Reality check on new 5th wheel parking spot...

[Diesel_Camper]

Hey folks,

We are getting our 2004 Wilderness 255BHS next week. It is 27' total length and has an extended pin box. I am towing it with a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 4 Door Short Bed (227" long). I set up a scale model of our street, parking area, truck and trailer with my kids legos and according to that the trailer could be maneuvered into our spot. I'm asking for a reality check from some experienced folks here. I am used to backing our TT into spots with only a few inches to spare but I know this will be different than a TT.

Our street is 30' wide and has an extra 3' or so of rolled curb/sidewalk on each side. Our parking area next to our house is 9' wide and 35' deep. There is open space on both sides of the parking area until 23' back from the sidewalk where our house starts and the neighbors side gate starts. By that time I obviously have to be straightened out. I will be parking it between the house and neighbors fence with about 6" to spare on either side.

Is this enough to tell me if it's possible? I can PM our address also if looking at Google Earth or Maps would help.

[Goostoff]

ksbowman wrote:
At least you used a tape measure to check things. My neighbor at the lake had a 8'-6" wide slip and bought a new 9' wide boat. Came in fast as he always does. Presto needed a trip to the body shop to repair the new boat! If you are a good backer and have a good spotter all you need is a little time and patience.

I love seeing these douche bags do things like this. Guy uptown had a 18 foot Baja til his neighbor went out and bought a 21 foot Crownline. A few weeks later this guy had to play keeping up with the Jones and went out and bought a 30 foot Baja with twin 502's When he went to pick it up he realized his little 1/2 ton truck couldnt pull it so he had to go buy a Duramax to pull it. He got it home and found out that it stuck out across the sidewalk and into the street when he backed it into his driveway. Well another $2500 later it is slipped 40 miles from his house and he cant even brag about it to the neighbor.

[ksbowman]

At least you used a tape measure to check things. My neighbor at the lake had a 8'-6" wide slip and bought a new 9' wide boat. Came in fast as he always does. Presto needed a trip to the body shop to repair the new boat! If you are a good backer and have a good spotter all you need is a little time and patience.

[MFL]

greende wrote:

mrw8i wrote:
Having the spotter, DW, figure out where the trailer is going and which way to go for corrections, has been well, ummm - I have given up on that. As a kid I used to help my dad back up knowing which way the trailer was going and thinking ahead. It comes natural for me, not DW. I stop get out, rinse and repeat, a lot. It's that way with the TT and FW. After 5 years, she is just figuring out in the last few weeks that if she can't see my mirror, I can't see her. A very learned person she is, PHD, however ...

Same here with me. DW has not (or will not) learn to anticipate where the trailer is going with relation to the angle of the truck. She waits till the last minute and tells me it has to go the other way NOW. 5er is 35' and TV is 21'. Ain't going to happen. As above, DW is a Pharmacist.....
To OP, do not be afraid of pulling forward frequently to adjust your TV/Trailer angle. A lot of people fall into the trap of trying to back it in in one motion. It puts strain on the running gear and is not very realistic to boot. You'll master it soon enough.

The spotter can make or break the backing experience. No matter how good you are, at backing, if the spotter does not understand how the FW reacts, it will not work well.

The truck will do a lot of moving before the FW does. Once the spotter learns the slowed reaction time of the FW changing direction, things will go better.

If the spotter just doesn't get it, you are best off, getting out a lot to look yourself. You still need your spotter to watch, so you don't hit something, but not use them for direction changes.

If you have good room to maneuver the truck, you should be able to get the FW in your spot, without a problem.

Jerry

[greende]

mrw8i wrote:
Having the spotter, DW, figure out where the trailer is going and which way to go for corrections, has been well, ummm - I have given up on that. As a kid I used to help my dad back up knowing which way the trailer was going and thinking ahead. It comes natural for me, not DW. I stop get out, rinse and repeat, a lot. It's that way with the TT and FW. After 5 years, she is just figuring out in the last few weeks that if she can't see my mirror, I can't see her. A very learned person she is, PHD, however ...

Same here with me. DW has not (or will not) learn to anticipate where the trailer is going with relation to the angle of the truck. She waits till the last minute and tells me it has to go the other way NOW. 5er is 35' and TV is 21'. Ain't going to happen. As above, DW is a Pharmacist.....
To OP, do not be afraid of pulling forward frequently to adjust your TV/Trailer angle. A lot of people fall into the trap of trying to back it in in one motion. It puts strain on the running gear and is not very realistic to boot. You'll master it soon enough.

