popeye59
Zion ,IL
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So I’m about done getting the Roo ready for winter and a thought occurred to me… I wonder what the snow load limit for the roof of my trailer is. I am going to be putting a Tyvek cover on it but it will not be under a rigid roof structure. Need I be worried?
Frank and Jean
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LEMII
Jonesborough, TN
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The density of most snow is about 10% of that of water; that is about 6.25 pounds per cubic foot. If you take into account wind force, that can increase to about 12.5 pounds/cubic foot.
You need to know the load rating per square foot for your camper's roof; I have no idea what this is, but the manufacturer should be able to tell you.
Let's say it's 10 lbs./square foot, then 10 lbs./square foot divided by 12.5 lbs./cubic foot equals 0.8 feet of snow (9.6"); you'll want a factor of safety of say 2 so divide the result by 2, thus your camper should be safe under 4.8" of snow.
To summarize, divide the live load (LL) rating in pounds per square foot by 12.5 pounds per cubic foot and multiple by 12 to get the thickness of snow in inches. Divide this by two for a factor of safety.
LL (lbs/sq.ft). / 12.5 (lbs/cubic ft) X 12 inches/foot / 2
Here are some numbers:
Live load rating----->Inches of Snow
1----->.48
2----->.96
3----->1.44
4----->1.92
5----->2.4
6----->2.88
10----->4.8
15----->7.2
20----->9.6
25----->12
Again, this is dependent upon the manufacturer's load rating for your roof. If you don't get much wind, then you could probably use a snow density of 8 lbs/cubic foot and be safe. That's your call though.
Good luck.
* This post was
edited 11/11/09 06:41am by LEMII *
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nny12972
NY
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Not unless you get a lot of snow!!! FWIW: Typical lake-effect snowfalls early and late winter (they have more moisture) can easily exceed build-specs if you don't clean it off...CAREFULLY!
J
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kknowlton
Wisconsin Border Country, IL
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Popeye, we're in your general area and so far haven't felt the need to clear the camper roof of snow, even during the last 2 winters. (I did consider it from time to time, but by the time I got really worried, we'd have a melting period.) I believe I also called our (local) dealer to ask if we should, and they said not to worry about it with the amounts we had. There seems to have been no damage to the trailer. We also use a cover - good move around here, I think.
Maybe if you lived downwind of the lake, I'd say you should plan to get up there a couple times during the winter & clear it off. Otherwise just keep an eye on it. If you get too nervous, then go up & clear it off, but use a broom, not a snow shovel, to avoid damage to the roof - and be careful not to slide off!
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popeye59
Zion ,IL
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Good idea about using a broom vs shovel. I'm gonna call the dealer we bought it at to see what they say. I'm sure they have to consider the same thing as their stock sits outside too, and uncovered at that.
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Chuck_S
Broadview Hts, OH, USA
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The load spreads out evenly, but is still significant. Don't put your stabilizers down as the snow weight can damage them as the suspension compresses from the extra weight, especially if your tires lose pressure throughout the winter.
A good rule of thumb for snow weight is 1 pound per inch of depth per square foot.
My Roo roof is approximately 8' x 20' or 160 square feet. An inch of snow will add 160 pounds to the roof. No big deal. A foot of snow, however, will add a ton (!) of snow! (OK, 1920 pounds, but this is rule of thumb!)
At one ton per foot of snow you really need to remove it if it starts to get deep.
Very wet snow will be much heavier. The main danger from this snow is early and late snowfalls. We had severe damage to our boat cover frame and the branches were all stripped off one of my backyard flowering trees 20 years ago or so, but these are rare occurrences.
-- Chuck
'06 Roo 23SS behind '07 Expedition out of Cleveland
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skipnchar
Topeka Kansas USA
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Look around your area and see what RV dealers do about the problem. In MOST areas the answer is "nothing". They don't use covers either  Good luck / skip
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Sailbad
Oklahoma City
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In reading what the guys in Canada are doing I found a few hints.
While they are concerned with snow load, their real concern seems to be ice caused by the freeze, thaw cycle. They place a board length wise on the roof creating a tent effect. That lets the water run off rather than re freezing and causing damage around the roof edges or between the awning and the body of the trailer.
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mwebber78
Maine
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Snow load is a concern. Maybe the dealer who answers "don't worry about it" isn't concerned that with heavy snow you are exceeding the axle and CC of the trailer itself?
Our dealer cleans their roofs at anything over a 1' of snow. They use a foam wedge that used/new car dealers use, it won't break anything or scratch.
Michael 
2 DD's and my DW 
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Chuck_S
Broadview Hts, OH, USA
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The axle and cargo carrying carrying capacities are not applicable when the trailer is stationary, only while it is on the road.
-- Chuck
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