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What is the Height of an Average Fifth Wheel Camper?

Published on May 13th, 2019 by Camper Report

When you’re out driving with your fifth wheel, you might sometimes feel a bit worried when you start approaching an overpass or a low clearance tunnel. Whether you’re considering buying a fifth wheel or just wondering about the one you currently have, knowing the height is important.

The average fifth wheel trailer is between 8 to 10 feet from the top of the roof to the ground. This measurement can vary depending on the height of the attached truck, the fifth wheel profile, and the hitch height. In most states, however, it is illegal for a fifth wheel to be over 13.5 feet tall.

If you’re too low to the ground, you might damage the underside and your towing equipment. On the other hand, if it’s too tall, you might scrape along the top of something or break a size restriction law. You’ll need to know the proper way to measure your vehicle, the differences in height between models, and the various state size limits.

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How to Measure the Height of your Fifth Wheel

When you’re looking for a fifth wheel to purchase, or checking one that you already have, a good thing to do is to measure its height. Try doing this when it’s unhitched, as well as when it’s hooked up. Sometimes the addition of a truck and hitch can increase the height.

Make sure that your fifth wheel is level and stationary when you check it. Uneven ground might throw off your measurements, especially if one end is tipped above the other!

The good news is that you can just use a standard tape measure to test this. No fancy gear or specialized tools necessary! All you need is your fifth wheel, a tape measure, and maybe a friend to hold the other end of it.

Fifth wheel heights are measured from the tallest point of the roof down to where the tires meet the ground. Don’t measure from the inside of the cab, because this will only give you an idea of the standing room, not the overall height.

It’s also important to include any roof additions in your measurements too, as these can sometimes put your vehicle over the legal limit.

At the end of the day, fifth wheel height isn’t usually a huge issue. People usually run into more problems with the measurement of length or width. Height will come into play if you’re going through areas with a lot of tunnels, covered bridges, low clearance overpasses, overhanging wires, or thick foliage.

You want to make sure your fifth wheel has a manageable height to make sure you don’t get too banged up in these restrictive areas. There’s also a danger of overbalancing and rolling with a tall vehicle because their center of gravity is higher up. So height is an important factor to take into consideration.

State Trailer Size Limits

Each American state has different rules and regulations concerning vehicle height, length, and width restrictions. These are put into place to ensure the safety of everyone on the road and are important to follow. This is particularly true if you’re interested in driving across multiple states. You need to know the laws of each area you visit.

To help simplify this process, below is a list of various states and their rules on vehicle sizes. If it’s applicable, length, width, and height will all be included.

Alabama

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc.) cannot exceed 57 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 28 feet 6 inches long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (not counting side mirrors and safety equipment up to 6 inches), and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Alaska

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc.) cannot exceed 75 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 53 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (not counting side mirrors and safety equipment up to 3 inches), and 15 feet tall.

Arizona

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc.) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 28 feet 6 inches long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (with appendages smaller than rearview mirrors allowed), and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Arkansas

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 53 feet 6 inches. Trailers cannot be more than 28 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment), and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

California

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Under certain circumstances, an exception can be made for vehicles up to 75 feet long. Trailers cannot be more than 28 feet 6 inches long (38 for single axle fifth wheels, 40 for 2 or more axle fifth wheels) 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall. Vehicles can be up to 14 feet tall on specific roads.

Colorado

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 75 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 45 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 14 feet 6 inches tall.

Connecticut

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall (excluding additions up to 6 inches).

Delaware

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 60 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet wide (excluding safety equipment) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

District of Columbia (DC)

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 55 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet wide (with certain areas allowing 8 feet 6 inch widths), 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Florida

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 48 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Georgia

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 100 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 53 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment) and 13 feet 6 inches tall (14 feet on specific roads).

Hawaii

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 45 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 14 feet tall.

Idaho

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 75 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 48 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide, and 14 feet tall.

Illinois

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 60 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 53 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Indiana

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 60 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 28 feet 6 inches long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment smaller than rearview mirrors permitted) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Iowa

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 53 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall (excluding additions up to 6 inches).

Kansas

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 45 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 3 inches) and 14 feet tall.

Kentucky

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 45 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Louisiana

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 30 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall (14 feet on specific roads).

Maine

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 48 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Maryland

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 35 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long (45 on interstates) 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 3 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches.

