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Old 11-18-2021, 12:58 AM   #1
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Winter drive late start out

Hello we are newbie’s at RVing just purchase our 2022 Thor Windsport and should take delivery around mid December. We live near Lake Ontario in NY and want to get the heck out of Dodge early January. Would like to go south and across the US to California to see the kids and grandkids with Gods help and weather permitting. Anyone have any experience traveling cross country in the winter?

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Old 11-19-2021, 01:59 AM   #2
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I have driven a small B+ in the winter, word to the wise if it starts snowing get off the road ASAP. When the 23' Gulfstream started sliding around on slick roads it was pucker driving. I wouldn't want to try my hand at driving our 30' class A on slick roads.
If you don't have to make a reservation then just pull off and wait for the salt trucks do their jobs.
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Old 11-19-2021, 02:22 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by Mike23 View Post
Hello we are newbie’s at RVing just purchase our 2022 Thor Windsport and should take delivery around mid December. We live near Lake Ontario in NY and want to get the heck out of Dodge early January. Would like to go south and across the US to California to see the kids and grandkids with Gods help and weather permitting. Anyone have any experience traveling cross country in the winter?
Sounds like you have plenty of time. So, don't start until the you have a snow free window on your route south. Don't know if you have tank heaters and such so the cold temps will be a challenge. We went from Clifton Park I90 west then down to Columbus Louisville to get to warmer weather. Memphis the I 40 West. Pretty much clear sailing until Flagstaff area....as potential snow. It is a La Nina year so we in the west are expecting a lot of rai/snow this year.
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Old 11-19-2021, 02:49 AM   #4
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About the January February time even I10 can freeze solid. Texas go hit hard not too long ago and they were froze in for a few days.
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Old 11-19-2021, 03:35 AM   #5
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About the January February time even I10 can freeze solid. Texas go hit hard not too long ago and they were froze in for a few days.
Yep, last mid Feb San Antonio hit a low of 9 degrees after 20 hours of freezing rain. In total, we had 44 hours continuously below freezing with most of south TX without electricity for 50 hours.
We usually travel extensively in the winter even to the mountains. The trick is to hold up somewhere cozy and wait for a few days of good weather to get to another cozy spot. Sometimes it has taken two weeks to make 500 miles. Just don't set a schedule or try to make up for lost time.
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Old 11-19-2021, 03:46 AM   #6
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Thank you all for the info.
We will be rethinking our excursion
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Old 11-19-2021, 05:59 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Mike23 View Post
Hello we are newbie’s at RVing just purchase our 2022 Thor Windsport and should take delivery around mid December. We live near Lake Ontario in NY and want to get the heck out of Dodge early January. Would like to go south and across the US to California to see the kids and grandkids with Gods help and weather permitting. Anyone have any experience traveling cross country in the winter?
Great..Monday is our winter trip from Montana.
Friends left Tuesday and hot water line froze.
We look 10 days out and alter real time where we go.
Having an 1500w electric heater and propane heater is a must.
We have camped in our clam outdoors and the heaters work!!
We take antibiotics freeze just in case we need to do a quick winter process. Fresh water for drinking and gallons for toilet..
Dry food

Good luck my friend
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Old 11-19-2021, 08:52 PM   #8
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Great..Monday is our winter trip from Montana.

Friends left Tuesday and hot water line froze.

We look 10 days out and alter real time where we go.

Having an 1500w electric heater and propane heater is a must.

We have camped in our clam outdoors and the heaters work!!

We take antibiotics freeze just in case we need to do a quick winter process. Fresh water for drinking and gallons for toilet..

Dry food



Good luck my friend


Thank you our rig is already winterized and still sitting at the dealer waiting on a check engine light inspection from Ford [emoji849] we’ll see how the weather is
Safe travels to you and yours
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Old 11-19-2021, 09:13 PM   #9
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I ended up accepting mine in February years ago..
It was about a hour and a half drive on snowing and salted roads.. i learned a hard lesson on that Moryde and Thor do not recoat the frames or any of the steel on the chassis and the body after welding and assemble... Low and behold the salt did a number on everything .....after a lot of sanding , grinding and painting I have it good again. i would not take it until the roads are free of salt and able to get some paint on your new coach...
hope this helps
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Old 11-20-2021, 12:41 AM   #10
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Monday we start our hardly any plans winter
trip. We only have to be in Tennessee xmas, South Carolina new years eve, Indian Well Tennis in March
Who ever recommended protect all thanks.
Had some black streaks & all gone !
The stuff is amazing
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Old 11-20-2021, 12:45 AM   #11
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We've traveling quite a few miles in the winter. It's good to be off the road and setup before it gets dark, remember many campgrounds are seasonal and may not be open during the winter months, and be prepared to spend a couple days from time to time enjoying the surroundings if the weather gets bad and you need to wait it out.
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Old 11-20-2021, 04:15 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Scubawise View Post
Monday we start our hardly any plans winter
trip. We only have to be in Tennessee xmas, South Carolina new years eve, Indian Well Tennis in March
Who ever recommended protect all thanks.
Had some black streaks & all gone !
The stuff is amazing


