backing on wrong side

[paulbeauchemin]

I'm supposed to pick up my 40' 5th wheel friday and have been watching youtube videos on how to back.

All of the videos say to have the place you are backing into on the drivers side. Well, our driveway is not on the drivers side - its the opposite and I cannot see sitting in the wrong lane the first time I attempt to back this rig up.

Any suggestions on best way to do this?

[mrw8i]

We start by us getting out and agreeing on exactly where we want the trailer to end up. We both look at low branches, etc. I look for obstacles near the roadway, overhang issues, etc.

My DW stands there with her arms crossed. Sometimes she's texting on the phone. I don't move if I don't see her and she is acknowledging I exist. She'll stop me if I'm going to hit something, but that's about it. She rarely uses the same hand signals, no matter how many times I tell her it's really important.

I always stop, get out and look if I'm unsure - which I do every time, since I'm never sure if DW sees everything. The only hand signal I trust of hers is the last few feet when she signals me to stop. You should see us when I hook up the bumper pull, she'll guide me back then tell me I missed, try again (it's easier to jump out and look 5x as I back up).

Last year I went camping with my brother for the first time. He doesn't own a trailer nor tow a trailer. He jumped out and started guiding me into a camp spot. Perfect. What a difference between he and my DW, his hand signals made sense.

When backing up into a site on the blind side (passenger side), it helps to have an electric mirror on that side which you can adjust as you backup.

I always get out and look as I backup. Sometimes only 1 time, usually more often. Don't be afraid to pull forward and adjust or start over.

[richardcoxid]

x2 Valhalla360

I will add a few items-

Before picking up the 5W scope out a nearby high school parking lot or a unused air craft runway (lol) or other unused large vacant lot.

Have a plan, pick up the 5W on a Sat, have a supply of traffic cones, rocks, cardboard boxes, tape measure etc. Using the parking space lines mark out a RV parking spot and road etc.

When initially leaving the dealers lot remember that a 5W cuts the corners more so than a TT. So crowd the far side of the turn a little bit, go a little farther into the turn, then turn the TV sharper than normal, check your mirror to gage how close to the curb your 5W tires are.

Drive into the practice area, do a left 360 or two, do a right 360 or two, using the parking lines drive up and down making left and right turns as if in town, if you don't use cones etc, drive down a lane, pick a parking spot, try backing into it. Remember with a 5W once you start the backing it responds slower (than a TT) when straightening it out. After you get it parked, disconnect it, pull fwd do a 360 to the left, back in and reconnect, pull out, repeat, repeat and repeat again.

Don't get discouraged! Believe Me you will figure it out! Even after owning a TT for 10 years and a 5W for 19 years "They ALL Occasionally Have A Mind Of Their Own" When that happens STOP, get out look around, even pull around the block/loop and start over again!

I had the hardest time convincing my wife that if she couldn't see my mirrors that I couldn't see her

[Walaby]

DW and I are getting better every trip. We use walkie talkies.. mine in the console monitoring, she communicates to me. We work pretty well together. She is in charge unless I communicate something different. When she says stop, that's it.. I stop.

I generally back in with the area I want to park on the drivers side. We did stay at one campground where the spot I wanted I had to back in on the off side (passenger side). Either that or turn around and go the wrong way down a one way entrance. It actually wasn't much different and later on the neighbors across the way said they were quite impressed on how I maneuvered it right in there. Their comment was 'we figured you were a professional truck driver, the way you just put it right where it needed to be'. Nope, Im not a professional truck driver, just take my time.

My main street at home is fairly busy. Not like a main street in my sub-division, but a next level/next main street. I let any oncoming traffic get through before I start to back up. Once Im backing up, if someone shows up, I just ignore them (as others state) and do what I need to do. I have yet to have anyone get upset. One or two turnaround and take another route, but no one gets upset at all.

Just take your time, you'll make it work.

Mike

[valhalla360]

laknox wrote:

Allworth wrote:
1. Cell phones on speaker. Mine in the center console hers in her hand. (No cell service use cheap walkie-talkies, but she forgets to hold down the push-to-talk).

2. Let traffic wait. It is generally amazing how well strangers understand that what you are trying to do is not quick or easy.

3. If you have 4 wheel drive, use low range even if you don't need it. It makes throttle control much easier.

#3 is tough when you have locking diffs; turning radius expands greatly. At least in my situation. YMMV...

Lyle

Also hard on the drivetrain if it's a paved roadway as the front and rear axles won't turn at the same speed with the wheels turned.

Never cared for the radio/cell phone option. To much opportunity for differing messages, didn't hear or sarcasm to creep in.

[laknox]

Allworth wrote:
1. Cell phones on speaker. Mine in the center console hers in her hand. (No cell service use cheap walkie-talkies, but she forgets to hold down the push-to-talk).

