Posted 2016-02-19 9:23 PM (#166169) Subject: will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
Member
Posts: 7
Location: virginia
My last trailer was a 17' on the floor GN. I pulled it with a 2003 F250 4wd extended cab long bed. That truck has a humongous turn radios. Current truck is a 2015 F250 4wd Crew Cad short bed. Its wheelbase is only 1" shorter than my first truck......But it has a noticeably tighter turn radios......I want to buy a slightly bigger trailer and yet I am afraid to go too big for fear that I might not be able to turn into the small narrow farm entrances off of small narrow back roads..... My 17' trailer went everywhere my first BP (17.5) went. So I am comfortable with that size. Would I even notice an additional foot on the floor in the trailer if I move up to an 18" trailer? Technically its putting the trailer axel a foot further back from the truck rear axel.....so yes it will take a bigger turn. But this truck turns tighter than the last one. Will that even things out? Or am I worried over nothing?Thanks, I know its a stupid question but when lots of money is going to be spent I want to make the right decision. Any feedback appreciated.
Posted 2016-02-20 6:42 AM (#166171 - in reply to #166169) Subject: RE: will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 379 Location: Missouri
I found a trailer off track calculator that might help. I think this formula assumes a 90 degree turn, since that seems to be the definition of off-tracking. Punch in your numbers and see what the difference is. For a GN you'd only need to enter A and B. http://itd.idaho.gov/dmv/poe/offtrack.html
Posted 2016-02-20 6:48 AM (#166172 - in reply to #166169) Subject: RE: will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
Regular
Posts: 83 Location: Minnesota
I don't believe you'll even notice a difference. I pull our 28' living quarters with an '04 F350. It had the same large turning radius as yours and although I've modified it to improve it greatly, it still doesn't turn as tight as your 2015 will. We have a very tight and narrow turn from the small gravel road into our driveway and there are poles (set by a previous owner) for the entrance that are set very close to the edges of the driveway. I don't have much room for error. As I approach our driveway that is to the right of the road, I try to get as far left as possible and then drive as far forward as I can before cranking the steering wheel. There are only a couple inches of clearance between our trailer and the entrance pole, but I've gotten used to it and it doesn't bother me. I also pull a 32' gooseneck flatbed for hauling hay. That's a full four feet longer than our living quarters and I pull into the yard the same exact way with both trailers. The extra 4 feet doesn't seem to make any difference. I have the same couple inches of clearance and have never had the wheels drop off side of the approach as I've turned in. I know these are both longer trailers than you're dealing with, but 4' longer than my 28' trailer means roughly 15% longer. One foot longer than your 17' means roughly 6% longer. I think you will be okay and most likely appreciate the extra foot of storage or cargo space.
Posted 2016-02-20 7:44 AM (#166173 - in reply to #166169) Subject: RE: will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
Member
Posts: 7
Location: virginia
Thanks for the responsesHornet, that's a handy looking calculator and I'll bookmark it for the future. but I no longer own the 17" trailer and am looking to buy the 18 so I can't pull any numbers for the B entry.Second responder< sorry I forget your name. That story helps me out. Just what I needed to hear that the additional 4 feet in your two trailers doesn't make it any harder to swing that tight turn. I am assuming that all your numbers given on trailer length were on the floor, not total length (including the gooseneck) FWIW I mistyped and the truck is a 2014....but I suspect that it has the same turn radius as the 2015.
Posted 2016-02-20 8:24 AM (#166174 - in reply to #166169) Subject: RE: will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
Expert
Posts: 1989 Location: South Central OK
Agree, you'll never notice the extra 1' in fact I have 24' and 22' GN trailers and can't really tell the difference unless I'm getting into a really tight spot. I live on small back roads and have narrow driveways to turn into and with my 2015 F350 crew long wheelbase it's not a problem. You will earn to adjust!
Posted 2016-02-20 8:55 AM (#166175 - in reply to #166169) Subject: RE: will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
Regular
Posts: 83 Location: Minnesota
NRB, yes I was talking about floor length on my two trailers being 28' and 32'. I believe it was in 2006 that Ford made some significant suspension changes that improved the turning radius greatly. I had a 2003 F250, struggled with how much space I need to make a turn. I loved the new steering radius when I got my 2006 F250. But then we got a larger living quarters and decided we really needed dual rear wheels and found a like new 2004 F350 dually with very low mileage. As mentioned, I was able to make some modifications and improve it greatly but still miss the tight steering that my '06 had. Good luck with your new trailer!
Posted 2016-02-20 9:44 AM (#166176 - in reply to #166169) Subject: RE: will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
Regular
Posts: 78
Broken boot, I don't know about your flat bed, but mine has the axles moved further forward than the ones on my horse trailer of the same length, so it turns very different.
Posted 2016-02-21 5:18 AM (#166183 - in reply to #166169) Subject: RE: will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
Regular
Posts: 83 Location: Minnesota
My flatbed wheels situated so there is slightly more overhang in the rear than the LQ as I eyeball it. I have not actually measured from the front of the floor to the first wheel, but I was initially worried that the longer overhang might swing out and catch the pole at the entrance of our driveway. The flatbed is tandem dual wheels, and it actually follows the turn into our driveway very similar to the LQ. We also have a very tight circle where I have to swing the trailers around to back them into their parking spots and again they are very similar. When needed, I can swing my truck tighter under the gooseneck on the flatbed because it doesn't have the larger nose like the LQ. Just yesterday my wife and I were at a horse event and noticed a 4-horse Bison trailer. I was surprised at the length of the overhang to the rear of the wheels. The 2nd horse would be positioned over the rear tire and the 3rd and 4th would be completely behind the wheels. That trailer is going to turn much differently than another with the same floor length but wheels positioned more to the rear as are done on most trailers.
Posted 2016-02-22 10:26 AM (#166185 - in reply to #166169) Subject: RE: will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 720
As broken boot pointed out, each manufacturer positions axles a bit differently. And I understand some will actually move them for you if you request it at order and it can be safely done.
So with that, I'd suggest measuring wheelbase to determine turning, not trailer length. I was at a dealership Sat and saw a 24' trailer and a 28' trailer- that had the exact same wheelbase. The 24 had a lot of doors that pushed the axles back.
will going 1 foot longer make my turn radius noticeably larger?
