

There's rain, and then there's what my granny would've called a "gully-washer." If it's raining but I can see far enough past the end of the hood that it doesn't make me too nervous, I'll roll on. I try to stay conscious of the fact that driving in the rain adds to the amount of attention required to be safe and therefore my workload as a driver, so I stop more often, etc.

If it's "serious" rain, I might look for a rest area or decide it's time for lunch, etc.

This thankfully hasn't happened while towing, but if it's a hailstorm I look for a covered place to hide. Even having hail total my difficult-to-replace car wouldn't make me as sad as it beating up the Argosy.

[polarlyse]

It should just simply slow everybody down. Unfortunately there are some knuckleheads that just continue to drive like maniacs. I just slow myself down to where I feel comfortable and continue on. If it's real bad I just might call the day early. Now if it's so heavy I can't see beyond my hood it's time to pull over and sit it out.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by polarlyse

It should just simply slow everybody down. Unfortunately there are some knuckleheads that just continue to drive like maniacs. I just slow myself down to where I feel comfortable and continue on. If it's real bad I just might call the day early. Now if it's so heavy I can't see beyond my hood it's time to pull over and sit it out.

Heh... long long ago on my first RV trip Dad, Mom and I went to the grandparents' house for Christmas in a smallish (by modern standards) Class A Winnebago that belonged to one of Dad's customers. I don't know if Dad was thinking about buying it or what (he bought a used Class C a few months later.) Uncharacteristically for Texas, it was quite cold and on our way home from San Antonio it started to rain while I was driving (I was about 19, home from college.) I was talking to Dad about the lack of traction, thinking I35 was starting to actually get icy, and we were planning to exit and find someplace with a 30A hookup because we already knew the generator wouldn't start.

I was tooling along about 40 mph, the speed everyone else seemed to be running, keeping 150 yards or so between us and a clump of vehicles ahead. An early 80s Cutlass blew past fast enough that I commented on it, and apparently had no intention of slowing down. I blinked when his brakelights came on just before he reached the traffic ahead of us and when I opened my eyes it seems like he was gone for a sec... then headlights, taillights, headlights, taillights for a bit before he spun off into the muddy median. I never had to even touch the brakes, but I was coasting while we watched the show.

[Wingeezer]

Only time I've stopped early in a day's drive is when hitting freezing rain just west of Oklahoma City. We didnt have any problems driving it it, but we jusy saw so many cars and trucks in the ditch that we figured we would call it a day at noon before our number was up.

Spent a pleasant afternoon playinhg scrabble and drinking home made wine and watchng the miserable weather outside!

Normally I would never consider stopping during rain unless it was torrential. I do of course adjust driving speed as needed.

Brian.

[Protagonist]

Can't let rain slow me down. People in Louisiana don't tan; they rust!

Seriously, I'd rather travel on a rain day so that I'm accomplishing something than to be stuck in camp on a rain day and waste the good weather driving.

[Sbb]

I am from NJ, i know hurricanes, but found tornados this Summer in midwest, a good time to stop. I simply was not experienced to drive in that type of weather.

On another note, I recently found out I am to take the sway bar off in rain. i do to back up, but I am not quite sure why I take it off in rain. That could be a lot of work on a day with showers. Why would I do that?

[perryg114]

I would not loosen the sway control unless there is standing water on the road. I almost bought the farm by loosening the sway control in the rain. I don't know what happens when it is raining really hard and the sway control is too tight but I do know that if the the road does not look like glass then it does more harm than good in light rain. You sure as heck don't want uncontrolled sway in the rain. I slow down a little and increase following distance and slow down alot when it is raining real hard. If you pull over turn your lights off because people will follow your lights if they can't see anything else in heavy rain or fog. They will run right up your tail if you are stopped on the side of the road.

Perry

Originally Posted by mandolindave

Please add to this list...looks like rain on the
#2 Emergency flashers, slow as possible, loosen friction sway control

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

Please add to this list...looks like rain on the way to the mountain
#1 Pull over, play mandolin, then take a nap, then eat ( did this last week )
If it keeps raining, call up work and tell them it's raining???????
#2 Emergency flashers, slow as possible, loosen friction sway control

That's all i can come up with. Would applying just trailer brakes be of any help?

Bueller.....Bueller......anybody???

What I do if towing: (rain or snow)
1. If the cruise control is on, turn it off when it starts. Turn on lights
2. Slow down
3. Slow down more in a downpour when visibility is a problem. I also tap the brake pedal to blink the lights as vehicles approach from the rear to let them know I am traveling slow.
4. Release the friction type sway control, if/when there is a safe place to pull off the road.
4. NEVER stop in the roadway, unless the road is blocked and cannot move (only then four way flasher on)
5. If it is uncomfortable to drive, get off the road and park in a safe spot

If snow covers the road or ice forms, I get off the road when I am towing.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

What I do if towing: (rain or snow)
1. If the cruise control is on, turn it off when it starts. Turn on lights
2. Slow down
3. Slow down more in a downpour when visibility is a problem. I also tap the brake pedal to blink the lights as vehicles approach from the rear to let them know I am traveling slow.
4. Release the friction type sway control, if/when there is a safe place to pull off the road.
4. NEVER stop in the roadway, unless the road is blocked and cannot move (only then four way flasher on)
5. If it is uncomfortable to drive, get off the road and park in a safe spot

If snow covers the road or ice forms, I get off the road when I am towing.

