Fifth Wheel vs. Tree (tree wins)

[Stefonius]

I was returning from 10 days at the Philadelphia Folk Festival yesterday when my roof made friends with a tree bough that overhung the road at far less than the 14' minimum height required by the state. I now have a one-foot tear in my rubber roof at one corner and my 21 foot Dometic 9100 power awning has been completely ripped off of the side of my rig.

The instant I pulled over to survey the damage, it began to rain.

I limped back to the festival grounds where a friend helped me to remove the remains of the awning and stow it inside the trailer. I did not have a ladder, so he stood on top of his VW Microbus and I stood on the bed rail of Truckasaurus so that we could reach the top of the rig. In my haste to do this, I unhitched a bit low and ripped my fifth wheel tailgate right off of the truck. It's now v-shaped instead of straight.

As soon as we were done performing emergency surgery on the RV, it immediately stopped raining.

Now I have a damaged roof and a mostly destroyed awning (will at least need new arms - haven't inspected the tube and motor too carefully yet). Truckasaurus drained all of my emergency repair money right before we left for Fest, so I have no cash reserves with which to fix this damage. UGH!

Should I bite the bullet and contact my insurance, or just pay for the roof repair and live with no awning until I can afford new parts? I'm not sure what to do about the holes in the side of the rig where the screws and bolts go, or the big hole where the wires went in. For that matter, I don't know where the wires ripped off inside the wall.

I thought vacations were supposed to UNwind a person?

[fpresto]

I am curious about your statement that the minimum clearance required by the state is 14ft as I know of many state roads that have less. Now if it is a Federal Highway then the requirement is Vertical clearance: Minimum vertical clearance under overhead structures (including over the paved shoulders) of 16 feet (4.88 m) in rural areas and 14 feet (4.27 m) in urban areas, with allowance for extra layers of pavement. Through urban areas at least one routing should have 16-foot (4.88 m) clearances. But I have seen nothing similar for state roads including PA.

[mleekamp]

You could always get an estimate for repair first...before contacting Insurance. If its affordible, sometimes I don't call them.

[Simplygib]

Wow. Sounds like Murphy was a stowaway in your rig that day. Sorry. If it were me I'd definitely contact the insurance company including the info schlep1967 suggested.

Otherwise......

If the roof is structurally ok but just has a rip in the rubber, you can patch it with Eternabond tape. Easy to do and the stuff can last for many years.

Awning mount holes - temporarily patch them with Eternabond, caulk or anything that will keep water from getting behind them while waiting for a permanent solution. Getting water in there will only compound your problems.

Tailgate - ouch. Look for a used one somewhere?

Again, I'd just let the insurance handle it. That's what it's for.

[schlep1967]

Was this on a state route? If it was go back to the location and measure/photograph the limb. Give a copy of that to your insurance company. They may be able to use it to get reimbursed by the state. And you may be able to get your deductible back from the state. When in the area look for a segment marker. They are small white square signs with black numbers on them and normally only 3-4 feet high. Should be spaced around 2500 feet apart normally at intersections, bridges or culverts. Get a pic of that also so the state knows where the location is.

[2oldman]

I think I'd be contacting my insurance company.

Don't you just love untrimmed trees? More than a few times I've had to stop in my lane, let oncoming cars pass, then use their lane to go around low-hanging branches. The looks I get from other drivers are priceless. Who looks UP when driving a car?