A driveway that is too narrow to turn in is the classic reason to buy a car turntable, and it is also the reason the machine has to be specified carefully: there is no room to correct a mistake. This is the specification we built for a 5.5 m turntable for a private project in Namibia, what it needed from the site, and what changes when the vehicle or the site gets bigger.
What the site asked for
The brief was a car that had to leave nose-first from a driveway with no room to reverse into the road. That means the turntable had to take the full weight of the vehicle, turn it at walking pace, and sit low enough that the car could drive on without a ramp that would foul the underside. The resting height was the first constraint, and the diameter was the second.
How the turntable was specified
The unit we built is the TT2555: 5.5 m across, 420 mm high, rated at 2.5 t, turning at 1 to 2 rpm through an RV63 reducer on a pin gear drive running on Harbin bearings. The platform is built to a flatness and roundness tolerance of plus or minus 10 mm, which matters more than it sounds: a disc that is out of flat makes the car rock as it turns, and a disc that is out of round binds against its pit.
| Specification | TT2555 5.5 m turntable |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 5.5 m |
| Height | 420 mm |
| Load capacity | 2.5 t |
| Rotation speed | 1 – 2 rpm |
| Drive | Pin gear with RV63 reducer, Harbin bearings |
| Flatness and roundness | Within plus or minus 10 mm |
| Packed size and weight | About 3200 x 1250 x 2200 mm, about 2,500 kg |
At 1 to 2 rpm a half turn takes roughly 15 to 30 seconds. That is slow enough for a car to sit on the platform without unsettling the suspension, and quick enough that nobody waits for it.
What the installation needed
- A flat base. The turntable sits on a prepared slab, and the 420 mm height has to be matched by the approach on both sides.
- Drainage. A pit or recess that holds water is a pit that rusts; the base has to shed water away from the drive.
- Lifting capacity on site. The unit packs to about 3200 x 1250 x 2200 mm and weighs around 2,500 kg, so it arrives as a crane or forklift job, not a two-person delivery.
- Access for the drive. The reducer and the pin gear have to be reachable for service without lifting the platform out.
- Clearance around the disc. The car overhangs the front and rear of the platform, and the driver’s door needs room to open.
What changes when the vehicle gets bigger
The same design scales, but the numbers do not stay the same. For a 6 m disc rated at 6 t, the platform is 500 mm thick and the drive moves to a 380 to 400 V three phase motor, with a frame of 120 x 60 x 5 mm; the unit packs to about 3 x 1.2 x 2.2 m at roughly 2 t. For commercial vehicles the machine changes completely: the 30 t, 16 m unit built for a tender project in Bangladesh uses a 12 to 16 m deck that takes a 14 m vehicle, sits flush with the ground on a 300 x 100 mm pit frame, turns at 1 to 2 rpm on a large slewing bearing driven by a 2.0 kW motor.
The imperial market gets its own size, too. For a project that measured its driveway in feet we built a 2 t unit with a 12 ft diameter and an 8 ft build height, because a 5.5 m metric disc is the wrong answer when the available turning circle is 12 ft across.
What to send when you ask for a quotation
- The longest and heaviest vehicle that will ever use it, with its wheelbase if you have it.
- Whether the turntable sits flush with the ground or on the surface, and how much height you can add.
- Whether the site is indoors or outdoors, and where the water goes.
- The supply available at the site.
- A photograph of the driveway and the approach on both sides.
Frequently asked questions
How big does a turntable need to be for a normal car?
Our 5.5 m disc at 2.5 t covers a private car with room for the wheels, and it is the size we built for the Namibia project. If the vehicle is longer or heavier, move up to the 6 m, 6 t unit rather than pushing the smaller one.
Does it need a pit?
A flush installation needs a recess for the disc and a base that drains. A surface mounted unit sits on top of a prepared slab and needs no excavation, but it adds a step that has to be ramped on both sides.
How is it delivered?
As a packed unit of roughly 3200 x 1250 x 2200 mm and about 2,500 kg for the 5.5 m model. Plan a crane or a forklift for both ends of the journey, and check the access to the driveway before the truck arrives.
Next step
Send us the vehicle, the driveway photograph and whether you want a flush or surface installation, and we will confirm the diameter, the height and the base. Start from the car turntable range, and read how to choose a car turntable if you are still deciding between sizes.
