Community Forums

bargeman · 10-13-2016, 10:24 PM

So I live in an HOA with a rule that says you can't park your camper in your driveway more than 24 hours, to allow you to load and unload... after that you got to move it.
The city has a similar ordinance. But there's a caveat, if you park it behind the vertical plane of the front of the house, and behind a 6 foot (minimum) tall privacy fence you're OK... does not matter how tall the camper is…
So my plan was to put a removable fence panel off of the front corner of my house, to the side, and park the camper behind that essentially meeting the requirements putting the camper to the side of my house…
Well it's no surprise that eastern Virginia got a lot of rain over the last week...
For the last couple days I've been using a set of post hole diggers, trying to get the holes for my fence posts dug, but I keep getting groundwater coming back in the holes, so it looks more like dredging than digging... so I wait a day and try again... adding a few more inches each day (it's mostly clay after the first foot or so...)
Well, dummy me, I thought I'd be smart... tonight when I came home from work I would take the camper and go ahead and position it in the side yard and just support the fence panel across The back of it until the posts could be put in…
So here I am doing this and putting ruts in my front yard and the camper stops moving... I get out to see what the deal is and, you guessed it I'm stuck in the mud...
Thankfully I didn't spin the tires much but I did try to rock it, and I tried the " put a piece of wood under the tire" trick and it did not help either…
So it's 11 o'clock at night, I've got to work tomorrow, and I'm out of ideas... only option I can think of is spend the money for tow truck to help me out… Run the engine put it in reverse and work with him...
It's a 28 foot class C, about 15,000 pounds, single rear axle dualie... Any other ideas? And has anyone else done this?

**JohnRR** · 10-13-2016, 10:36 PM

Despite what others might suggest I'd opt to get the tow truck then seek reimbursement from roadside service if you have it.

bargeman · 10-13-2016, 11:14 PM

Didn't think about roadside service since it was in my yard, but yes, I'll have to...

**JohnRR** · 10-13-2016, 11:39 PM

If you tell them it's in your yard they may refuse to cover the cost of service from what I've seen posted by many here.

vsheetz · 10-13-2016, 11:41 PM

Would probably not cost that much out of pocket, but if you have roadside assist I would go that way.

Chuck_Hammer · 10-14-2016, 06:41 AM

do you have a strong floor jack.. or good bottle jack.. jack up rear axle.. place boards under tires. by very careful... never place your body under RV..

or call a tow truck.

I have the same here about parking RV in drive.. its behind the house.. and parked on 2x12 by 10 foot boards.. but I have a 30 foot travel trailer.

twinboat · 10-14-2016, 06:57 AM

Your probably going to need a pull.

Jacking will be risky because of the soft ground. You would need a large base to stop the jack from sinking.

If its not straight up and down, the jack will lean and the MH will roll off it. Chocks don't hold well in grass. ( Been there, done that )

A tow truck can park on the road and slowly winch you, as you back up.

If you break thru and sink the tires to the chassis, your going to need a BIG tow truck and a new lawn.

nosticks · 10-14-2016, 06:57 AM

Don't forget, the tow truck will contribute to the ruts in your lawn. Better to have left it sit in the driveway until the ground conditions improved. It would take the HOA committee a few days to issue you a written warning and the fine from the city would be followed by a given amount of time for you to correct the situation. All this for less than a tow truck and lawn damage.

barmcd · 10-14-2016, 08:18 AM

The tow truck shouldn't cost that much and they should have enough cable to sit in the street and pull you out.

TQ60 · 10-14-2016, 08:33 AM

Call the tow truck and consider this a lesson learned...

Also read another thread regarding a 42 ft DP that sunk after being parked.

You need a pad area or like in the bad old days they made narrow tire tracks in concrete as it was expensive.

Many older homes had those and they do not look to bad.

Sweetbriar · 10-14-2016, 08:34 AM

A tow truck is in your future then sell the house and move to Newport News to a non HOA based community. City allows one recreational vehicle per lot. Boat, motorized RV, towable, ATV,,,,. Water table is a bit lower also.

Hit_the_Rhod · 10-14-2016, 08:40 AM

What is your plan for AFTER getting the RV unstuck? If you still wish to go forward with your idea, you will need to remove the grass, and at a minimum put gravel down, probably large 2" stones followed up by 57's, DGA,(Dense grade aggregate) which is smaller stones with the crushed rock dust etc included. It will pack down pretty firm. You will probably need to build up about 6" total gravel. Best to hire a guy with a Bobcat to remove the turf and spread out the gravel, or you may end up with a DUMPTRUCK stuck in your yard. Does you HOA say anything about dumptrucks? LOL

Pete1985 · 10-14-2016, 11:22 AM

Call a tow truck.

dons2346 · 10-14-2016, 01:02 PM

Let it sit right where it is and wait for the ground to dry out some. Otherwise, get a tow truck with a good winch. Keep the truck on the street and string the cable.

I pulled a 36ft gas coach out of the mud with my 4x4 Jeep Grand Cherokee