How much wind will turnover an Airstream?

[rjmaype]

Here is a design I did years ago for a client trailer 9ft H and 24 ft L with two cables, one over the axle behind the wheels.

To negate uplift, I had 3 ft high Jersey barriers surround the trailer.

The ground anchor manufacturers have pullout force for different soils.

The tip over force for 110 mph wind was 37,000 lbs.

That was probably more shoving than turn over.

You could also tie down plywood built into triangular shapes instead of Jersey barriers - just prevent the wind from getting under the trailer.

Subtract the weight of the trailer and contents, and you just need to have enough anchors and strong enough cable.

[guskmg]

FWIW, my Streamline, with the same side curvatures as SilverStreak, survived winds in excess of 93 Knots (107 mph). How do I know that? It was at Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, NB. parked in the RV storage yard next to the Weather station anemometer for the base. The wind indicator failed at that speed. There was a square trailer two spots left of mine and a boat parked next to me. The trailer turned over on the boat, but my trailer was left untouched and upright. I felt very fortunate, but I believe the curved side kept the air mass in the wind from getting a 'hold." In other words, the air streamed over the edges rather than catching. Once again, when in Colorado, we had a mountain wind of 90 knots, forecasted to come down the leeward side of the Rockies. Our camping spot was right there. All I knew to do was to hitch up the trailer, put the jacks under the corners, close the windows, vents, rock guard, and ride it out. We did and the trailer shook like hell but, no upset. These experiences were in a 23' Duchess that weighed 3660# empty. I believe this trailer would do better with the extra weight from the slide out. It Grosses at 11,500#.
guskmg

[Jarrod White]

As I indicated in my first post, I think turnover is the least of the worries of an Airstream in a hurricane. Storm surge is an issue but the biggest issue is wind driven projectiles. A piece of debris driven at 100 mph will go right through the inner and outer aluminum skin. There comes time that trailers have to be left behind to attend to family or other property (like mine during Ivan) and I hope that the purpose of the original post was to try to get some reassurance in that situation. It would be beyond fool hardy to try to ride out a hurricane in a trailer, even at the extreme edges of the storm, if there is any to avoid it. Best to take care of yourself and family and hope for the best and know you have insurance for the worst.

[NWRVR]

As others have stated, wind driven debris is more likely to do damage than wind caused turnover. A 100 MPH wind directly into a 100 sq ft flat vertical surface creates about 2,500 lbs of pressure.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by guskmg

There was a square trailer two spots left of mine and a boat parked next to me. The trailer turned over on the boat, but my trailer was left untouched and upright.

I believe your good fortune was equally due to the "square trailer" serving as a windbreak even after it rolled over onto the boat. Never underestimate the importance of having a windbreak!

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by GCinSC2

..... We do have some supplies, a Honda 3000 and the AS will be charged up, full of water and propane. Our "pod".
......

Hi

Before the storm gets there, shut off the propane at the tank(s). If you do get a weird debris impact issue that messes with a gas line, you don't want the trailer to turn into a bomb.

Bob

[perryg114]

My trailer was hit by a tornado that took most of the trees out of my yard but the trailer was fine although with a few more dings. It tore the street side awning off of it even though it was rolled up. The front of the trailer moved a few inches. The trailer was more or less parallel to the wind so that helped it some. Square box trailers got rolled. My 68 Dodge van in the yard got rolled. Main thing is tie it down as much as possible. Get it away from trees.

Perry

[Mollysdad]

I agree with the "it depends" answers. There's too many variables.
Wind direction in relation to the AS, stabilizers down? Buildings and trees nearby? Natural wind chutes?