RV gps

[azflycaster]

I got busted once driving a pickup truck on the Southern State Parkway. Back then they considered all PU trucks as commercial. I was on leave from the USAF with AZ plates and they cut me a break. Still had to pay my dime at the toll to get to my folks house.

[xbr443]

They still consider a pickup commercial, they're very strict around here.

The worst part of any trip for us is getting off Long Island.

[bweybright]

Different laws than other states.

Excerpts from the Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York

SUBCHAPTER E § 180.1
Special Parkways

PART 180
SPECIAL REGULATIONS REGARDING SPECIAL PARKWAYS

§ 180. 1 General
By section 10 of chapter 370 of the Laws of 1979, all rules, regulations, acts, determinations and decisions of the East Hudson Parkway Authority pertaining to the functions transferred to the Department of Transportation by chapter 370 of the Laws of 1979 that are in force at the time of such transfer, such transfer date being November 1, 1979, shall continue to be in full force and effect as rules, regulations, acts, determinations and decisions of the Department of Transportation until and unless duly modified or abrogated by the Commissioner of Transportation.
§ 181.1 Definitions of words and phrases.
(2) Authorized emergency vehicle. Every ambulance, police vehicle and fire vehicle.
(i) Ambulance. Every motor vehicle designed, appropriately equipped and used for the purpose of carrying sick or injured persons.
(ii) Police vehicle. Every vehicle owned by the State, a public authority, a county, town, city or village, and operated by the police department or law enforcement agency of such governmental unit. Any other-vehicle operated by a chief or deputy or assistant chief of a police department, a sheriff, undersheriff or regular deputy sheriff. A vehicle owned and operated by the law enforcement unit of a public or private corporation authorized by law to maintain a unit for the enforcement of law on the property of such corporation shall be a police vehicle only for the purposes of this section.
(iii) Fire vehicle. Every vehicle operated for fire service purposes owned and identified as being owned by the State, a public authority, a county, town, city, village or fire district, or a fire corporation subject to the provisions of subdivision 1 of section 112 of the Membership Corporations Law, or a fire company as defined in section 100 of the General Municipal Law. Any of the following vehicles shall be fire vehicles only for the purpose of this section:
(a) a vehicle operated by officials of the division of fire safety in the Office for Local Government of the Executive Department;
(b) a vehicle ordinarily operated by a chief or assistant chief of a fire department, or a county or deputy county fire coordinator, or county or assistant county fire marshal, or such vehicle when operated in an official capacity by or under the direction of such person; and
(c) a vehicle owned by a person, which is recognized and certified by the director of such division of fire safety as being maintained for the purpose of fire-fighting on premises owned or occupied by such person.
(iv) Emergency operation. The operation, or parking, of an authorized emergency vehicle, when such vehicle is engaged in transporting a sick or injured person, pursuing an actual or suspected violator of the law, or responding to, or working or assisting at the scene of, an accident, disaster, police call, alarm of fire or other emergency. Emergency operation shall not include returning from such service.
(3) Bicycle. Every device propelled by the feet acting upon pedals, having wheels any two of which are each more than 20 inches in diameter.
(4) Bus. Every motor vehicle used for transportation of persons that is designed for carrying more than 14 passengers, or has more than four tires, or that exceeds 9 feet in height from underside of tire to the top of the vehicle, 7 feet in width or 19 feet in length,
(8) Commercial vehicle. Every type of motor-driven vehicle used for commercial purposes on the highways, such as the transportation of goods, wares and merchandise and motor coaches carrying passengers; including trailers and semitrailers and tractors when used in combination with trailers and semitrailers, and excepting such vehicles as are run only upon rails or tracks,
(18) Highway. The entire width between the boundary line of every way or parkway publicly maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.
