52' Motorhome

J-Rooster wrote:

msturtz wrote:
Washington State allows motorhomes up to 46' max overall length. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.44.030
"It is unlawful for any person to operate upon the public highways of this state any vehicle having an overall length, with or without load, in excess of forty feet. This restriction does not apply to (1) a municipal transit vehicle, (2) auto stage, private carrier bus, school bus, or motor home with an overall length not to exceed forty-six feet, (3) an articulated auto stage with an overall length not to exceed sixty-one feet, or (4) an auto recycling carrier up to forty-two feet in length manufactured prior to 2005."

You can tow a trailer as well but you have a maximum "combination " length of 75' including the tow vehicle. Semi trucks operate under a different rules because the "tractor " does not count towards the length I.e. you can tow a 5th wheel trailer up to 53'.

I guess it all depends on what Washington State DOT website you look at. I also got my info from a WADOT Website and it said 40'. I drove truck for 44-1/4 years and with my over length permit I was allowed to be 75 feet 6 inches. My set was 75' 3" with a long converter dolly and was only pulled over once in all them years by a female WSP Weight & Measures Officer at the Cle Elum scale house. She got out her bridge weight chart and it said I could go to 75' 6" I called her eagle eye from that point on. I believe in what you posted! I don't post anything on this website without fact to back it up.

www.dmv.org/wa-washington maximum length

msturtz wrote:
Washington State allows motorhomes up to 46' max overall length. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.44.030
"It is unlawful for any person to operate upon the public highways of this state any vehicle having an overall length, with or without load, in excess of forty feet. This restriction does not apply to (1) a municipal transit vehicle, (2) auto stage, private carrier bus, school bus, or motor home with an overall length not to exceed forty-six feet, (3) an articulated auto stage with an overall length not to exceed sixty-one feet, or (4) an auto recycling carrier up to forty-two feet in length manufactured prior to 2005."

You can tow a trailer as well but you have a maximum "combination " length of 75' including the tow vehicle. Semi trucks operate under a different rules because the "tractor " does not count towards the length I.e. you can tow a 5th wheel trailer up to 53'.

I guess it all depends on what Washington State DOT website you look at. I also got my info from a WADOT Website and it said 40'. I drove truck for 44-1/4 years and with my over length permit I was allowed to be 75 feet 6 inches. My set was 75' 3" with a long converter dolly and was only pulled over once in all them years by a female WSP Weight & Measures Officer at the Cle Elum scale house. She got out her bridge weight chart and it said I could go to 75' 6" I called her eagle eye from that point on. I believe in what you posted! I don't post anything on this website without fact to back it up.

Tom/Barb wrote:

J-Rooster wrote:
The DMV Law for Bus lengths in Washington State is 40 feet. I've seen lots of 42' RV's and the police treat them like they could care less if they are a few feet over.

That's because the Wa. DOT treats them like a box truck, they can be up to 75 feet in combination.

I once had to prove this to a local LEO.

Thanks Tom, I wasn't aware of that!

53' is allowed for a commercial truck, but I bet when it gets converted to an RV that the regular camping trailer length limits kick in.

msmith1199 wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
We traveled through the Yukon to Anchorage, AK, in a 40 ft. bus with an accordion at the back of the bus making it 65-70 ft long. The front 2/3rd's was seating for passengers, the back 1/3rd was a lounge/bar area with a nice bathroom in the back. I'm sure you folks have seen those city buses with the accordion? This was back in 1997 so the actual length is a little blurry and this was before we got 'into' motor-homing so I wasn't quite in tune with it.

It was an eleven day trip with stops at hotels in the evening. We had a 'lead-car' with a big sign attached to the roof saying 'wide load' or something to that effect. The roads were twisty and hilly but absolutely beautiful.

MM.

Those are called articulating busses and for length measurements they are measured like a tow vehicle with a trailer. The front part of the bus could be up to 45' and the total overall length can be up to 65' and it would be legal probably in all states.

Are you sure it isn't a 53' 5th wheel trailer? I have seen some converted 53' containers that were actually licensed as RVs. The trailer was pulled by a conventional (COE) Class 8 truck which was also licensed as a RV. The driver was using the maximum legal length and height of a semi-truck i.e. standard class 8 truck pulling a 53' 13' 6" trailer. The whole thing weighed an astonishing 80,000# gross weight. The driver had stenciled in on the side of the rig where the DOT number goes "Recreational Vehicle" or some such verbiage.

Dutch_12078 wrote:
I can't vouch for the accuracy, but here's a chart from Good Sam giving the size limits by state as of the time the list was compiled:

Size Limits - United States

so why couldn't a person title it in Montana and use it all over? Did no one else watch that show and catch what they said?

Boxer Lovers wrote:
The Provost conversion appears to be a 45' er. Maybe they have a matching trailer they tow?

they clearly said 52', maybe those big mirrors and bike rack on the back:)

I can't vouch for the accuracy, but here's a chart from Good Sam giving the size limits by state as of the time the list was compiled:

Size Limits - United States

cochise49 wrote:
A lot of oversize vehicles on the road. Maybe it is just a matter of permitting for each trip. Saw a 52 foot long 5er in a Sparks, NV park. Not including the tow vehicle. Total must have been at least 70 feet. Owner/driver said he never had a problem except parking it.

And there's the issue. If you owned a 53' motorhome in California, you could legally drive it with an oversize vehicle permit and assuming you comply with all the restrictions that come along with that permit. Or you could just drive it anyway and take your chances. I doubting that anybody who has one is getting a permit every time they want to take it someplace.

In almost any state that I am aware of, anything over 45 feet in a single vehicle is illigal. There are ARTICULATED buses that are 50 + feet, but no one makes an articulated moho except by special order.
Wayne07Scepter