It can happen to you....

[cpaharley2008]

Be careful, there are more of these out there......

[Donna D.]

Yikes! If I see a sign that's less than 10', I don't even attempt it.

[cpaharley2008]

Here is a link to state by state guide...
https://member.coach-net.com/members...BridgeInfo.pdf

[yangstyle]

Ouch, I was wondering if Escape gives you a height measurement when you pick up your trailer or do you do that yourself?

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by yangstyle

Ouch, I was wondering if Escape gives you a height measurement when you pick up your trailer or do you do that yourself?

The website has the height for their trailers...

[MyronL]

That 8 foot clearance has got to be rare, not to mention freaky unusual. It looks like a railroad bridge on a side street nearby the old Ballantine Brewery in Newark,

[yangstyle]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

The website has the height for their trailers...

Thank you. I missed that in the specs.

[MyronL]

Wondering if those freight cars have hops in them.

[Mike Lewis]

I would think that the height of the 5.0 could vary quite a bit, depending upon its tow vehicle, since the front of the trailer over the truck bed is the highest part.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

The website has the height for their trailers...

I would not rely on the specs on the site.

It would depend how your trailer is equipped. Do you have air? Do you have Maxxfan? Do you have high lift axle?
Site says a new 17B is 8'2". I've measured my old 2009 trailer at 8'4". I have high lift and 15" tires.
I used a 4' level and tape measure to determine the highest point on my trailer ( and then I'd allow 6" pee-your-pants factor ).

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

I would think that the height of the 5.0 could vary quite a bit, depending upon its tow vehicle, since the front of the trailer over the truck bed is the highest part.

Actually it's not, its right behind the loft. Any roof antennas, etc. and whether a high-lift axle would affect the overall height. Interestingly enough, the A/C (if mounted at the standard roof location at the rear) isn't the highest point either.

[Mike Lewis]

Well, okay. But it still seems like the height of the 5.0 TA would be more affected by truck bed height than the height of the other trailers by hitch height. I've no experience with fifth-wheel hitches, but it looks like the height of a conventional hitch would be easier to adjust.

Nice looking trailer, though.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

But it still seems like the height of the 5.0 TA would be more affected by truck bed height than the height of the other trailers by hitch height.

I hope not. The hitch and pin box should be adjusted so that the trailer frame is parallel to the road (or "level"), as with any other trailer, especially tandem-axle trailers, and particularly tandems with unequalized (such as Torflex) suspensions. If you don't have that right, the two axles will carry unequal loads, affecting load capacity, tire and suspension life, and stability.

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

I've no experience with fifth-wheel hitches, but it looks like the height of a conventional hitch would be easier to adjust.

Any reasonable fifth-wheel hitch can be adjusted in height over a significant range, much like the head-to-shank assembly of a typical WD hitch. The fifth-wheel normally does take more more time and effort, because it usually involves more bolts, and holding up a much heavier hitch head; fortunately it only needs to be done once for the tug and trailer combination. On the other extreme, the Andersen Ultimate system used by many 5.0 and 5.0TA owners changes height with one pin.

[Brian B-P]

Source of the image:
Billings Gazette: News photo: Trailer crashes on 21st Street underpass
The Gazette site is really annoying, so I can save you the hassle... this is the whole text:

Harold Ernst of Colusa, Calif., talks with police officers on Tuesday, September 7 after Ernst drove his pickup pulling his fifth wheel trailer into the 21st Street underpass near Montana Avenue. The trailer was much too tall to clear the railroad bridge.

[gbaglo]

Reporter didn't ask "how do you feel"?

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Any reasonable fifth-wheel hitch can be adjusted in height over a significant range, much like the head-to-shank assembly of a typical WD hitch.

I've never really looked closely at a fifth-wheel hitch, so I stand corrected. From a distance they don't look very adjustable. I can still assume that you can't lower the level of the hitch below the bed of the truck, as you can lower a conventional hitch below the level of its receiver. A tall truck would present more of a challenge to a fifth wheel trailer than to a conventional trailer in this regard.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

From a distance they don't look very adjustable. I can still assume that you can't lower the level of the hitch below the bed of the truck, as you can lower a conventional hitch below the level of its receiver.

Good observations.

While adjustable, they don't have as much range as conventional hitches, and not only can they not get below the bed of the truck, they can't even get very close. For instance, the most basic Reese fifth-wheel hitch (the 15K, part 30093) specs say:

Vertically adjusts from 12-1/2" to 16-1/2"

... above the floor of the pickup box.

The Andersen Ultimate only adjusts by two inches (from 16.5" to 18.5" from floor to top of ball). It is available in a special four-inch-lower version for flatbed trucks with especially high load floors, which only fits with a recessed gooseneck ball.

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

A tall truck would present more of a challenge to a fifth wheel trailer than to a conventional trailer in this regard.

Yes, that's why Escape offers the lift kit for the 5.0TA suspension, and before Dexter offered that kit they used a beam axle and leaf spring suspension (for the first couple years of the 5.0TA) because it is easy to adjust in height... up from the otherwise most desireable setting, to match taller trucks.

[gwvwadc]

Hmmmm......
Wonder how you would explain this to your insurance company?

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by gwvwadc

Hmmmm......
Wonder how you would explain this to your insurance company?

That I'm a complete *#%$()* idiot that can't read signs clearly posted. Or I was on my cell phone and didn't read the sign. Wonder if they have a clause for not paying out due to stupidity.

[cpaharley2008]

Also be careful at drive thru establishments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFnWbK7GZ2A