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Tight quarters maneuver

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PaulZ

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This has been bugging me for awhile. Sorry for the crappy drawing, sick in bed, hope you get it (the drawing, not the flu). There's a sharp dog leg getting to my cabin, steep hill, nothing I can do about it. I prefer to have my Blazer backed in. I have tried and tried, and only been successful a couple times at accomplishing this without an extra maneuver, as in the top drawing. Even when I do it scary tight. What this means is I'm traveling forward up the hill, swing a hard right into the corner (bank in the hill), turn hard left, back up until I almost go off the bank on the other side, then have to do it once more to back up to the cabin. Leaving is easy, just drive out.

Second drawing, if I drive in forward all the way to the cabin, straight shot. Leaving I can back into the bank, swing a hard left and head down the hill, plenty of room.

This a common phenomena with tight turns? My Blazer turns sharp and the same, either direction.

o2OuVi7.jpg
 
It's purely physics. Nothing that you can do to change that. If you insist on having it backed in, then why not drive nose first around the corner, then reverse the procedure for backing out. (What you do when you nose up to the cabin) After you turn around, stop and back up to the cabin. This keeps the front end pointing away from the bank, and towards the edge, so you will be able to see better and get it turned around more safely.
 
Yeah I figured as much. I like your idea about driving in forward. I will try it, but the road drops off severely right after the turn. I will post a photo when I'm back on my feet. Thanks!
 
6872xtc said:
It's purely physics. Nothing that you can do to change that. If you insist on having it backed in, then why not drive nose first around the corner, then reverse the procedure for backing out. (What you do when you nose up to the cabin) After you turn around, stop and back up to the cabin. This keeps the front end pointing away from the bank, and towards the edge, so you will be able to see better and get it turned around more safely.
Click to expand...

I’ve often pondered this phenomenon.
Do you think there’s a difference in turning radius going backward versus going forward?
If the wheels are cut all the way and you are backing then all of the slack (flex in the front tire sidewall and tire slipping on the ground) creates a tighter turning radius while if you are going forward all of the slack is pushing out creating a wider turning radius.
If you were on rails the turning radius would have to be the same either way.
 
While there would be a small difference in the turning radius due to the factors that you describe, that isn't what I based my reply on. It is purely difference in where the steering axle is. The rear axle is basically the pivot and if you change where the pivot is placed and where the swinging end is, the path is different. It is a game of how to plan out the path. Trying to work it out in your head, and see if it works!
It's also part of the reason that I enjoyed running a heavy wrecker. I could take a truck and trailer, hooked behind the 310" wheelbase wrecker and make a U turn on a 2 lane highway with just approximately a 30' pullout on one side. ( the wrecker was 35' by itself) I would be looking at the trailer out the driver's side window when I got right. This trick saved me from lots of miles to find somewhere to turn it around in one circle. You had to be able to jack knife the truck and trailer, though.
Sorry for the ramble, but driving stuff can be fun!
 
6872xtc said:
While there would be a small difference in the turning radius due to the factors that you describe, that isn't what I based my reply on. It is purely difference in where the steering axle is. The rear axle is basically the pivot and if you change where the pivot is placed and where the swinging end is, the path is different. It is a game of how to plan out the path. Trying to work it out in your head, and see if it works!
It's also part of the reason that I enjoyed running a heavy wrecker. I could take a truck and trailer, hooked behind the 310" wheelbase wrecker and make a U turn on a 2 lane highway with just approximately a 30' pullout on one side. ( the wrecker was 35' by itself) I would be looking at the trailer out the driver's side window when I got right. This trick saved me from lots of miles to find somewhere to turn it around in one circle. You had to be able to jack knife the truck and trailer, though.
Sorry for the ramble, but driving stuff can be fun!
Click to expand...
Didn't know you drove a wrecker.
You're right about the difference in path.
Try parking forward and backward in a parking spot and see the difference.
 
imiceman44 said:
Didn't know you drove a wrecker.
You're right about the difference in path.
Try parking forward and backward in a parking spot and see the difference.
Click to expand...

I agree. I always back my crew cab into parking spots.
It is easier when the back end is the pivot point and the front end swings around to back into a parking spot.
I’m sure that logic could play to an advantage or disadvantage depending on which way you use it according to the OP.

My point was that if you park your vehicle in the middle of a parking lot and turn the wheels to lock, then pull forward any given distance and then put it in reverse and drive backward the same distance you would theoretically be back in the exact spot you started although in reality the “slack” I described in my earlier post would cause you to not land back in the original spot.
 
I vote for rear steering.

How about variable wheelbase?

I don't know how your Blazer is set up, but the narrow factory rear track width turns tighter than when it's "corrected" to match the front. Have you checked out the steering to be sure you can hit the stops in both directions?
 
Here's the corner. My cabin is off to the right another 50ft. So if drive straight to the cabin, no sweat. If I want to back it in I come up the hill, right full lock at about that small post into the corner in front of the truck, left full lock and 8 out of 10 the right rear tire hits the green parking barriers. I know it looks like you could back the Queen Mary through there, it's tighter than it looks.

If I do drive straight to the cabin leaving is easy, I back into the corner, full left and I'm down the hill.

As said I'm sure it's just the way steering works..

2zpL0pr.jpg
 
Why not just drive forward through the turn, do what you mentioned in drawing 2 to get the truck turned around, then back up to the cabin.

Granted that means you are driving through the turn 3 times, but you're not pulling the austin powers move with the truck on the side of a drop off and you're backed up to the cabin like you want.
 
As you’ve noticed, when you back down to turn around it’s easier. So when you drive up, I’d stay about 4 ft away from the post and even with the green curbs. Then cut hard right to put the rear where the nose of the truck is now. Turn left and go down to get rear tire even with the post then back into your spot. Tons of room, I’ve u-turned in tighter spot than that.
 
rampage said:
As you’ve noticed, when you back down to turn around it’s easier. So when you drive up, I’d stay about 4 ft away from the post and even with the green curbs. Then cut hard right to put the rear where the nose of the truck is now. Turn left and go down to get rear tire even with the post then back into your spot. Tons of room, I’ve u-turned in tighter spot than that.
Click to expand...
If I understood correctly that is exactly what I do.
You go in and turn left, then right in an S shape to lign up the truck to back in easy.
I have made 3 point turns with my semi in places like this
 
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