1st long trip

gwilkrrs · 06-13-2021, 04:56 AM

heading out next week for our first long road trip with the rv
289 cougar 5th wheel.
starting in baltimore md and ending in maine.

looking for rv maps and other suggestions.

thanks

jasin1 · 06-13-2021, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwilkrrs

heading out next week for our first long road trip with the rv
289 cougar 5th wheel.
starting in baltimore md and ending in maine.

looking for rv maps and other suggestions.

thanks

I have a rv 785 gps..you can set the height of your fifth wheel to keep you away from low bridges. I used TruckMap app before that.
There are a lot of low bridges and tight roads in the northeast to be careful of.
If you stick to 95 you should be good until you get into some of the coastal areas up north,I’d be careful after that.
I’d also be really careful if you decide to go up through Lancaster PA because again there are quite a few low bridges.

**flybouy** · 06-13-2021, 05:29 AM

I wouldn't suggest I95 all yhe way. That will take you across yhe GW bridge, thru NYC up yhe coast of CT, snd yhru Boston. Look at a an RV or truckers map. Buy an RV specific gps.

gwilkrrs · 06-13-2021, 05:33 AM

thanks-
looking into trucker specific gps now-

truckmap seems to run 95 into new york also like mapquest did but with a slight diference.

**JRTJH** · 06-13-2021, 06:21 AM

The specs on your trailer "suggest" that it's 12' 0" tall. You've altered the height of your tow vehicle rear and have installed a hitch in the bed which is "not a standard height in all cases", so the actual height of the tallest projection from your roof is very likely not the advertised "brochure height"....

I would suggest you hitch your rig, take it to a level parking lot, climb on the roof, lay a 2x4 over the tallest projection, level the 2x4 and measure from the top of that board to the ground. That will give you a 1.5" advantage in actual height of your rig.

The reason why you should get an actual measurement is because if your truck is 4" taller than "Keystone's tow vehicle" then you are 4" taller than the brochure says you are. You can see that if your tow vehicle is 6" taller, then you could easily tear everything off your roof while "believing the brochure but experiencing the real world".....

Do your own "due diligence" so you KNOW how tall your rig really is when you're towing down the highway !!!!!

gwilkrrs · 06-13-2021, 06:29 AM

yes this makes sense also-
thanks.

jasin1 · 06-13-2021, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

The specs on your trailer "suggest" that it's 12' 0" tall. You've altered the height of your tow vehicle rear and have installed a hitch in the bed which is "not a standard height in all cases", so the actual height of the tallest projection from your roof is very likely not the advertised "brochure height"....

I would suggest you hitch your rig, take it to a level parking lot, climb on the roof, lay a 2x4 over the tallest projection, level the 2x4 and measure from the top of that board to the ground. That will give you a 1.5" advantage in actual height of your rig.

The reason why you should get an actual measurement is because if your truck is 4" taller than "Keystone's tow vehicle" then you are 4" taller than the brochure says you are. You can see that if your tow vehicle is 6" taller, then you could easily tear everything off your roof while "believing the brochure but experiencing the real world".....

Do your own "due diligence" so you KNOW how tall your rig really is when you're towing down the highway !!!!!

Yup very important..my neighbor a few doors down destroyed his forward air cond cover in Lancaster. Got jammed under a bridge..if I remember correctly he let air out of his tires to get out of the mess..ac was fine but cover was a loss

travelin texans · 06-13-2021, 09:03 AM

Pick up a Motor Carriers Atlas at a truck stop. It has all the roads highlighted suitable for truck traffic so you'd also be good to go. All low clearances & other cautions listed by state in the front of the atlas. Cheaper than a GPS unit.
We used the MCA, google maps on our phones & finally a factory GPS on our last truck, reverencing all 3 before & during the travel. Only once had an issue between Google & the GPS where they did not agree in 10+ years of fulltiming.

**flybouy** · 06-14-2021, 06:08 AM

To Brian's story above travelin Texans I probably know the bridge he's talking about. I go around Lancaster going north to avoid the downtown circle and traffic. If you follow a "non RV" GPS you'll end up under that railroad bridge. My RV GPS will take me around low clearance bridges, route me around tunnels that prohibit transporting LP tanks, route me around turns that are too tight for the rig, bridges that are not rated for the weight, even warn me of Railroad crossings where the approach is too steep to drag a trailer over. All that by me entering a destination and pushing go. Seems like a good investment to me.

I don't understand the reluctance to buy a tool that could potentially save you a lot of pain and headache. It's a small price to pay considering the money invested in the truck and trailer. But that's just me. YMMV

wiredgeorge · 06-14-2021, 07:29 AM

Just watched a dumb Gordon Ramsey show where he challenges local chefs each week using local foods... didn't realize that Maine has a longer coastline than Cali. 3500 MILES! Wow. Have a great time on your trip!

jasin1 · 06-14-2021, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Just watched a dumb Gordon Ramsey show where he challenges local chefs each week using local foods... didn't realize that Maine has a longer coastline than Cali. 3500 MILES! Wow. Have a great time on your trip!

That’s interesting, never knew that.
Maybe because of all the inlets and coves along the Maine coast. Long squiggly line. Compared to Cali.

NJ High Country · 06-14-2021, 07:47 AM

The GW bridge is absolute nightmare, even in a car! The Garmin 785 is a nice unit and has a camera which is a nice feature. We're going to Maine in the fall. I would take RT 287 over the Cuomo bridge, formerly known as the Verazzano. Tolls would also be something to consider.

gwilkrrs · 07-05-2021, 03:52 AM

We used free trial of copilot gps and all went well with “truck routes” and she seemed tol be comfortable with it

machz · 08-09-2021, 07:19 AM

My suggestion would be to hit 81 ( head up from Charlotte )then 84 and pick up 95 again north of Boston. This will save a ton of headaches and a ton of money in tolls. It will cost you about 2 hours but the scenery is much better so it's worth it. I will be running the opposite way from NH to Orlando in a couple of weeks.

Never mind I see this was back in June

Hope your trip went well.

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