(19) House coach. Any vehicle motivated by a power connected therewith or propelled by a power within itself, which is or can be used as the home or living abode or habitation of one or more persons, either temporarily or permanently. In the application of these regulations to house coaches, a house coach propelled by a power within itself shall be deemed a motor vehicle, a house coach motivated by a power connected therewith shall be deemed a trailer, and all house coaches shall be deemed vehicles.
(22) Motorcycle. Every motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, but excluding a tractor.
(23) Motor-driven cycle. Every motorcycle, including every motor scooter, with a motor which produces not to exceed five horsepower, and every bicycle with motor attached.
(38) School bus. Every motor vehicle owned by a public or governmental agency or private school and operated for the transportation of pupils, teachers and other persons acting in a supervisory capacity, to or from school or school activities or privately owned and operated for the transportation of pupils, teachers and other persons acting in a supervisory capacity to or from school or school activities that is designed for carrying more than 14 passengers, or has more than four tires, or that exceeds 9 feet in height from underside of tire to the top of the vehicle, 7 feet in width or 19 feet in length.
(39) Semitrailer. Any trailer which is so designed that, when operated, the forward end of its body or chassis rests upon the body or chassis of the towing vehicle.
(43) Taxicab. A motor vehicle having a seating capacity for passengers of not more than seven persons, in addition to the driver, and used in the business of transporting passengers for compensation.
(48) Trailer. Any vehicle not propelled by its own power drawn on the public highways by a motor vehicle as defined in this section, except motorcycle sidecars, vehicles being towed by a nonrigid support and vehicles designed and primarily used for other purposes and only occasionally drawn by such a motor vehicle
(49) Truck Every motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property; provided, however, that a pickup truck or a van which is legally registered as a passenger vehicle and which has passenger license plates shall not be deemed to be a truck.
(50) Vehicle. Every device in, upon or, by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.
(51) Hearse. A station wagon type vehicle equipped for transporting a coffin or remains of a deceased person.
§ 182.24 Insignia and signs on vehicles.
(a) Nonrestricted vehicles, except taxicabs and vehicles owned and operated by governmental agencies, having any name, insignia or sign painted or displayed thereon are prohibited within the parkway system, except for identification purposes,
(b) For purposes of identification, the name and address only of the owner of a nonrestricted vehicle appearing on the sides thereof in letters not more than two inches in height shall not be construed as being in violation of this Subchapter.
§ 182.25 Median strip and crossovers
The median strip between the laned roadways in the parkway system, including crossovers and areas beyond the laned roadways, shall not be used by vehicles or persons on foot for any purpose except official purposes, or in emergencies.
§ 182.29 Projecting objects.
(a) No vehicle will be permitted to enter or operate within the parkway system with any article of any kind on the outside of the vehicle, unless such article is carried in or upon a rack designed for that purpose.
(b) The maximum projection of both the article and rack above the roof of the vehicle shall not exceed 30 inches.
(c) The overall height of the vehicle, including article and rack shall not exceed 10 feet.
(d) The article and/or rack shall not project beyond the front and/or rear of the permanent
equipment of the vehicle more than a total of two feet and in no case shall project beyond the sides of the vehicle.
§ 182.31 Restricted vehicles.
The following type vehicles, including those elsewhere defined in this Part, are not permitted
on the parkways within the parkway system, unless authorized under an agreement with the
department:
(a) bicycles;
(b) buses;
(c) commercial;
(d) golf carts;
(e) hearses, except those operated by or for a licensed funeral director or undertaker while traveling to or from a funeral, interment, cremation, place of death or other destination for the acceptance and shipment of the body or remains of a deceased person;
(f) house coaches;
(g) motor-driven cycles;
(h) school buses;
(i) semitrailers;
(j) snowmobiles;
(k) tractors;
(l) trailers;
(m) trucks.

