# 70 Mph Wind Gusts



## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Sat early evening we had a 15 min bout with high winds and several wind gusts around 70 mph. One of them actually knocked my 25 year old son off his feet. Many trees and power lines were knocked over in the surrounding towns.

As for me. I keep my Challenger in a tent garage in my yard which is staked down as best can be. One of the gusts lifted the entire tent garage up and over a 6 ft fence and dumped it upside down on the other side. The back of the car was actually touching the rear flap of the tent. Now for the lucky part. It lifted so fast and high, it never touched the car! In fact it was also only 3 feet from my son s car trailer and it did not touch it either.

When I bought this Cover-it garage it came with a few bolts. I bought many more and bolted every joint together so if the canvas ever failed, the pipes would stay together. That fact probably saved my car because the entire thing went as one unit up and over. Also there was a tree behind the tent that was starting to not look great so I cut it down last year. If the tree was still there, it would have blocked the path the tent took and dropped it on the car. So I lost a 300 dollar tent garage but my 73 Challenger never recieved a scratch, in fact since the rain had stopped, it did not even get wet. I would definitely say I was Lucky.









John










Here is how it used to look, the tree that appears to be at the R R corner is the one I took down and you can see the 6 ft fence.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Very lucky!

I think you should run out and get yourself a lottery ticket!!


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Sure sounds LUCKY to me - I agree - - - - GO GET THOSE LOTTERY TICKETS!!

Several years ago, we got one of those "tent garages" for over the dog kennel. It was PERFECT....for a day! I came home from work one afternoon, took the boys out to the yard and looked back at the house...to find the tent UPSIDE DOWN - - - but, yes, all intact. Problem was that one leg was through the screening on the porch and the other leg was UNDER the porch. That was an 10' spread...for an 8' span between legs. the fabric was basically ok ... as were most of the joints ... it was the significant crimp in the legs (and the one joint) that was the problem.


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

John I have the same cover-it for my boat and if I remember correctly the instructions say they make good kites. I have 4 ancors in the ground and in the winter I also tie it from the center down to the frame of the trailer as a bonus 3 years and it hasn't blown away. But who cares about the tent as long as the Challenger didn't get scratch.

JOHN


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## Dark Green Dmax (Aug 2, 2005)

How would like to come home from camping to find your RV awning in you front yard???
This happened last spring with sustained 50-60mph winds. Insurance paid for a new one (replacement cost) & gave me the old one. I was able to salvage & Reuse the frame. The awning co. Put it back up for me w/all new sheet metal, but this time it's now anchored with concrete (4ft. deep) piers + The west wall is all sheet metal now(the eastside is already against an existing shed). I also cut off about a foot off the legs,...they were 12ft. tall to start with. Now it's a bit lower, i did't need quite that much height. The west side is solid wall now, The rear has a gable + the east side has a 4ft. wall across it from the the roof down( the shed that it's against is only 22ft...the awning is 35ft). 
When i get time i'll snap a coupleof pics of the New & improved Awning & post them


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

D/G/D, that's EXACTLY why Puff doesn't have a roof yet! Haven't figured out how it could be anchored well enough and in enough places to keep it from blowing down, toppling over, ripping out, and otherwise sailing away (or worse, INTO....house, camper, pond, etc.). You're land looks alot like Wolfwood...'cept I see branches....that means YOU have at least some trees







I know, I know - no trees means no branches (or trunks) to crash down...but it also means no - and I mean NO - wind break! The rest of town can be dead calm and we have a "breeze". If they have WIND - we watch the windows, doors, and roof lines!

Glad the ins. co. made it right for you...and that no other damage was done!


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## ember (Jan 17, 2008)

We regularly see these tent garages in this shape here in the Islands!! People move here, and don't appreciate how much momentum the wind can gain crossing open water!
A few years ago a wedding guest was killed at the reception when a wierd summer wind blew down a proffesionally installed rental tent, about a 1/4 mile from our house. I was working outside in the gardens, and didn't even get enough breeze/wind to do anything other than turn my face to it (I have long hair) and keep dividing daylillies!!


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

We have to use a bag of cement for each of our footers for those awning roof deals here in Colorado.. I bet if you did that it would handle 70+ winds.. Your lucky there John!

Carey


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## ALASKA PFLOCK (Jun 24, 2007)

Dark Green Dmax said:


> How would like to come home from camping to find your RV awning in you front yard???
> This happened last spring with sustained 50-60mph winds. Insurance paid for a new one (replacement cost) & gave me the old one. I was able to salvage & Reuse the frame. The awning co. Put it back up for me w/all new sheet metal, but this time it's now anchored with concrete (4ft. deep) piers + The west wall is all sheet metal now(the eastside is already against an existing shed). I also cut off about a foot off the legs,...they were 12ft. tall to start with. Now it's a bit lower, i did't need quite that much height. The west side is solid wall now, The rear has a gable + the east side has a 4ft. wall across it from the the roof down( the shed that it's against is only 22ft...the awning is 35ft).
> When i get time i'll snap a coupleof pics of the New & improved Awning & post them


Dark Green Dmax- Crazy!


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

70MPH? That's a light breeze in the Tri-Cities! Glad you came out fairly unscathed!

We don't see many flying awnings or tents, mostly I think because winds are so common here. But I've seen a few flying trampolines and the good lord knows I've seen enough tumble weeks in my life too!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Y-Guy said:


> 70MPH? That's a light breeze in the Tri-Cities! Glad you came out fairly unscathed!
> 
> We don't see many flying awnings or tents, mostly I think because winds are so common here. But I've seen a *few flying trampolines* and the good lord knows I've seen enough tumble weeks in my life too!


Chaulk that up to newbies in the area?


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## Wade and Mendy (Mar 11, 2008)

I know from experience that trampolines can make good kites! Our neighbors had their trampoline blow from the back yard into the front yard (didn't hit the house somehow) so when we got ours I bought some heavy duty stakes and some heavy bungie cords. I put the stakes under the trampoline so no one would step on them.
After a very gusty day, I got the call at work from my wife that the trampoline was in the creek bed some 500 feet from where it was. The stakes were still in the ground, but to this day (six months later) I still haven't found even one of the bungies! They may have been launched into orbit!


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