Earnings Per Share (Schedule Of Computation Of Earnings Per Share And Effect On Weighted-Average Number Of Shares) (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2014	Mar. 29, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Net income attributable to Trimble Navigation Ltd.	$ 68,624	$ 49,808
Weighted average number of common shares used in basic earnings per share	259,789	255,181
Effect of dilutive securities	4,995	5,118
Weighted average number of common shares and dilutive potential common shares used in diluted earnings per share	264,784	260,299
Basic earnings per share	$ 0.26	$ 0.20
Diluted earnings per share	$ 0.26	$ 0.19