[Skater]

It sounds like people need to be very specific about what parkways they're talking about - NY state parkways disallow campers, but at least some NPS parkways do allow them.

[richinny]

Originally Posted by xbr443

They still consider a pickup commercial, they're very strict around here.

actually that has changed. in 1988 i bought a new pick-up and was shocked to learn i was now owned a "commercial" vehicle. a nice lawyer at dmv in albany was kind enough to send me a list of restricted parkways after a long discussion. the law changed about 10 or so years ago. now, if the pick-up is under 5,500 lbs. it can be registered as a passenger vehicle. pick-ups with a camper in the rear CAN be registered as passenger.

vans without at least one side rear window (possibly limited to the right rear) must be registered commercial.

there are many parking restrictions placed on commercial vehicles. a lot of streets in residential areas prohibit commercial vehicle parking or short time limits.

for some ny road history go to www.nyroads.com

[xbr443]

Thanks for clarifying the law for NY.

New York isn't the only state that has low bridges on Parkways. My husband and I drove out to New Mexico last month to get our trailer Along the way there were a few Parkways we had to avoid, I don't remember where. A regular road map doesn't have height warnings and won't solve the problem. We didn't have a clear route home because we needed to find places to stay along the way, most campgrounds don't open until April so we couldn't make reservations in advance and we didn't know how far we would drive each day.

Allstays is a great iPhone app, we used it this weekend when we were coming home from upstate. We wanted to take a more scenic route home and I put in our height requirements and checked for low bridges. The problem is a lot of areas don't have cell phone service. We went to the Adirondacks last year, the second we entered the park we lost service and never got it back again until we left the park. We also had no cell phone service on Rt 40 through Oklahoma and the upper portion of Texas, except for when we were near Amarillo, TX.

After reading the comments on this thread I realize just how important an RV GPS is. We've always avoided Parkways, better safe than sorry, but I guess not all parkways are bad. Around here if you get on a parkway by mistake if there is a bridge between you and the first exit the only way to get off is to have the police stop traffic so you an back off (they don't like when you do this and the people sitting in traffic aren't to happy either).

Thanks again everyone, the people on this forum are always so helpful.

[polarlyse]

I've heard of GPS's for truckers. I think they provide additional information regarding low bridge clearance as well as restricted road's and how to avoid them. I've never seen one directed to RV's however. Just a little aside, Several years ago we were camping in Colorado and ended up in Lake City. We wanted to do some mountain 4x4 trails there and were not disappointed. We had been in the area before and had some ideas what to expect as far as the roads go. At the campground the owner told me he often gets phone calls from RV'ers traveling between Durango and Teluride on Rt. 550 inquiring about the directions the GPS is giving to get to Lake City. The 4x4 trails make it a shorter trip from Silverton but certainly not for most RV's. The blacktop roads take you down to Durango and over Wolf Creek Pass etc. to get there. We drove those jeep trails and I just could not imagine the outcome should an RV try following that route. The moral of the story is not to put all your trust in the GPS. I always have maps available and have an overview of my route.

[xbr443]

When I know where we're going I put copies of maps, hiking trails, kayak areas and campground maps on my iPhone and iPad so they are always available. I also do screen shots of areas if I think there could be issues.

iBooks is a great place to keep PDF's and OneNote (part of Office) is another place. Most campgrounds and parks have PDF files on their website for you to download. if you open them on your iPhone/iPad and open them in iBooks it will save it. You can create different folders so you can separate as needed. On the computer I print to OneNote and it syncs with my iPhone and iPad. Anything I save is always available. OneNote is different notebooks and a great way to keep track of things.

We tend to head in a direction and see where we end up. We usually have some idea where we're going but not always. ) Another reason to keep my research in OneNote, I keep places that look interesting in a notebook.

[mojo]

Originally Posted by polarlyse

I've heard of GPS's for truckers. I think they provide additional information regarding low bridge clearance as well as restricted road's and how to avoid them. I've never seen one directed to RV's however. Just a little aside, Several years ago we were camping in Colorado and ended up in Lake City. We wanted to do some mountain 4x4 trails there and were not disappointed. We had been in the area before and had some ideas what to expect as far as the roads go. At the campground the owner told me he often gets phone calls from RV'ers traveling between Durango and Teluride on Rt. 550 inquiring about the directions the GPS is giving to get to Lake City. The 4x4 trails make it a shorter trip from Silverton but certainly not for most RV's. The blacktop roads take you down to Durango and over Wolf Creek Pass etc. to get there. We drove those jeep trails and I just could not imagine the outcome should an RV try following that route. The moral of the story is not to put all your trust in the GPS. I always have maps available and have an overview of my route.

The RVND by Rand McNally is the cousin to the Inteliroute TND for truckers. The RVND is made for RV'ers and lets you put in the HxLxW of your unit so it can avoid low bridges. It can also be set to avoid tollways, ferries, U-turns, and dirt roads so you don't go 4 wheelin' with your AS!

[Aage]

Ever think about why we drive on parkways, and park in driveways?

[Mike91208]

Originally Posted by Aage

Ever think about why we drive on parkways, and park in driveways?

In rush hour, most of the parkways in NYC live up to their name...