Massachusetts

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 33 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Michigan

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 28 feet 6 inches long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Minnesota

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 45 feet long (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 3 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Mississippi

The limits of total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) are not specified. Trailers cannot be more than 53 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding additions smaller than rearview mirrors) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Missouri

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 45 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding additions smaller than rearview mirrors) and 13 feet 6 inches tall (14 feet tall on specific roads).

Montana

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailer length limit is not specified, but it cannot be wider than 8 feet 6 inches, or taller than 14 feet.

Nebraska

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 14 feet 6 inches tall.

Nevada

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 70 feet. Trailer length limit is not specified, but they cannot be more than than 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 3 inches) and 14 feet tall.

New Hampshire

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 53 feet. The trailer length limit is not specified, but they cannot be more than 8 feet 6 inches (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

New Jersey

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 53 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

New Mexico

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 14 feet tall.

New York

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 60 feet. Trailers cannot be longer than 48 feet long, 8 feet wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

North Carolina

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 60 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide, and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

North Dakota

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 75 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 53 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 14 feet tall.

Ohio

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Necessary safety equipment can increase the maximum limit up to 24 inches. The trailer length limit is not specified, but they cannot be more than 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding additions up to 3 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Oklahoma

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 4 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Oregon

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding additions up to 4 inches) and 14 feet tall.

Pennsylvania

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 53 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding additions up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Rhode Island

The total length limit of vehicles (including car, trailers, boats, etc) is not specified. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

South Carolina

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 53 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

South Dakota

The total length limit of vehicles (including car, trailers, boats, etc) is not specified. Trailers cannot be more than 45 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 14 feet tall.

Tennessee

The total length limit of vehicles (including car, trailers, boats, etc) is not specified. The length limit of trailers is not specified, but they cannot be more than 8 feet wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Texas

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 28 feet 6 inches long, 8 feet wide, and 14 feet tall.

Utah

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 53 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide, and 14 feet tall.

Vermont

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 75 feet. The length limit for trailers is not specified, but they cannot be more than 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 6 inches) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Virginia

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 28 feet 6 inches long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Washington

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 75 feet. The length limit of trailers is not specified, but they cannot be more than 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding safety equipment up to 4 inches) and 14 feet tall.

West Virginia

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 65 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Wisconsin

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 70 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 48 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding additions smaller than rearview mirrors) and 13 feet 6 inches tall.

Wyoming

Total vehicle length (including car, trailers, boats, etc) cannot exceed 85 feet. Trailers cannot be more than 60 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide (excluding additions smaller than rearview mirrors) and 14 feet tall.

Acceptable Hitch Height

One element of a fifth wheel’s height that’s important is the truck and trailer hitch. Trucks are generally between 5 and 7 feet tall, with options to raise and lower them. You don’t want a truck that’s too tall though, because this will make it very hard to attach your fifth wheel hitch.

Your fifth wheel should be sitting levelly as it hooks into the hitch. This will prevent it from being angled as it attaches. There should be at least 6 inches of space between the fifth wheel overhang and the truck bed.

To correctly set the hitch to the right height, measure from the top of the truck bed to the ground. Then measure from the plate of the trailer’s pin box to the ground. Subtract the truck measurement from the trailer measurement, and that will give you the correct hitch height.

Mid-Profile vs Full Profile Heights

One final aspect to keep in mind when looking at your fifth wheel height is the difference between mid profile and full profile trailers. Mid-profile trailers are generally shorter than full profiles and they have arched tops. Full profile trailers are longer and have flat roofs.

This can make a difference when you measure their maximum heights. Be sure that you’re always measuring from the highest point. In a mid-profile fifth wheel that will be at the topmost tip of the curve. For full profile fifth wheels, your roof measurement should be the same anywhere along the top.

3 thoughts on “What is the Height of an Average Fifth Wheel Camper?”

  1. This report says 5th wheel campers are between 8 and 10 feet tall from top of roof to ground. This is true if you are looking at a Barbie RV. No rv is 8 ft tall.

    Reply
  2. I am 6 ft 7 in tall and getting any info on RV interior heights ( i.e., headroom) has proven a challenge. Some RV manufacturers include this info in their brochures. Most do not. Obtaining info on older RV models is especially difficult since brochures on non current model years are not readily available. Typically the height in the shower is less than anywhere else due to the plumbing under the base pan. An article with some guidance/info in this area would be helpful.

    Reply

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