Turning Radius Question

[brightond]

Hello, my wife and I have decided to Skoolie after struggling with the traditional RV options We hope to purchase our bus in early spring and have it ready for full-time traveling by early fall with our 2 kids. Very glad to have found this site and very much enjoy the incredible information that is shared here.

I'm hoping some of you who are familiar with the way these buses turn can help me figure out what size bus I may be able to get into my driveway

My house is located directly off a modestly traveled 2-lane rd. Both lanes equal about 20 feet. My driveway is a 12' wide wooden bride (only 10' from road to asphalt in driveway.) It runs over a small creek. It was rated for 40k lbs in 2009.

Directly across the street from my bridge is my neighbors 20' deep by 20' w driveway.

My hope is to while traveling with my driveway on the right, to turn a sharp left into his driveway and then ideally back into my driveway. Once in my driveway I can shimmy it back to it's resting spot for renovations.

Does anyone know if there is a way to calculate the turn depending on the length of a vehicle? I'm not able to do too much research until I know what bus length I am able to work with

Thanks for any of your thoughts!

I'll try and post some pics tomorrow once the rain stops to give a visual of what the turn would be.

Thanks again.

[LessMeansMoreProject]

I could be over simplifying, but my 40' gmc coach has proven capable of navigating some very tight spaces. I would imagine that your biggest hurdle won't be geometry but rather patience with yourself and from other drivers on your road. If you choose a time that there won't be traffic on the road you'll get your bus into your driveway given the time to do enough forward and back. Good luck!


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[cowlitzcoach]

If you can get a long box crew cab 1-ton into your driveway most school buses should be able to get into your driveway as well. A 40' RE bus might have to jockey back and forth more than once but almost any other school bus should be able to make it in.

A 35' FE bus will sometimes turn tighter around a corner than a long box crew cab 1-ton. Even some conventionals can get into a driveway if you know your reference points and pivot points.

Years ago I got a 11-row bus backed into our driveway.

The driveway was 10' wide and the street was no more than 20' of asphalt with perhaps 5' of gravel on the far side of the street from my driveway.

With the space you have you should not have any problems.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by brightond

Directly across the street from my bridge is my neighbors 20' deep by 20' w driveway.

That's where I'd park it. Bake 'em a cake first. Maybe better be brownies.

[Rameses]

Originally Posted by Rusty

That's where I'd park it. Bake 'em a cake first. Maybe better be brownies.

The driveway's only 20 feet long though.

It'll be hanging out into the road.

[lucasd]

It's hard to give a blanket answer other than what folks have already said - a bus may pleasantly surprise you with its turning radius. Keep in mind it's the wheel base, not the length of the vehicle, that does the most to determine the tightness of turns. Yet one more reason I like the school bus chassis - they are designed to get in and out of places. If a school bus couldn't do a multipoint turn on a dead end country road, it would be in trouble.

[EastCoastCB]

If you have a CE, FE, and RE and all things are equal, the FE will have the tightest turning radius.

[brightond]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm hoping that I can get something backed in on a quiet day with a few turns

Now it's time to find a bus!