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Do vans ever blow over? I know they would in a hurricane but in normal UK "high winds" with all the legs down does it happen??

My parents are currently staying on Castlerigg hall park in their van and convinced it will!

I've been through some pretty big gales when we used to stay on the cliff top in Pembrokeshire and I must admit I have stayed awake some nights thinking 'this is it'! but we never blew over....I did park the 4 x 4 in front sometimes to deflect the wind over the caravan!

KatieB

Even if they don't turn over it can be pretty frightening as you are buffeted by the wind. We were once on the CC Whitehouse Beach site on the seafront section. We had, had 3 wonderful sunny calm days but then the wind came up. In the end we moved to the inland part of the site which was much calmer. However to your main point I have not seen any evidence that vans regularly turn over just in strong winds you really do have to have a big storm for the risk to increase. We have also done what Katie suggests, parked the car on the windwood side of the van.

David

We were at North Ledaig about 3 years ago, and there was a hurricane, with 120mph gusts.  It was really odd, in the afternoon, the temperature rose dramatically, and then the wind came. Never experienced anything like it.

We were right on the sea shore, and I really wasn't sure we were going to stay upright, but we did.  No caravans were blown over at all, but of course, all the awnings were gone in the morning.

Probably more stable than you think.

Jim

It takes something very unusual. Like this...

At Sandymouth bay they chain the static caravans down!  Gulp.

Ali

No, it would take a massive gust to knock a tourer over, the weight is mostly very low down and even the long sides don't present enough of a sail to the wind.

In a storm that blew several unsecured Statics over in the next field, my van and awning survived all but unscathed, of 20 odd other vans, all bar one other lost their awnings but none of the vans were as much as twisted slighty around by the wind

I love being in the van in bad weather, especially wind and heavy rain providing we have taken the awning down first!!!

I just like being all cosy in the van and looking out the windows

Never thought of it blowing over! Like Gary says all the weight is low down, we have once had to tie the awning to the car to stop it blowing away as the pegs kept flying out once, that wasn't fun!

Once spent a very stormy night at Portpatrick on the west coast - 23 miles from Ireland.  Just me and the dogs with OH stuck at work.

Older dog used to be frightened of the wind but, now he's deaf he doesn't know anything about it and it doesn't worry him! 

I spent the night face down, holding on to the mattress of the fixed bed!  Quite what help I thought that would be if the 'van was blown over I don't know  but it made me feel slightly less bad at the time!

As with other posts, I had moved the car - nice, comforting 2 and three-quarter tonnes of Land Rover Discovery - so it blocked the worst of the wind from hitting the 'van but the wind seemed to change direction every 20 minutes.

Anyway, we all survived the night and I think I slept most of the next (glorious) day I was so tired from the night before.

Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 24/3/2009

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At Sandymouth bay they chain the static caravans down!  Gulp.

Ali

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lol yeah noramlly note a reassuring sight to see, however if they are coastal sites, they are chained down to stop them floating off when it floads!!! Seems statics do that, and cause more problems, so chaining them down prevents this, and deters people from stealing them! Yes as hard as it is to imagine, even statics get nicked!

My parents used to have a static caravan at Morfa site in Conwy, About 25 years ago they had gales that came over the mountain and destroyed virtually all the vans on site,the best of it is they were also chained down with a 5ft steel stake in each corner.

So can they blow over ????   yes they sure can  

bessie     

Quote: Originally posted by kamon1305 on 24/3/2009

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my question is will it happen at 50 mph on the motorway?

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