Help with Backing Up

toedtoes wrote:
Few people like to be told what to do. Especially when the one telling them thinks they are an "expert" and that they are so good that they can give those directions to any monkey and get it done right.

But is it the same if the one directing the wheel-turning really is an expert? Lord knows I don't like being told what to do, but if the person doing the telling is an expert, why would I have a problem with it?

I'm telling you--Mr. Rice could have a blind person back an RV into the tightest space perfectly, based solely on his verbal directions on how to turn the wheel. So he really is an expert, and I'm happy to defer completely to him.

If time is of the essence, I'll either have him do it himself (with me just being a second set of eyes), or I'll man the wheel while he tells me exactly what to do. Either way, it gets done right the first time.

If we're not rushed for time, I'll do it myself, with him spotting just to prevent disasters. But I'm nowhere near the backer he is, so it'll take more time. I like the practice, but there's no way I'll ever be as skilled as he is.

I've seen him back that thing into impossible places, and one that I regrettably missed was at a snowbird park in Phoenix with very narrow streets, 90-degree spaces, and our space was next to a park model with a carport on the line on one side, and on the other side there was a light pole right at the corner of the driveway, which left no room for error on the entry.

He pulled into the park by himself, and approached the site. A neighbor said that whenever people get that site, they go out and come back in from the other direction. So he did that. And then he backed the rig into the space by himself, in one shot, and the assembled crowd gave him a round of applause.

To the OP: I really do think you should try having your wife take the wheel, and just follow your explicit instructions. I actually think the problem comes from two different people trying to back it in at the same time--the person spotting and the person manning the wheel. They both have ideas about how to do it, and those ideas can conflict, but not necessarily in obvious ways.

In your first post, you gave the example of your having gone too far in one direction before she tells you you've gone too far. Maybe she just doesn't know. Sometimes Mr. Rice does things that don't look right to me, but they actually are, so if I'd told him to stop, it would have messed up what he was (correctly) doing.

So try having one person who solely directs the mission, and one person who executes it, and it sounds like it should be you directing and her the executing.

And again, I don't mean directing it as in "go left." I mean telling the person which way to turn the steering wheel and not to proceed until the director confirms that the RV's wheels are pointing the way they should, and then the RV moves until the director says to stop, and then the wheel is repositioned, and the RV moves, until it's in the site.

It will require using radios, but the person at the wheel shouldn't have much to say, if anything. Just do what the director says.

"Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left."

[Driver turns the steering wheel all the way to the left.]

"Okay, back up about ten feet."

[Driver backs up a bit.]

"Three more feet."

[Driver backs up slowly for a few feet.]

"Stop. Now bring your wheel to straight."

[Driver moves steering wheel in opposite direction and stops turning the wheel, but the wheels aren't straight yet.]

"You're not straight yet. Turn the wheel again."

[Driver turns the steering wheel and the RV's wheels are now straight.]

"Back up just a couple of feet."

[Driver backs up slowly.]

"Stop."

[Driver stops.]

"Now turn your wheel all the way to the right."

[Driver turns wheel all the way to the right.]

"Back up about 15 feet."

[Driver starts backing up.]

"You have six feet, three feet, two...stop."

[Driver stops.]

Now turn the wheel a little bit back to the left.

[Driver turns the steering wheel a little to the left, but it's not as far as it should be.]

"Turn it a little more."

[Driver turns it a little more, and keeps doing it until the director sees the wheels are pointing in the right direction and tells the driver it's good.]

Etc. Just like you're using a remote control to back it in.

Of course, there will be a problem if the person who thinks he knows how to do it isn't as skilled as he thinks he is, but that will become apparent pretty quick if all the driver does is follow directions. And if it turns out the person isn't all that skilled, then at least it's obvious who's the problem, and steps can be taken to fix the problem.

But again, I think the problem isn't just communication, but two people having in mind two different plans on the path the RV needs to take into the space. When hearing (or seeing a signal) "go left," one person may turn as hard left as possible right off the bat, while another may turn left as he's going, and these will put the RV in different places. Both are "go left" but they're not the same thing.

And that could happen even if both people walk the space and decide on the route in.

That's why I think it's better for one person to watch the RV and the wheels, and give directions that the other person simply follows.

But maybe I'm unique in just wanting the best possible result. I'm fine with acting like a trained monkey, just following directions, if that's the role that will get the job done.