RV Toads, Motorhomes, Tow Cars

Driving an RV in freezing tempuratures

I flew to Great Falls MT to pick up this pusher. I made sure that the weather was going to be above freezing before finalizing my plans. The guy that delivered the coach was pulling a toyota rigged with a stowmaster tow bar. He left his home during the night while the temperature was well below freezing.

If you’re going to be driving your coach in the winter with below freezing temperatures, make darn sure that the coach is completely thawed before hitting the road.

Here’s what happened :

The plastic hardware that is used to fasten the drawer slides to the cabinetry are very brittle in the cold. Several of these cracked and I’ll need to find out where to get some replacement parts and install them.

This is a minor problem and more just a pain in the butt than anything. If only the manufacturer would have used something a little stronger, they could save us RV owners some headaches.

The Forest River Tsunami is a luxury coach with solid cherry cabinetry. The fine workmanship is very impressive but it appears that cherry wood doesn’t like the cold either. Here’s what happened to the bathroom door :

Yes the door is split from top to bottom about 6 inches from the hinge. I’m thinking about gluing it back together but that may look pretty cheesy. I’m going to have to order a new door from the factory and spend around $500.00 + shipping. The left photo is what’s left of the door still attached to the hinge. The right photo is the rest of the door, now lying on the master bed.

I think what happened was, the inside of the door was cold while the outside of the door was warm. A small bump in the road caused the door to crack and now I’m left with a two piece bathroom door.

The biggest lessons I learned here is when you thaw your RV before driving it in the cold, take the following precautions :

1. Open all drawers so the heat can get in behind.
2. Open all the doors to warm up both sides of the doors evenly.
3. Turn up the heat in the RV (chassis and house) and let it get warm for at least 4 hours before moving the coach.
4. Allow extra time to fuel up. The diesel fuel tends to foam up when filling your tank and I ended up pumping very slowly and being splashed with diesel fuel several times.

The biggest consolation is that I have the entire winter to get the broken pieces replaced and I’ll be ready to go in the spring.

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

1. Plan ahead to avoid mountain passes that may be closed.
2. Make sure you have winter clothes, boots, gloves, emergency equipment before hitting the road.
3. Make sure your engine oil is the proper viscocity for cold driving. Consult your owners manual for proper manufacturers recomendations.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Avoid sudden maneuvers : Try to drive in a straight line as much as possible with slow steady corrections.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.