Help with Backing Up

Gdetrailer wrote:

seagrace wrote:
Thank you, Rice, that is exactly the issue. I have no problem with letting her wander off and doing it myself, it just means I have to jump out of the truck a few more times to get it right.

I would rather we do this as a team and work out how to do it, and I would rather she have some experience backing - just in case there is a time when she will need to do it without me. I think the next trip out, I'm gonna let her take the wheel.

FWIW - yes, backing a boat/trailer is far easier when, 1. I've already lined up the truck, and/or 2. There is no boat on the trailer - she's a whiz at that ;-)

You missed the point.

While I don't mind "working as a team" the problem is if BOTH "members" of the team do not instinctively understand backing up then neither members of that "team" will be able to help effectively.

In other words, your wife does not fully understand what direction you must turn the wheel to make it go the direction needed. If she does understand then her "signals" WILL be MORE EFFECTIVE to you.

Best way to do it is to both learn how to back it up with a trailer.

But the only way to do this is to start with the basics and that is both need to learn how to put a vehicle in a crowded parking space.

Each one of you NEEDs to learn what you can and cannot see in the mirrors.

Once you both have solo backing memorized adding the trailer becomes much easier not just for you but your "team".

In other words, if you are the primary driver, you really should be able to at least be able to park it solo, sometimes you may have to do it that way anyway..

PRACTICE.

I agree with both of Gdetrailers posts completely. You really do need more practice, and she should try backing up also. I am not being condescending, so please don't take me wrong. With practice you both will get much more comfortable. The camp site isn't the place to practice though.

I will share our own experience.

My wife was a city kid. I am a farm kid, farm kids usually know how to back up, because they start young. I know this isn't always the case, but usually it is.

We got to the campground, and there was no one there. Literally,
NO ONE. There was no audience, so I told her to back the trailer in. She didn't want to get yelled at, so I told her she had all evening, and I would stop her if she were about to hit something, or drive off the pad. I made her start from the road, and it was a blind side back, (camp site on the right hand side of the road) which is the most difficult. She was very nervous, but started trying. There was a lot of forward and backward movements, but she kept trying. After several (quite a few) minutes, I told her to stop! She asked what was wrong, and I told her nothing was wrong, I needed another beer out of the fridge. She did finally get it into the spot before I needed to stop her again. ;)

She was not happy with me for that, but now she understands that when I am backing up, she has to be where she can see me in the mirrors, and that I can not see the top of the camper, so she knows to look out for branches etc. I still get thumped in the arm when I bring that up, but it helped us both tremendously. I can back into literally any spot I think I can fit into, and now I know that I can trust her to watch out for what I can't see, because she remembers what it takes to back our 5er up.

That, and the fact that sometime she might NEED to be able to do it, if I get sick or something.

Like I said, practice, and have her try to back it up also, even if she protests.