I'll be leaving on Dec 20/21 from Florida to Elverston Pennsylvania (French Creek State Park) and I think it will be really cold or possibly snowing and never driven a motorhome on snow before, I would like to know if you can share what should I be paying attention to (I do know that I will be needing to pay attention to the engine heater before I start the engine but this is pretty much all I know)
All experiences and recommendations are welcome.
Juan
No advice on driving your Newell in snow, but pay attention to washing your coach off. Particularly the under carriage as they use lots of salt on the roads.
Make sure your jake brake is off. Or you could inadvertently skid the rear tires by lifting the throttle. 5X what Steve said about washing the salt off
Be sure your air supply has the storage tanks drained and if it really cold you might want to ad some air antifreeze to the air system. Newell are like the old greyhounds that went in all kind of weather. I have passed the snowplows when going up north snowmobiling. Going is good it's the stopping that can be a problem. Been several times in below 0 temp in my 89 and 96 with no problem other than the air systems until I learn to get and keep the water out.
Driving on snow isn't bad as long as you go very slowly and don't make any sudden changes in acceleration/deceleration or steering. Ice is a major issue. On ice, a Newell, or any motorcoach, is an accident waiting to happen. The least application of brakes or steering can result in the tires losing adhesion. If there is ice on the road, I stay parked. I know we have more adventurous owners here that take their coaches into snow country regularly so I look forward to hearing what they have to say.
This is invaluable help, thank you SO much for all your replies. How do I drain the air supply storage tanks? I've seen a couple of steel cables that I vaguely remember the PO telling me that they were to drain some tanks, maybe this is it? How do I find which one is the right one? There are like 3 or 4 cables that you can pull. Oh and how/were do I put the air anti freeze?
I know that this may sound stupid but how do you know when there is ice instead of snow on the road? I used to have a car that had a nice alarm when the conditions were favorable for ice/snow but I don't have that on my beloved Newell.
Again, I can't thank enough your advice, guys.
Fluffy snow good, a flat glaze of ice not good. Icing typically occurs when the temperatures have risen enough that the snow has melted then refrozen forming ice. If the roads have been sanded or salted and it hasn't rained on top of it, you should be OK if you drive slowly. Heavily traveled roads are more likely to be free of ice (other than bridges and elevated sections) than less well traveled roads. At night the slush will refreeze and become ice. Sunshine and lots of traffic to keep the streets heated up are your friends.
The cables are likely air tank drain releases. Probably one in the back (wet tank) and two in the front (front and rear brake air tanks).
This may be laughable to the northern brothers. But, having driven in both northern and southern snow, let me comment that southern snow is WAY more difficult to drive in. Here is why. The nothern snow is dry mostly and the temps are usually well below freezing. The snow actually isn't too tricky to drive in. Southern snow is a different beast. Why, cause it is usually just below freezing when it snows, the snow is wet, and the first tire to compress the wet snow turns it into ice, no longer snow. Add to that the temp is close to 32 and the top layer of the compacted ice is now wet. Real fun and games.
Be careful.
We also take the coach for the family Christmas tour. When we lived in West Virginia, there were some interesting moments on the WV turnpike going home through the pass in Beckely.
Grew up in North Dakota and worked my way through school driving semi's, so I've got a fairly good handle on the driving on snow business. THE most dangerous thing out there is black ice. When it is just below freezing, it forms on the road and is virtually impossible to see. If it's black and shiny on the roadway, be very very careful. It looks like wet asphalt.
That out of the way, I'm old and fat and don't fit under the bus like I used to. Does anybody have a rig in the '98, '99 era who can tell me more specifically where these cables that can be pulled to drain the tanks might be found? In front of the front wheels? In front of the drive wheels, behind the tag axle?