Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!
We also use the Motor Carriers Road Atlas and try to stay on the truck routes. In addition, we have the Mountain Directory. This gives detail of mountain passes and steep grades. We don't like to over plan, but when there are multiple routes available we prefer to choose the safest one.
Would like to add that Trooper also posted this on Escapees and aparrently there are some Garmins available that do give you this information.However I would like to know before I get on certain road so for me I will stick with Motor Carriers Atlas. I also don't want to pre plan to much but want to be sure I can get thru.Just had an occasion on our last trip where I misunderstood my Garmin and made a wrong turn.It recalculated and wanted me to go down this winding dirt road to get back to where we were supposed to go.Many Garmins don't know you are pulling 38 feet of 5ver behind you.
__________________
RVing probably not a reality any more.It was a good time while it lasted.
We don't use anything ourselves (we're only 12 1/2 ft high) - although there have been a couple of times we had to make a detour (or turn around). We have talked to other RVers about this and they use the Rand McNally Motor Carriers atlas (here is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/McNally-Deluxe-Motor-Carriers-Mcnally/dp/0528942123)
Even with some sort of advanced warning, you still need to be careful with bridges that are close to your overall height.
We were travelling down a secondary road in Illnois trying to get to a campground. It was just before nightfall. I made a wrong turn and started to go under a railroad bridge that was marked 13' 5" clearance. Our 5th wheel is just under 13 feet in height, but something just didn't feel right. I stopped and climbed the ladder at the back of the 5th wheel.
Our A/C unit would have been wiped out. It appears something had hit the bridge and part of the structure had bent down, so in reality the bridge clearance was about 12' 10". Too close for comfort. Had to back up about a 1/4 of a mile to turn around.
On the same trip we saw a pipe hanging down from a bridge, I was able to move over into the opposite lane and miss the pipe.
__________________
Larry "Small House, Big Yard " 7 years to go to FT Alfa See-Ya 5'er and 2007 Kodiak C4500 Monroe Pickup
I spoke too soon. We were in the Niagra Falls area today heading from I-190 to R. Moses Parkway and saw a 12 ft bridge. We were glad we had found a campground prior to that because there would have been no place to turn around the RV. We saw a sign that said "No Commercial Trucks" but I'm not sure I would have known that it meant no RVs as well. I guess maybe we should have bought that atlas ourselves.
Garmin has a new GPS out this year that is made for truckers. Go to the Garmin site, https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=275&ra=true it is a 465T. I don't have it, to costly for me, but I would guess it should do the trick for you.