Low Bridge

[wolf1281]

New to driving a RV. What is the best way to avoid getting stuck on a road with a low bridge?

[palehorse89]

Get a garmin 465t (trucker model) you can set you how long you are, height, weight and so forth. It works great over the car model. I went cheap with the car model and after a couple of problems like you are asking i bought the trucker model.now i have one for the car and the harley and one that stays in the coach. A CHEAP WAY TO CORRECT A PROBLEM BEFORE IT HAPPENS.

[wolf1281]

I was trying to avoid buying a new GPS. I just bought a new Garmin 1490T. I already checked with Garmin to see if the trucker/rv format could be downloaded. No Luck. They suggested buying the same model you mentioned. Thanks for the info. I might have to bite the bullet and buy another Garmin.

[RickO]

This is a problem that folks new to driving a big rig often imagine to be worse than it really is. We take no special action (ie specialized GPS) and just keep our eyes open for low bridges and have never yet had an issue. That's after 34 states and 35,000 miles. If you live in the east and travel a lot of back roads you'll have more trouble than you will out west.

Best of luck...

Rick

[Steve Ownby]

Many of us have been traveling without the 465T suscessfully for a long time. I agree that if you are in the market for a gps that it's certainly one to consider but none of them are infalable & you need to apply your own knowledge & common sense while on the road.

If you are on a US highway you will be ok for the most part and there will be signage if you are approaching an overhead clearance problem. If on a state route or lower always be aware of trucks approaching you. If they are on the route you should be ok.

There is a Truckers Atlas available which you can also use when planning a route.

Safe travels,

[1ciderdog]

Not mentioned is you do need to know the height of your unit. We have traveled over 25 years in 49 states and in Canada with 5th wheel and/or four different motorhomes and have never had a problem but have watched the highway signs announcing low bridges or low tunnels. Good luck.

[akadeadeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby Many of us have been traveling without the 465T suscessfully for a long time. I agree that if you are in the market for a gps that it's certainly one to consider but none of them are infalable & you need to apply your own knowledge & common sense while on the road. If you are on a US highway you will be ok for the most part and there will be signage if you are approaching an overhead clearance problem. If on a state route or lower always be aware of trucks approaching you. If they are on the route you should be ok. There is a Truckers Atlas available which you can also use when planning a route. Safe travels,

We bought a trucker's atlas at Flying J. It shows low bridge spots but doesn't cover many state roads not likely to be used by truckers. Pricey at $80 but has laminated pages and is a good atlas. We use it all the time.

We also have a Garmin 465T (we overbought when we first got our motorhome, duh), and it works great as well. It can keep track of the weather conditions also. On one trip a warning came up on the screen about slick highway. It was plenty cloudy but the road was dry. About 5 miles later it was sleeting and snowing. We were impressed (with the Garmin, not the weather).

Don

[BobGed]

You could use the Low Clearance program Low Clearance GPS Data It loads low bridge info as Points of Interest and gives an audible warning when you get within a user specified proximity (I have mine set for 2 miles) of a low bridge. I have it loaded on my old Garmin 7200, and while I do most of my driving in the west where we don't have as many low clearances as in the east, it has worked very well for me. There is an annual subscription fee of $20 (on sale now for $10), but it is updated three or four times a year. You can also find some free ones like POI Factory POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS

[Purplefans & Harvey]

We also have a sticker on our window stating our Height, Width and Weight, to make sure that we always remember those specs!.

[Happycarz]

This person either didn't see, or read, the low clearance sign.

Unfortunate results!

[wolf1281]

I downloaded the Low Clearance program,but have not been able to open the zip file. Everytime I try to open the file my computer screen starts to flash and I have to re-boot.

[BobGed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf1281 I downloaded the Low Clearance program,but have not been able to open the zip file. Everytime I try to open the file my computer screen starts to flash and I have to re-boot.

I haven't had any problem unzipping with XP, Vista or Win 7. Maybe try deleting the file and download again. You might also try reporting the problem to Low Clearance.

[Wayne M]

I don't think you can ever have to many sources.

Be always alert to those YELLOW waring signs that also contain the clearance for the object you are approaching.

If you are in the planning stage, you can check out the AITA Low Clearance web site.

The one thing to be aware of is that all software needs to be updated to have the most recent data. Even then, if a new road surface has been completed there could be a two inch difference at the entrance and exit of the structure area cause by the new surface. It may not be marked yet.

I don't know of any problems on the Interstates. The box of an 18 wheeler is 13' 6". I always breath a sigh of relief when I see an 18 wheeler approaching from the opposite direction on a side road. I just hope they didn't get on the side road a half mile up the road.

[Lorna]

Get out a measuring tape and measure from the ground to the highest thing on your RV. Then write it down and stick it to your visor to where you can see it.