What are they thinking?

[SeaCat]

This afternoon I was putting in some extra anchors around my trailer. Now this isn't that easy, these are four and a half foot long spade blade screws. It was hot, it ws dirty and I was sweating my ass off when I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

I turned to find some guy standing there sweating through his button down shirt and gray trousers. He politely told me he had just bought a trailer across the street and was curious about what I was doing.

I was glad for the break and explained that these anchors were for extra straps and cables I was going to run over my roof in the even of a storm. He listened to this and looked at the Shutters on my place then asked if I thought these precautions were needed.

Hello? We're living in the middle of Hurricane Alley and he's asking if I think these precautions are needed?

The kicker was when he left. I got a glimps of his Tags. Unbelievably they were Florida Tags and the car wasn't a rental.

Is this guy dense or am I missing something?

Cat

 

[rgraham666]

This afternoon I was putting in some extra anchors around my trailer. Now this isn't that easy, these are four and a half foot long spade blade screws. It was hot, it ws dirty and I was sweating my ass off when I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

I turned to find some guy standing there sweating through his button down shirt and gray trousers. He politely told me he had just bought a trailer across the street and was curious about what I was doing.

I was glad for the break and explained that these anchors were for extra straps and cables I was going to run over my roof in the even of a storm. He listened to this and looked at the Shutters on my place then asked if I thought these precautions were needed.

Hello? We're living in the middle of Hurricane Alley and he's asking if I think these precautions are needed?

The kicker was when he left. I got a glimps of his Tags. Unbelievably they were Florida Tags and the car wasn't a rental.

Is this guy dense or am I missing something?

Cat

I vote for dense.

Remember Cat. Half the population is at the lower end of the Bell Curve.

 

[Vermilion]

He might be new to the area and he'd bought a car but not lived there long...
You never know.

Also, some people have an unshakeable faith in the security of their environment, y'know - the 'bad things don;t happen to me' type of people...

x
V

 

[3113]

I vote for dense.

Remember Cat. Half the population is at the lower end of the Bell Curve.

Only half?

 

[N0madS0uL]

No comment.

 

[oggbashan]

I used to run the reception and shop on a holiday caravan site. It was on a plateau about half a mile inland from the sea and winter gales were (and are) strong from the North.

The site management offered a package for winterproofing the caravans that were owned by the holiday makers and sited on leased plots. For about 100 dollars (£50) the site would chain the caravans down to ground anchors, drain the water systems to avoid frost damage, and temporarily repair any leaks that might occur in the closed season.

The caravans cost from £14,000 to £30,000 when new. Yet only one-third of the caravan owners would pay the £50 fee for winter protection. Some few chained the caravans down themselves but most just didn't bother.

Every winter between three and ten caravans were damaged beyond repair by high winds. None of those who had paid the £50 suffered anything except minor cosmetic damage. Some people just believe "It won't happen to me".

Og

 

[mikey2much]

It depends on when your trailer was built

Hi,

If your trailer was built before 1996 then the tie downs will not be much use to you. The building codes for mobile homes were upgraded after the Andrew hurricane hit south Fla and exposed the shoddy building codes. Since then the trailers have held up as well as conventional houses. At least that is what the building inspector told me when he was inspecting my footings.

If you trailer was build before 96 then you don't have anything solid to tie down. A strong wind would dismember your walls even if they were tied down to the stakes in the ground.

I hope this is not bad news for you.
mikey

 

[SeaCat]

Hi,

If your trailer was built before 1996 then the tie downs will not be much use to you. The building codes for mobile homes were upgraded after the Andrew hurricane hit south Fla and exposed the shoddy building codes. Since then the trailers have held up as well as conventional houses. At least that is what the building inspector told me when he was inspecting my footings.

If you trailer was build before 96 then you don't have anything solid to tie down. A strong wind would dismember your walls even if they were tied down to the stakes in the ground.

I hope this is not bad news for you.
mikey

Hey Mikey,

I've heard this too, 1996 is when they created the windzone codes. On the other hand I'm living in a 1969 Statesman that was put on this site in 1975. (In other words it has gone through more than a couple of storms with no damage.)

Then again I have also done and am doing quite a bit of work on the place. By the start of the season all windows will have full shutters. I now have cables(3) running up and over the roof to anchors. I also have two wide cargo straps that will be run over the roof when a storm is coming in. (All cables and straps are attached to four and a half foot blade anchors.) This is in addition to the underbody straps. (The first thing that fails on Trailers is the roof. The wind gets under the eaves and lifts it right off. Something we call Sardine Canning. The cables and straps prevent this. An old trick from New England.)

The next step is I'm opening the walls from the inside. I'm doing this because I am not only replacing the paneling but I'm also inspecting the wall studs. Any that need it will be replaced. I will also be taking the small amount of time to bolt in brackets for extra studs. (My plan is to double the number of studs in the walls.)

Cat

 

[mikey2much]

sounds like you have the plan to deal with bad weather

Hi Cat,

Sounds like you got your shit together on this thing. The only other thing that I might look at would be the skirting around the bottom of your trailer.
They use very weak plastic panels for that and a good wind will rip them right out leaving a place for the wind to get under your trailer and lift it up. If you had the bucks I think concrete blocks would do nicely. If money is an issue with you as it is with me then half inch plywood might work also if it was nailed to a 2x4 frame.

Just a thought, lots of luck. Maybe all the storms will miss us with the wind but still give us the rain. I got my fingers crossed.
mikey

 

[SeaCat]

Hi Cat,

Sounds like you got your shit together on this thing. The only other thing that I might look at would be the skirting around the bottom of your trailer.
They use very weak plastic panels for that and a good wind will rip them right out leaving a place for the wind to get under your trailer and lift it up. If you had the bucks I think concrete blocks would do nicely. If money is an issue with you as it is with me then half inch plywood might work also if it was nailed to a 2x4 frame.

Just a thought, lots of luck. Maybe all the storms will miss us with the wind but still give us the rain. I got my fingers crossed.
mikey

Mikey,

The skirting on my place is a nice stone latticework. It is quite solid and allows the wind to get in without being too strong.

I have a strong respect for Momma Nature. (I grew up in New England dealing with Nor'Easters which to my mind are scarier than anything else.) I know how to protect myself and am doing what I can to minimize the risks. (This includes things like Extra Anchors, Nor'Easter Straps and shutters.) I even have drainage ditches in place.

One of the tricks from up north is the extra studs. Now this is not as simple as you mght expect. These studs are slotted for the stringers and are placed right against the outer skins.

Okay, a little information is needed here. The outer skins of Mobile Homes are screwed into stringers attached to the outside of the studs. Without taking off the outer skin I can't get to the stringers to attach them to the extra studs. Instead I cut slots into the new studs so they fit over the stingers and are flush against the outer skin.

Now I go outside and put in verticle rows of screws, attaching the skin directly to the new studs and increasing the strength of the Trailer.

While I'm doing this I'm also removing the old bagged Cellulose insulation with several inches of Styrofoam insulation. I'm also re-doing the wiring.)

Once I'm done with this I'll start on the ceilings. (Yes I'll reinforce the roof anchors as well as redoing the insulation.)

It's a bit of work but for me it's well worth it.

Cat