Roof damage from radio antenna.

[Digby]

We are new to 5er camping this year and would like to share one of my ooops moments with you. Our paperwork said our camper was 12' 8" high. I never paid any attention to how high the tip of my radio antenna was. We were returning home from Gettysburg on I-81 and I-78, when our friends following behind us called to tell us that we hit the overpass with our antenna. I did not think much about it at the time but when we got home, I did my recommended roof inspection and found that the antenna was bent and there were three holes punched through the roof membrane where the tip had struck the roof.
Repaired the roof and adjusted the antenna down so the tip is just below the AC unit. Then, with my trailer hooked to the truck, I verifed the height of the trailer. Measuring off the highest point of the AC unit with a six foot level to get to the edge of the camper, I found that our camper is actually 13' 2". I just want people to be aware and double check your height before heading out on the road. Good Luck

[MISailor]

Thanks for the words of caution. I cover my TT between each use and seldom use the radio, so I leave my antenna down in a near horizontal orientation with the tip hovering just above the roof all the time. I never thought about potential damage to the membrane as the tip of the antenna bounced up and down while travelling, but I'll certainly consider this in the future.