Low Bridge Enough to Ruin Your Whole Day

A gentleman pulling a fifth wheel through Winnipeg, Manitoba found out the hard way that it pays to know how high your rig is. While reports suggest the vertical clearance at the bridge was somewhere less than 10', the man was able to firmly wedge his Wildwood fiver under the overpass.

We had a somewhat similar, but far less disastrous experience in Bakersfield, California. Pulling under a freeway overpass our wind turbine blades managed to meet up with the low-slung (and unmarked as to height) bridge. Since we can clear anything over 12' 6", we were a bit surprised (and genuinely displeased) when we wound up repairing damages.

When measuring clearance, be sure to take into account the HIGHEST object on your roof, be it air conditioning unit, solar panel on the highest point of the rig, what-have-you. It's not too far off to "add" a little bit to your clearance, as if there's a change in grade under the low-slung object, your practical height can rise just a smidge.

Photo from www.winnipegfirst.ca

Fifth Wheelers Take Toll Thumping--Other RVs Get Off

Fifth-wheel folks who use the New York State Thruway--the largest toll highway system in the country--may have something to kick about. The Thruway, which is funded strictly by user tolls, has an interesting way of calculating toll charges--based on the number of axles and the height of the rig.

Vehicles 7-foot, 6-inches or greater in height over the first two axles are classified as 'high' and charged at a higher rate, and that includes some fifth-wheel trailers.

The bottom line: Fifth wheel users are charged almost double what travel trailer users pay, and the latter pay even more than motorhome users. Even with special discount passes available to users, fifth wheel owners are still stuck with some of the highest toll rates around. A couple of fiver owners whose 'hides were chapped' by this dirty discrimination wrote in protest to the Albany Times Union. Their reporters looked into the matter, and 'sho' 'nuf', fiver folks really can expect to pay more.

So if you're planning a New York Moment and it involves a fifth wheel on the Thruway, take plenty of cash.

Photo: Fifth wheel owners line up for handouts after paying Thruway tolls. Tung N. Chic photos.

Fiver Owner Fights Fight of Fractured Frame

So you think "reality TV" is really something? Imagine crawling under your trailer and finding your frame is cracked, twisted, and otherwise damaged beyond your imagination. This isn't the stuff of your nightmares, its an ongoing heartache for a fiver owner from Connecticut.

His story surfaced on an RV forum a few days ago, on May 10. Since outlining the problems he found on his six-year-old Cougar, the writer has discussed how much "help" he's received from both trailer maker, ('We could pay for a few hours of labor,') and the frame manufacturer ('Sorry, your warranty is only good for two years').

It's an ongoing story, as of last post, Keystone (the trailer manufacturer) was rumbling that perhaps they could do something to help the owner out--but that remains to be seen. Who knows, the public nature of internet forums may actually be having an effect. No RV maker really wants to be seen in a bad light, even if they really are convinced that they're not responsible for this kind of damage. Tune in for yourself by following this link to the forum thread.

Carry Passengers in Your Fifth Wheel?

You've got a nice trip planned--what could be more fun than to share it with friends? But alas, your tow rig doesn't have enough seats to carry everyone. Can you tuck a few away "back" in the fifth wheel? The answer may surprise you.

When we pop this question around the campfire, the typical response is: "Are you crazy? Of course not!" Whoa! Actually, some states do allow passengers to travel in a fifth wheel trailer, provided certain conditions are met. Others don't allow passengers in any sort of trailer, under any condition. This is one of those sad cases where there's no universal answer. For example, in California you may lawfully carry passengers, provided there's a "signaling device" between the trailer and the tow vehicle. A set of walkie talkies will cover this requirement. Up in Manitoba, on the other hand, the law doesn't allow carrying of passengers in any trailer.

How do you find out whether transporting passengers in your fiver is legal in a given locality? Ah, there's the tough one. Perhaps the best (and quickest) way is to call the home office of the state's highway patrol. The off-the-cuff answer you receive may just be a guess, so persist--perhaps even asking for the specific 'chapter and verse,' of that state's law that codifies the requirement. In that way you can be sure of the answer, and if stopped in a state that does allow passenger hauling, you'll be able to help 'uninformed uniforms' learn the law a little better.

Keep in mind, just because hauling passengers in your fiver is legal, doesn't necessarily equate to a "good idea." Ever seen a fifth wheel with seat belts? Trailers aren't designed for passenger safety in the event of an accident. Even where carrying passengers in a trailer is legal, you'll have to make your own choice as to whether you'll want to.

Have Fifth Wheel--Will Haul Bikes

One of the bigger issues among bike-riding 5er owners--where do you haul your bike? It's a problem with several solutions, but many of them have their own set of issues.

For us, hauling a couple of bikes meant a front-of-the-truck bumper mounted bike rack we picked up at Camping World. In order to have clear visibility from the wheel we'd take the seats off the bikes, otherwise those 'rump cushions' were right in the line of sight. Yes, you had to put up with bugs and dings on your bike, because if you covered them with a protective bag it obstructed cooling.

Other fifth wheel folks put racks on the rear bumper of their fifth wheel--provided their bumper design allows for it. Some fiver manufacturers forswear this by warning that nothing should be mounted to their particular breed's bumpers. A possible response? Add a hitch receiver to the trailer frame and use a hitch receiver style bike rack.

Some we've seen get what looks to be way out. They weld a hitch receiver to their fifth wheel hitch on the trailer and carry their bikes right out their leading their fifth wheel's front cap. Wow! It must be a real picnic to balance yourself on the pickup bed and manhandle your bike up on that rack, but hey, if you're a dyed in the wool biker, you do whatcha gotta do.