[xbr443]

I decided I want the RVND 7710, I watched a few YouTube videos on it and it looks easy to use and has a lot if useful information.

Thanks for your help.

Susan

[richinny]

get back to us with reviews!

[Cracker]

The setup Zep showed in post #10 above, using the full-sized computer, is what I use when towing - however, the software I use is DeLorme Street Atlas USA. The advantages over and above the Magellans and Garmins are incalculable! I use the latter when travelling solo but there simply is not enough information therein to safely plan a trip to new areas not served by interstate highways. I want a full representation of what's around the area I'm entering, or about to exit to, from the super slab, when towing, and I don't want to have to use a magnifying glass to see the limited detail offered by the phone-size units.

[xbr443]

Originally Posted by Cracker

The setup Zep showed in post #10 above, using the full-sized computer, is what I use when towing - however, the software I use is DeLorme Street Atlas USA. The advantages over and above the Magellans and Garmins are incalculable! I use the latter when travelling solo but there simply is not enough information therein to safely plan a trip to new areas not served by interstate highways. I want a full representation of what's around the area I'm entering, or about to exit to, from the super slab, when towing, and I don't want to have to use a magnifying glass to see the limited detail offered by the phone-size units.

It looks like a great tool but a lot of the places we go have no service. A combination of this software & the GPS would probably be the best.

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by xbr443

It looks like a great tool but a lot of the places we go have no service. ...

You don't need service. Ozi downloads and saves the map(s) to your hard drive, so although you do need to survey the area at home [when you have an internet connection] before you jump in your tow vehicle, you have the maps with you.

Zep

[polarlyse]

I was reading the earlier postings regarding the registration regs. in NYS. NJ is similar to NY in that respect. Here in NJ all pickups and vans are registered as commercial vehicles. As a commercial vehicle all are required to have a name ( company or owner) printed in the exterior and used to be excluded from Parkway travel. Many years ago ( not sure when ) the powers here in NJ recoginized that many of the pickups and vans were NOT in commercial use even though they are required to be registered as such and pay commercial rates. So, as a solution, they came up with a class 15 registration and called it PASSENGER vehicle at COMMERCIAL rates and allow it to have a passenger car license plate. This accomplished 2 things. Back when commercial vehicles were excluded from the Garden State Parkway it allowed us to use of the road with the " NON COMMERICAL" license plates and excluded us from the printed name requirement. We still have the name requirement for vehicles in commercial use but the commercial vehicle exclusion was modified for the Parkway usage north of exit 105. South of 105 there are no such restrictions. I think the restriction is now based on size and weight and allows smaller commercial vehicles to use it. Towing is allowed by vehicles that would otherwise be permitted to use the GSP. So most of us towing RV's are OK in New Jersey. New York now is another matter so do your homework. I don't think ANY is allowed there.

[Cracker]

Originally Posted by xbr443

It looks like a great tool but a lot of the places we go have no service. A combination of this software & the GPS would probably be the best.

The DeLorme mapping system for the PC uses fully-linked GPS. I've never been anywhere, so far, where I didn't have 100% performance. If you can use a GPS the DeLorme works. Look it up on the net.

[xbr443]

My kids got me the RVND 7710 for my birthday on Saturday. I routed it to the campground we went to last week and it took us on four Parkways we can't drive on. I called Rand McNally and they said that their systems have a problem with Parkway's in New York & New Jersey, the reason I wanted this in the first place. On the bright side you can go in and avoid these roads permanently and they said it should be fixed in the next map upgrade.

[Hudsoncamp]

Originally Posted by xbr443

My kids got me the RVND 7710 for my birthday on Saturday. I routed it to the campground we went to last week and it took us on four Parkways we can't drive on. I called Rand McNally and they said that their systems have a problem with Parkway's in New York & New Jersey, the reason I wanted this in the first place. On the bright side you can go in and avoid these roads permanently and they said it should be fixed in the next map upgrade.

I just purchased the iPad RV app, which is basically the same software. Testing it beforehand, it put me on the Sprain Pkwy and Taconic Pkwy in NY, both of which you can't take a trailer on! Since your post is over a year old, looks like they didn't fix it in the next map upgrade. This was the main reason I purchased the app, to avoid illegal roads.