Transport Company Recommendations

[Derby6]

Latest from one of the transport guys. Interesting.

I do believe this is gonna have to go on what they call a bus hauler. There are a few and far between it is too tall for a land all and if we had to stretch it out for an RGN and you’re looking at escorts so I’m trying to find the cheapest way to get this shipped for you

Just about what I thought with landall and RGN (Lowboy). Wasn’t 100% sure on RGN Escorts. Lower 48 has a lot less pilots requirements than we do in AK.
Interesting on bus hauler. Didn’t know there was a special trailer for them. I did see one getting hauled this year. I was in PA and no escorts in that state. We there weren’t any anyway. Lol

 

[rvlifer]

What i understand so far is escorts are usually only needed if you use an expanded trailer. I am sure i will learn a lot more in the next week or 2

 

[garyb1st]

I dont know what agreed value insurance is but i dont think so.

Gary Brink is correct. Agreed Value Clauses are agreements that state the insurance company will pay an agreed amount if the vehicle is determined to be a total loss. That agreed amount is determined when you buy the insurance. So you would likely know if your policy had that clause. My guess is you do not.

The challenge is determining if the trailer is a total loss. Policies typically have an Actual Cash Value clause. This is typically market value. Market value is challenging for both you and the insurance company for obvious reasons. How many other similar used trailers are out there?

If they total it it would make my life a lot easier but insurance is nothing more than a legal contract so we will have to go by whatever is specified in the contract/policy.

Total loss can not be determined until the insurance company is able to determine the cost of repairs. I believe you mentioned you were insured by State Farm. They insure nation wide and have adjusters all over the country. The question is whether or not they have an adjuster qualified to inspect damage to an RV. If the repairs to the trailer are close to the maximum they would pay based on ACV (market value), then they likely will not want to incur additional costs of transporting the trailer to Elkhart. But that's their call.

assuming it isnt totaled i want to make sure it is fixed right. It is too big and heavy to take chances. Best i can tell getting it back to the manufacturer and getting lippert to inspect it is the best way to ensure that

That's a tough one. It's your trailer so you determine who's going to make the repairs. Just bear in mind, that doesn't mean the insurance company will pay those costs. If they determined the trailer could be repaired locally for less money you could be on the hook for the difference which could include significant transportation costs.

Make sure you and the insurance company are on the same page. If you are communicating electronically, keep all those communications.

Also keep in mind that the insurance companies adjuster is not there to make sure you come out whole. They are there to make sure the insurance company pays no more than the minimum. They will come up with their own market value. I strongly urge you to do the same. Given the uniqueness of your trailer, that's not going to be easy.

 

[garyb1st]

Right now, it's occupying your parking site,

That's good to know. Does it come with a deed?

 

[Derby6]

What i understand so far is escorts are usually only needed if you use an expanded trailer. I am sure i will learn a lot more in the next week or 2

Yes. Width will not be an issue. Entire length and possibly height requiring a height pole.
AK requires 1 pilot over 85’. Over 100’ requires 2. But I see low boys regularly with jeeps and boosters well over those lengths with no or less pilots in the lower 48. lol

 

[rvlifer]

State farm has adjusters all over the country but only a handful in strategic locations for rvs. They are going to rely on repair estimates. I can choose any place i want anywhere and there is minimal impact to my coverage. One big difference is that i may need to pay out of pocket and then get reimbursed. All of this is preliminary info. I will learn a lot more as i get through this. Im not concerned about the coverage. I have dealt with state farm on many claims over the years and they have always done what they are supposed to do.

Because of the type of potential damage, value of the rv, and the fact that it is a custom built rv i am not comfortable having anyone work on it. If that means it ends up costing more then i will just have to chalk that up to being in the type of rv i chose. It is a great rv and the thing that will hurt the most is when we bought it we had a lot more disposable income and now we are more of a fixed income type of budget. In the movie parenthood they had a line something like once you are a parent you never arent one. Life never ends. It would be easier if it werent as challenging but then it would probably be pretty boring.

we will be dealing with 5 states on this move so lots of complexity. I have to rely on a good transport company to navigate all that.

 

[rvlifer]

Yes. Width will not be an issue. Entire length and possibly height requiring a height pole.
AK requires 1 pilot over 85’. Over 100’ requires 2. But I see low boys regularly with jeeps and boosters well over those lengths with no or less pilots in the lower 48. lol

Maybe i can follow them and be the pilot vehicle lol.

 

[rvlifer]

How many other similar used trailers are out there?

