Travel with side ladder attached?

[linnemj]

We are about to leave on a 8 week trip out west. Since we have had our toy hauler, we have only attached the ladder that is on the driver's side when I needed to clean the roof at the house. It sticks out about 4" from the side of our travel trailer. Would you advise traveling with the ladder attached on the trip in case we need to access the roof? Do you travel with it in the back of the toy hauler?

Thanks for your help!

[Doughboy12]

linnemj wrote:
We left a week ago with ladder attached. No problems.

Thanks for the update. Good call...hope you are having FUN.

[linnemj]

We left a week ago with ladder attached. No problems.

[Stab]

Leave it on.

[bkirkpatrick]

Big difference here in CA because it was how you got zapped. But I do agree with you "propaganda". The OP was talking about being pulled over and cited (randomly) because of the ladder still being attached. You were not randomly pulled over. You entered an area that specifically said "Don't Do It!". Thus, the foundation was already there.

[Doughboy12]

2012 Minnesota Statutes
169.80 SIZE, WEIGHT, LOAD.
Subdivision 1.Limitations; misdemeanor.
(e) The maximum width limitation in paragraph (a) for a recreational vehicle as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 27, is exclusive of appurtenances on the recreational vehicle that do not extend beyond the width of the exterior rearview mirror of the recreational vehicle if the recreational vehicle is self-propelled, or the exterior rearview mirror of the towing vehicle if the recreational vehicle is towed.

That would be the difference...

[tgreening]

bkirkpatrick wrote:

tgreening wrote:
Apparently one of those signs was about width limitations

So you got a ticket for failing to obey a traffic control device (sign) because you were too wide and not actually a ticket for merely driving down the road and being "too wide". There is a difference between the two.

I fail to see the significant difference so you might want to explain it to me. Too wide is too wide, whether it's for the standard width limitations or some arbitrary number stated on a road sign somewhere. That is what I got a ticket for, not for failing to obey the literal multiple bill boards worth of signs in the construction zone. No, I didn't obey. I could not read all the info they contained, and manage to not hit something in the process. The officer did make a point (for some reason) of telling me that they had written 1.5 million $ in tickets during the 6 wks the construction had been going on.

Standard roads have width limitations as a matter of course. In my case the width limitation was different from the norm, which matters not one bit. The point is that it is absolutely possible to get a ticket for being too wide on your standard road. As in many things traffic law related it is entirely dependent on the officer involved.


Highway width limits are 102", which according to the sales propaganda is the exact width of my "wide body" fiver. Leaving my ladder attached makes me exceed that limit by probably somewhere around 6", don't know for sure, never measured it, but I am without a doubt over the width limits and any officer that was of a mind would be perfectly within the law to give me a ticket.

[Doughboy12]

bkirkpatrick wrote:

tgreening wrote:
Apparently one of those signs was about width limitations

So you got a ticket for failing to obey a traffic control device (sign) because you were too wide and not actually a ticket for merely driving down the road and being "too wide". There is a difference between the two.

***LIKE***

[bkirkpatrick]

tgreening wrote:
Apparently one of those signs was about width limitations

So you got a ticket for failing to obey a traffic control device (sign) because you were too wide and not actually a ticket for merely driving down the road and being "too wide". There is a difference between the two.

[mapguy]

Opps

[mapguy]

8' or 8'-6" trailer width? Fold it up or store it on the wider unit.

[tgreening]

bkirkpatrick wrote:

MCIbus wrote:
That 4” might put you over the legal width on your trailer.

I would love to see the ticket for that. We travel with ours on our Raptor 3612DS all the time.

Sorry I didn't keep a copy to show you. Over-width tickets doe exist, and do get handed out, even if you are not driving a Big Rig. In my case I got a ticket for towing your standard run of the mill car hauler trailer (single)through some road construction that had a literal gazillion signs about what was going on. Apparently one of those signs was about width limitations, which included car trailers and semi-trucks, but for some reason did not include Grey Hound type passenger buses. Cost me $85 back around '03 or so.


On the topic though, I haven't removed mine since shortly after I bought the camper. I treat it like everything else I pull. I'm aware of what's there, and I drive accordingly.

[26_2_2go]

I leave mine own the TH, at first I was a little concerned, watched it often in the mirros, but after about 2 months on the road I'm more comfortable driving with it. Some semi's will get close but by far most stay away. Plus I use it to temp mount my Wineguard carryout when parked, I don't leave it on the roof when traveling, no that wouldn't be good. And I don't want to mount the dish on the roof due to some sites being covered by tree's. You might consider installing the collapsible ladder mounts, seems to save about 2" but not sure where to find them. Good luck!

[gmc6000]

Here is some reading.
Federal Regulations

[WhitehouseLV]

We leave ours on all the time. I will say on our old Raptor I managed to tear off a pretty good size tree branch with it. Surprised it didn't rip the ladder off.