Towing a trailer on winter roads. Tips? Tricks? Experiances?

[BGSH]

if your going winter camping i suggest you do not go on the forestry trunk road in the winter time, many hills, blindspots and you will have to watch out for logging trucks and so on and its alot of harder to share the road in winter then summer, coming around a cornor seeing a logging truck then stopping in summer is nothing, but in winter someone is going in the ditch, but have fun, enjoy your setup, but just dont get stuck in your campsite because if you go somewhere deep in the woods and get stuck chances are you may have to wait untill spring to get your unit out depending on your situation, have fun

[parfleche]

Common sense and don,t get in over your head or abilities! You know those limits better than anyone on here! Not to be rude , but If you have to ask , your likely almost there now! Be very cautious, Your picture says a thousand words about the potential , and I think you are fully aware of that ! Act accordingly.

[Sneeze]

The only thing I have ever done to get into trouble pulling my RV (appx 6500lbs) was going around a very sharp corner too hard on a slippery road.

The trailer wants to keep going straight and ended up jack knife-ing the truck by pushing the rear of the vehicle towards the ditch. Could have been avoided by going slower & having more weight in the box of the truck.

Make sure you blow out your water lines before you hit the highway... Things freeze fast at 100kph!

[KegRiver]

There's a lot of good advice here.

I've been a truck driver since 1975, never ditched a rig, never lost or damaged a load, hauled everything from groceries, (Federated Coop) to Logs, (Manning Diversified) and houses ( Wallisser Bros. Construction)

I think it says a lot about this site that I can't think of much to add.

One thing I didn't see. So I'll add it. Keep your speed down. A bit under the limit if the roads seem good, more as roads deteriorate.

Oh, and go down the hills at or under the speed you can climb that hill.
Just remember, there is such a thing as too slow. On a slippery hill, the slower you go the more you increase torque to the wheals. That can help keep you slow but at some point it will cause your drive wheals to loose traction. That can end in a nasty skid. Avoid going too slow.

[RussellZ]

I tow fair bit in the winter. As everyone else said, take it easy in everything you do. Smooth and slow is key. Don't worry about the tool behind you in his jacked up 4x4 trying to push you. Let him pass and nail the ditch 10 km down the road!

I buy a new set of winter tires for my truck every year. I personally really like Bridgestone Blizziaks and have run them pretty much exclusively. Sure, it hurts the bank account each fall but it is cheaper than lost time at work or a damaged vehicle. I don't even bother swapping summer tires on anymore. By the time October rolls around the tires are about finished and need to be replaced anyways.

All of my trailers have winter tires on them too. I found I was towing more often in the winter (skid steer, winter 4x4ing etc) then I was in the summer and felt that the added traction was well worth it.

Personally, I like a 5th wheel / gooseneck hitch better in the winter than a bumper pull. The trailer doesn't have nearly the leverage on the back of your truck and is a much smoother ride as well. Another advantage is that you typically put a lot more weight on the hitch point in the truck and usually have a bunch of other stuff in the box which also helps keep the dog wagging the tail.

If the roads are obviously icy I won't bother taking the trailer out anywhere. But if it is just snowy then things work out pretty well. I spend a lot of time in 4x4 towing trailer and adjust the trailer brakes so they won't lock up on me even during a pretty hard stop.

If the back end of the truck starts to slide the very first thing I do is activate the trailer brakes to pull the truck back straight. Of course, the brake will just lock the wheels up so you need to pulse it on and off to keep the trailer relatively straight too. As soon as you are straightened out, and if conditions allow, I accelerate in the truck to get the trailer back in line and then slow right down to make sure it doesn't happen again. Never a fun experience and fortunately has only happened to me once or twice before.

Chains are one thing I've never tried out before... I've been thinking about getting a set made up for my truck but haven't done so yet.

[Albertadiver]

Looks like I'm on the right train of thought. Will look at the budget for snow tires, but we'll have to see about that one...

[dave35]

goodyear wrangler, the silent armor ones, work well for me. run them for about 60-70 thousand k, then spend $1400 for another set. love the traction in winter, decent tire for summer, best of all they have no road noise.

[CaberTosser]

'Diver. The tires don't cost you more if you switch 'em up in summer; you just have 140,000 km worth of tires instead of just 70,000 km worth of tires. As a great 'all-season' tire that's not really an all-season, I really liked my Michelin LTX M&S tires. They have great siping, they're quiet, the winter acceleration and braking are very good. Always lean towards the SHTF foul weather performance over quiet, ideal road, high mileage donuts if you just go with one set. I had some of those prior to the Goodyear Silent Armors I have now, and I consider the Goodyears a downgrade; especially as far as braking goes. They were bought during a 4 for 3 sale, so that was a price point decision made before I had experienced them. If Nokian Hakkapellittas LT's come in your size, give them serious consideration too.

All my towing has been a bumper pull cargo trailer, but a 10,000 lb rated unit. Make sure to have lots of weight in your truck, as many others have noted. I always try to keep the bulk of my cargo/ballast forward of the rear axle. The more weight the better, so the less that trailer can try steering you, and you have the requisite traction on the drive wheels.

