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Driveway Pitch
#1

I had a 34' Newmar Ventanna that would scrape my driveway upon entry and departure due to a drop in elevation from the garage to the street and a slight dip just before the driveway meets the street. As I contemplate the purchase of a Newell, I know that I will have the same issue, if not worse, based upon the additional length of the vehicle and longer spacing between the front and rear axles. So here's my question as I contemplate an acquisition and a major driveway renovation for a new (to me) coach:

Other than a dead flat driveway (which I do not have and cannot make), what's the steepest pitch that a 45' Newell can safely navigate without scraping the front or back when coming/going? Math and I have never seen eye-to-eye so trying to calculate the solution to this problem is not something that I could ever realistically accomplish. I would think that this would be a universal issue, the answer to which would benefit all (Newell) coach owners. Has anyone done this?

Best,

Kevin

Wannabe Coach Owner (for now)
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#2

Well I can tell you it ain't much, I just finished doing a 35 foot approach to my slab and from top of sidewalk to pad MIGHT be 16" and my back side scrapes. Now let me also say that I am unable to raise my driver side rear much either. I feel if hitting the all corners up and it it did id be OK. Figure 18" in a 30 foot run and you should be ok.

home: Southern California
05 #746 quad slide 2000i, 
Steerable tag 
Detroit Diesel series 60 515 hp
Allison trans

Toad 2013 Avalanche Black Diamond edition 4 wheel drive
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#3

There are too many variables to give you a cut and dried answer. Carthan is correct, it ain’t much. If your Ventana scraped, you have a LOT of earthwork to do to even think about putting a Newell in there.

It makes big difference if you have a straight on approach. Any turn going into the driveway significantly causes the coach to tip in the turn reducing clearance. Also if there is a drainage swale at the street as required by some jurisdictions, then the dip has to be accounted for also.

Tom can chime in with the pitch of the drive into his garage, but keep in mind his slope is a very straight in and out.

And to make it more difficult, No two Newells are alike. The trailer hitch arrangement can be quite different from coach to coach.

Richard and Rhonda Entrekin
99 Newell, 512
Maverick Hybrid Toad
Inverness, FL (when we're home Cool )
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#4

ok,  i went through this when i built my shop.  because of strange building codes, i had to raise the floor of my shop up significantly higher than ground level. 

i am an engineer, my son is an engineer, my son in law is an engineer....you get the picture.

so, trig came into play and pivot points etc.  in doing so we came up with pretty much different answers.
'
with my shop the entry in was straight and not curved like richard said to look out for.  also, i have no street, curb or curb drain area to account for.  just straight crushed granite and concrete pad

ends up the place on mine where it is easiest to get high centered on is the middle of the coach where the exhaust for the aquahot and genny is.  it hangs low and could easily hang on where the drive meets the garage. 

when you are backing up and incline and the rear of the bus goes over the point where the drive meets the garage, the hitch really isnt an issue.  but that is because i have a very long run in front of the concrete pad so i never have my hitch hit.  btw, my hitch is only about six inches off the ground.  i have the humongo big hitch.

so, my farmer friend looked at me and the pages of calculations and laughed.  so he said get 2 dump truck loads of crushed granite and lets build the ramp and pack it and try the bus.  we did that keeping in mind how long i wanted the concrete drive to be (35 foot)

so we would build, it, try it and repeat.  the concrete guys loved it because we had a hard pack base for them to start with when they formed the drive pad.  my pad is 35 ft deep and almost 40 foot wide. 

another thing to keep in mind with a garage is the door height.  when you are backing up and incline, the back of the bus might be a little higher.

i did 15 foot high doors so i would never have any issues.


so in summary, like richard said there are way too many variables to give a generic answer.

tom


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2002 45'8" Newell Coach 608  Series 60 DDEC4/Allison World 6 Speed HD4000MH

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#5

Well, if three engineers had a disagreement over this exact question, this lawyer is doomed. Luckily, I have a daughter who is a computer science major: a student mathlete. From street to garage is probably about 150ft with an elevation change over that distance of probably 4-5 feet which occurs mainly in the first 40 feet. I’ll put the daughter to work and see what she calculates and then post it here. Thank you for the responses and insights!
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#6

You might think about putting some wooden planking down in the drainage gutter while driving coach in & out to help flatten that part out.
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#7

Interesting topic, and timely to my world.

At my last house I had a perpendicular HARD passenger side turn to back in from a narrow street. My tolerances for backing or leaving was plus or minus 3-4'. My street was 30' wide but cars regular parked on both sides of the street. I could only enter and exit when all cars had gone to work. The center of the street (Crown) was about 2" higher than the curb which was 4" tall. The city building codes for driveway apron was controlled by ADA. I installed per the requirements that caused the 4" rise from gutter to sidewalk level in 2'.

I always raised the coach it maximum height. Even then, as Tom Said the Generator and aquahot exhaust brackets just barely scraped as I transitioned in and out and/or, if I didn't turn just right, the large roller under the hitch would carve my initials into the sidewalk.  Angry  

The New house has a 5' rise in 150' similar to yours, but my street is about 3% slope towards my house. I am removing the 4" concrete and making a flatter entrance approach. Instead of -3% transitioning to + 3%. I'm making the initial slope about 1%, and making most of the rise in the middle 100' and flatter as I enter the garage. I have no sidewalk, ADA or neighbors parking on my street at the new place.  Big Grin

BTW the 4" driveway that exist at the new place, broke down rather quickly driving the Newell over it. The new drive way will be  6" concrete with #3 bar on 18" center over 8" of compacted CL II road base.

With a 150' long driveway you should be able to have gentle variable slopes, example,  +/- 1% in the beginning (1st 1/4 distance), 4% in the middle (2nd section 1/2 distance)  and 1% (3rd section or 1/4 distance) as you enter the garage.

Its not a going to be straight grade.

My 2 cents Wink

Dave, Karen, w/Buddy and Moose. 
06' Newell #784
towing a 05' Featherlight enclosed trailer for toys and tools, 
or a 21' F350 Big Grin w KTM 300, and MTB in the back
35' Packard 4 dr convertible
59' Nash Metropolitan
+ 4 more cars and 8 motorcycles


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