Parked in High wind

[Gina D.]

I am currently sitting in my egg getting rocked like a fan at a stones concert. I swear if I couldn't see my car keys, that I was being towed! This is actually the worst wind I have seen my whole trip. Tehachapi is normally breezy anyway, there are wind powered generators up here. I had forgotten about them.

The egg remains hitched to the element, as I am level, not going anywhere and why undo only to redo?

Now, the question is..

or wondering, is more like it, what do you think?

My thinking is that leaving it strapped to the car makes it less susceptible to suddenly changing positions on it's own during one of these gusts. Not to mention it doing a freak snowball imitation spontaniously.

The tongue jack is downand on a block, just enough to put weight on the block, so the weight is partially off the hitch, but shared by the car.

The bad news is, the spot I am on is somewhat sloped downward and my stablizers will not go down. I am using jack stands in thier place, but they are inherantly more wobbly.

But, the question is.. is this bad on the car? Is it bad on the egg? Both? Makes no difference?

[Dan Quinn]

i always leave attached to my truck if im just stopping for the day and overnight it seems to make my trailer more stable in bad weather..as you did i lower the toung jack and put jack stande in rear..i think i did about 20 nights like that in my sunline..and no it wont hurt your tow vechical..

[Frederick L. Simson]

Robert & I are here at the Turtle Ranch for the night, where the wind is supposed to start blowing really hard, like it did when we were here for Thanksgiving. We were advised to park "facing the wind" this time, instead of broadside to the wind, like last time. Remaining hitched is, in effect like dropping anchor. (The Tow Vehicle can be an effective anchor.) The best thing to do would be to present the smallest plane of resistance to the wind, that's why you face into the wind...

[Gina D.]

Unfortunately, I am broadside. No other way to park in this park, and I don't even have a big buldgie to break the wind (Careful folks!!! ) next to me.

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Gina,
Buldgies can become like dominos. Sorry you can't face into the wind. I'm trying, without success, to think of a good way you could put the Burro's motion to some constructive use.
At least you aren't on the road, trying to make headway. Are you and the dogs able to stay warm & dry?
We are praying that you are snug and safe.
Kurt & Ann K.

[Pete Dumbleton]

I leave my egg and truck connected many times, usually out of sheer laziness -- I've actually gone more than a month without unhitching -- Usually I will drop the tongue jack and put some tension on it to get a little less bounce.

Normally it's nice to be in the trees, but in windy conditions, it may be better to be out in the open...

[Gary Lynch]

Gina,

I also have a 13' Burro. I found that stabilizer jacks on the rear bumper help in windy conditions as well as keep the body from rocking during camping.

Good luck.

[jack maloney]

Gina: Eggs are less likely to rock front-to-back than side-to-side. If the side motion is really bad, you might try partially jackknifing your rig to get it facing more into the wind. Even on a small site, you should be able to fit a 13 footer sideways.

[Gina D.]

oh, I don't have to TRY to jack knife.. you should see my rear bumper cover

These sites are long and skinny. Normally I do try to put in at an angle, just to get my window view to be something besdides the back of the car. Not possible here.

I tillted the nose down and got the jacks down. Ther was enough room to do so and keep it level. It helps, but the wind has gone and it was too little too late.

[Donna D.]

Gina, watching the weather report for Oregon and California this is the lull before the next storm and it's coming in tomorrow just as big as this last one.

I'd suggest you be prepared to hightail it for home at first light, you say you're only 3 hours from home and I'd get ready to move fast or you're liable to be stuck another night.

[Gina D.]

Home is not an issue at the moment.. I just got email news from Cal Trans that all but ONE road to my town are closed due to rockslides. It is a repeat of last year. If I WERE home, I would tug out on that road and wait it out.

I will go to my escape RV park in Corona. Ugh.

I am already prepped. I got gas, everything outside is put away but the stablizers and tv antennea. I have taken down the pockets, pans and other junk inside that usually stays out and when I use a dsih etc, it gets washed asap and put away.

It'll be a 10 to 15 minute job to get out, most of that is hitching back up.

There is laundry at my rv park down there. And the pups will be at the vets during the day.

These poor babies are getting lots of treats and pets. They want to go to thier yard as bad as I want them there.

Still beats 2 weeks in a kennel.

[Joe Mielke]

Gina,

Any way of parking down wind of a site with one of those BIG RVs? Those million dollor RVs make a great wind break.

Or more constructivly can you park your tow vehicle as a wind break?

Good luck!

[Gina D.]

I actually found it more stable after I unhitched and had stablizers on 4 corners.

The wind wasn't nearly as bad tho. Have to find better stabilizers so I can do that while it's hitched.

I had my welder chop my tripod ones so they sit lower, but even that is too high.