Nui

Vancouver

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Does anyone know what the wheel cut would be on a 34 foot Winnebago Chieftain? In RV tips, they tell you your turns should be determined by the wheel cut.
Someone said you can use a protractor to figure it out, but even if I owned one, I wouldn't know what to do with it.
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docj

Fulltime--Home is where we park it

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IMHO, this type of analytic approach to driving is what you expect to find in a book written by someone who probably has little or no real driving experience. Although some newer RVs can cut their front wheels a bit more than the 53 degrees that had been pretty common, I find it hard to believe that anyone fine-tunes their cornering to that degree. Most people quickly calibrate where the driver's seat should be relative to the corner when making a right turn which is the only really "difficult" driving maneuver you have to make. Since I don't enjoy the thought of cutting a corner and taking down a light pole I usually try to err on the side of making turns wider than needed, anyway.
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rgatijnet1

Florida

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Go to a large parking lot and using markers, turn sharply right and left and you will get what it means for your particular coach. Besides the ability of the wheel to turn, the wheelbase also has a lot to do with your turning radius.
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Greyghost

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Check with the chassis manufacturer. They'll need the VIN and should be able to pin it down for you.
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antsinmypants

massillon ohio

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i would use the rear view mirrors rather than trusting a calculation
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Hank MI

Brighton, Michigan

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As doj said wheel cut is 'interesting' information. Along with turning radius and chassis overhang, also interesting but until you drive it and understand how all 3 come into play they remain nothing more than interesting.
How sharp a turn the wheels will allow doesn't take into account how much the rear will swing out in the opposite direction. It also doesn't take into account the wheelbase which along with wheel cut determines turning radius. Drive it, use your mirrors and watch closely. You'll soon learn what maneuvers you can and cannot make.
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Nui

Vancouver

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Well, like I said - the most logical thing is to drive it eastward until I hit the Atlantic, sell the rig, and buy a new one going west. I do really well on straight stretches
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Hank MI

Brighton, Michigan

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Nui wrote: Well, like I said - the most logical thing is to drive it eastward until I hit the Atlantic, sell the rig, and buy a new one going west. I do really well on straight stretches 
It's different but you'll get use to it pretty quickly. Use your mirrors a lot until you figure out where you are in the lane. Always use them when turning or backing up. Pretty soon you'll be a pro. Just remember it is more tiring than driving a car so don't plan on jumping in and driving for 8 straight hours. Get use to it then you'll know how much you can handle. Don't forget weather, wind, and the type of roads will also determine how long you can drive before you need to stop.
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Nui

Vancouver

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Funny you should mention that.... I get absolutely exhausted when I drive the Beast. I figured it was tension, or an incipient heart attack or stroke.
Nice to know it's just normal.
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Hank MI

Brighton, Michigan

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I can drive all day in the car, it kind of drives itself. The MH, whole different story, at least mine is. I'm not saying it's hard but it definitely is a whole lot different than driving the car.
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