GPS showing best roads for RVs

[kinseypw]

One more vote for the Garmin 760RV - very happy with this unit and use it all the time. Also lets me search for stores nd facilities in the local area

[delawaretraveler]

You can also keep an eye on Tractor Trailers, they are 13.6", and They don't make an RV, TT, or 5'er taller than 13'. If you think you own one check your owners manual there will be warnings everywhere. All interstate highways and expressways have a requirement of minimum bridge height of 13'6"+. in New York the bridges are measured and assume 6"-12" of snow and ice.

 

Thats my 10 cents worth, have a few years in a Tractor Trailer. Sat a bridge sign in NY for 15 min that said 12'6" until I saw another TT fly under the bridge no problem. lol

[maggie blair]

Garmin 760RV here. Have been using it since it was released and no problems. Love the SmartLink utilities with our phone and the different profiles. Still not sold on the voice command but I continue to try

 

Whichever unit you do get, read the manual! After reading the manual - do it again! This will save you hours of frustration.

Thanks so much!

[maggie blair]

You can also keep an eye on Tractor Trailers, they are 13.6", and They don't make an RV, TT, or 5'er taller than 13'. If you think you own one check your owners manual there will be warnings everywhere. All interstate highways and expressways have a requirement of minimum bridge height of 13'6"+. in New York the bridges are measured and assume 6"-12" of snow and ice.

 

Thats my 10 cents worth, have a few years in a Tractor Trailer. Sat a bridge sign in NY for 15 min that said 12'6" until I saw another TT fly under the bridge no problem. lol

Thanks so much!

[PauHanaTravels]

They don't make an RV, TT, or 5'er taller than 13'. If you think you own one check your owners manual there will be warnings everywhere. All interstate highways and expressways have a requirement of minimum bridge height of 13'6"+.

I beg to differ, our last 2 5ers have both been 13'6". It's something we watch very closely because we don't want to end up being that guy.

[pugsly]

We have the Garmin dezl 760 and have been very happy with it.

 

I already have a backup camera, but I used the camera input to install a blind spot camera (on my right rearview mirror) that makes navigating tight spaces much easier solo - my wife is usually my blind spot camera

[Daveh]

I use the Rand McNally motor atlas referred to above. I also use the CoPilot program on my android tablet while driving becuase it easily allows me to program my route in the trailer the night before and provides RV specific routes. https://copilotgps.com/us/

[Smitty77_7]

We have the Garmin dezl 760 and have been very happy with it.

 

I already have a backup camera, but I used the camera input to install a blind spot camera (on my right rearview mirror) that makes navigating tight spaces much easier solo - my wife is usually my blind spot camera

 

Wonder if the DEZL 760 is the same as the 760RV? We have DEZL smaller brother, the 560, it does have the RV setting (With entered specific dimensions of our rig/toad.). We have been less then impressed with some it's suggested routings:)! We notice a difference between RV and Auto mode, even though the Auto mode has taken us on roads that were safe for our RV.

 

I belive most of these GPS's, especially within a brand such as Garmin, use the same mapping updates(?). So then it comes down to differences of how the software works on the routing and display of the course. Does anyone know if Garmin uses the same software between the DEZL units, and the highly regarded on this thread 760RV (If it is different then the DEZL 760(?)?

 

I frankly don't trust the RV setting routing, in some cases adding many, many more miles to a needed destination. Unless we know we're in a region of risk, or going off the main interstates, we lave it in Auto mode. When in doubt, we also use Google Turn by Turn navigation, to augment our travels. Finding that when differences popup between the two - that Google's directions are usually a better choice.

 

We do keep our DEZL 560 updated before each major trip. And we too review the printed atlas kept fresh every two years, before we head out for that days drive.

 

Don't mind going to a larger 760RV, if it does provide different navigation directions in RV mode then the DEZL 560.

 

Thoughts appreciated?

 

Best to all,

Smitty

[pugsly]

The biggest problem I ran into was when in truck or RV mode it would not route you on roads where trucks were prohibited. Since trucks are prohibited on most national parks roads, that becomes a real problem - only solution I came up with was to go into car mode.

