Nasty Storm, Bouncing Burro

[Gina D.]

Anyone wondering about the stability of an egg in hurricane force winds... worry not.

Last nite was one of the scariest nites I have ever spent in my 17 footer. The evening started out pleasantly, actually. The big storm raging across the country at the moment paid a visit to SW Arizona yesterday..

The day started with Oregon style rain, which I enjoyed wholeheartedly.. its been awhile since I have been poured on. I was the only one willing to work in it (Mostly because I clean the INSIDE of RVs and it wasn't that big a deal)

I looked forward to my evening snuggled up in the Burro, with the rain coming down and soup on the stove. There is nothing like being in the trailer in the rain. It started that way, but quickly changed.

First, the thunder... rolling thunder.. non stop.. like traveling beside a semi for 100 miles. The vibration in the trailer lost its quaint factor after awhile. I couldn't hear the TV, and the dogs were sitting on my head. That cat yawned and wondered what they were fussing about. Geez.

Next came the lightning. Now, I am in the desert, with no pesky trees or mountains or anything rude like that to block my view of the sky. It was actually very neat.. if it wasn't for the free vibrating couch that came with it.

Then the wind gusts started. A few at first, no big deal. Then they built. These were no longer gusts, they were steady hammering winds at 40 mph the reports say. OK, I have been in this type of wind before, they blow through.

NOT.. it held steady.... For hours. With gusts up to 70 mph. The trailer never stopped bouncing. For hours. This house was rockin! It was like riding in a school bus going 70 mph. You could not walk straight (And it wasn't from over use of Dr Pepper) For hours.

My batwing antennae was up, and I forgot about it. I remembered eventually, and got it stowed safely. I am amazed it didn't snap off. The wind was hitting the trailer broadside, plenty of surface area there to give a good whack. This is what bothered me so much. It wasn't like I could turn the thing into the wind. I couldn't even step outside for fear of the door being ripped off, and I had a true fear of it actually blowing me over.

I worried about my solar panels, which are on stands and tethered to the bumper. They never budged. I worried about my outside furniture, it never budged.

I plotted an escape route in case the thing flipped. I had nowhere else to go, so riding it out in here was my only option.

And.. I have GOT to remember to latch that danged little flappy door for the hood vent.. the one that swings on the outside of the trailer... clack clack clack. I ended up shoving the handle of my spaghetti server out through the vent from the inside to prevent it from flopping back against the trailer. Clack clack clack.

All in all, this was the worst storm I have weathered in here, and survived with no damage.. but I got very little sleep.

Dave and Leslie... did the Scamp stay on its feet?

[Adrian W]

I am very happy you had a good ending to your adventure. It has been a rough time for many people in our area as well. Nothing bad at our home, thankfully.

Someone's travel trailer was blown onto it's side while parked in the Fort Bliss FamCamp in El Paso today. Some very bad winds were blowing at times. It wasn't an egg shape so the wind could get a grip onto it, too bad for sure. Not sure if anyone was in it at the time or not. Some ride if they were.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_13951868 - I just heard on TV, at Aguirre Spring BLM Area on the east side of the Organ Mts from us, they had 95 mph winds...wow! I would not have wanted to be on that road today.

Photo of the road to the campground taken last year.

[Donna D.]

Kinda brings a tear to your eye and reminds you of home in the Gorge doesn't it Gina? AND, I've very glad to hear you made it through the experience unscathed and safe. The weather should be improving in your direction, the wind is dying down here... although a chance of freezing rain and/or snow is in the forecast.

Don't suppose you took any pictures through the windows of the lightning storm??

BTW: there are doggie trancs available.....

[David & Leslie]

Oh, yeah, last night was a LU-LU !!! Gina, you beat us to it ... we were wondering how YOUR evening went. Sounds like it was not a 'fun date' over at your house. Actually, we had no damage and very little rocking. Evidently Mr. D did his usual great job of stabilizing when we returned from our Thanksgiving travels. Ms. Minnie, however, was the usual quaking blob under the covers during all the "lunder & thightening" - she hates those. Our only complaint was, as you have previously described it "being inside a popcorn popper" as the heavy rain beat down on the Egg. Good news - no leaks. We had not yet finished our shade cover, but the pipe-frame was unharmed, as was our shower cabana. The cabana was really doin' a dance in that wind, but did not collapse, rip or blow away - thank goodness! Our patio chairs didn't even move very much - weird.

One surprise - the storage shed which comes with our site has a tweaked door; to open it requires two hands and holding your mouth just right. Well, the ol' gale winds managed to slide that door open about 4 inches before we checked it and closed the hasp - again, weird.

An older Class C MH in our park lost it's very nice cover - shredded! Some folks had to reinstall their holiday doo-dads, but all-in-all we fared pretty well. Driving thru town earlier, can't say the same for some of the vendor booths - the winds really took a toll there.

That's about it. Sorry you had to work in the rain. Hope that's our alloted weather surprise for the season. L 'n D

[Gina D.]

there are doggie trancs available....

they got 'em :-P I wish I had one for me!

