How to know bridge clearances on route?

[Bill001]

Hi,

What (map?) resources do folks use to determine whether the bridges on one's route has adequate clearance?

Thanks,
Bill

[Coach-man]

sch911 wrote:
I go old school. Keep my eyes open for the signs. They always have signs!

?? What if there are no signs? Recently, followed my GPS took me 49 miles, no low bridges, until I reached the turn off to my destination. ½ mile down a narrow curves road I cam onto a 10' bridge, yes just before I reached the bridge there was a sign! So now old school, what would you do? Back up the turn off road ½ mile, and travel an additional 100 miles to avoid the low bridge? Glad you never encountered that situation!

Just purchased a Magellan 9350 GPS for RV's with a place to enter height, width, and weight of my rig, so it can avoid those hazards!

[Bill001]

laknox wrote:

Bill001 wrote:
I'm planning on buying a 5er this Fall, but I also have a 18" sea kayak that I'd like some way to transport so i could keep it. One top of the 5er..(?) .. that will be pretty high, but if it's do-able... I'm may be crazy enough to try.

There were 2 threads just last week about carrying small boats and kayaks. I've seen ladder mounts to carry a 'yak vertically, as well as truck racks, which is most common. I =have= seen a couple carried on top of a FW, right at the rear, at the lowest point.

Lyle

Yes I've seen how people are loading "small" kayaks. A 18" one is very long...

[CWSWine]

Traveling down a federal highway that has lots big tractor trailer rigs I don't worry about clearances but getting off major highways on my way to the camp grounds I do worry. I have the RV760 from Garmin and it saved me once with train bridge couple miles off the highway with 12'4". Check it out later I would had to back up close to mile on very busy two lane road before there was drive way I could turned around in and it was narrow with ditches on both sides.

[laknox]

fred42 wrote:
I am soon getting a fifth wheel that is 15" higher than the one I have now. It is speced at 13' 4", but it will have to be measured to see if there is any nose high effect.

As several have suggested here, I got the Rand Mcnally 2016 Motor Carriers' Road Atlas. I do not travel enough routes to consider an interactive GPS solution. I like to know exactly which roads I am going to take before I leave home. I often use Google Earth street view to look at things as well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0528013211?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

This guide shows the approved routes, highlighted in orange, that truckers take. When I ordered it, I thought I would just use it's huge list of low clearances and see if my route had any. But I now see very few low clearances listed. For example, Florida has 5, Georgia has 3, etc. What I think it means is these are only the low clearance situations on the approved routes. So I am altering my routes to be only on the approved trucker routes, then looking at the short list of clearance locations.

More than bridges, my biggest concern is low hanging wires and small limbs. I get the feeling that in some parts of Georgia on two lane roads, they just let the trucks beat the trees back and never trim. I want to go only where the trucks go, because they will be somewhat taking care of the wires and limbs.

As one previous poster noted, many of these commercial low clearance d.b.s are sadly lacking. By far, the largest d.b. is the Route-1 d.b., with nearly 6,000 low clearances listed in the U.S. and Canada. For $75 you get lifetime updates for the U.S. and Canada and all formats, so you can d/l it as POIs into your GPS or a Google Earth .kml file. It's on my "to buy" list when I need it.

Lyle

[GoPackGo]

You will want to measure your new fiver after it is hooked up. Normally the high point will be at the front AC unit. Since the front AC is optional on many rigs, the factory spec of 13'4" may not be accurate.

[fred42]

I am soon getting a fifth wheel that is 15" higher than the one I have now. It is speced at 13' 4", but it will have to be measured to see if there is any nose high effect.

As several have suggested here, I got the Rand Mcnally 2016 Motor Carriers' Road Atlas. I do not travel enough routes to consider an interactive GPS solution. I like to know exactly which roads I am going to take before I leave home. I often use Google Earth street view to look at things as well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0528013211?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

This guide shows the approved routes, highlighted in orange, that truckers take. When I ordered it, I thought I would just use it's huge list of low clearances and see if my route had any. But I now see very few low clearances listed. For example, Florida has 5, Georgia has 3, etc. What I think it means is these are only the low clearance situations on the approved routes. So I am altering my routes to be only on the approved trucker routes, then looking at the short list of clearance locations.