2. Let traffic wait. It is generally amazing how well strangers understand that what you are trying to do is not quick or easy.

3. If you have 4 wheel drive, use low range even if you don't need it. It makes throttle control much easier.

#3 is tough when you have locking diffs; turning radius expands greatly. At least in my situation. YMMV...

Lyle

[Allworth]

1. Cell phones on speaker. Mine in the center console hers in her hand. (No cell service use cheap walkie-talkies, but she forgets to hold down the push-to-talk).

2. Let traffic wait. It is generally amazing how well strangers understand that what you are trying to do is not quick or easy.

3. If you have 4 wheel drive, use low range even if you don't need it. It makes throttle control much easier.

[valhalla360]

ford truck guy wrote:
Spotters = Divorce in a lot of case !

Wrong. Set up hand signals before hand. No need to ever yell. Decide where you want the rig before you start.

The spotter is in charge, the driver has the authority to stop if they see something wrong and doesn't back up unless they can see the spotter clearly.

All you need is:
- Stop
- Backup
- Go forward
- Left/Right (in regards to the back of the trailer)
- Spread hands to mimic distance to final position (useful if backing right up to a tree or other fixed object).

Could care less about which side we back into.

[DiskDoctr]

Best tip for using mirrors is REFERENCES. You don't try to use your depth perception, you compare one object in the mirror to another object in your mirror.

Tires to tape, camper corner to cone, etc.

The wildcard in something large is the "swing" - which can be the tail of the camper, the tail of the truck, or the bumper of the truck.

Keep those 3 areas inside the space you have, point your camper's reference point to the point you pick out in the mirror, and keep checking all three!

When you are not sure, GOAL- as mentioned above.

When you are blind, GOAL and make a note of how far you have to go and you can use something else to gauge that distance (even a tree next to you). Once you go that safe amount, GOAL again.

When I get close and need to line up or move precisely, I position my spotter with instructions like, "When the edge of the slide gets to right here, tell me to stop"

Really helps line up to clear slides/popouts, have awnings clear obstacles, etc.

You'll get it. Once you get past the uncertainty of an empty rear view mirror 😉

[rockhillmanor]

rhagfo wrote:
Spotters are nice, but done for years without one. If you get use to a spotter wha happens when you don't have one??
You want some fun try backing to the blindside uphill with a manual transmission.

X2

I have not used a spotter for over 20 years backing up my MH and/or when I had the TT.

2 orange traffic cones is all you need.

Placed at the back of where you want to end up and one on each side and aim for the middle. Don't need a screaming, wavying hands spotter or worse yet a walkie talkie spotter all which feel the need to constantly move around out of your mirror view!!

Best part is once you are backed in in between your orange cones you can pick them up and shove them in your MH storage bay........can't do that with your DW spotter! :W:B

[ford_truck_guy]

Spotters = Divorce in a lot of case !

PRACTICE... PRACTICE.... PRACTICE ... Just when you think you have it, PRACTICE again...

[schlep1967]

If you can come in the other direction it will be much easier for two reasons. First you will be able to see what you are doing. Second you will not have to make as sharp of a turn to get into the driveway which means you will not have to work as hard to get the truck back in line with the trailer. I live on a 55 mph road and I will only back in from the far lane. Fortunately the road has a wide shoulder that I can pull onto on the far side where I can wait for traffic to clear. Once it is clear and I get onto the roadway it is the other drivers responsibility to not hit me.
If I did not have the far shoulder to pull onto I would stop in the lane before the driveway, let the wife out to go stand behind me stopping traffic, pull front and proceed to back the trailer into the driveway.

[oldbird1965]

Have your spotter in the back and as mentioned above, screw the traffic. If your thinking about what the traffic people are thinking instead of staying focused on what your doing it doesn't help. I live on a busy street also but I find 95% of people to be very courteous! When I can I wave them by and then start again.

[paulbeauchemin]

Also, I've had small utility trailers for years. So I know a little about backing. Just never had anything that I cannot see over looking backwards

[paulbeauchemin]

I've got some walking talkies and a spotter. Hesitant to be facing wrong way in lane against the traffic. Where would you put spotter? I see her as having 2 jobs 1-slow the traffic down and 2 make sure trailer is not running off the bank on the side I cannot see

[IBcarguy]

I'm fairly new to 5th wheel towing and it's definitely easier backing a bumper pull than a 5th wheel but I'm getting better with practice. "Following" the trailer sooner is real important for effective backing. I also don't hesitate to frequently pull forward a few feet to straighten out the relationship of truck to trailer. Where I store it I'm forced to back in on my blind side without a spotter. I simply get out of my truck a couple of times to see where I am.
My advise is to take your time and have a spotter on your blind side.