Geometry question - can I make this turn?

Can you overshoot your property and then back in? This would eliminate the choke point of the bridge.

Is there a location farther down the road where can turn around? This would allow you to approach and depart the bridge without an immediate turn.

Hi,

Maybe this will help. At our current place I have to do a 180 turn to turn the camper around in my yard. It's an ordeal but I figured out a way.

We are building a new home and I did the drafting to layout the new pole barn, house and the barn yard specifically so I can turn around in my new barn yard and it be a non issue. And not go on the grass as spring time the mud in Ohio clay is really bad...

So I did this. On my driveway at my current place, I backed the truck and camper 90 degrees from the drive onto my lawn. This created the skidding and end result of the turn. I did the max turn my F350 would do. Then got out and measured the camper and truck track path impression on the lawn. Then went to the drawing board. OK, the screen and mouse now a days.... This is what I have





My F350, 4x4, crew cab short bed, and my 33.5' camper takes a circle center-line of 54' 8" driving the center-line of that circle to do a 180 degree turn.

In the images you see above, it is 51' 2" from the top of the screen horizontal white parking lot edge line to the centerline path of the truck to do a 90 degree turn, not maxing the turn. Then I back up straight onto that camper turn around pad, do anther 90 deg turn and I'm heading back out of the yard the way I came in. Can back straight into the camper bay of the barn or drive right out driveway if wanted.

This is the length of my rig. You can see how close you come to it


A heads up, if you turn too sharp, be careful yo do not bust the WD hitch. Here at my current house, I take the WD bars off doing all that manipulating. At the new place, I made the turns large enough I leave everything all hooked up.

I have a 2005 new front axle design for the 05's, 4 wheel drive and on the Fords, that 4 x 4 allows a tighter curb to curb turning radius then 2 x 4. 1.8 feet less according the Ford source book for my model year

Hope this helps

John

Chalk it out on a parking lot. Get a piece of rope equal to the distance from the ball to the axles and have an assistant hold onto the rope so it doesn't drag. Assistant should be carrying a board as long as the trailer is wide to see where the sides of the trailer will go.

Get a 5th wheel.

Also you have to take the swing of the back of the trailer into the equation and whether there is room where it will be.

X2 This is likely the biggest issue. You may have to get the trailer completely past the end of the bridge before making a serious turn.

Might take some practice but we turn tractor trailers with 53' trailers into a 12' fuel lane with about the same distance to make the turn. You just have to overshoot a little with the cab and bring it back. The tires on the trailer(RV) are closer and thus should turn better than our 53's at 41' from kingpin (MI legal). Just make sure you have room for the "butt" to swing.

My semi tends to turn better than my F350 though.

Depends on the distance from the ball to the axles. Also you have to take the swing of the back of the trailer into the equation and whether there is room where it will be.