More than bridges, my biggest concern is low hanging wires and small limbs. I get the feeling that in some parts of Georgia on two lane roads, they just let the trucks beat the trees back and never trim. I want to go only where the trucks go, because they will be somewhat taking care of the wires and limbs.

[GoPackGo]

I am 13'5" so clearances are an issue for me. So I only go where the trucks can go. My best friend is the Trucker's Atlas (suggest the laminated version). Just stay on the routes that are color coded in yellow and you'll have no problems. I like it because I can easily look over an entire state and then plan out my routes using a dry erase marker.

It also has a database of low clearance bridges, categorized by state. Texas wins but the NE looks to be tricky in general.

I remember seeing one unmarked bridge last year that was a mile or so directly outside the campground I was heading to.

I also have the Rand GPS and input my height and use the Allstays Low Clearance app, which I really like.

[Itching2go]

Here's another recommendation for the Garmin 760RVLMT. We've been using it since it first came out and it's successfully routed us around several low clearance bridges. It also has the ability to operate in RV Mode where it calculates your route with your RV size/height in mind, or in Automobile mode where it doesn't. Makes it nice when switching between our car and truck. Works well for us.

[laknox]

Bill001 wrote:
I'm planning on buying a 5er this Fall, but I also have a 18" sea kayak that I'd like some way to transport so i could keep it. One top of the 5er..(?) .. that will be pretty high, but if it's do-able... I'm may be crazy enough to try.

There were 2 threads just last week about carrying small boats and kayaks. I've seen ladder mounts to carry a 'yak vertically, as well as truck racks, which is most common. I =have= seen a couple carried on top of a FW, right at the rear, at the lowest point.

Lyle

[rhagfo]

Veebyes wrote:
Wonder how many of us consider our height when we do things like flipping axles, putting taller tires on, increasing wheel size, installing things like Correct Track?

Flipping axles will sure add some height. Taller tires an inch maybe. Wheels, an inch. Correct Track, 3".

All things to think about.

Correct Track claims 2" lift.

I am sure I am still below 13'-6", but will measure once hitched in the nice level storage yard.

Flipping axles gives you the diameter of the axle plus the thickness of the spring pack (there is a minor amount for the spring saddle).

[Veebyes]

Wonder how many of us consider our height when we do things like flipping axles, putting taller tires on, increasing wheel size, installing things like Correct Track?

Flipping axles will sure add some height. Taller tires an inch maybe. Wheels, an inch. Correct Track, 3".

All things to think about.

[mach8274]

I also have the Garmin 760RVLMT along with a motor carrier atlas. Can't be too sure. I actually had a little run in with a bridge last month. The bridge had plenty of clearance at 13'9". Our 5er is 13'5". There was plenty of signage before the bridge and one on the bridge itself. Well...the one on the bridge was broken and hanging down. I heard it hit the front A/C unit. Thank God all that happened was a scratch on the A/C unit cover. It could have been real ugly!!

[Bill001]

The kayak is quite low, but given the curvature of many 5s not sure how it could work. I was thinking of a tow behind since that roof would be lower and flat but I just like the space of the 5s.

If I could keep the kayak I would prefer too. Hard to find classic hard chine sea kayaks like this one...

[avvidclif1]

Bill001 wrote:
I'm planning on buying a 5er this Fall, but I also have a 18" sea kayak that I'd like some way to transport so i could keep it. One top of the 5er..(?) .. that will be pretty high, but if it's do-able... I'm may be crazy enough to try.

Really don't want to keep the kayak do you. Depending on the 5th wheel adding 18" on the top could put you over the max height of 14' on interstates. On top of mine it would be 14'9" high. Tall enough to require a permit and get it wiped off on a lot of bridges.