Lantley wrote:
JBarca wrote:
Bank of Dad,
I do this in the total dark on Friday night campouts. It for sure is the best teacher....
John
John I thought I was the only one that specialized in parking in the dark on Friday night.:C
Your comments above are very insightful. I agree every rig is a bit different but your comments are a good basis for a rookie to learn from.
The important part is to develop a routine and stick with it. Avoid a "Helter Skelter" approach, always have a plan and learn from your mistakes
Thanks Lantley,
Oh yeah, we are Friday night dark arrive'ers... Well at least during the winter, spring and fall. Summer time there is enough light still left. Doing it in the dark... forces you to rely on other senses/skill. The same ones you use during the day, just more pronounced.
I grew up a farm boy and most by the time one is long enough to touch the pedals, you are driving something. By the time a teen you are backing up most anything. By high school you had about mastered it and then some. Then you become the owner and well your doing it for a living. Backing up becomes instinct after enough practice and you do not even think about what you did, it just happends. Until...
You get a TT... Now you cannot turn around in the tractor seat and see the wheels on the trailer...You have to learn to back up with mirrors... In time (after much frustration and relearning) well it became instinct again. That was until the camper went from 26 feet to 32 feet... Then the truck went from 130" WB to 157" WB... Back to relearning all over again.
Seeing your new rig, I'm sure there was a learning curve from when you had the TT to now the 5er. Not to mention the length... I have never yet backed a 5'er. Thinking about it, the articulation on the right side is a lot different. I'm making an assumption you can see the camper wheels from the start almost right up until you straighten out. A whole different setup than the bumper pull.
And yes, trial and error and remember what worked, what didn't and why. In time you get better at it and it becomes instinct.
Thanks
John