Not many. Rv factory only makes about 100/yr last i knew and they build to order. We dont have a custom floor plan or anything like that but they only used this floorplan in one year. I think i have a reasonable estimate on the value from looking at for sale listings on other luxes but that is based on asking and not agreed upon price. Regardless of what i think it is worth the insurance company will have a standard they use and i am guessing it will be kbb or something like that.

This is the most equivalent new one they have for sale but there are a lot of differences that affect the value. They didnt offer the dual furnaces when i bought mine and ours has the laundry as 2 examples.

Luxe Elite 42MD

Luxe Elite 42MD - The Luxe Mid Den Fifth Wheel is made for a true full time living experience. Enjoy a true four seasons RV experience.

luxefifthwheel.com

It is interesting looking at the new ones. There are so many things they do on them now that i did on mine and suggested to the company. One thing they did i dont like is they stopped using custom moulding to match the cabinetry for the exhaust fan openings, ac vent and return covers, and they stopped building the heater vents into the cabinetry. They only did that on the early ones. Far nicer with that stuff but i guess people dont want to pay for that kind of thing

Part of me says it would be kind of a shame if it is totaled. Most rvs arent like this one and it would be nice if it stuck around

 

[rvlifer]

That one have a gvw of 24,000 lbs. Gawd they are getting heavy lol

 

[rvlifer]

They really like using color schemes that i find to be bland anymore and they like taking up an entire wall for entertainment centers. Our floorplan has windows on 3 sides and the tv pops up out of the cabinetry in the rear of the rv. I would be pretty frustrated trying to find one today

 

[Rene T]

They really like using color schemes that i find to be bland anymore and they like taking up an entire wall for entertainment centers. Our floorplan has windows on 3 sides and the tv pops up out of the cabinetry in the rear of the rv. I would be pretty frustrated trying to find one today

I may have missed this question in this long post but do you know who damaged it or was it a hit and run? If you know who did it, do they have insurance?

 

[rvlifer]

I may have missed this question in this long post but do you know who damaged it or was it a hit and run? If you know who did it, do they have insurance?

I know who it is but cant provide any other info right now. The best i can do is give you examples of situations i have seen to give you an idea that this is not simple. These are not what is going on with the rv.

When i was in my teens i knew people who got caught drunk driving. That wasnt considered as bad back in those days but the lengths and stupidity that guy went through to kerp it off his record were unbelievable. Pulling a fire alarm at the courthouse on the day of the hearing and letting the air out of the officers tires are 2 things i remember but there was more

The 2nd was a friend of mine who got sued by people who were in a car accident in front of his house. The accident was not on his property but they sued claiming his negligence in not trimming a tree in his back yard caused the accident.

 

[Rene T]

I know who it is but cant provide any other info right now. The best i can do is give you examples of situations i have seen to give you an idea that this is not simple. These are not what is going on with the rv.

When i was in my teens i knew people who got caught drunk driving. That wasnt considered as bad back in those days but the lengths and stupidity that guy went through to kerp it off his record were unbelievable. Pulling a fire alarm at the courthouse on the day of the hearing and letting the air out of the officers tires are 2 things i remember but there was more

The 2nd was a friend of mine who got sued by people who were in a car accident in front of his house. The accident was not on his property but they sued claiming his negligence in not trimming a tree in his back yard caused the accident.

I for one am totally confused but so be it. Hopefully you’ll be able to elaborate some day

 

[rvlifer]

I for one am totally confused but so be it. Hopefully you’ll be able to elaborate some day

I know. Sorry. Lots of long posts. Here is the tldr version lol.

Rv was hit. Weird, stupid details and issues with the persons responsible, lawyers and insurance involved so cant provide details, sending back the rv to elkhart for the manufacturer to fix, and posted this thread to help me find a transport company

 

[Laura & Charles]

What year is your rig? (Sorry if already mentioned and I missed it.)

 

[rvlifer]

2015

 

[Hvactech]

Have a welder build a tongue from the frame and tow like a TT.
Not saying OP is right or wrong, just me but I go by the theme " don't love nuthin that don't love you back " so id tell the insurer to write the check and get it off the lot. That check and the actual cost to ship and expenses not having a place to live would go a long way towards a new or newer rv

 

[rvlifer]

Luckily we are in the house so i have a place to live while dealing with this. It isnt on a lot. It was on the street in front of my house. Well not exactly on the street. On the curb next to the street but close enough

Got the final quote from heavy haulers. $5k. I cant remember whether the person who mentioned them used them.

Anyone have personal experience with these guys? Would you recommend them?

Still waiting on other quotes so havent finalized any decisions yet

 

[Derby6]

5K will be hard to beat.

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

Reading through all of the threads the one thing that I can't believe is that State Farm isn't taking the lead on finding transport or bringing in experts to assess the damages.