Backing in a 5th wheel

[rright3329]

I am having the hardest time backing in my 30' Cougar 5th wheel. The space is 12' wide on a angle. It is on gravel. Is there someplace I can go to learn how. Is there any advise anyone can give me. Backing one in is a good test of my marriage.
Bob Rightmire:)

[sadiesassy]

I guess we do the following
Pull ahead and position ourselves - Walk the area
Drop a couple of 2x6 levelers at positions we would like it to sit at
Wife gets the radio to tell me if I am about to hit anything. Other wise she is quiet. Other wise she has problem telling me to go the wrong directio.
Then slowly back up and adjust as needed

We practiced initially at SAM's Thhey had a big parking lot with lots of space and strips

[charlie_good_ti]

Seems most sites here have concrete pad on passenger side out of site to driver initially so BEFORE STARTING measure trailer tread add six inches an put a cone-tin can or some mark you can see on spot where left trailer wheels should be,an aim trailer wheels to just pass your spot.Usually there even might be a tire track from former trailer.

[rhagfo]

Ram4Sam wrote:
My wife and I have tried hand signals, radios, you name it......We found out what works best for us. When we pull up in front of our campsite, she grabs the dog and goes for a short walk.....and comes back when I am done backing into the spot.:)

Sam

Close to our system!
Wife gets out with dogs, and keeps an extra eye out for kids, and I back the 5er. I don't use the "S" method, pull past the the spot, place one hand on the bottom of the wheel and push the direction I want the 5er to go. As soon as it starts to turn I start to straighten out just seems to work most of the time! Steering is done by "Palming" the wheel, smooth turning and direction changes.

[tegu69]

One thing I know, its a lot easier for me to back a trailer into a spot, than to tell somebody how to do it. I do agree it helps to do the "S" turn to get set up first, if you have the room.

[rhagfo]

Reng8d wrote:
Bob,

Once you master this TV and 5er setup, you find yourself purchasing a new TV and 5er and the learning process starts all over again....DW and I are learning all over again with our new setup....:E

Not really the longer the 5er the easier it is to backup.

[Reng8d]

Bob,

Once you master this TV and 5er setup, you find yourself purchasing a new TV and 5er and the learning process starts all over again....DW and I are learning all over again with our new setup....:E

[Ram4Sam]

My wife and I have tried hand signals, radios, you name it......We found out what works best for us. When we pull up in front of our campsite, she grabs the dog and goes for a short walk.....and comes back when I am done backing into the spot.:)

Sam

[JohnBoyToo]

Whenever the wife helps, it's with our cell phones and bluetooth thru the truck... her duties are to say STOP (preferably before I hit something)other than that, it's a lonely job I practiced and am pretty good at it - hardest part is to be patient and give the other campers a show !!! 🙂

AND
when we come in from camping, usually we go to the house and unload,
and while the wife is putting all that up, I can go to storage...

In our tight graveled storage building ('maybe' 1' on each side)
I spent maybe $20 on 2x12x8' boards for a landing spot!
figured out where they needed to be, painted the front and outside edges with bright orange and nailed my large chocks onto the board where I needed to stop...

This does a couple of things for us:
the wife does not have to come with me when I put it in storage,
levels the trailer a bit since my 'cubicle' has a slope front to back,
gives me something to 'aim' my tires at for proper alignment,
the chocks let me know when to stop,
and since it is always in the same place,
has basically 'built' a darker groove where I run the heavy rv over the rocks each time!
so again - another guide to aim at !

it gets easier after a while or
after two or three scratches down the whole side of the 5er, you won't care!!!!!

[jkwilson]

An experienced spotter can be a big help. My wife tries to help, but usually her advice isn't much help because her only experience is with bumper hitch trailers. I'll be at close to 90 degrees with the wheels cut all the way trying to straighten and she'll tell me to take the back end of the trailer the other way. That isn't going to happen until the truck is straight, so it really isn't much help. I keep asking her to just watch the passenger side of the trailer and tell me if it is going to hit anything and also to help me judge if the trailer is straight when I ask. Our teamwork is a work in progress.

The hardest part for me is figuring out where to make my initial cut. I have a pair of orange gloves in the truck, and I'll drop one out the window when I cut the first time. If (when) I have to try again, I can use that glove as a reference to how to change where I start my turn for the next attempt.

Don't be afraid to get out and look. Beats heck out of running a site marker down a dually fender :E

[Allworth]

You don't say what bed length you have on the truck or if you have a slider.

If you do, slide it to the rear even if you are not doing any turns that come close to requiring it. Having the pivot point of the pin a few inched behind the rear axle adds to your leverage on the trailer. It starts to react just a little quicker to steering inputs when backing. I move mine back even on a long bed 3500 crew cab. Every little bit helps.

(Yes, I have a slider in a long bed. I had the hitch from a previous SB truck and am too cheap to replace it.)

[A_hitch_and_hop]

I've been backing a FW for about 10 years now and find that the best advice is not to get in a hurry. Take your time and don't be afraid to pull ahead and restart your approach. When I started, I placed a "Frisbee" at the location where I wanted the tires to be when parked and then backed the tires to that point. Also, find that sweet point whee you start your "S" maneuver, place a Frisbee at that spot and measure from the site edge. Now when you are approaching a new site, stop before you reach the site, measure the distance for the Frisbee and then pull the trailer to that point and you are ready to start backing.

[mrw8i]

I've got a 20' bumper pull, and now a 35' 5th. I have had different length TV over the last 6 years, a Chevy Tahoe (about 17' long), a Chevy Suburban (about 19' long), and now a long bed crew cab about (about 22' long). With each change I lost some maneuverability backing in the bumper pull. Now backing in with the crew cab I have to go back and forth to get it lined up, when backing into my driveway; whereas with the Suburban I could do it in one turn.

Now the 5th wheel is a whole other bird. The only place I have to back it in, is at the RV storage lot where I have a 12' space at an angle. So far it has not been easy. The biggest issue, has been how much room the TV takes up while backing in. I've tried the "S" maneuver. I've tried without. I'm guessing there are a few things I'm doing wrong - probably the biggest is not pulling far enough forward and turning slowly and following it in. I figure I'll get it some day. But dang, the bumper pull is easy to back in compared to the 5th wheel.

[C-Bears]

You can look at all the videos, buy all the 2-way radios, put your hands wherever, the only thing that will get you backing into sites like a pro is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE....

[frizzen]

powderman426 wrote:
All good suggestions. I also find that putting the truck in four wheel low helps a lot as then it moves much smoother.

Just don't do this on a paved surface. Since the wheels can't slip it puts a strain on the drive train