Best GPS for RV

[sk734]

I am ready to pick up a new GPS for RV use. Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[RVER]

The site
http://www.lowclearances.com/amember/go.php?r=1827&i=l0">LowClearances.com
is a great site. You download this to your computer and then into the GPS, go into the GPS BEFORE you go on the trip and plan the trip and it will show you where the low clearances are and will allow YOU to reroute. Seems to be what is in the DEZL GPS so you could download this into your own GPS and have the same thing as a trucker GPS as long as you update your data every year.

[Mile_High]

Guess I'll have to buy one to find out how they really work. Got answers here bouncing off both walls.

[rmalik1]

RVER wrote:
I am looking for a good RV/truck GPS and LOVE Garmin but these reviews are really giving me pause. I have owned Garmin GPS since the early days when we could buy them and love Garmin customer support etc but these reviews definitely are not good. I am going to check out the RVND to see what people says. Here is another thoughtful review of Garmin 560LMT:
1.0 out of 5 stars Tested for 6 months = IT FAILED MISERABLY for BIG Rigs, May 23, 2012
By
Charles Wert (Cochranville, PA, US) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Garmin dezl 560LMT 5-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable Trucking GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates (Electronics)
If a reviewer states "I've had this GPS for 3 days now and it is absolutely the best GPS in the universe blah, blah, blah"... move on to a more intelligent review. It will take a couple of months of hard use to make a fair evaluation ! I pull a large RV 5th wheel (13 feet high x 37 feet long). Like most RVer's we do not camp in the interstate rest areas. If you do - this is the GPS for you. If you drive from exit to exit on interstates only - this is the GPS for you. If you need a GPS to do this you are one scary dude or dudett :-). A paper map will be cheaper and another career will be safer for you and us.

Most drivers who pilot big rigs that are going to travel off the beaten path WILL get into trouble with the Garmin Dezel 560 GPS. I input the specs of my rig and I drove around for 6 months in my car "pretending" to be the BIG RV. This GPS told me (every couple of annoying minutes) to exit at the next road because I was on a "truck prohibited road" when in fact I was on a state road approved for trucks. In fact, I live in the country on a truck approved road and was told to get off the road I live on ! Several times I did as told just to see where Mr. Garmin would send me. WOW! I was put onto narrow roads with low trees, weight limited one lane bridges and anything but truck friendly. Several times the roads would have required me backing up way too far not to hit something, in one case over a mile !

I also put it into positions which I knew were not truck capable, let alone truck friendly. I deliberately went down a convoluted road to a 9' 10" train under pass. Mr. Garmin never even warned me ! This thing screwed up so many times I cannot recount them all. Suffice to say it was one time after another.

As a trucker, most drivers buy these type units for `off the interstates', if a GPS is needed between exits another career should be chosen. Once off the interstates, the fun begins.

Oh yeah, Garmin like others always put the legalize "Not our fault, you should have checked your route first before trusting our word for it. In the case of the Garmin 560 Dezel - this means every trip, every mile. WHO NEEDS THIS GPS THEN ? I'm sharing with you now... you better listen to and heed their lawyer talk because they mean it.

Garmin, I'm really disappointed in you. Did you not try this unit before selling it to a customer base that used to have blind loyalty for your products ? NOT ANY MORE, YOU MUST RE-EARN OUR TRUST.

I gave it 1 star because zero stars was not a choice, you'll have to trust me it is a zero hero. As a trucking GPS it is a great big ole ZERO. It works well for cars, hiking and truckers you don't like 🙂

Each to their own; I like my garmin

[1775]

RusLwt001 wrote:
I found this website that works great for me. I almost drove into a low overpass with out TT and this GPS POI Download saved us! Check this out. Its cheap and works great. When I first purchased my TT I had constant fears of hitting an overpass. I don't like the freeways when I travel. I want the backroads, but small old towns may still have very low bridges and overpasses. This helps.

Get the Most Effective Low Clearance Alert System for the US Enhancing your GPS Unit and Mapping Software. Check this out!

http://www.lowclearances.com/amember/go.php?r=1827&i=l0">LowClearances.com

You can get the same POI from POIFactory.com for free. And frankly, if the GPS does not stop you before you get on the road, most POI alerts are going to come too late. A GPS will not route around a POI.

[RusLwt001]

I found this website that works great for me. I almost drove into a low overpass with out TT and this GPS POI Download saved us! Check this out. Its cheap and works great. When I first purchased my TT I had constant fears of hitting an overpass. I don't like the freeways when I travel. I want the backroads, but small old towns may still have very low bridges and overpasses. This helps.

