Help!

Beaker wrote:
Pulling ahead further than you think will help a lot. You then do not have to turn the truck as much.
Any time you think the fiver is turning too quick, stop and pull ahead a little
to straighten it out.

GREAT ADVICE

Pulling ahead further than you think will help a lot. You then do not have to turn the truck as much.
Any time you think the fiver is turning too quick, stop and pull ahead a little
to straighten it out.

One thing I do is:
pulling straight forward to line up, at the very end, still moving forward, I will turn the truck (cock it a little)a 5er is slow to re-act in the beginning. if your truck is already turned it re-acts quicker. When you back up and turn, the 5er will go straight for a few feet before it re-acts. this just helps it re-act quicker when backing.
Don't feel bad if you have to take 2-3 stabs at it in the beginning. We all did

Put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and the trailer will move in the direction that you move your hand. My dad drove semis for 50 years and taught me that one.

Also, give yourself more room than you think you need to back up.

Avoid backing when possible.

If you think your going to have problems, back in and drive out. It's better than driving in and finding out you can't back out.

Years ago when I first attempted to back our new 5th wheel, I met with minimal success. Could not understand that as I could back our 20 ft. cargo trailer on a dime.

Anyway...I laid some yellow vinyl tape behind my 5th in the direction I wanted the wheels to track. Backed up a few times watching how the rig reacted as I followed the tape. An hour later it was an easy task.

Just another thought!

Best Wishes!

Campinfan wrote:
As others have said. it will come with practice. We just got a 5er this year. I swear it took 45 minutes to get up my driveway the first time, 30 the next, then 20 and now about 10 minutes. It is a long drive with trees on both sides and a dog leg at the end. I have to back on the blind side because of the trees.

That was my experience too. I have to get through a gate that is about 10' wide. Straight shot and should be a piece of cake. Learned how to do it with my TT pretty quick. Brought the fiver home and it took forever to get it where I wanted it. Practiced a few times and got used to the difference.

I don't think anything we write here is really going to help the OP. You just have to practice. Practice. Get out and look frequently. Get out and think frequently. Do that every few feet if you have to. Personally, I would leave the spotter at home.

As others have said. it will come with practice. We just got a 5er this year. I swear it took 45 minutes to get up my driveway the first time, 30 the next, then 20 and now about 10 minutes. It is a long drive with trees on both sides and a dog leg at the end. I have to back on the blind side because of the trees.

THIS link was posted on another thread about 5vrs.

Thanks to 'Blackcell' for the link.
Nice description/visual on backing 5vr. Method I learned yrs. ago and have tried to 'explain'
Very much like what 'Dennis M M' posted.

I call it the 'swoop/45 method'

Found this many years ago on a forum and I have no idea who to attribute it to. Good advice though:

Backing a 5er
There are a few tips that make it easier.

Tip 1: Do everything possible to insure that you will be turning on the driver side. Even if it means driving around the campground and up/down a few roads to get yourself turned around. Passenger is your blind side and should be last resort.

Tip 2: You have to learn how long the reaction time is for your trailer to react. Go to a parking lot and practice. Always use your trailers rear axle as the reference point. The reaction time is the time it takes from the time you turn the tow vehicle steering wheel until the time the trailer starts turning.

Tip 3: There are two terms you need to know. Neutral, Jack and Chase. Neutral position is when the tow vehicle steering wheel is at the position where the truck is going in a straight line. When you Jack the trailer you are causing it to turn the opposite direction that the truck is turning. Such as in jack-knife. Chase is when you are trying to straighten out the truck and trailer, thus the term chasing the trailer.

Tip 4: Get out and survey the parking area (with your spotter) for obstructions. Determine where you want the trailer to end up and pick a reference point, which will act as the "edge of the parking area".

Tip 5: Start with the truck and trailer traveling straight. You want the side you are turning into to be about 4' off the curb or edge of the road. When the tow vehicles rear axle is at the far edge of the parking space, cut your truck wheel hard away from the curb. When the truck is about a 45-degree angle to the curb (or as close as you can get given the space you have to use) straighten the wheel back to the neutral position. As soon as the truck has begun going straight, cut the wheel hard in the opposite direction until the truck is again parallel to the curb. STOP. Your trailer is now at a good angle to start backing up.

Tip 6: Jack the trailer until it get to about 15-20 degree angle of the space you are going to park it then start chasing it.

Tip 7: If your running out of space to get the truck & trailer running straight, don't be afraid to pull forward to help straighten it out.

Tip 8: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE and never backup with out a spotter.
I always have my wife (spotter) standing right next to the truck (rather than at the back) In the angle of the turn. We've already surveyed the area so we know what is where. We've picked our reference point as the point we want to miss. This point is far enough away from the opposite side of the parking area such that I will miss any obstruction. She watches to rear trailer axle and tells me whether to JACK IT or CHASE IT. That is the only thing I need to hear (other than STOP). With those terms I know exactly which way to turn. She is not standing at the back of the trailer flailing her arms yelling LEFT, NO MY LEFT, STRAIGHT, TURN IT THE OTHER WAY…... Nobody can react to those terms.

As tip 8 says: practice, practice, practice. I took my first fiver to a large, empty parking lot and practiced backing it into lined spaces until I could do it on the first shot.

BB_TX wrote:
Google how to back a 5th wheel.
There are utube videos and numerous other sites with loads of info about it.

YouTube videos are a good plan, and...

Use the search feature here (current and the archives).
A keyword of "backing" should do it - *and* limit the search to 5th wheels.

You aren't the first to have that problem - and there have been several very good "how to" suggestions over the years.

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