Just ordered some from Amazon thanks
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Old 11-20-2021, 04:20 AM   #13
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Sounds like you have plenty of time. So, don't start until the you have a snow free window on your route south. Don't know if you have tank heaters and such so the cold temps will be a challenge. We went from Clifton Park I90 west then down to Columbus Louisville to get to warmer weather. Memphis the I 40 West. Pretty much clear sailing until Flagstaff area....as potential snow. It is a La Nina year so we in the west are expecting a lot of rai/snow this year.


Tank heater and propane furnace planning on bringing e- heaters as well
Thanks
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Old 11-20-2021, 04:24 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by Mousemate View Post
I ended up accepting mine in February years ago..
It was about a hour and a half drive on snowing and salted roads.. i learned a hard lesson on that Moryde and Thor do not recoat the frames or any of the steel on the chassis and the body after welding and assemble... Low and behold the salt did a number on everything .....after a lot of sanding , grinding and painting I have it good again. i would not take it until the roads are free of salt and able to get some paint on your new coach...
hope this helps


Wow I have Zbart under coating and ceramic pro on my wife’s truck $3000 to do the RV ..ouch now I know it’s worth it
Thanks
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Old 11-20-2021, 04:28 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by airforceret View Post
We've traveling quite a few miles in the winter. It's good to be off the road and setup before it gets dark, remember many campgrounds are seasonal and may not be open during the winter months, and be prepared to spend a couple days from time to time enjoying the surroundings if the weather gets bad and you need to wait it out.


Thank you we’ll keep that in mind
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Old 11-20-2021, 04:29 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by MJC62 View Post
I have driven a small B+ in the winter, word to the wise if it starts snowing get off the road ASAP. When the 23' Gulfstream started sliding around on slick roads it was pucker driving. I wouldn't want to try my hand at driving our 30' class A on slick roads.
If you don't have to make a reservation then just pull off and wait for the salt trucks do their jobs.


Thank you
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Old 11-23-2021, 02:32 AM   #17
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This is all well intended advice and probably really good. But I’d say just go! As long as the roads are safe enough to drive on you’ll be fine. Bring a couple of small electric heaters, keep the propane tank filled as much as you can and enjoy the trip. If it’s too cold for water just leave the coach winterized and use bottled water for drinking. In cold like that stay in parks with open “facilities” and use them instead of your own. Likely it will only be a few nights until you get somewhere warm enough to unwinterize. It’s all part of the adventure. I’ve driven on snowy, slushy roads where the coach gets white with salt. Just keep going and soon enough you’ll be driving in some warm rain and it’ll all get washed or dissolved off. It’s a truck chassis and it’ll be fine. Enjoy your travels!
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Old 11-23-2021, 02:56 AM   #18
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This is all well intended advice and probably really good. But I’d say just go! As long as the roads are safe enough to drive on you’ll be fine. Bring a couple of small electric heaters, keep the propane tank filled as much as you can and enjoy the trip. If it’s too cold for water just leave the coach winterized and use bottled water for drinking. In cold like that stay in parks with open “facilities” and use them instead of your own. Likely it will only be a few nights until you get somewhere warm enough to unwinterize. It’s all part of the adventure. I’ve driven on snowy, slushy roads where the coach gets white with salt. Just keep going and soon enough you’ll be driving in some warm rain and it’ll all get washed or dissolved off. It’s a truck chassis and it’ll be fine. Enjoy your travels!
I am with you. Just a matter of not having a firm timeline. We go over the Siskiyou Mountains to California. It gets lots of snow often and the passes on I 5 close a few times a year due to snow. We just stop and wait if needed.
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Old 11-24-2021, 03:12 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Pete'sMH View Post
This is all well intended advice and probably really good. But I’d say just go! As long as the roads are safe enough to drive on you’ll be fine. Bring a couple of small electric heaters, keep the propane tank filled as much as you can and enjoy the trip. If it’s too cold for water just leave the coach winterized and use bottled water for drinking. In cold like that stay in parks with open “facilities” and use them instead of your own. Likely it will only be a few nights until you get somewhere warm enough to unwinterize. It’s all part of the adventure. I’ve driven on snowy, slushy roads where the coach gets white with salt. Just keep going and soon enough you’ll be driving in some warm rain and it’ll all get washed or dissolved off. It’s a truck chassis and it’ll be fine. Enjoy your travels!


Thanks so much
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Old 11-24-2021, 03:40 AM   #20
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All will great.
We just drove through MT WY SD NE CO..was 32 in WY
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