Does anyone know how big a turning circle needs to be?
Thinking of adding one to the end of the driveway, with the view of not having to reverse the van to get it in/out of the back yard.
We tow a 15 ft single axle van.
Dougwe said
05:32 PM Mar 27, 2012
If you are concreting/Asphalting the driveway a good concreter/Asphalter will know all those details Rip and Rosie.
Rip and Rosie said
05:40 PM Mar 27, 2012
He gave me an oval shape with diameters of 9.3 metres and 7.5 metres .............just need to be sure before I spend the money (and rip out my trees)
Dougwe said
05:53 PM Mar 27, 2012
R&R, if you have the space go for the 9.3. That's what I would do. You can never have enough clearance. As a driver of larger vehicles I find people that work clearance sizes out NEVER allow enough. If you have enough space when finished, you can always plant some more trees or shrubs.
Keep in mind you might be entering and exiting in the dark as well.
Rip and Rosie said
05:55 PM Mar 27, 2012
thanx doug
Cupie said
07:12 PM Mar 27, 2012
All good advice.
Another approach off the top of my head ...
Go to a local parking area or flat paddock on a quiet day with the van attached and a few markers like witches hats or ice cream containers.
Mark out an entrance with two markers & enter it with the van in a straight line if that's how you will approach the turning area at home.
Try out going past it a bit, maybe at least until the van rear end is level with the entrance markers, and then do a U turn back thru the entrance.
After a few tries you will work out the distance that you need go past the entrance & the smallest radius in which you can comfortably do the turn. If you are going to do a clockwise turn to the right on the final round about then maybe you will want to do a slight turn to the left before launching into your full lock clockwise turn.
Have an assistant mark out the path & take your measurements.
Could even have the assistant walk beside the van wheels with a can of talcum powder & mark out the path of the van or mark it from time to time with your witches hats or ice cream containers.
On the other hand, after a few goes on soft grass you will soon have wheel tracks marking out your turning circle.
You might need to make the final design large enough to accomodate any future maybe larger van.
Compare your result with what 'the experts' suggest.
Once the driveway is marked out prior to sealing, be sure to try it out with your tug & van.
I reckon that the final driveway should be at least as wide as a single lane at a round about and of that sort of diameter. Find a quiet one & try it out ... modify its dimensions to suit your yard layout & favourite trees that you want to save.
Of course you could approach the task from the other end & map out the prefered path thru your garden.
Replicate this with your markers in the test area & see if it works. MOdify as necessary.
Hope this helps
landy said
08:05 PM Mar 27, 2012
Hi Rip and Rosie.
If you think you may upsize at some time it may well be a good idea to alow for a biger rig now. Some tugs ( like mine ) need the M.C.G to turn round.
All the best with it . Landy
-- Edited by landy on Tuesday 27th of March 2012 08:11:49 PM
Delta18 said
09:53 PM Mar 27, 2012
Ditto to that!
Patto44 said
11:55 PM Mar 27, 2012
It depends on the turning circle of the tug. The van follows with a slightly tighter circle. Some tugs need a lot bigger circle than others. Check your car manual or on the net.
Cheers,
Patto.
Gerty Dancer said
01:59 AM Mar 28, 2012
I agree with Cupies suggestion. Would never go ahead without testing your rigs turning circle, with you at the wheel!
Rip and Rosie said
03:30 AM Mar 28, 2012
Thanks everyone. I have a turning circle off 11.4 metres, so back to the drawing board.
many thanks.
ozjohn said
05:47 PM Mar 28, 2012
My experience is that the turning circle is always more than I thought it would be.
Does anyone know how big a turning circle needs to be?
Thinking of adding one to the end of the driveway, with the view of not having to reverse the van to get it in/out of the back yard.
We tow a 15 ft single axle van.
If you are concreting/Asphalting the driveway a good concreter/Asphalter will know all those details Rip and Rosie.
R&R, if you have the space go for the 9.3. That's what I would do. You can never have enough clearance. As a driver of larger vehicles I find people that work clearance sizes out NEVER allow enough. If you have enough space when finished, you can always plant some more trees or shrubs.
Keep in mind you might be entering and exiting in the dark as well.
All good advice.
Another approach off the top of my head ...
Go to a local parking area or flat paddock on a quiet day with the van attached and a few markers like witches hats or ice cream containers.
Mark out an entrance with two markers & enter it with the van in a straight line if that's how you will approach the turning area at home.
Try out going past it a bit, maybe at least until the van rear end is level with the entrance markers, and then do a U turn back thru the entrance.
After a few tries you will work out the distance that you need go past the entrance & the smallest radius in which you can comfortably do the turn. If you are going to do a clockwise turn to the right on the final round about then maybe you will want to do a slight turn to the left before launching into your full lock clockwise turn.
Have an assistant mark out the path & take your measurements.
Could even have the assistant walk beside the van wheels with a can of talcum powder & mark out the path of the van or mark it from time to time with your witches hats or ice cream containers.
On the other hand, after a few goes on soft grass you will soon have wheel tracks marking out your turning circle.
You might need to make the final design large enough to accomodate any future maybe larger van.
Compare your result with what 'the experts' suggest.
Once the driveway is marked out prior to sealing, be sure to try it out with your tug & van.
I reckon that the final driveway should be at least as wide as a single lane at a round about and of that sort of diameter. Find a quiet one & try it out ... modify its dimensions to suit your yard layout & favourite trees that you want to save.
Of course you could approach the task from the other end & map out the prefered path thru your garden.
Replicate this with your markers in the test area & see if it works. MOdify as necessary.
Hope this helps
Hi Rip and Rosie.
If you think you may upsize at some time it may well be a good idea to alow for a biger rig now. Some tugs ( like mine ) need the M.C.G to turn round.
All the best with it . Landy
-- Edited by landy on Tuesday 27th of March 2012 08:11:49 PM
Ditto to that!
It depends on the turning circle of the tug. The van follows with a slightly tighter circle. Some tugs need a lot bigger circle than others. Check your car manual or on the net.
Cheers,
Patto.
many thanks.
My experience is that the turning circle is always more than I thought it would be.
OJ