52' Motorhome

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.

Where's the doom and gloom'ers saying it's all fine until you have an accident and then you lose everything you own if caught driving one?

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.

This discussion came up before and yes there is a company that makes 53' motorhomes. They make them on a semi-truck chassis and they know they're illegal in many states, but they make them and sell them anyway and it sounds like for the most part, law enforcement leaves them alone. At least that is the stories I saw told on various websites about people who have them and claim never to have received a ticket.

And this is one of those violations similar to double towing, where just because your RV is registered in a state where over 45' is legal, doesn't mean you can drive it in states where it is not legal.

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.

Sounds like a fish story, the fish gets bigger with each telling. I guess you could cut a bus based coach in half and add a 7' section but that is an expensive 7'.

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'.

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

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.

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.