Get the Most Effective Low Clearance Alert System for the US Enhancing your GPS Unit and Mapping Software. Check this out!

http://www.lowclearances.com/amember/go.php?r=1827&i=l0">LowClearances.com

[RVER]

I am looking for a good RV/truck GPS and LOVE Garmin but these reviews are really giving me pause. I have owned Garmin GPS since the early days when we could buy them and love Garmin customer support etc but these reviews definitely are not good. I am going to check out the RVND to see what people says. Here is another thoughtful review of Garmin 560LMT:
1.0 out of 5 stars Tested for 6 months = IT FAILED MISERABLY for BIG Rigs, May 23, 2012
By
Charles Wert (Cochranville, PA, US) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Garmin dezl 560LMT 5-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable Trucking GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates (Electronics)
If a reviewer states "I've had this GPS for 3 days now and it is absolutely the best GPS in the universe blah, blah, blah"... move on to a more intelligent review. It will take a couple of months of hard use to make a fair evaluation ! I pull a large RV 5th wheel (13 feet high x 37 feet long). Like most RVer's we do not camp in the interstate rest areas. If you do - this is the GPS for you. If you drive from exit to exit on interstates only - this is the GPS for you. If you need a GPS to do this you are one scary dude or dudett :-). A paper map will be cheaper and another career will be safer for you and us.

Most drivers who pilot big rigs that are going to travel off the beaten path WILL get into trouble with the Garmin Dezel 560 GPS. I input the specs of my rig and I drove around for 6 months in my car "pretending" to be the BIG RV. This GPS told me (every couple of annoying minutes) to exit at the next road because I was on a "truck prohibited road" when in fact I was on a state road approved for trucks. In fact, I live in the country on a truck approved road and was told to get off the road I live on ! Several times I did as told just to see where Mr. Garmin would send me. WOW! I was put onto narrow roads with low trees, weight limited one lane bridges and anything but truck friendly. Several times the roads would have required me backing up way too far not to hit something, in one case over a mile !

I also put it into positions which I knew were not truck capable, let alone truck friendly. I deliberately went down a convoluted road to a 9' 10" train under pass. Mr. Garmin never even warned me ! This thing screwed up so many times I cannot recount them all. Suffice to say it was one time after another.

As a trucker, most drivers buy these type units for `off the interstates', if a GPS is needed between exits another career should be chosen. Once off the interstates, the fun begins.

Oh yeah, Garmin like others always put the legalize "Not our fault, you should have checked your route first before trusting our word for it. In the case of the Garmin 560 Dezel - this means every trip, every mile. WHO NEEDS THIS GPS THEN ? I'm sharing with you now... you better listen to and heed their lawyer talk because they mean it.

Garmin, I'm really disappointed in you. Did you not try this unit before selling it to a customer base that used to have blind loyalty for your products ? NOT ANY MORE, YOU MUST RE-EARN OUR TRUST.

I gave it 1 star because zero stars was not a choice, you'll have to trust me it is a zero hero. As a trucking GPS it is a great big ole ZERO. It works well for cars, hiking and truckers you don't like 🙂

[RVER]

IF no one has given this address for a good comparison of the RV/Truck GPS then go and see what they see as comparisons and problems etc.
http://www.dieselboss.com/truck_gps_review_features.htm

[RVER]

Here is one of many reviews, look at the CON in this review

3.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but YOU MUST check for bridge heights, July 23, 2011
By Royal "RoyalEF" (New Rochelle, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Garmin dezl 560LMT 5-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable Trucking GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates (Electronics)
I agree with just about everything that East Coast RoadRunner's review. Very loud speaker, does quick re-routes most of the time. Like all GPS devices, there are inefficient and badly mapped exits. There is no getting around exceptions... it is a fantasy not to expect them. However, I feel the rate of oddball spots in their maps is nice and low. The POI database is impressive. It has found everything I went looking for as long as I had a name. Categorization is unreliable (true of all brands).

I pings when you are more than 5 mph over the speed limit, and it has been very accurate there. It also produces a series of warning, such as traffic, tight turns, steep grades, sharp bends, etc. However it simply bings and places a red circular icon on the screens. If you need to see what it really is you must point and a pop up comes up. There are times I wish it would say the alert.

MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR CON : If you have a TALL (>12') vehicle you CANNOT RELY ON BRIDGE HEIGHTS AT ALL.

I will be driving a 13' RV. I am using the RV profile to drive a pickup truck around and scout roads--to test out the GPS more than anything. It has already directed me under a 10'6, 12'3 & 12'8 overpass with a 13' RV. Two of those situations would have resulted in calls to police because I would be stuck backing up on a two lane one-way highway for up to a mile to get off that road.

