39 Blowovers In Wyoming In One Week

Is it me or does 39 in 2 days sound higher than normal?

 

They are back at it again today.

 

Does anyone else think this increased when they went from 48' to 53' ?
That's a lot of square footage added on the side for the wind to hit.

 

We had a discussion on here years ago, about tandem placement. And based on what I saw running up to the kids in SD a couple weeks ago, the problem hasn't changed.

Far too many think increasing tandem weight is the answer, when the reality is stretching out is the best way to deal with high wind. Stretched does a much better job of splitting the wind load between the truck & trailer. Couldn't make many understand that it's the total trailer weight that matters, not the tandem weight.

 

Makes sense since 48s had a lot less overhang then you see on the 53s, BUT, with a 53 you have over more then 50 sqft on the side for the wind to hit.

 

After thinking on this being more frequent. I am confident its not the weather that has become different. It is the Stupid ### drivers from anywhere that have been giving a cdl for the time being.

 

I agree. We always slide tandems back when bringing them back into town.

 

Friend of mine drives for Missoula Bottling. He runs empty up to Calgary and brings empty plastic bottles back down to Butte. He always slides his tandems to the back in high wind.

We had a lovely discussion in the FCC thread a couple years ago on this topic because apparently I was stupid for sliding tandems back when empty or light in a stiff breeze. Everyone thinks it’s impossible to turn a corner unless the tandems are sucked all the way up.

 

Why slide them back?

• Reduces Leverage: Puts the pivot point (tandems) further back, reducing the wind's ability to torque the trailer sideways.
• Prevents Sway: Stops the trailer from swinging wildly in strong gusts, making it feel less "floppy".
• Better Empty Stability: Particularly helpful for empty trailers which are more prone to wind issues.

 

I'm not sure if that's where it was I was involved or not, Otter was part of it. I remember doing the math , it was like a 40 % difference in wind loading.

The other surprising thing was that at certain very specific wind directions and speeds, slowing down too much actually increased the effective wind on the truck. I thought I made a chart, I should try and find it.