HELP Turning Radius

[peter]

I am towing my 19ft. Escape with a Toyota Tundra which is 19 feet long. How wide does the road have to be for me to make a 180 degree u-turn without backing up at all. Anyone??

My wife says, "Thank you."

Peter

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by peter

I am towing my 19ft. Escape with a Toyota Tundra which is 19 feet long. How wide does the road have to be for me to make a 180 degree u-turn without backing up at all. Anyone??

My wife says, "Thank you."

Peter

4 lanes. Better to make a left turn then 3 rights and go around the block if in town.

I just drive until I find a really wide area like a shopping center or roadside pull off to give me a huge radius.


You do not want to get onto a soft shoulder, period. You can back up too tightly and you'll find the lock on the front of the storage box will destroy your tail light lens. If you don't have a lock on the hasp, the truck will bend the hasp over so you can't get into the storage box to unbend the hasp.

Learned both of those lessons the fun way.

[MyronL]

When in doubt just follow the nearest manatee. (Oh, maybe not in BC.)

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by peter

I am towing my 19ft. Escape with a Toyota Tundra which is 19 feet long. How wide does the road have to be for me to make a 180 degree u-turn without backing up at all.

The turning circle diameter (curb-to-curb space needed) of a current Tundra is 13.4 m (44.0 ft) for the shorter wheelbase, or 14.9 m (49.0 ft) for the Double Cab Longbed (with the longer wheelbase), and given in Toyota Canada specifications. Lane widths generally run from 3.0 to 3.4 metres wide (depending on type of road and specific location) so that's about four lanes... or a two-lane street with open parking lanes on both sides, or a two-lane highway with shoulders.

The trailer tracks inside the path of the truck, so it doesn't add to the space required, unless the trailer tongue (or more likely stuff on it such as the propane tanks, weight-distributing hitch hardware, or storage box) hits the truck's bumper and restricts how tightly the truck can turn... which is unlikely unless you have the box. I suggest taking the combination to a wide open parking lot, turning tighter and tighter while slowing moving forward and having someone watch for interference, and confirming that you can crank it this tight. While you're there, you can just continue around a full circle and measure the actual turning diameter. My trailer is a bit shorter than an Escape 19' so it has less of a turning clearance problem, but my van turns more tightly (11.3 m) and it can still turn at full crank and not hit.

Charlie's Tacoma has the same turning diameter as the shorter Tundra.

I'll note that any conventional truck and trailer combination can be jackknifed to interference in reverse, but that's a very different situation from moving forward.

The trailer is wider than the truck, but if the concern is curb-to-curb clearance (rather than wall-to-wall) that doesn't matter because the trailer is not significantly wider than the truck across the tires (maybe add 125 mm or 5" to be sure).

[Jim Bennett]

The trailer will make no difference on your turning radius, it just follows the tow vehicle, though might cut inside the radius a wee bit .

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

The trailer will make no difference on your turning radius, it just follows the tow vehicle, though might cut inside the radius a wee bit.

I would make that "it will cut inside the radius significantly" at the sharpest possible turn... something to keep in mind if doing a U-turn around a median, for instance.

Jim, could you turn your truck as tightly with your 19' hitched as you could without the trailer? That would be a good example of whether or not there is likely to be an interference issue, although of course neither your F-350 nor the new F-150 are exactly the same size as Peter's Tundra.

[cpaharley2008]

I learned that mistake going through a drive thru and although my truck missed the curb, the trailer wheel hub hit a curb and dented one of my hub covers. I now have an extra one after ordering 2!!

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Jim, could you turn your truck as tightly with your 19' hitched as you could without the trailer? That would be a good example of whether or not there is likely to be an interference issue, although of course neither your F-350 nor the new F-150 are exactly the same size as Peter's Tundra.

I could even with my Pilot, which had a much tighter turning radius than either truck.

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Peter
Well it's at times like this that I turn to obscure advice and tactics for towing trailers when one is unsure and desperation is looming. My advice.
The Willis Brothers. Gimme Forty Acres and Red Simpson doing the classic Jack knife
Glad to help
Iowa Dave
Io

[Rossue]

Susan often tells me you can do that; most of the time she is right, however not all the time. Practice and then trust your instincts. Have had to unhook twice and come back to get us out of a situation. Another reason to have bikes: recon when boondocking.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I could even with my Pilot, which had a much tighter turning radius than either truck.

Thanks. Sounds good for Peter's truck and trailer (but I would still check).

[KirkB]

I tow my 19 with a Toyota Highlander, and like Jim Bennett just turn the wheel and let the trailer follow the tug. I don't have a storage box, so have never been worried about turning too sharply for the trailer where there are no obstacles. I wouldn't try to get into a single lane 'drive thru' with any sharp corners, and always avoid tight corners at gas stations.I just make sure the front part of the trailer has cleared the obstacle (e.g gas pump) before cranking the wheel.

I suggest trying some practice turning maneuvers in a shopping mall parking lot where you can get out and check tracking and clearance in mid-turn before getting into any tight spots on the road with traffic.

[gocamp]

I also checked my clearance. Tundra here with a 17 footer and I went to a dirt lot and had my wife stand in the center, turned the wheel as tight as possible and slowly drive in a circle around her. She watching the rear bumper if it hit the storage box. It was all clear.

[War Eagle]

I don't believe the OP or anyone helping to answer the question has addressed the issue of 2WD vs 4WD. Not sure about Tundras, but most any 4WD truck won't turn as sharp as it's 2WD version. Can make no difference at all, or it can make a big difference. As others have mentioned above, it's best to test what you are driving so you know.

[jennykatz]

We have a 21 Escape with a 17ft Toyota Sequoia and we did not get the front storage box so we can turn a few more degrees .Our lot is 75ft wide and we can pull in and turn it around on our property

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gocamp

I also checked my clearance. Tundra here with a 17 footer and I went to a dirt lot and had my wife stand in the center, turned the wheel as tight as possible and slowly drive in a circle around her. She watching the rear bumper if it hit the storage box. It was all clear.

Good info!

For the same turning radius of the tow vehicle, a longer trailer (from coupler to axle) will take a tighter path. That means that the angle at the hitch will be a little tighter for the 19' than for the 17'. The tongue length - and I assume storage box width - can vary between models. It makes sense to check your own combination.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Good info!

For the same turning radius of the tow vehicle, a longer trailer (from coupler to axle) will take a tighter path. That means that the angle at the hitch will be a little tighter for the 19' than for the 17'. The tongue length - and I assume storage box width - can vary between models. It makes sense to check your own combination.

Exactly, and when you get to a longer 21 you CAN back it up tight enough to jack knife the storage box latch padlock into the truck tail light lens.

Toyota wanted $200 for a new assembly. Got it through Amazon for $85.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Exactly, and when you get to a longer 21 you CAN back it up tight enough to jack knife the storage box latch padlock into the truck tail light lens.

Toyota wanted $200 for a new assembly. Got it through Amazon for $85.

Charlie, sounds like you are speaking from experience

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by thoer

Charlie, sounds like you are speaking from experience

Yuppers

[Vermilye]

And, as long as we are talking about taillights, I can state from experience that with a weight distribution hitch on a 2011 Toyota RAV4, and an Escape 17, you can back up tight enough that the spring bar falls out & the storage box latch cracks a taillight. Since the crack was barely noticeable, I don't know what a replacement cost!