F-TROUP
VISALIA, CALIF
Senior Member
Joined: 05/13/2007
View Profile
 Offline
|
All main telco cables are required to have 18' clearence on roads, service drops are at 18' center of road and 16' at the curb, plus 16' at driveways. So even if you hit a wire or cable with your rig the phone or power companies are libel for all repairs, unless you put a cabover camper on top of your trailer....
|
Terryallan
Foothills NC
Senior Member
Joined: 06/28/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
I believe thet 14' thing is for main highways, and not necessarily residential streets. I can say it is not for our sterrt, and there are many 11 to 12' bridges near here, and just off the interstate. The road to Marion, and main street in Lancaster SC comes to mind.
Also one night in the trailer truck. We stopped and ask the Police how to get to a warehouse. They sent us down a city street. On the way. We heard a ting.... ting.....ting......ting. Looked in upper mirrors, and we were cutting the phone lines with the exhaust stacks. So be sure your sterrt has them high enough. This is one of the reasons truck are not allowed on some city streets. If you see a sign that says no trucks. Don't go there.
As for length. Check your favorite CG for the length restrictions they have. Our fav has a limit of 34'
Terry & Shay
Pioneer 23T6
04 F150, 5.4, Lariat SuperCab
Lazy Campers
NC
|
nelsoje
Mt Airy, Maryland
Senior Member
Joined: 02/19/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Well.... Do you promise not to show this to your wife? We went from a 30' TT to a 38' 5er. Our driveway has a slope up from the road. Our TT sat fairly low and required a strategic turn to/from our driveway to avoid dragging a rear jack. We both thought that the height (13'1" overall) and the minimal increase in travel length (5er is 38' pin to bumber) would not pose any additional issue.
We were wrong. When we arrived home, I learned the hard way that I could not get into the driveway at all. After I destroyed 1 stab jack, removed the other, adjusted the hitch to the lowest position, I was able to get into the driveway with minimal dragging. We ended up installing "class A" skid wheels at the back so that we could protect our stab jacks during ingress/egress from our own driveway.
Like others have said, gas stations have not been an issue for us. My greatest concern is tree limbs on secondary streets (and over my own driveway).
In other words, yes, you will have more to worry about. The height of the rig, the amount of overhang behind the wheels, the weight, etc. To me, it is all worth it to have the floorplan that we wanted.
Lee & Jessica
Zachary, Eliza, & Violet
2009 Sierra 335QBQ, Reese 15K slider
2008 Ford F250 6.4L PSD CC SB
A few pics of our 5er Sierra 335QBQ
|
12th Man Fan
Flower Mound , Texas
Senior Member
Joined: 03/05/2009
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Mine is 12' 6" and 33' long. You have to be aware at all times but most stations are plenty high enough if they have awnings but ther are afew that are not. We were recently in Vernal utah and pulled into a Texaco that just had 12' 6" clearance.
The lower ones usually have the height posted but you must always be on your toes.
There is an underpass in Dalhart Texas that only has 13'6" clearance that is on a major hwy.
Not trying to scare you, it will be just fine as long as you don't forget about it or get complacent.
2009 GMC Duramax 4X4 DRW Crew
2005 31SKT Alumascape
|
Glen41
North Texas
Senior Member
Joined: 01/25/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
The video you probably saw was some fool at a bank drivethru ATM. Most gas stations built in the las 20 years have plenty of clearance. Just pay attention and stay away from banks.
Oh yeah, watch out for older campgrounds and state parks. don't forget to look up as well as back.
Doing my part to keep America's highways cluttered up.
2006 Chevy 3500 D/A DRW Prodigy, AirBags, 34 ft Travel Supreme
http://smartsforsale.blogspot.com
|
|
|
sailor53
Sedona, AZ
Senior Member
Joined: 06/28/2004
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
As far as low clearances, check out this site.
DW Barbara for 15 yrs
08 Ford F350 Lariat, PSD 6.4L, Ext Cab, 4X4, Line-X, DrawTite Signature 18K hitch, RDS 40 gal. Tank/Tool Box Combo, Mor/ryde RS suspension
09 Montana 3000RK, 10th Anniversary Add., Mor/Ryde suspension/pinbox, Spendide 2100XC W/D 
|
Bionic Man
Colorado
Senior Member
Joined: 04/03/2009
View Profile
|
My 5er is 32'. There are a LOT of mountain campgrounds (in the recreation.gov system) where we are severly limited on where we can go. Just because the posted length in the campsite looks like it will be long enough for your RV doesn't mean you can get into it due to the trees surrounding the spots.
We do quite a bit of camping in these types of campgrounds, and because of that I would never go over 34' in length.
2012 RAM 3500 Laramie Longhorn DRW CC 4x4 Cummins HO
2003 Dodge Ram 3500 QC SB 4x4 Cummins HO NV5600 with Smarty JR, Jacobs EB (Goodbye Old Friend)
2002 Gulf Stream Sea Hawk 29FRB with Honda EV6010
2004 Crownline 216 LS 350 MAG
|
houtrz
Lake Jackson Texas
Senior Member
Joined: 05/15/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
I"m 39' and took off on a 125 mile trip a couple of months ago. First trip. I didn't need fuel but wanted to stop at a store and pick up a couple of drinks.
Not saying it was impossible but alot harder than my bumper pull 25' trailer I used to have. I stopped at four different stores and couldn't get in. I figured out in a hurry that stopping at a truck stop was the way to go and now when I plan a trip, I have the truck stops in my sights.
|
bigdon68
Churchville, Maryland
Full Member
Joined: 10/21/2006
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
One thing I will tell you is to measure your vehicle HEIGHT and know exactly what it is. I tow a 40 ft. 5'ver that was, I thought, 13'6" high. In fact I have been under bridges that say 13'6" with no problem.
Last year while towing north I got stopped at the Hampton Roads Tunnel in Virginia. The height gauge for trucks went off and they stopped the entire interstate while the State Trooper pulled me into a checking area. They measured my rig at 13'7" -- but even more problematic was that they said you set off the overheight alarm so you are in violation. The fine, would have been $1,000 for the first violation but some good talking got me out of there with a warning.
I took this seriously and used the $1,000 I would have paid in a fine to buy a new low-profile front air conditioner (that was the culpret). Problem solved, I am now at 13'3" and I had it checked at the local State Police scale house.
Know your rig. Know exactly how high it is if you are anywhere close to 13'6"
Enjoy the road.
Bigdon68
2008 F350 CC 2WD LB 6.4 Lariat Auto SRW, Retrax, AirSafe Hitch, CB, Train Horns, On-Board air, RideRites, Aux Tank
2007 Ameri-Camp SummitRidge Reserve,40ft, Onan, MorRyde IS, Disc Brakes,17.5 Alcoa Wheels, Michelins, dual AC, Bigfoot Levelers
My Pictures
|
|
