general winter questions...

Any winter campers out there??

Do any of you have a good way of melting snow and ice off of your TMs?? (heat tape?)

Other than the ice pulling paint off, are there any other repercussions to leaving the snow and ice on the TM??
Will the weight of the ice somehow eventually cause the TM to not open and close properly?
We’re talkin’ a lot of snow, Breckenridge Colorado snow, over 4 feet this week…

Has anyone ever used a winter skirt for a TM??

I’m basically just fishing for any TM winterizing ingenuity…

Thx in advance…

[Virginia Deacon]

Good questions, Knuckledragon! We live in the middle of Virginia, so seldom have more than six inches of snow accumulation at a time; but, we once had an ice storm that brought down trees on the interstates.

I've wondered if anyone has had a foot or more of heavy snow (or even more than that) that caused structural damage to the roof of their TrailManor. It seems like the factory should have done some destructive testing to find out what the weight limit is that the roof can withstand. If I lived where there was going to be four feet of snow or more, I'd have to store my TrailManor in some sort of structure, instead of having it outside.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Virginia Deacon

It seems like the factory should have done some destructive testing to find out what the weight limit is that the roof can withstand.

Page 34 of the Owner's Manual, copied HERE, says not to allow more than a foot of wet snow to accumulate, or two feet of light fluffy snow. It also says to close the TM when snow is coming. I imagine that the shell structure is stronger when it is sitting on the walls of the lower box. Is this what you meant?

Bill

you and I are quite different Virginia Deacon...
I bought my TM w/ the intention of using it as a winter snowboarding hut...
using it mainly on weekends in the heart of the Rocky Mountains...
This is our 3rd winter renting a spot at Tiger Run Resort just outside Breckenridge...
I'm a walking winter commercial for TM...
we bought our 2007 TM new in September '06...
and have over 200 nights in it since then in the coolest places in Colorado and beyond...

so it’s been UP for the last 3 Summit County Colorado winters…
I've had a couple of feet of snow on top of it many times in the past few winters...
this week has been particularly heavy w/ well over 4 feet falling...
it helps when I spend time there so the heat from the inside melts the snow along w/ the strong sunshine but in between visits is what I'm worried about...
we know from past experience that the ice pulls the paint off, but that is not really a big deal to us (just spray paint it back)...
we have a couple of electric space heaters and they keep our rig more than toasty even in below zero temps, although a very good sleeping bag is also a key component…
I’m surprised at how well the TM holds heat…
we don't hook up the water b/c we are 100 steps away from the clubhouse where there are showers as well as an indoor pool and hot tubs and most anything you’d need...
winter camping @ Tiger Run isn’t as crazy as you might think, we’ve got cable TV, wireless internet, a million dollar view, and are about 4 miles from Breckenridge…
for those of us that prefer snow to humidity and bugs anyway…

maybe after this winter TM can send somebody to Colorado and do an inspection on my rig and write up a report from some true world winter experience…

[Virginia Deacon]

Wow! Thank you for your information about using the TrailManor in winter! Colorado is beautiful in all seasons, but Winter is special!

Warmest Regards!

But those 100 steps at 2am with a bear in the camp would be a life-changing experience.