The difference between here and the gorge yesterday was the temperature I was plenty warm and dry, the furnace kept up nicely.

The noise in here was deafening. The shape of the rig allows for more surface area to rumble.

Of course, I didn't worry about side panels ripping off in the wind.

[Gina D.]

Leslie, I had visions of your shower dancing in the wind! Glad it was OK.. and I know zactly which rig you are talking about that lost its cover.

I noticed the new breeze thru vendors today.

[Alf S.]

Hi: Gina D... Glad to hear you didn't become the newest member of the "Flying Burro I Tows". We are now feeling the effects of the same storm as it crosses the Great Lakes. I'm listening to the wind chimes playing Silver Bells...for now!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Gina D.]

Flying Burro I Tows

Oh Oh... I hear Monkeys!!!!

[Frederick L. Simson]

These were no longer gusts, they were steady hammering winds at 40 mph the reports say. OK, I have been in this type of wind before, they blow through.

NOT.. it held steady.... For hours. With gusts up to 70 mph.

I must be a whimp... The wind was only 25 mph over Thanksgiving weekend in Ocotillo, and we were pointed into it, not broadside. Watching the front wall of the trailer vibrate like a big sub-woofer was disconcerting to say the least. The repaired crack in the Plexiglas rock guard held though and didn't crack any further.

Glad you and the "Totos" are still in <strike>Kansas</strike> Quartzite...

[Ken C]

sounds like the same bad one that got Quartzsite article here

[Tom U]

That cat yawned and wondered what they were fussing about. Geez.

Gina,

Congrats on making it through unscathed! That cat knew that things would be Okay... We have used ours as earthquake predictors.

When the big storm came through here (Santa Cruz) the winds took out two fences with gates. One was in front of our Fiber Stream, parked in the side yard. I think the fence acted as a spoiler after it collapsed. Lots of debris behind the egg but no damage.

You obviously would make a good sailor - everything secure for a big blow.

Listen to that cat .

[Greg A]

Glad to hear Gina & Company, and Leslie, David & Minnie weathered everything OK. We're North of Phoenix and had just returned from camping at Deadhorse State Park and it wasn't much better in a house. We got hit with 74+ winds. Unfortunately, the 2nd tallest Christmas tree in the US which is at the outlet mall near our house didn't fare as well.





Don't think they can advertise 2nd tallest any longer...

[Gina D.]

Ken, it WAS the same one. Thats where I am.

[pjanits]

Glad to hear all went well Gina.
I love my 17' Burro more and more every day, but I still wouldn't want to test it like that.

[Ken C]

Ken, it WAS the same one. Thats where I am.

Yikes, I didnt know, I havent been folloing the forum as much. But i grew up in the southern California desert and know how scarry it can be. Have seen big rigs and Rv's blown over on the 10 freeway. We had a truck and camper back then and i thought for sure it was going to blow over a number of times, caught out driving on the freeway. reading your cat yawned made me chuckle

[Time K]

There is nothing like being in the trailer in the rain.

Gina, ain't that the truth! That is my favorite sound to wake up to believe it or not!!...

[Paul Bostick]

This was posted on a Casita forum. The numbers should apply pretty close. Sounds like you were pretty much into the "Peach Pit" level of wind.

Here is one engineers, quick and dirty, Free assesment, of your Question. There are so many variables, I used my professional judgement to make several engineering assumptions. They are on the conservative side.
- 100 square foot, side cross section area (7x14)
- 100 MPH wind or wind gust
- Air density 0.08 lbm per ft cubed
- center of lateral force 54 inches above the ground
- 1250 lbm per wheel down force at 66" between centers
- camper doesn't slide sideways but pivots on leward wheel

Calcs:
wind force - 100MPH / 3600sec/hr X 5280ft/mile X 0.08 lbm/ft cubed X 100sq ft = 1200 lbs force/sec
Force resultant - (66in X 1250lbm CW ) - (1200lbf X 54in CCW) / 66in = 250 lbs of down force on the windward wheel
Margin of safety - 250lbm final / 1250 lbm initial X 100 = 20 percent.

Conclusions:
-A 20 percent margin of safety is not very good. Especially with quick and dirty conservative calcs.
-If they are predicting 100mph, and above, gusts I would take corrective action.
-100MPH wind gusts seem to be the break over point. As the wind gusts approach 100 you need to be approaching corrective action. If the wind gusts are over 100 you should have allready taken corrective action.

end notes:
- Parking your trailer so the ends (not the sides), take the brunt of the force, would help.
- Parking a car, or truck, beside (windward side) the camper would help block/absorb some of the sideforce wind.
- Anything up to 50 MPH gusts, I'd not do much. (750lbs downforce on windward tire). At 75MPH gusts, I'd be nervious as a possum passing a peach pit. (525 lbs down force on windward tire).

Disclamer: Your milage may very, you are getting what you are paying for.