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Old 07-03-2009, 07:26 PM   #1
MAMalody
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Low Bridge

I forgot to mention on my trip to KY and back that we came upon a Class A that looked "funny" on the roofline. When we passed it, I saw that the Satellite dish and both A/Cs were crushed and ripped in half laterally. I would guess $10K or more in damage.
 
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Old 07-03-2009, 07:31 PM   #2
Art-n-Marge
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That reminds me of an old Bugs Bunny cartoon as he was being chased through the canals of Venice by I-don't-remember-who. Anyway, just as the Bugs was almost being caught, the victim who was standing up in a fast moving watercraft slammed into a low hanging bridge. The camera pans to back to where the victim slammed and there is a sign that says "Ducka you head, Lowla Bridgeda". That still makes me laugh cuz it is so clever.

But a Class A with roof damage is no laughing matter.
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Old 07-03-2009, 07:37 PM   #3
Rondo
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Mike-- Are you and the DW back in the Great Northwest yet? Sounds like you've had much to see and do on the round trip! Sorry we missed you on your trip East! Administrator/s--Sorry to get off the subject of this thread!
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Old 07-03-2009, 08:17 PM   #4
Icehouse
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We have some friends who were entering Canada in their fifth wheel. Unfortunately, they entered using the car lane. They opened their roof like a can of sardines. The worst part? The fifth wheel was brand new. . . Ouch!
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Old 07-04-2009, 01:10 AM   #5
Bill-N-Donna
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We seen a fifth wheel once right after it opened up its top. Not a pretty sight. I hope to keep that in my memory to help me watch out for low bridges.

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Old 07-04-2009, 01:31 AM   #6
NCFischers
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When we were on our way to the Northeast Rally and were close to the campground, we turned onto a road and went about 1000 feet when we came upon a railroad tressel with a sign that said 12'10". I pulled to the side of the road and was making plans to back up all the way to the intersection when a tractor trailer went through the underpass from the other direction. He never even slowed down and didn't hit it. I had the DW walk ahead of me and went verrrry slowly under the bridge and cleared it by about 6 inches. We found out later from H John Kohl that most underpasses in New York are measured from the center of the axle (is this the height of stupidity, or what?) to the bottom of the bridge. Underpasses that state "actual height" are measured from the road.
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Old 07-04-2009, 02:49 AM   #7
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by NCFischers

When we were on our way to the Northeast Rally and were close to the campground, we turned onto a road and went about 1000 feet when we came upon a railroad tressel with a sign that said 12'10". I pulled to the side of the road and was making plans to back up all the way to the intersection when a tractor trailer went through the underpass from the other direction. He never even slowed down and didn't hit it. I had the DW walk ahead of me and went verrrry slowly under the bridge and cleared it by about 6 inches. We found out later from H John Kohl that [s]most[/s] SOME (and that was one of them) underpasses in New York are measured from the center of the axle (is this the height of stupidity, or what?) to the bottom of the bridge. Underpasses that state "actual height" are measured from the road.
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Old 07-04-2009, 03:55 AM   #8
Delaine and Lindy
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I took one load of product into New Your and I know that feeling when you look up and see a Bridge Sign that says 12'10" when your pull a 53' dry van, it will make you sick. Its a CYA thing to keep Truicking companys from suing NY. I must admit that was my first and last trip into Brooklyn. I did make other Trips out on Long Island, no problems there. If its less than 13'6 I want go there. Another thing is when they repave steets its builds up and raises the road way. However some States have started to put Concrete under the bridges and overpasses. GBY...
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Old 07-04-2009, 05:49 AM   #9
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There is a railroad trestle in Pinehurst, NC with a sign stating 13ft and I plan to go a few miles out of my way to avoid that one. I'm going to measure the rig height just for my own knowledge, but avoid the trestle anyway. All it takes is one new coat of paving asphault and the height is reduced.
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Old 07-04-2009, 06:00 AM   #10
HughM
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After I found myself at the entrance of a tunnel in Mobile, AL with a sign of 12 ft. clearance, I had to find another way across the bay. Took 2 hours. I learned my lesson and found a website that would eliminate that problem in the future. I use it every new trip.
Here's a website for Low Clearances.
http://www.aitaonline.com/info/road/...learances.html
Hugh
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Old 07-04-2009, 06:15 AM   #11
Countryfolks
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http://www.aitaonline.com/Info/Road/...learances.html

