Danger! Tree Limbs!

[hedgehopper]

Several weeks ago I posted about damage to the roof of our Northern Lite – damage with an unknown cause. At the time, I thought it happened while our Dodge and camper were in for a diesel emissions test. But the service advisor invited me and DW to inspect the shop for a possible cause. We found nothing. Maybe we would never know what happened.

Having temporarily patched the camper, we got ready for another adventure. All packed and ready to go, I drove up the street from our house to turn around and head in the right direction. Returning the short distance in the curb lane, I heard a “whump.” In that instant, I recalled hearing a whump in that same spot once before.

Parking in front of our house, I jumped out, looked at the roof of the camper, and saw more damage. With a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I walked back up the street. There, extending over the street, was a tree limb with three or four feet of bark chewed off. Obviously, ours was not the only vehicle to encounter this tree. I wondered why I had never noticed it before.

Most of us know to be on the lookout for overpasses with insufficient clearance – or gas stations. But tree limbs?

If this post can prevent damage to one RV, it will have accomplished its purpose. I, for one, will be more aware. The only good about all of this is that the second damage occurred before the first damage was repaired, that I now know the cause, and that I will be on the lookout for low tree branches extending over the roadway. Unfortunately, they’re not accompanied by a sign “Insufficient Clearance!” So don’t make the same mistake I did.

[Kayteg1]

SidecarFlip wrote:
First off, t's not up to the resident to prune any tree limb hanging over the street, that is the responsibility of the city or township to take care of.

Says who?
Back in CA I lived in wooded area, where lot of oak branches hang less than 12' above the street.
One side was residential, the other was city landscape.
City would not want to do anything. One time I call them to report danger branches, the clerk told me "We will notify the owner to take care about it"
she become speechless when I pointed "you are the owner"

[sabconsulting]

Damage like that sucks.

Ironically I have the advantage that where I live there are tree limbs and other obstructions everywhere - the advantage is you get used to looking out for clearance wherever and whenever you drive - as long as you remember you have the camper on the truck.

Steve.

[hedgehopper]

It's not up to the resident to prune any tree limb hanging over the street, that is the responsibility of the city or township to take care of.

My wife called the city and was told that the city would notify the homeowner. If the homeowner did not take care of the problem, the city would and charge the homeowner.

I'm glad I have a pop up. No clearance issues anywhere, I don't have to keep looking up and worrying about overhead clearance. Definite plus for me.

Several years ago, one of our cohorts drove from California (I think it was) to Denver to pick up her new Phoenix popup. Returning home, she pulled into a parking garage and wiped out her new popup.

[petrel]

Don't forget stray cable vision cables! Fortunately, most areas are switching to fiber, but they are still leaving that old coaxial cable hanging out there.

[Grit_dog]

Mine was definitely more of a crunch than a whump noise....lol
Tried to clean the AC off the top of the camper coincidentally a day before the first time we'd have used it....ever!
That was with my lovely wife spotting for me pulling into a car wash! You're clear you're clear you're good.....crunch!
Best part was on the way out I spot the outside wash bay on the other side of the building and my 13 year old was like, dad you didn't don't see that on the way in? Figured you didn't want to use that one.....

[Wardster]

Any pics of the damage?

[SidecarFlip]

First off, t's not up to the resident to prune any tree limb hanging over the street, that is the responsibility of the city or township to take care of.

Having said that, most municipalities today are very lax in tree trimming maintenance. All the limbs should be pruned back to 13' 6" or better but as a rule, they are not today.

Finally, I'm glad I have a pop up. No clearance issues anywhere, I don't have to keep looking up and worrying about overhead clearance. Definite plus for me.

[burningman]

Ever see a tricked-out Peterbilt with those giant custom 8" wide, tall stacks that look super cool and cost a fortune? Well let me tell you, you look for tree branches!!

[grampscamper]

Same issue where I live. I must drive in the middle of the road until I get out on the main roads.

[kohldad]

Yep, I'm looking up checking for limbs, rock overhangs, sagging power lines, etc almost as much as I'm watching for traffic and road conditions. When my wife drives, this is my second biggest fear on the smaller backroads that doesn't have semi-traffic.

[gbopp]

msiminoff wrote:
Gah! Why hadn't the resident and/or city trimmed this tree!?!

Did you contact the resident and/or city? They may not know there was a problem.

[msiminoff]

Hi Hedge'

A bit more than a year ago I heard a similar WHUMP! while driving through a residential neighborhood in Livingston NJ (a very long way from my home!). I glanced in the rear view mirror in time to see a bunch of debris falling to the ground. Yep, I had that sick feeling too 😮

I turned the truck around to figure out what I'd hit and discovered tree branch that stretched across the entire lane of the 2-lane road, and of course my branch had same three or four feet of bark missing that your branch did. Gah! Why hadn't the resident and/or city trimmed this tree!?!

It was incredibly fortunate that the only thing that the branch contacted was the fridge vent. It could just as easily have been my solar panels or crank-up satellite dish... or my TPO roof. Later that same day it started raining so it was also convenient that I have a DC fridge and didn't need the ventilation.

I covered up the hole in the roof the best I could with a lawn 'n leaf bag and half a roll of Gorilla tape, then ordered a new vent, putty tape, & a tube of Dicor online and had 'em shipped general delivery to a post office at our next destination. I completed the repair a week later in a Home Depot parking lot (after picking up screws, Great Stuff insulation, and a caulk gun).

Cheers,
-Mark

[Photomike]

A few years too late for me 🙂

Was in Glacier National Park for my father's memorial service, driving to some of the spots he loved and was having a good time remembering him when I drove up from the boat launch area to hear a strange dragging noise. Drove around for another 20 or 30 minutes till I got back to the camp site and got out to see the luggage rack hanging off the roof on one side. It pulled the rack all the way back and bent it enough so I could reach up and snap it off, never did have a use for that. The part that made me the maddest was the cap for the bathroom sewer vent was gone as well. Went home and bought a new vent, filled the holes from one of the anchors for the rack and went on with life. A trip or two later I was coming up from the same boat launch and heard a noise, this time I stopped and picked up my sewer vent and put it back on. After that trip I put a strap over the vent to secure it!

[fpoole]

Yep, I hear that one...

Got almost caught several times, now constantly aware of it, more if Booning on dirt Roads.

Dented a Winegard Roof antenna unknowingly and went through apx 6 months of trying to figure out what the DISH problem was. Turned out to be the Antenna, damaged by a tree limb..

So now watch it all the time..
Thanks for the reminder though..