I pretty much agree with alan and Adam (post #4) except
I don't use cc and my tundra has daytime running lights.

Dan

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by Sbb

I am from NJ, i know hurricanes, but found tornados this Summer in midwest, a good time to stop. I simply was not experienced to drive in that type of weather.

On another note, I recently found out I am to take the sway bar off in rain. i do to back up, but I am not quite sure why I take it off in rain. That could be a lot of work on a day with showers. Why would I do that?

Much better to slow down a bit than loosen the sway bars.

[dkrug]

We have almost never traveled without a rain storm. We left today in the bright sunshine and hit two minor rains with an almost cloudless sky.
We hit one coming back from Texas in April that scared the living @3$% out of me. It poured so hard you could not see anything. Also had a bit of hail. There was no place to pull off and no near exits. We just stayed behind the tail lights we could see ahead of us and put our flashers on to let people know we were going slow.

[mojo]

Wait till you try the unexpected early Fall/late Spring snowstorms here in the Colorado Rockies...now that's fun!

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

I pretty much agree with alan and Adam (post #4) except
I don't use cc and my tundra has daytime running lights.

Dan

Daytime running lights don't generally include taillights. Turn on your headlights so people behind can see you before they hit you. Especially when towing a silver trailer that turns to dull gray (nearly invisible) in the rain.

Of course, when I'm towing I always have my headlights on anyway, regardless of the weather or time of day, just on general principles.

[perryg114]

No matter what I am driving or when I always have the headlights on. There are some folks around these parts that won't turn their headlights on till they can't see. They don't understand the headlights are so others can see you not so you can see. Silver and dark colored cars disappear under some lighting conditions but these are the most popular colors even on motorcycles which are impossible to see anyway. I still have not figured out why people that live in the south buy black cars because of the heat.

Perry

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Daytime running lights don't generally include taillights. Turn on your headlights so people behind can see you before they hit you. Especially when towing a silver trailer that turns to dull gray (nearly invisible) in the rain.

Of course, when I'm towing I always have my headlights on anyway, regardless of the weather or time of day, just on general principles.

Good point. I will make sure that I turn my headlights on in the rain.

Dan

[Skater]

If you're thinking about a friction sway, we discussed those recommendations in this thread. I wasn't thoroughly convinced by the explanations, but they're in there. The basic premise is that a friction sway only resists movement; it doesn't try to push the trailer back in line to straight.

I haven't loosened mine in the rain. I'd have to stop to do it, then stop again after the rain to tighten it again. And I'm more concerned about sway from a passing vehicle or something like that in the rain than not - I might slow down, depending on conditions, but it's pretty much guaranteed at least some people won't.

I don't go as slow as possible in the rain; I pick a moderate pace that still gives me good traction and all, and try not to be an impediment to traffic. I have my headlights on when towing anyway, even in good weather. I want people to know where to look for brake lights.

[jdalrymple]

I like our cam anti-sway. No worries about what happens in the rain, snow, or ice.

I slow down enough to be comfortable, but certainly not enough to require the use of flashers.

I suppose my position is this:

Being comfortable towing a trailer comes with experience.

If one has been exposed to towing lots of trailers in varying conditions, one is more comfortable doing so.

If one purchases a trailer, loads all their possessions, and is learning as they go, one will no doubt be apprehensive in less than ideal conditions. For a while.

Trailers are not spooky horses, looking for a way to blow up and unload the rider at anytime.

We brag about how well behaved Airstreams are compared to SOBs, so enjoy the day, slow down a little to allow yourself a little extra time to stop when in traffic and drive until cocktail hour.

Regards,

JD

[mandolindave]

I go as slow as traffic will allow in the rain. I just don't like towing in the rain.
Last week, one of my camping crew, who lives in the same town as me, broke camp and left before the rain. I was about to leave when the weather got very nasty. His motorhome was getting blown all over and couldn't see his nose. He had to pull over, and wait it out. I spent some quality time with the dog and my mandolin, safe and sound. He made fun of me at first, then realized that we got home about the same time. Had I left with him, the dog and I would have had to get soaked to be in the camper, and I would have been a sitting duck on the side of I 295.
Today I am leaving for a mountaintop weekend. A two mile dirt road up to the top. Reports call for thunder storms. I am worried about traction and getting stuck half way up, and I have to ford a tiny creek. I should be more worried about the crazies on the highway.