In all cases I opened the Rand McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas and every one of those low clearances are documented. That is a bible for truckers. There is no excuse for routing a 13' tall RV into... what honestly could be a life endangering route. It also put me on Route 134 in NY, which is quite narrow and windy through a residential area. Not my first choice with a 52' truck & trailer profile. I kept checking that the RV profile was actually selected because I didn't think that part of the route was suitable for a 52' vehicle.

I'm contacting Garmin, so this could be a software error, but until it fixes this WILL NOT ROUTE TALL VEHICLES. I'll update if Garmin gives me a fix.

Short of that issue... it has been very good. Take a while to boot. Responsive, except searching POI can be painfully slow. I do wish I could search a POI near a city. It will only tell you POI near your current position. If I know of a Home Depot 60 miles away, I have to pick something random near there and wait till I get closer then search for "Home Depot". It will show all the ones nearby. BUt not the one you need to go to. SO far distances POIs don't work unless the name is nice and distinct. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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Comment Comments (3)

[conmoto]

We use the Dezl 560 and are happy with it. After you put your length, height etc. it should take you in a safe route. We still use maps, phones and computer to help with the route and changes in our trip.

[GeoBoy]

RVND 7710, nice GPS.

[Jim_Norman]

I purchased a Dezl 560LMT last week. Downloaded all my old waypoints from my old Nuvi, uploaded them to the Dezl. I have set up my RV info, simple. I definitively like the middle size screen, I can use this in my car or the rig. The larger 7" units are just too big for the car. Routing is great, design a route with multiple intermediate points. Recalculating is quick. The accuracy is outstanding. Timing for voice and visula turn cues has impressed me.

[rmalik1]

The dezl 560 lmt calculates routes based on width,lenght,height,weight,and other setting for the active profile.

*page 60 of dezl560 manual*

you must activate a profile before you can navigate in truck or rv mode.

You add input your #'s here is what I have enterd; 8'2", 57'6", 13'6", 12 tons

[RVER]

IF you read some of the reviews by truckers on the "trucker" GPSs and you will find that that is the complaint, that the GPS WARNS about low bridge as you are coming to it and DOES NOT ROUTE AROUND. Evidently, there are too many little bridges throughout the country and cannot be mapped. Read the reviews on Amazon or other sites before you buy thinking it will route you around low bridges and roads with road limits. My Nuvi(not made for truck or RV) has a control for Cars, Motorcycle, Bus, and Truck and I put it on Bus when driving my RV and it does seem to route me slightly differently. BUT I would fully expect a GPS that says it is for truckers and RVs to avoid low bridge overpasses and roads with weight limits and do not think that is the case YET. The trucker GPS do have things like logs for truckers and truckstops programmed in as the RV GPS has campgrounds programmed in so if that is what you want then you have it but they do not avoid low bridges yet according to the users who have bought the GPS for Truckers and RVers.

[emiddleb]

On most GPS units POIs are just notes that show you things on the route, but are not taken into account when actually planning the route. Lot of them will let you download and use (like from POI Factory) but they are just alerts at best.

Avoiding low bridges etc when creating the route is something that has to be built into the route-planning software, the same way most units let you set preferences for toll roads and such. Usually only found in trucker- or RV-specific units.

[Mile_High]

pulsar wrote:

Mile High wrote:

RVER wrote:
I am told that the 465T and the Dezl GPS have ability to put in heights and weights and it will WARN you when you get near the bridge or whatever but do NOT plan the route around the bridge etc. I am waiting until they come out with a GPS that will route only on roads you are allowed on and that the routes do not include low bridges instead routing you on the roads but then warning you it the bridge coming up is too low, that is TOO LATE. Backing up a huge rig either Class A or fifthwheel is not an option sometimes so want it to route around it.

I'm not sure that is the case. Would be interested to hear from somebody that has one.

I have not come across the "low bridge" situation, but have come across a weight restriction.

Recently, on a trip from home to New Hill, NC, the logical route would take us on New Hill - Olive Chapel Rd. That road has a weight restriction of 3 tons; not good for a vehicle with a 10-ton real axel. Our Dezl 560 routed around that road, when I asked it for a route form home to the New Hill address.

Since it automatically routes around weight restrictions, I don't see why it wouldn't route around height restrictions. That said, I'm not going to trust it to know all of the places height might be an issue. One should till be responsible for observing signage.

Tom

Thanks Tom - that makes better sense. Given the capabilities for the Garmin to route around traffic, freeways, ferries, etc. I am pretty sure the 645T actually routes you around rather than just warn.

On the other hand, I did download a POI subscription to my Nuvi a few years ago that gives low bridges based on my preset limit, but it only warns and unfortunately warns you even if you are driving over the bridge which got a little annoying in the rural areas.