We bought a little 13BHB, which we love. It's tight, but has everything we need and is a big step up from tent camping!
Since the unit is so light (2250 dry weight), we were wondering if we need tie downs in case we get into high winds from a thunder storm or similar situation. Anyone have experience with this?
Thanks!
I told this story on another thread here, so I will try to be brief. An early evening thunderstorm was approaching our campsite on Lake Travis near Austin. So I tied the trailer A-frame to the hitch of my TV to keep it from sliding down the slope into the lake. The next morning another camper had been blown into one of the creeks feeding Lake Travis and was sunk. It took quite a bit of work with a tow truck to get it out.
So, perhaps yes. Other than tieing or hitching to your TV, I don't have any good ideas for keeping the trailer from tipping. Camping World has these screw in awning tie downs which should help: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/happy-hook-awning-tie-down/11171.
David
There are shelter anchors that would provide a significant support but they are not going to be convenient. Something like the ones David posted will give some support but I suspect they will not have enough strength to support a camper from any significant winds. Something like these are designed to tie down shelters and out buildings: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200312321_200312321 they will provide the support you are looking. As a word of caution though, they are not convenient to use unless the soil is ideal. I put some 30" anchors like these in for my shed and ended up welding a nut to them so I could then use an impact gun to get them in the ground. I guess if you have enough warning, or suspect the chances for a storm are high enough then these would be worth it, otherwise they are going to be a pain to place and remove. Just my thoughts...
Thanks for these ideas! I've thought about the screw in tie downs also but wondered if the ground conditions would cooperate. Guess they would be worth a try to help keep the trailer from tipping. Tying to TV sounds like the most convenient however - especially if a storm blows up quickly. David, did you use straps to tie it?
Thanks for the links, guys; I'll look into them.
I just used a rope to tie the trailer to the tv. This was a pop up and the bed pull out made it impossible to hitch it up, plus leveling considerations. But I just tied it to keep it from sliding down a slope. I didn't do anything for tipping.
I agree with others that in most campground conditions, the packed earth will make screwing in a tie down difficult. If you have trees nearby you can run some long ropes to keep it from tipping.
These of course are actions to take when extreme weather is forecast, and I wouldn't worry about it normally.
David
Thanks again! We appreciate all the advice from you RV veterans for us newbies!! We'll be leaving in a couple weeks for our first Grand Adventure (we've done a few weekend jaunts, but no real big trips yet). Going to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri (from Idaho) to our son's graduation from Basic Training and Advanced Training (Army). Should be fun and educational. :-)
We had a storm blow thru while I had the trailer parked in the driveway. The trailer (vrv 8.5x24. 5k lbs, 700-800lb tongue) had shifted over a good 3-4 feet and almost hit the house. Granted, it was on the A-frame jack wheel (which made matters much worse), but I was still surprised the wind was able to move it that much. Sits on the support legs when parked now.
I agree that chaining to your T/V is an easy solution, especially if you don't have support legs.
Sounds good, thanks for the help!