# Snow Load / Removal



## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

as is the case with many other parts of the country, my area has had a record breaking JAN in terms of total snowfall. back to back to back storms dumped 57" of snow here according to the official stats, smashing a month total dating back to DEC of 1945. in my area, it was more like 65" for the month of JAN.









i do not, and have never covered any of my trailers. i had about 3ft. of compacted snow and ice on the roof, and man it just looked heavy. there is / has been rain in the forecast here now as well, and that would make that snow load a giant sponge. several schools have closed around here for the last couple of days, not for bad roads, but for roof concerns and snow removal. so on SAT, i set out to get that snow off. it took me 3 hours to carefully rake it off, and another good 3 hours to use the bucket loader to move and clear the snow away from the sides of the trailer. we are going into another deep freeze, and if i left it piled up against the trailer, it would just turn to ice blocks resting against the lower sides of it.

so for ha ha's, i took a before and after measurement from the pavement to the lowest point on the wheel skirting / fender. the trailer rose almost 2 inches. doing some rough math based on NOAA stats for snow weight, i figure there was at least 3 tons of snow up there. the CCC of my unit is about 1400lbs, now static snow load and dynamic CCC are not apples to apples, but no two ways about it, that trailer was way overloaded. and it was only gonna get worse before it got better, and sit there compressing the suspension for another 2 months......







i am glad that OB uses crowned steel roof trusses over wooden trusses. and i wish i took the time to snap some shots on the digital camera. i always just get going and forget to grab the damn camera.









i feel really bad for anyone (like my buddy at work) who stores their rig at an outside storage yard and can't remove the snow from the roof. there will be some insurance claims this spring, i think. i have plenty of space, so paying for inside storage is not an option for me, and i also want access to the trailer throughout the winter for mods / maintenance.

granted, this winter is a two plus standard deviation event, but it could be that we are in for a series of snowier than average winters around here like in the 70's. i think next year i am gonna devise a quick deploy tarp system that i can put on ahead of a storm. that way i can rake the tarp off rather than the rubber roof, and take the tarp off after the storm. i do not want to cover the trailer all winter, as i feel even "breathable" covers trap moisture. the roof is made to take the elements, and i do not want any moisture retention to develop into delamination issues.


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## AK or Bust (Nov 22, 2010)

willingtonpaul said:


> as is the case with many other parts of the country, my area has had a record breaking JAN in terms of total snowfall. back to back to back storms dumped 57" of snow here according to the official stats, smashing a month total dating back to DEC of 1945. in my area, it was more like 65" for the month of JAN.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Woah ... that's a crazy amount of weight on your OB. I can't imagine dealing with that much snow and especially with more on the way !!!







Makes me thankful living in Florida.


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

I have found it easier to have my trailer plugged in and have the electric heaters running for a weekend. I melted most of the snow/ice and the rest slid off the roof on its own. I go check on my trailer on a weekly basis if I am not out in it, and with all the snow I have drifted in around it I cannot get it out, but I can stay in it where I have it stored and it has taken about a day to get each snow off the roof.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

I built a framework consisting of four 2 x 6 legs near the four corners of the trailer, then a 2 x 6 cross beam from side to side. Centered on the crossers are 2x6 posts supporting a 22 foot 2 x 6 ridge board. All weight is supported from the ground. I tied a 26' x 46' pool cover over the framework and down to the skirt of the trailer. The teepee over the trailer has close to a 45 degree pitch. As soon as the snow gets about 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep, it just slides off the tarp.

My insurance doesn't cover snow load damage, and I also was concerned about the forces of water/snow freezing in and around everything on the trailer. While we only have less than two feet of snow on the ground, I'm still glad none of that is sitting on my trailer.

I think with the large open area under the tarp, there should be enough air movement. That said, I plan to remove the tarp as soon as I think the threat of a serious snowfall is past. (probably end of March)

I covered our last trailer in a similar fashion, for two winters, and believe the trailer was better off than if it had been uncovered. The first year, when I removed the tarp, I noticed that one of the vinyl screw cover strips had shrunk back from the top, leaving close to a foot of exposed screws in the trim that wraps up onto the roof. I'm glad it didn't have snow and ice sitting on it all winter.


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

duggy said:


> I built a framework consisting of four 2 x 6 legs near the four corners of the trailer, then a 2 x 6 cross beam from side to side. Centered on the crossers are 2x6 posts supporting a 22 foot 2 x 6 ridge board. All weight is supported from the ground. I tied a 26' x 46' pool cover over the framework and down to the skirt of the trailer. The teepee over the trailer has close to a 45 degree pitch. As soon as the snow gets about 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep, it just slides off the tarp.
> 
> My insurance doesn't cover snow load damage, and I also was concerned about the forces of water/snow freezing in and around everything on the trailer. While we only have less than two feet of snow on the ground, I'm still glad none of that is sitting on my trailer.
> 
> ...


for next year, i am either gonna do something like this or create a roll up / retractable cover than is connected to the bumper. i have a few designs in mind along the lines of a roll up swimming pool thermal blanket setup.


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

outback loft said:


> I have found it easier to have my trailer plugged in and have the electric heaters running for a weekend. I melted most of the snow/ice and the rest slid off the roof on its own. I go check on my trailer on a weekly basis if I am not out in it, and with all the snow I have drifted in around it I cannot get it out, but I can stay in it where I have it stored and it has taken about a day to get each snow off the roof.


i was thinking about this as well. i can keep the trailer plugged in right in the yard. i would most likely want to do something like this if i put solar panels on the roof.....

do you run your heaters off your battery / solar setup, or can you plug in ?


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## spepi (Apr 12, 2010)

I look at my roof everyday...hoping it would thaw out a little, just so I can get some snow off of it. I like the idea of turning the heat on for a bit, but I take the battery out, and trickle charge for the winter, and I cant even get to the 30AMP plug....


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## bobTHEbuilder (Jan 4, 2011)

Holly crap..... That's insane, we have ours covered most of the snow stays off of it from how the wind carries through the trees so that
usually saves us from having to get sweaty trying to clean it all off.


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

willingtonpaul said:


> I have found it easier to have my trailer plugged in and have the electric heaters running for a weekend. I melted most of the snow/ice and the rest slid off the roof on its own. I go check on my trailer on a weekly basis if I am not out in it, and with all the snow I have drifted in around it I cannot get it out, but I can stay in it where I have it stored and it has taken about a day to get each snow off the roof.


i was thinking about this as well. i can keep the trailer plugged in right in the yard. i would most likely want to do something like this if i put solar panels on the roof.....

do you run your heaters off your battery / solar setup, or can you plug in ?
[/quote]

Depending on if I want to run a cord 75 feet, I will either run an electric heater off the electric, or I will spend the weekend at the storage place and just run the propane. The thing I can say as that because of my sloped roof, the snow and ice slides off a bit easier that most. It just has to work its way around all the obstacles of maxair cover, a/c unit, solar panels, antenna, refrigerator vent, etc.


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