Weather and police

Two new questions we thought of this morning.

First, concerning severe weather... Anything we should be aware of while parked? We went through some really heavy rain yesterday right as we were turning off the highway. Not a pleasant experience. Do you ever pull over if you get hit with heavy rain?

We're wondering about things like unplugging power and such.

Also... Police. Saw someone get pulled over today and that got us wondering...how do you see a cop behind you if you have a giant RV behind you and no back up camera?

You need to develop a habit of scanning your side view mirrors very frequently, especially when towing. Doing this will allow you to be aware of traffic overtaking you as well as vehicles riding behind you. You will also be able to observe anything that appears to be out of the ordinary with the trailer (i.e. flat tire, unlatched compartment doors, etc). Several of the RV rallies offer trailer towing classes that have great information to help newbies as well as RVers of all experience levels. As far as towing in bad weather, if you are uncomfortable, by all means find a safe place to get well off the road and wait out the storm. There is no fun to be had when you are white knuckling it down the road. Happy trails.

ericandalice said:

Two new questions we thought of this morning.

First, concerning severe weather... Anything we should be aware of while parked? We went through some really heavy rain yesterday right as we were turning off the highway. Not a pleasant experience. Do you ever pull over if you get hit with heavy rain?

We're wondering about things like unplugging power and such.

Also... Police. Saw someone get pulled over today and that got us wondering...how do you see a cop behind you if you have a giant RV behind you and no back up camera?

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I can try to answer some of your concerns. I like to keep moving on an interstate until I can reach an exit. If you can not see well and pull on shoulder, think about guy behind you not being able to see you on the shoulder. If weather is really bad, try to find a safe place to park and wait it out.

During heavy weather at a camp site, I bring the awning in. I was in a campground in Pigon Forge where a mobile RV Tech replaced 13 awnings from one quick storm.

As for unplugging, invest in surge protection for peace of mind.

As for pulling over for PD, the officer well let you know if they want you over. The officer will probably straddle the white line so you can see them in your mirrors.

If weather is forecast to be bad, there is always tomorrow.

Great advice from Gasman. I would just add, that if you're in a real downpour and visibility is poor, then you should try and take an off ramp if possible and if not, pull as far as you can onto the shoulder with your flashers on, and wait it out until visibility is clear enough. Also, keep your speed down and leave a lot of space between yourself and the cars in front of you (anytime you are driving in rain), just in case you need to brake.
As far as the cops go, don't worry, the cops will come up next to you (on the driver's side) and motion you to pull over. From past experience.....

Thanks guys. I thought that's probably how cops flagged down big vehicles.

We've already agreed to treat the awning like a kid - keep an eye on it and if we leave, it's rolled up.

Surge protector is the first thing on my list to get this weekend. I just need to determine what type we need. Last night we had 50 amp hookup for the first time and got to run both air conditioners. Yehaa! But then there was talk of a storm an I started wondering how we should be preparing for such things while we're in camp. Luckily it was just a delightful rain.

Keep in mind if you're parked on a full hookup site and a storm knocks out the power to the CG, your city water supply will probably stop, as well. Keep water in your fresh water tank (maybe 1/2 or so) so that you can use your "facility" on battery power until service is restored. Having a good surge suppressor will help protect your rig from any power fluctuations.

JohnDar said:

Keep in mind if you're parked on a full hookup site and a storm knocks out the power to the CG, your city water supply will probably stop, as well. Keep water in your fresh water tank (maybe 1/2 or so) so that you can use your "facility" on battery power until service is restored. Having a good surge suppressor will help protect your rig from any power fluctuations.

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Excellent point. You guys are so smart, is it any wonder I come here for answers?!

In heavy winds with rain, you can get water past your slide seals. Good idea to pull them in for the night if it is really bad. This will help protect your slide toppers if you have them. If in a parking lot you should park headed into the wind if possible. I would unhook the electrical from the truck.

I have a "weather alert radio" for all my travels 24/7. My radio also will allow me to get the weather in all the counties around me.

Everyone gave you great advise. Just a few things I might add, as a retired Deputy Sheriff, whenever I would attempt to stop a vehicle pulling a large trailer, I'd either fall way behind the vehicle so they could see me in the mirrors, or straddle the white line or if it was a 4 lane highway be behind the vehicle, but the other lane. Seldom would I pull beside the vehicle to flag them over because they wouldn't always be able to see me as the tow vehicle was always higher than my patrol car. That is just what I did, not every LEO does things the same. As far as a serge protector, they all don't do the same thing, you should have one that will shut down all power when it detects a problem. The cheaper ones ($100.00 plus) will only help if there is lightening, and they will let you know if the post has a problem. The good ones are are around $300.00 and up. We also have a weather radio, but you'll need to know what county you are in, and what the surrounding counties are. If you have a state map in your rig you should be able to locate them.

We're in West Virginia tonight. Windy here. Up to 25 mph. Not used to that at all. We're keeping the awning in of course. Wondering if opening the windows will help with the shuddering.

When shopping in SC, the RV dealer told us about a storm that flipped two or three of their rigs down the hill toward the highway.

Should be an interesting first night in wind.

Having being a police officer for over 30yrs,when I wanted to stop a large vehicle I would pull up along side when it was safe to do so.