Backing-In from SINGLE Lane Road

[mekkerl]

We are about to start our third season of camping with our 40' fifth-wheel. I've done a great job driving and backing in to campsites, between trees, and other places I probably shouldn't have even tried.
My problem is at home.
I park the camper on a stone pad next to our driveway.
This pad and the driveway comes off a single-lane 'access road'...about 10-12' wide.
I have a lot of trouble staying off of the grass on either side of the access road, where I put tire divots, and tear up the grass. And the side I mess the most grass up, is not my property!

Does anyone have good advice or videos on how best to back in a 5'r coming from a single lane road without any driveway aprons?

[dedmiston]

mekkerl wrote:
I'm thinking I will try to really exaggerate the 'scoop' or the 'S' up into the driveway...maybe clipping the grass some.

It's taken me about six months to finally get this right after messing it up for so long.

I come down the wrong side of the road as close as I can get to the driveway on my left side. I watch my trailer wheels in my mirror, and as soon as my wheels get to the far end of the driveway, I pull hard to my right and then hook around to my left again. This turn to the left pivots my fifth wheel and points it towards the driveway. Then I can back in without too much trouble, following a gentle curve.

[Fisher_Bill]

For me I think the best way to think of a way in is to think of a way to get out, in other words if you're already parked in the driveway can you get out without running over the grass?

If you cannot then you'll have the same issue backing in, there's only so much room but that backwards thinking doesn't work for all but it helps me think it through.

Widen the drive and you'll be good, looks like you have plenty of room.

[greende]

john&bet wrote:
If it was mine I would just make my drive wider at the road.

This is what I did. I ended up making a flare in the end of the driveway so I could cut the 5er tighter.

[john_bet]

If it was mine I would just make my drive wider at the road.

[JIMNLIN]

I'm rural with my house/barns in the middle of 40 acres. Fence lines on the county road in front of my place and across the road are old which means fence lines are next to the ditch.
I installed my 16' driveway/culvert. Saw pretty quick I needed more turn in width for my driveway so now its 26' wide. Now I can get 40' gn flatdeck trailers/40' hay haulers in and out without running down the ditch on the other side of the road.
Widen your entrance off the road ...or if you have room make another entrance for a big circle drive for your trailer

[ac5501]

Widen both ends of your driveway and give yourself a better angle.

[ependydad]

I think you HAVE to swing through your own grass to get lined up with the scoop. Otherwise, you just don't have enough room in front of the parking area to make it happen.

[mekkerl]

Well -- I brought the camper home this past Saturday.
Not a pretty result! Ha
I pulled in as I usual do with the driveway on my left.
I did as large a scoop as I could without going on any grass.
What I found was that in order to get myself far enough past the parking area, my truck/camper pretty much straightened out and the scoop had essentially no effect.

My goal was to back-in with my top priority being to stay off the grass.
Well this only got the truck into the drive-way, and not the parking area.
So I got fed up and did a 10-point turn and tore up the grass/lawn and deep tire tracks in the lawn on the other side of the DRIVEWAY! Not the access road, but the driveway! Ugh!
So tried to back in 'blind' with the driveway and parking area on my right.
This took a few minor tries, but eventually got it parked without any grass ordeal.

I think I am going to take some time this summer to add some stone to the bottom right of the parking area (when looking at the pic)...like an additional 12'x12' section. This will allow me to take more advantage of a scoop I think.

[Likes_to_tow]

Well backing a 5th wheel is very different from a bumper pull model. They react slower to steering wheel input. I had the same problem with backing in my driveway when I purchased my first 5th wheel. I had previously owned many boats and took pride in the fact I could back in the boat on the first try without getting in the grass. When I brought the fifth wheel home I had traffic backed up in both directions and the yard got hammered. Then after several trips and some experience I have it improved quite a bit. I'm now on my third fifth wheel.

First, do not be ashamed or afraid to pull forward a bit to correct your approach. If the trailer is not tracking good in the desired angle, it is very doubtful it will be correctable by turning the steering wheel while continuing to back up.....they react slower to steering wheel inputs. The pivot point is half way in the bed of the truck, not on on the bumper. Try to get your trailer as close as possible to the drive way and then pull forward some like in the video. An "S" move is good to set up the attack like in the video. But if you feel you cannot make it and have to correct, pull forward a couple of feet while straightening the truck angle.

I have a similar situation where I live, a narrow two lane road with a sharp drop off to a railroad track so I am very limited as to how much I can use the edge of the road to correct.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Super_Dave wrote:

troubledwaters wrote:
Get some "GrassPave" and put them in as recommended by the manufacturer. Clicky

The area he damages isn't his property.

Is there a reason you can't come over your own driveway enough to get the truck straightened out in the road vs. the grass?

Can't hurt to ask the neighbor.
His lawn will still look like a lawn - even after you drive over it.

Anyway - for yours or his property....I prefer a product/s called "turfstone" or "turfblock" (paving stones) - may have a different brand name in other parts of the country.

16" x 24" blocks which look like a lattice (series of "x"s connected together). They weigh 54 lbs. The soil fills the area between the "x"s and eventually grass completely covers the blocks.
(You would never know they're there - looks like "all lawn".

I regularly drive over my lawn - and it will "flatten" the grass for
a day or so - then back to normal.
Used for emergency access (grass areas) to apartment complexes, etc. - we tested them with 40K lb fire apparatus. Worked as intended.

And... lots of good backing info w/video on YouTube.

:C

[thomas201]

I have a similar problem, only it is a 2 foot deep ditch. After struggling for 5 years, I asked the neighbor across the road (he is a retired judge) if I could put in a culvert for swing room. He said yes. Perhaps you can talk to you neighbor and put in paving, gravel, etc.

[ACZL]

ependydad wrote:

ACZL wrote:
Not to be a wise azz, but could always practice in a parking lot (school). Set up cones or something to simulate the road width, driveways and such.

A cheap way to do this is to fill red solo cups with water. You don't have to buy a bunch of cones and you aren't sad when you crush a dozen. 😄

Unless you fill them w/ your favorite beverage instead of water! LOL I really do like this idea tho and makes sense if no cones at your disposal.

[WeBeFulltimers]

Why not investigate buying the adjoining property and putting in an RV pad?

[Dave_H_M]

So you can't go down the road and turn around?

just looking at the pic,I would not try to get the camper in the spot on the first back. Use some of your driveway, then pull forward and finish with a blind side.

It is hard to tell the "tightness" without something there for a reference like the camper. :h