by Gloria
( SC)
I'll be hauling a 25 foot boat trailer with an 18 foot SUV. I need a new drive to start off a main road at a 90 degree angle. It will then curve to the left (as sharply as possible) to join with my existing driveway. How wide should the driveway be and what should the turning radius be? We want to be as economical as possible. Thanks!
Guess what? I have a suburban and pull a boat trailer and a horse trailer with it. The trailer is not much wider than the SUV and basically tags along. The width of the driveway is not an issue except where you are making the turn into the driveway and making the sharp left. This is where it is important to have the driveway curve to widen the opening. I don't like to see the opening wider than 25 feet because it starts looking commercial instead of residential. A typical driveway width to accomodate one car is 12 feet. Flare out each side of the opening of the curve to make this opening 25 feet. I typically use a 20 foot radius for these curves. A 45 foot turning radius is a good estimate for a SUV. Reference the owner's manual for the vehicle for the exact turning radius.