5th wheel height? Is 13' 2" an issue?

[HDrider]

Our rig is 13' 5". Our Class A was 12'5". Do I think more about it and check our route a bit more now, yup. Do I figure I will need to watch for low branches more, yup. did it stop me from getting what we want, nope.

[McRod]

My 5th is 13'6". Which is the max legal height without an oversized vehicle permit.

13'6" is the minimum height for interstate bridges and clearances. Once you leave the interstate all bets are off.

[Gigattime]

We are closer to 13'6" too. Just have to be aware more when towing.

[Edd505]

Originally Posted by egwilly

Don't be this guy......

Made a slick top, better fuel mileage.



I've never measured, I just assume I'm 13'6" max legal hieght, as I doubt a manufacturer wants sued for building something illegal.

[wbeyer]

My last one was 13’5” never a problem as long as you stay on highways and main county roads , just pay attention to the signs

[lonewolftx]

Originally Posted by Itchytoe

I've had a Ford F250 and an F350 4x4. Both were taller than my current F350 dually. I'm not sure about the other makes, but Ford's duallies do sit lower than the SRWs.

Most dually trucks have 17.5” tires and many of the high end 250’s & 350’s SWD are 20” wheels. Hence the diff.

[Piros1]

I think it has pretty much been said, 13'6" is maximum legal height. On interstates and most state highways you should not have an issue but when it comes to local highways and private drives just watch your clearances.

[T12]

I am a former truck driver/trainer. Generally speaking you should be fine at 13'6 or under. In some states if you are above that height you could be required to have an oversized load sign. However, you should pay attention to those little yellow signs posted on over passes. It is a good policy to read them all out of habit. You should also be aware that sometimes a road might be repaved and the sign not updated. More so out east than out west roads in older cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and others were built when vehicles were not as tall as they are today. While the hiways and interstates are safe to travel through them there are plenty of city roads that are not because of height. To me it should be a law that service lines should be higher than 13'6. But since nobody asked me there are plenty lower than that especially in ally's. Take out one and you could be responsible. I have a Stanley Fatmax tape measure. It has an excellent blade for measuring heights because it doesn't fall over when you measure height. Pay attention to wind warnings. Good luck!

[tuffr2]

By the time I can read the sign it is too late. I am going to look at travel trailers tomorrow and dig deep into how it is built.

There will be 5th wheels there also that I will look at too. I like staying on a 5th wheel vs a travel trailer. But I would rather tow a lower travel trailer.

I hope I can find a travel trailer I like. It is alot easier to find a nice 5th wheel IMHO. They just seem bigger because they are higher.

[Rade1949]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I just looked at Flagstaff 5th wheels and was mildly impressed. I looked at the brochure and see it is 156" high with the A/C. My old 5th wheel was only 12' 4" high at the A/C unit.

Could be a concern so am attaching this YouTube for you ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USu8vT_tfdw

[egwilly]

Here in Calif, lower bridges are noted well before of their clearance height. So are bridges under construction or being replaced.

I just keep my peepers open for this stuff. Campground trees and branches pose more of a challenge to me when we visit a site we've never parked at before.

[Yoders2Go]

We are 13'6". Interstates, US highways, and posted truck routes, will be ok. It's those City, County, and State roads ya gotta watch for. There are online sources, BY STATE, that will list over passes that are not truck/RV friendly.

[dtcairns]

Commercial trucks and trailers are 13' 6". Anything higher usually needs special advance coordination and pilot vehicles. The pilot vehicles have a probe extended upward to the height of the following trailer/flatbed load just to double check clearance.

Something to always watch for, especially out east, are arched bridges where the posted height is measured at the highest point on the arch. Sometimes the height in the travel lane is a little bit shorter.

Also, in Colorado between Colorado Springs and Pueblo, there are underpasses beneath I-25, some with very low heights. If you're getting off and intend to use one to get to the other side of the highway, make sure you check the posted height BEFORE you turn.

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by JpalmerCass

With modern pickup trucks so high it's not uncommon to see 5th wheel trailers being towed tilted with the front end high making the trailer in effect even higher than when level. Reversing the shackles and other methods of leveling the trailer by raising the rest of it still result in a very high rig, something I think undesirable.

One of the truck makers should make a low slung "towing special" dually. The generation of Ford dually recently replaced sits considerably lower than the new generation and looks much sleeker and more purposeful. And no doubt is much easier for the codgers who use them to get in and out of.

Use to be you got the 16.5 inch rim option to get the heavier duty truck with the lower working height at the tailgate. My W200 E20 Special Power Wagon came with 16.5 inch low profile 16 ply tires and had 12 leafs in the springs, 12 inch brakes, 12 inch 4800 lb clutch, posi in the back, limited slip in the front, locking 4WD plus the drive train was factory chopped from the W600 chassis narrowed to fit the pickup truck chassis which funneled the power from the 440 through 4.78 gearing in the drive axles. They were also popular for the huge/heavy slide-on truck campers that were more popular in the late 60's early 70's. It also had a factory military winch run by a PTO on the side of the transfer case.

The truck rode much nicer once you had over 3 tons in the bed however empty with the low ride height, stiff springs and 16 ply low profile 16.5" tires it was like riding on rocks.