5th wheel vs trees May 06, 2017, 09:20:31 pm Staying at an rv park in Redding today. We just got back from having dinner in town. And took the dog to the dog park. While we are playing I see one of those monster 5th wheels coming in. He turns up a small road to a upper camp area. Then I hear scraping crunching sound and people yelling. Can't see what's going on from the dog park. So we start walking that way. By the time we almost get there he is moving again. Then we see him wedge the unit into a tree on the drivers side. When we finally see the damage from the first tree impact. He ripped the awning basically off the rig the whole thing was pushed back 5 to 6 feet and the arms were bent and twisted. Awning material was torn badly and awning track was ripped out of the rig. The second impact on the drivers side tore probably 10 to 15 feet of rubber roof off. By the time he got it unwedged. Pretty sad to see. I would have liked to have gotten pictures. But I felt bad for the guy and he had more than enough spectators. Sure glad I don't have to maneuver one of those things.
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #1 – May 06, 2017, 09:29:17 pm Breaks my heart. True life can stink sometimes. As life goes, somethings you wish you could wake up from while others you wish would go on forever. Ripping the side of your rig off is a nightmare I'd prefer to wake from.At least no one got injured.Kent
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #2 – May 06, 2017, 09:44:56 pm Anyone who can qualify for the loan can get an RV as big as a tractor/trailer rig. Experience and expertise are not for sale. 4 Likes
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #3 – May 06, 2017, 10:47:39 pm This video has been around forever.https://youtu.be/bCvPqaSyOos 1 Likes
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #4 – May 06, 2017, 11:08:50 pm Just took our evening walk and strolled past the trailer. The roof damage is much worse then I thought. Only about 10' is intact on the drivers side. The rest is peeled back like a banana. He removed the destroyed awning. And now I see the tree removed a couple exterior lights too.
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #5 – May 06, 2017, 11:35:11 pm If you haven't had a mishap yet, it's only a matter of time. My first outing in the '85 I caught my awning on the kiosk entering Santa Margarita Lake. Not too much damage but really embarrassing! 1 Likes
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #6 – May 07, 2017, 12:45:53 am Quote from: Ed D. - May 06, 2017, 10:47:39 pmThis video has been around forever.https://youtu.be/bCvPqaSyOosWHAT was That Noise, did you hear something??? 1 Likes
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #7 – May 07, 2017, 03:05:19 pm Many, if not most, RVers experience "mishaps" of one sort or another with their rigs. Many (IMO, and definitely including mine!) are due to inattention, haste, and/or carelessness. Some jam-ups are the result of inexperience, particularly in judging/calculating distances and clearances, some are due to a substantial mismatch between safely driving and maneuvering the rig and the skill set and hubris of the driver, some are due to the driver not knowing the height, width, and length of his/her rig (and bashing on anyway, assuming the everything will clear!), and some are the result of a lack, hopefully temporary, of good sense. (Sometimes memorialized on a few dozen cell phone videos and posted to You Tube.) The reported damage to this rig (and to the tree and whatever else he may have taken out) is certainly regrettable, but incidents like this can have value as cautionary tales! Works for me! 1 Likes
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #8 – May 07, 2017, 03:08:39 pm Quote from: Ed D. - May 06, 2017, 10:47:39 pmThis video has been around forever.https://youtu.be/bCvPqaSyOosReminds me of the train trestle on the west entrance of the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus. Every couple of years or so, a semi-truck goes to war with the trestle. The trestle always wins . . . Another truck crashes into Cal Poly’s Highland Drive bridge | The Tribune
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #9 – May 07, 2017, 03:18:02 pm Quote from: JCT - May 07, 2017, 03:05:19 pmSome jam-ups are the result of inexperience, particularly in judging/calculating distances and clearances, some are due to a substantial mismatch between safely driving and maneuvering the rig and the skill set and hubris of the driver . . . We were camping in our LD at Montano de Oro State Park some years back and I remember a couple drove in and decided to park right next to us. They were in a brand new pickup and 5th-wheel, their maiden voyage. The man was attempting to maneuver into the site, jack-knifed the rig, and the corner of his trailer hit the back window of the truck which promptly shattered. I felt very bad for him.
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #10 – May 07, 2017, 03:39:51 pm Many years ago when we had out MB, we were traveling in PA. Just drifting around here and there. I had heard about a nice boondocking spot on a river so headed there.Spanning the river, was a very old steel bridge with a wood deck.The 10'4" clearance sign, but apparantly nothing else, grabbed my attention.I pulled up onto the bridge, climbed onto the roof, eyeballed the A/C cover and decided we were OK so off we went. As you can see from the photo, we parked in a really nice site on the far side of the bridge for the night.After parking, me and the dog walked the bridge. That's when I noticed the 3 Ton weight limit sign. 😱I meant to write to the PA DOT and tell them their bridge had been field tested at almost 6 tons.Going forward, I made it a practice to try and read *all*advisory signs and then make my decision.Ed 4 Likes
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #11 – May 07, 2017, 05:26:39 pm Ed, speaking as a former civil engineer, when a structure is posted with a weight limit, there is usually a 2x or 3x safety factor. That posting is based on an inspection to determine the current structural capability. As time passes, the members continue to weaken, reducing the safety factor. You got lucky!I, too, have blessed my rig with a tree impact. In my case, I was fairly new to it, and had checked into a commercial campground. A staff person told me to follow him, and he hopped into a golf cart and started off. I followed him. Going up an aisle, he pulled way to the right, so I did the same. I was moving at a walking pace when I hit the 12" overhanging limb. It put a hole in the fiberglass cap, which I patched the next day. (First pic below) A bit of finish fiberglass work, a lot of sanding, some white paint, and I was good to go. (Second pic below) The moral - I am responsible for my rig, not anyone else.Ken F in OR 3 Likes
Re: 5th wheel vs trees Reply #13 – May 07, 2017, 05:51:10 pm I was backing my old camper down an alley. Everything in the mirrors was clear, except the aluminum ladder on a lumber rack sticking out from a work truck parked behind a shed. It went right through the aluminum siding, insulation, and interior paneling.Bad words were spoken, loudly.G.O.A.L.HD
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