[mrw8i]

Having the spotter, DW, figure out where the trailer is going and which way to go for corrections, has been well, ummm - I have given up on that. As a kid I used to help my dad back up knowing which way the trailer was going and thinking ahead. It comes natural for me, not DW. I stop get out, rinse and repeat, a lot. It's that way with the TT and FW. After 5 years, she is just figuring out in the last few weeks that if she can't see my mirror, I can't see her. A very learned person she is, PHD, however ...

[0rion]

lots of good advice in the thread.....when I park mine I actually have a ton of room around it but I like to put the back jacks right above the blocks I leave there all the time. It just gives me a goal to shoot for every time. What I like to do is back up on a slight angle looking out the window instead of using the mirrors. It just feels better to me. I put that thing right in it's own wheel tracks every time. Did I do it the first few times trying?? Nope.....there was a ton of getting out looking, getting back in the truck, rinse, and repeat. I like the cone idea in a parking lot. Nothing out there will prepare you as much as some practice. I need to do that myself and practice backing to the right when I have to rely only on the mirrors. My wife is terrified of driving the camper so we could make an afternoon of it and it would benefit us both.

[anaro]

one different thing I have learned in moving up from a tt is that once you get into a tight turn backing up, the only way to straighten out is to pull forward. When backing up, I give my DH a walkie and he tells me drivers side or passenger side. If there is an obstacle he tells what, how far and where ie tree drivers side 3 ft back. It allows me to make the call on what I need to do. The key is simple, clear and concise. Have your spotter understand that you need to think several feet ahead of making a move due to the slower reaction time of backing this thing. I picked out a large lot near my dealership and practiced maneuvering forward and backward before hitting the highway home. I have owned mine for only a month but each trip gets easier.

[Diesel_Camper]

is there a rule of thumb for backing a 5er of a certain length is equal to backing a TT of a certain length?

[mrw8i]

jesseannie wrote:
Just warn all the people in your neighborhood that the street may be blocked for an extended period of time as you make the multiple necessary attempts to get it done the first time. lol
jesseannie

x2

Got our first 5th wheel one month ago, 35' long. Had it in front of our house for 4 days as we went through it. Took it the RV lot to park it in between 2 motorhomes. First time attempting this. Also have a 17' bumper pull, which I can put about any where. Luckily the parking spots are each 12' wide so lots of room. Sites at a partial angle. So I'm going back and forth trying to get lined up and missing. Pull forward try again, cut too early again. Pull forward try again, cut too early again, etc. This went on for about 5 minutes. Then a motorhome comes driving down and I'm blocking his spot. I try a few more times, same results. I get out and talk to the driver of the motorhome. Offer to get out of the way so he can park. Nice guy. "No, take your time I'm not in a hurry. There's a reason I drive a motorhome, I can't pack up a trailer". So with either more or less pressure, I get it parked in the next 5 minutes.

I'm a better now, but start following too late - so have to pull forward to straighten a few times.

[snowpeke]

You can do it, just get ready to pull on foward and back up a lot.

[bpounds]

I think this will be a piece of cake, because you've got so much open space before you get back to the narrow parking strip. You should get the truck and trailer backed into the forward portion of the driveway, and totally straightened out before you start squeaking into the narrow portion. Your truck will be out in the street, but shouldn't be an issue.

Just remember, your trailer is wider than 8'. More like 8'-6" with the awning and fender wells. I hope yours is an 8' trailer and not the wide body 102" models. You won't make it if it is.

[Diesel_Camper]

Overhang and driveway angle aren't a problem in our situation. Thanks to everybody who answered, especially the guy who measured his street! I was thinking our street does look bigger than a lot of campground we frequent and was concerned if we'd be able to get into those now too!

[Goostoff]

newman fulltimer wrote:
just remember a 5 ver turns faster

I agree and disagree. It takes longer to get it to start moving but does turn faster once you reach a certain angle. Adding to that nobody has mentioned that it takes equally as long to get it straightened out, especially if you have a mid 90's chevy X-cab or crew cab. I think the kids school bus has a shorter turning radius than my truck wich makes it even more difficult to get it to start turning.

I live in the coulntry and dont have the luxury of wide streets made for parking. I just went out and measured my area up. The road that goes past my house is 18 feet wide. My parking pad is 20 feet wide by 50 feet long. My trailer is 35 foot. You should be fine with a couple time of practice.

Just remember that most campgrounds are one way streets just wide enough for a single lane of traffic. I usually end up in the grass at least once trying to get into some of those spots.

[restlesswind]

We use hand signals only.DW makes sure that I can see her in the side mirror.
Clinched fist...STOP
Point left....Trailer tail to go LEFT
Point right....Trailer tail to go RIGHT
The old "come here sign....Doing fine keep comming back
Most important rule...GOAL...Get Out And Look.

We tried the radio method,didn't work for us.Nor did the yelling method,that just draws a crowd and additional "helpers"