 

I still like the big screen and the features, but it is not a perfect device.

 

I'm not sure what the pricing is like these days, but I bought a refurb dezl for far less than the same size RV version. I think functionally they are pretty identical.

[pugsly]

Do you know about the one that has a back up camera built in? I have been researching the Garmin today and for 100.00 more that GPS comes with a camera. I a m wondering how good the vision is in the camera.

 

I have a hardwired camera (not from Garmin) that works just fine.

[richfaa]

We use the Garman trucker GPs there are others. Keep up with the updates. It has worked well but not perfect for us. The 'Last Exit" is also a useful tool..

[AshleyDanh]

Magellan is the best option for RVs.

It shows the best ways for RV.

[maggie blair]

I bought a Garmin Dezl 760. It works GREAT! It has a large screen and I have life time map updates.

I bought this one.

[Kirk W]

I bought this one.

Good choice.

[RangeMaggotBob]

Be careful. Be very careful. GPS's are notorious for taking you the shortest route. Not always the best route, though. I could tell you stories about people ending up driving on a dirt road on a dike above the Mississippi River. Just make sure you have a good road atlas, as people have said.

[SpaceNorman]

We use a combination of tools. There's a Garmin RV760LMT mounted on the dash which I use for "close in" routing. By "close in" - I'm refering to where I'm at on the road I'm on and whatever the "next turn" on our route happens to be. I like being able to see distance to upcoming cross streets and having the ability to "count off" the miles as a I approach upcoming turns. This functionality is the dashboard GPS's "sweet spot". However, I don't try to use the dashboard Garmin to try to follow the "big picture" route. The small screen, the little buttons and the fact that I'm simply too busy driving make "zooming out" to see the bigger picture impractical (if not downright dangerous!).

 

When we're on the road - keeping track of the "big picture" is the navigator's job. In our case - that means keeping an eye on our overall route using Googlemaps running on the iPad. The navigator has the luxury of time and freedom to take their eyes off the road to us Googlemaps (zooming in and zooming out as they see fit) to ensure we're keeping on course. Obviously - we program our destination and enough waypoints into the dashboard Garmin so that the Garmin routing algorithm follows the "high level" route we've decided to follow. While we're underway - the navigator keeps an eye on both the dashboard GPS and Googlemaps to identify any time that the two tools recommend different routes. We usually spot any difference well enough in advance to examine both choices and make a decision as to which routing we intend to follow.

 

Lastly - I'm pretty diligent about reviewing our planned route for the day to identify and examine anything that I suspect might be a little tricky along our planned route before we set out for a journey. Said another way - as the primary driver, I will have reviewed the maps before the coach starts to roll and will have a pretty good idea where upcoming turns are - and will be relying on the GPS gear (both the dashboard GPS and Googlemaps) to support my navigation - which is different than blindly following the GPS instructions.

[mptjelgin]

Be careful. Be very careful. GPS's are notorious for taking you the shortest route. Not always the best route, though. I could tell you stories about people ending up driving on a dirt road on a dike above the Mississippi River. Just make sure you have a good road atlas, as people have said.

 

Definitely not the case with the Garmin RV760LMT. When you are in RV mode (as opposed to Auto mode) it is quite conservative in terms of the roads that it will route you on. In some cases it will suggest very different routes in RV vs. Auto mode. Even in Auto mode it will sometimes avoid lower classification roads even when they provide the most direct path. Perhaps based on speed limits and drive times?

[kinseypw]

I thinks its important to use common sense with any of these units. We have the Garmin 760rv and it lets you enter height width and lenght of your RV and then plans routes accordingly. We have the backup camera mounted on the rear of our 5th wheel and at 32ft we are stretching the range of the bluetooth sending unit. It is sometimes useful, would be more so with a shorter trailer. You can set the unit up for shortest or quickest route but generally rv mode and auto mode can send you in very different directions. Check out the route before you drive to make sure it looks reasonable and correct. One time our unit decided the best route to Telephone Cove near Laughlin included a drive directly across the lake