How Wide is Too Wide

Mike@Asheville wrote:
Thanks guys, I'm amazed after all the reading I've done hear I never read about swinging the front jacks back in nor did my dealer explain that. Glad I posted this.

It didn't strike you as odd that the jacks are mounted on hinges?

It didn't strike you as odd that you couldn't see back past the camper in the rearview mirrors? My camper's only 7.5' wide, I have wide tow mirrors, and I can't see back past the camper with the jacks swung out. Your mirrors must be absolutely useless with the jacks out.

Probably best to take a few deep breaths, and try to quell the excitement some so you can think more clearly and analytically about your new rig. If you missed that, what else are you missing?

Stuff like, you need to fill the water heater with water before you light it off, for example.

The rule of thumb for anything hanging off the side of the "total" vehicle is not to be further than the rear view mirrors. This is to protect pedestrians and bicyclists. This is not to be confused with overall width.

b

Don't worry about it. Even if you are "over" width a little you're not going to get hassled about it. It's. Camper. But yeah, swing the jacks in.

Awnings or jacks DO count towards overall width. Enforcement may be another matter.

The jacks may or may not count in the 8.5 foot width regulations. I know I have seen some class A rigs that have awnings and such make the width well past 8.5 feet. If we end up adding an awning it will make us slightly over 8.5 feet width.

Mike, you have so much to learn. :) The dealer never tells you everything, because sometimes they don't know.

The only dumb question is the unasked question. We have learned SO much from this forum.
We learned that we didn't have the right jack extensions on our TC. What a difference the matching extensions make.

We'll measure ours tomorrow and let you know what we're at. They should be the same.

I have never had a problem with my dually.

If there was some place that width would be a concern with the camper on, I wouldn't put myself in that predicament to begin with, camper on or off.

I always swing the jacks back in. If I left them out, I couldn't see down the side of the camper in my mirrors.

Thanks guys, I'm amazed after all the reading I've done hear I never read about swinging the front jacks back in nor did my dealer explain that. Glad I posted this.

Buzzcut1 wrote:
Federal Highway rules state that the maximum non special permit load width that any vehicle can be is 102 inches which is 8.6 feet.

Make sure you have swung your front jacks back into the road position from the wide spread, load / off load from a dually, position.

On the Happijacs, that's push up on the spring bolt at the bottom of the bracket and fold the jack in. JUST REMEMBER to swing it back out when you go to off load!!!

Federal Highway rules state that the maximum non special permit load width that any vehicle can be is 102 inches which is 8.6 feet.

Make sure you have swung your front jacks back into the road position from the wide spread, load / off load from a dually, position.