Turning radius, fifth vs TT

[comfun1]

It seems like I have to swing wider with my new 21rr than I used to with my 30' fifth wheel. Can this be? It's been a few years since I had the fifth wheel so maybe it's just a memory thing. Curious in Kansas.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by comfun1

It seems like I have to swing wider with my new 21rr than I used to with my 30' fifth wheel. Can this be? It's been a few years since I had the fifth wheel so maybe it's just a memory thing. Curious in Kansas.

You can turn way shorter with a 5er .
So much so that its not even close.

[DAISY BOYKIN]

It takes less turning radius for a fifth wheel than a TT. This was one of the first things I noticed when I went from a 26" TT to a 31" fifth wheel.
About half the distance.

[Herk7769]

The TT "should" track the same ground path that the truck's wheels trace in a gradual turn. "If the truck made it; the camper will, too."

The 5th wheel will always track to the inside of the turn.
My "curb strike" occurred when I was pulling onto the highway. I did nothing different than when I pulled out with the rental TT and wham; hit the curb. Now I know to watch out for the camper turning tighter than the truck.

[comfun1]

I went to a large parking lot and made a sharp turn like you would find in a residential neighborhood. I turned sharp as opposed to swinging wide and marked the tire tracks with chalk. There was 9' of difference! The wider the turn the smaller the difference becomes. I don't think it was quite as much with my fifth wheel. Also I'm wondering if the axles may be set a little further back on a toyhauler to help with the load in the garage.

[TURBS]

ideally you could put the 5er in a zero degree spin. It would spin around on its tire but not move .

[wbdvt]

Well, not having a 5er but just from an engineering perspective, one would expect the 5er to have a smaller turning radius when you look at where the pivot points are in relation to the TV axles.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by wbdvt

Well, not having a 5er but just from an engineering perspective, one would expect the 5er to have a smaller turning radius when you look at where the pivot points are in relation to the TV axles.

Correct !
you could spin a 5er 90 degrees of tv if not a little more . Thats impossible with a tt.

[sideout1961]

How sharp can you turn a tt with a wdh attached? Can the TV go 90 degrees to the trailer or is this impossible?

[crocus]

turbo, you're not paying attention to comfun's original post, he said he has to "swing wider" in a turn with his shorter TT than with his old fifth, so he doesn't hit something, and you are talking about something completed unrelated.

comfun, that is odd, no doubt. Even if the axles on the toyhauler are set back farther, one wouldn't expect them to be farther back than on a much longer fifth. And as the rear bumper of the TV swings out in a turn, that also helps the TT follow. The hitch point on a fifth is well inside of that curve.
Strange indeed.

[Crusader]

Try backing a fifth wheel up.....its a hole lot different than a travel trailer.

[TURBS]

Thanks crocus I guess I thought I knew what he was talking about . But now that I do heres my answer . axle set back would make a difference but not a lot .
YOU also have to remember that 5 or 6 plus feet of that 5er is ahead of were the 21rr starts making that 30 footer 25 feet ish . does that make sense ?

[crocus]

"YOU also have to remember that 5 or 6 plus feet of that 5er is ahead of were the 21rr starts making that 30 footer 25 feet ish"
===================================
Good point. Apparently, that 21rr is a heck of a lot longer than 21 feet, more like 27 feet!
And the axles do look like they are set back. So the configuration might be more like a 40 foot fifth wheel!

[TURBS]

lol crocus !
yeah I seen it was 27 feet !

[Twisty]

With the weight of a rear kitchen, my axles are set back quite a bit.
I was surprised at how wide I have to drive the truck around a street corner to keep the TT off the curbs.