[twofifty]

Diver, notice that the chains in RockymtnX's post have V-bars welded across each link. The V-bars give great traction on ice and hard-pack, and help the chains last way longer.

When you get the chains, make sure they are fitted to your vehicle's wheels and wheelwells. This sometimes means adding or removing links. A snug fit is best for performance and longevity, and lessens damage to your tires.

[Albertadiver]

Thanks Caber and Twofifty.

I'm hoping to save up for a decent set of tires for purchase in mid-october. I like the idea of winter tires, but I'm looking at about a $1300+ purchase in October and then another $1300+ in March or April, so unless I get a big fat raise I need to wiegh the pro's and con's. The wife's car needs some front end work sooner than later too, so have to factor that in as well. I put some new triple treads on her car in February and they're great for winter and summer. I've got a fountain tire very close to home and have bought 2 sets of tires off them in the past, but I will probably shop around a bit too. What I like about this shop is the service has been good (Brentwood) and they rotate and fix flats for free too. It's nice having them in a conveniant location as well.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by twofifty

Diver, notice that the chains in RockymtnX's post have V-bars welded across each link. The V-bars give great traction on ice and hard-pack, and help the chains last way longer.

When you get the chains, make sure they are fitted to your vehicle's wheels and wheelwells. This sometimes means adding or removing links. A snug fit is best for performance and longevity, and lessens damage to your tires.

Glad you mentioned the chains. I had intended to comment on them.

I would highly recommend these chains. As you say, the V bars give great traction. Also, notice the tensioner cam on the bottom rail. That is the way to go. Fast, effective and you can get the chains far tighter far quicker with these then you can with the old style link and hook system with bungee straps to take out the slack.



In fact with these cams you shouldn't need bungee straps. Simply put on the chains, drive a few feet, take the slack out of the chains and tighten the cams. For long runs with chains on, do this again after a few miles and you should have tight chains that will not slap and bang.

Tight chains last longer and give better traction then loose chains.

If you have never installed chains before. Start by draping them over the top of the tires, kind like covering the tires with a tarp.
The traction lugs face out. Adjust the chains so they hang evenly. Have the hooks toward the back, easier to reach them that way.
Then hook the chains as tight as you can. inside rail first. Drive ahead a few feet. Re-tighten the rails and tighten the cams and you are set.

Remember to keep your speed under 50k when wearing jewellery. (Chains)

[BallCoeff.435]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

I agree. Unfortunatley, I can't afford to have two sets of tires at the moment. Being in Calgary with the chinooks, we really go through winter tires like crazy here.

I had a set of arctic alpine's for a Jimmy I owned. Fantastic tires, but only lasted about 1.5 winters.

So for now, I'm going to be looking at all-seasons. I bought some winter tire rated all-seasons for my dakota and our grand prix, but for a full sized truck they're hard to find.

??

Going through 2 complete sets of tires every 3 years, and you can't afford to keep 2 sets?

You can easily stretch out your tire wear to twice that if you get dedicated summer/winter tires. Especially in [relatively] dry Calgary, which is way different from the northern part of the province (I remember a roomie of mine from C-town running his motorcycle during Christmas holidays most years).

A good hydraulic jack and impact wrench will make the bi-annual changeover a quick piece of cake too.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

Glad you mentioned the chains. I had intended to comment on them.

I would highly recommend these chains. As you say, the V bars give great traction. Also, notice the tensioner cam on the bottom rail. That is the way to go. Fast, effective and you can get the chains far tighter far quicker with these then you can with the old style link and hook system with bungee straps to take out the slack.



In fact with these cams you shouldn't need bungee straps. Simply put on the chains, drive a few feet, take the slack out of the chains and tighten the cams. For long runs with chains on, do this again after a few miles and you should have tight chains that will not slap and bang.

Tight chains last longer and give better traction then loose chains.

If you have never installed chains before. Start by draping them over the top of the tires, kind like covering the tires with a tarp.
The traction lugs face out. Adjust the chains so they hang evenly. Have the hooks toward the back, easier to reach them that way.
Then hook the chains as tight as you can. inside rail first. Drive ahead a few feet. Re-tighten the rails and tighten the cams and you are set.

Remember to keep your speed under 50k when wearing jewellery. (Chains)

Correct me, if I'm wrong. Got a set of these chains. They require a special tool to install them. Wouldn't want to lose it.

Grizz

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

Correct me, if I'm wrong. Got a set of these chains. They require a special tool to install them. Wouldn't want to lose it.

Grizz

There is a tool for tightening the cams. I wouldn't call it a special tool.
It is simply a steel rod with a flattened end and a 90% bend in it. It would be easy to make in any farm shop and very possible to make by anyone with a vise and a big hammer.

No tools are needed for installing. But the tool provided makes tightening much easier.

I do believe those tools are readily available through outlets like Canadian Tire and Bumper to Bumper for under ten dollars.