The other one didn't work for me, don't know why.
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Old 07-04-2009, 06:44 AM   #12
stiles watson
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We had one experience where Nuvi (GPS) guided us to a "short-cut". We rounded a curve and were confronted by an 11'-2" RR trestle in front of us. Fortunately, there was a very wide place in the road (because there were businesses on each side of the road) so that we could turn around.
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Old 07-04-2009, 08:02 AM   #13
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Stiles, we had one of those "short cut" NUVI adventures on the way home from the 7 Feathers rally. We were confronted with a railroad trestle, too, with a marked height of 11' 4". Fortunately, there was a decent-sized pulloff on one side of the road, so we had some manuvering room to turn around. From the looks of all the tracks through the grassy ditch on either side of the road, we weren't the only people turning around after seeing that sign. But, from the looks of the underside of that trestle, some folks must have thought they could make it under but didn't.

Carolyn & Wayne
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Old 07-04-2009, 12:08 PM   #14
KathyandDave
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I measured us to be just shy of 12'-10". Anything in the low 13's, I take a cautious approach.
If you travel up (or down) Hwy #400 from Toronto north to Barrie, the combination of old bridges and many repaving jobs has made the right lanes pretty barberous. They are marked. Stick to the center and left lanes.
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Old 07-04-2009, 12:52 PM   #15
Tom S.
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This topic gives me the willies. I used to have an office just outside a very low railroad bridge that got hit an average of every couple weeks by a truck. A garbage truck hit it one day and really raised a racket - we could feel the vibration in the floor of out building. We also saw a brand new delivery truck for ABC Appliance get peeled back like a can of sardines. As if it wasn't bad enough to screw up your vehicle, unless you could drive away, you got a ticket too!
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Old 07-04-2009, 01:51 PM   #16
1Happycamper
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I printed all the States and their low bridges. Keep it in the trailer all the time.It only took 52 pages.

Bill
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Old 07-04-2009, 02:08 PM   #17
Mrs. CountryGuy
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Bill, might I humbly suggest you keep list IN the TRUCK!!!
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Old 07-05-2009, 04:51 AM   #18
Exnavydiver
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There is a bridge in Rhinelander Wisconsin right by the paper mill that has an 11' 6" clearance sign on it, THEY MEAN 11'6"!!! It is a railroad bridge. 3 years ago a semi hit it so hard that it knocked it off the foundations on either end. After an extensive repair project (4 months) They reinforced the new foundations and the bridge and put 18 inch I-beams 10 feet on either side of the bridge as "lid cutters" for the morons that can't seem to see where they are going. There are signs and flashing yellow lights a block before the bridge, big yellow signs, and diagonal black and yellow striping on the "lid cutters". We drove by there yesterday and the black and yellow striping is all torn and scratched. The idiots are still trying to drive through it. A local security guard that works near by told me that they usually "top off" a trailer about twice a month. Rhinelander is heavily fining these guys and ticketing them for inattentive driving and on two occasions reckless driving. Will they ever learn? I think not.... Dave
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Old 07-05-2009, 05:40 AM   #19
timandsusan
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To keep me honest, I put a yellow Post-it note on the dash board to remind me of the clearance in both meters and feet. With a front AC, our measured height it 12'10". So anything close to 13' gets my heart beating!
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Old 07-05-2009, 06:12 AM   #20
exav8tr
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This has been my biggest fear since getting our rig two years ago. I always check my routing with the "Motor Carriers Atlas" published by Rand McNally. It includes all (?), the low clearance routes in each state. If you follow the yellow routes, you are assured (?) of proper clearances. It also has a section in front of each state with clearances and restricted routes. Of course, if you get off course somewhere, then, who knows?????? I know a lot of you travel the back roads and perhaps someday, I will also, but for the time being I stick to the major routes, most of the time...

BTW, These atlases can usually be found at the hiway truck stops. Haven't seen one in a book store yet....
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