Have you ever been driving in the snow during a blizzard and a Greyhound bus passes you like you were standing still ? Well, if you have a diesel pusher that weighs as much as a greyhound bus, you have the same capabilities. I’m not suggesting that you drive as if you are on dry pavement however, a good coach is more roadworthy on ice and snow than you may think. Here are some tips to help you plan your winter motorhome trip:
Prepare for your winter RV trip
- Plan ahead to avoid mountain passes that may be closed.
- Make sure you have winter clothes, boots, gloves, emergency equipment before hitting the road.
- Make sure your engine oil is the proper viscocity for cold driving. Consult your owners manual for proper manufacturers recomendations.
- Purchase enough diesel additive to get you to your destination. The additive will help to prevent the diesel fuel from gelling. If the diesel fuel “gells”, your engine won’t run.
- If you have air brakes on your motorhome, you should make sure that the air dryer is fully functional. If you get condensation in your brake lines and they freeze, the airflow will stop and your coach will act as if your parking brake is on.
- Do not attempt to drive in bitter cold conditions if your coach has not been winterized. There’s a lot of “plumbing” that can freeze while driving. You won’t be able to use any of your plumbing / icemaker / dishwasher / etc until the coach has been de-winterized once you reach stable warm temperatures.
While driving in snow conditions
- If you don’t have good tires on your coach, don’t attempt to drive on snow or ice. Make sure there is plenty of tread to gain maximum traction.
- Turn OFF your exhaust brake if the conditions are icy. If your exhaust brake is on and you let off the accelerator, the back-end of your coach could “fishtail” and land you in the ditch.
- Avoid sudden maneuvers : Try to drive in a straight line as much as possible with slow steady corrections.
- If you have anti-lock brakes, you’ll need to forget about pumping or stabbing your brakes. If you need to make an emergency stop with antilock brakes, just push the brake pedal hard and wait for the coach to stop.
- If you don NOT have anti-lock brakes, and you get into an emergency stop situation, you’ll need to pump your brakes. The idea is to skid on the ice, let go of the brakes so that you can get some fresh tire surface on the ice and skid again.
- If there are high winds in the area and ice or black ice is present, be extremely careful and drive slowly. The wind can pick up and whip your coach around. This can be extremely dangerous.
- Try to keep your fuel topped up in case you get into a section of the road where you can’t go any further. You’ll be able to setup camp and wait for the weather to clear.
adobe acrobat plug in firefox Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended download download adobe acrobat 70