Heading up toward Munising >>>I ran into a squaw that had winds of 35-50 MPH.<<< There were times my enclosed trailer was 60 degrees from center line of the Expedition. Electric trailer brakes brought it back to C/L. A manual tap here and a tap there saved my bacon many times. I hate black ice.
Nash....I won't steal your thunder here...have at it!
Back on topic!
Come on man....when you have 40-50 mph cross winds on ice....time to use the cranium for more than a helmet holder!
No trip is worth killing yourself for...no matter how badly you want to ride! You can put that sled way back or all the way forward, it won't matter much...that big SAIL behind you will be moving opposite the wind direction and I don't care if you are using a Mack truck....there are times to decide how important is your life....would your family miss you....can your boss replace you within a few days....do you have lots of life insurance?
Pulling in snow is different...ice is a whole nuther thing...and I have seen lots of roll over accidents to confirm what can happen in bad conditions and two way roads.
Your brain was telling you something and thank goodness you responded and turned around...only a knucklehead would have kept going.
What you have to learn about a covered cargo trailer (and I own two of them and they both respond the same) is that if there is a high cross wind, you can lose it same as something tugging crosswise on the trailer hitch of your tow vehicle. If that happens, you are gone unless you are crawling along. Winds don't last for long periods...usually hours, rarely more than a day. If you are up riding....use a sick day...if you are about to leave wait a few hours. Safety ALWAYS has to measure in a trip and getting there and back in one piece should be at the top of the agenda. Not preaching here...just reminding everyone that there is a heavy price to pay for ignoring laws of physics... and I have seen empty 18 wheelers tip up on 1 set of wheels crossing the mackinaw bridge in a good cross wind as there is some real surface area being pushed by the wind.
It sounds like you have one sled in a huge trailer.....and if that is the case, you might actually consider adding weight to it for future marginal trips....sandbags stacked up on the windward side front to back will add weight to the rig and load to the tongue of the trailer. Slow down if it gets windy...consider tracking your towing machine slightly out of the two track ice strips that invariably develop on the road, to provide it more traction. But use common sense and remember that there is no shame in waiting out a blow for awhile if it means you get there in one piece and or can get back home to go another day.
