Help with Backing Up

They say a yacht is a hole in the water the owner tries to fill with money.

There is a reason RVs are called land yachts.

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Yesterday at a COE Park we tried some of the suggestions on this thread.

I had the wife park the rig. I stayed near the front of the truck so we didn’t have to yell to understand each other. We walked the site and the approach before we started backing in.

Went very well. We both learned some things. Going to do more of that in the future.

Personally I think if she does enough parking, she will be a better spotter. I was surprised by how much different it is spotting than driving the truck.

I thought I was pretty good at backing a trailer because I pulled many different types for many years but the longest enclosed trailer I have is 21FT and my new TT is 27FT with tung. Its 28 with spare tire. What I'm getting at is it a big difference from what I'm use to. I see you need to start getting the trailer turning allot sooner than I'm use to when backing. At first I was thinking a back up camera is something I don't need but I now see its one more thing to spend some money on. I must say I have had a great time doing it but everything adds up. I'm wondering ,,does it ever end or is it like any other hobby.

I have the same problem backing up a school bus,especially in the dark. I just look before I back and trust my skills. Not dented one yet.

I have backed both trailers and a class A into campsites.. WITHOUT A SPOTTER.

NOW.. I do not like doing it that way Way easier with a TRAINED spotter but even when I had a spotter training was beyond my or her ability. So I wound up using another method. (I had her stand where I did not want to go)

Worked well.. Now I choose site carefully.

There are many "Tricks" for backing a trailer.. Alas, i don't use 'em, I put brain in reverse as it were. but that's because I've been backing trailers for ..... over 50 years. Starting on a farm with farm trailers. Some of which I had to back around an "S" curve between two buildings with less than 4 Feet clearance total (both sides combined)... Several times a day.

Now that's how you learn to reverse.

Is it communication, or is it that she does not understand the dynamics of backing a trailer? If she is to be helpful, she needs to be as skillful with backing as you are, so it would be best for you to teach her how. Put her behind the wheel, you tell her what to do. Once she learns how to back a trailer, she could likely guide you in standing in front watching the space and the whole rig. But she can't guide you if she doesn't know how to do it.

toedtoes wrote:
The point is that the person behind the wheel IS responsible for everything that happens with the vehicle and trailer and therefore needs to be more than just a trained monkey following instructions.

The instructions dictate where to have the tires set before moving, so it's one person who is responsible for the trajectory the RV takes, instead of two. Once the tires are set and the RV starts moving, the person directing is doing the same thing as any other spotter--looking for obstacles and telling the driver when to stop.

Of course the driver should look around for obstacles, and stop if something looks amiss. Just don't decide on your own to turn the wheel. If you think you're heading wrong, then stop and discuss. Don't mess up the direction-giver's plan by going off script, and everything should be perfect...if the direction-giver knows what he's doing.

Veebyes wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
JMO but it is not the spotters job to tell the driver how to drive the vehicle. It is the spotters job to tell the driver which way & how much she wants the back of the vehicle to go. Making the back follow her instructions is the drivers problem. A good spotter helps by being able to anticipate what needs to happen before it needs to happen, given that 5ers are a little slow to respond.

I agree.

If I am in the driver seat, it is MY responsibility to know what I am doing. If the trailer hits a kid on a bicycle, the driver can't say "well my spotter is the expert and so I just did what he/she told me to do" and walk away. The driver is responsible and as such should be knowledgeable in backing up and be paying attention to more going on than just the spotter's instructions.

Good point because so often you have to deal with kids riding around on bikes in your site as you try to back in. That or they are ridinging around the CG & are totally unfamiliar with a RV backing into a site having never seen one before & have no idea how big it is.

You do realize my comment about the kid on a bicycle was just one of many many things that could happen while backing up, right?

The point is that the person behind the wheel IS responsible for everything that happens with the vehicle and trailer and therefore needs to be more than just a trained monkey following instructions.

toedtoes wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
JMO but it is not the spotters job to tell the driver how to drive the vehicle. It is the spotters job to tell the driver which way & how much she wants the back of the vehicle to go. Making the back follow her instructions is the drivers problem. A good spotter helps by being able to anticipate what needs to happen before it needs to happen, given that 5ers are a little slow to respond.

I agree.

If I am in the driver seat, it is MY responsibility to know what I am doing. If the trailer hits a kid on a bicycle, the driver can't say "well my spotter is the expert and so I just did what he/she told me to do" and walk away. The driver is responsible and as such should be knowledgeable in backing up and be paying attention to more going on than just the spotter's instructions.

Good point because so often you have to deal with kids riding around on bikes in your site as you try to back in. That or they are ridinging around the CG & are totally unfamiliar with a RV backing into a site having never seen one before & have no idea how big it is.

dieseltruckdriver wrote:

seagrace wrote:
"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."

Some of these posts make me sorry I asked. I'm thinking for some of you, English must not be your first language.

I know how to back a trailer, okay? And no, I'm not being "condescending".

I am going to respond even though my intuition is not to, since it was me you quoted and said "English must not be your first language."

If you have your wife try and back up, it will giver her a better understanding of what you need to know when you are trying to back up.

Of course, that is if you can give up just a little bit of control, and help her learn. After that post, I am starting to see why you might be having problems, and yes you were being extremely condescending.

I hope you get it figured out, but I am done on this post.

I think the "practice backing up" is about two things:

Having the OP's wife practice backing up so she can see why a spotter is needed and how the spotter helps.

Having the OP practice backing up with the wife spotting to help her practice her role and for them both to develop clear communication skills.

I don't think it's a "the OP doesn't know how to back up" comment.

Veebyes wrote:
JMO but it is not the spotters job to tell the driver how to drive the vehicle. It is the spotters job to tell the driver which way & how much she wants the back of the vehicle to go. Making the back follow her instructions is the drivers problem. A good spotter helps by being able to anticipate what needs to happen before it needs to happen, given that 5ers are a little slow to respond.

I agree.

If I am in the driver seat, it is MY responsibility to know what I am doing. If the trailer hits a kid on a bicycle, the driver can't say "well my spotter is the expert and so I just did what he/she told me to do" and walk away. The driver is responsible and as such should be knowledgeable in backing up and be paying attention to more going on than just the spotter's instructions.