WHOA! What I surprise!

[CurtisFamily]

I have always prided myself with my trailer backing skills. My brother in law used to tell me that I could put the trailer on top of the barn if I needed. Tight spot backing in? No Problem! I've never hesitated backing a trailer in any spot. Then yesterday, I backed my first fifth wheel. WOW! Talk about an ego deflator. How do you do it? I now have a new found appreciation for all you guys towing fifth wheels. How could it be that much different from a bumper pull? Luckily, no one was watching, but I felt sooooo inadequate. I can only imagine how much more frustrated I would have been if I had been holding up traffic or actually had anyone watching me. My father taught me to just follow the trailer, but man I could not get the hang of following the fifth wheel. Any tricks?

[oldbeek]

If you get totally screwed up pull forward 3 ft. Rig will be straight again.

[oldbeek]

the bear II wrote:
Practice Practice Practice I spent a couple of hours in a large parking lot backing between cones when we first got the 5th wheel.

Wait 'til you have to parallel park a 37ft 5th wheel in a 45 foot long spot...now that's fun.

You must go to Rincon Beach RV area. You didn't mention you were parallel parking on a Calif. State Hwy. Talk about pressure if you get screwed up.

[Katdaddy]

crickeydog wrote:
We've had our 5'er just over 10 years now. And I STILL can't back that sucker as accurate as the way I can back a bumper pull.

Same here.......

[Gooselover]

I'm lucky, I married a truck driver, now retired from the road!

[ocbms]

In some cases I could argue which easier the FW or Bumper. My biggest problem is moving left or right just a foot. I tend to watch the RV rather the wheels as I know the wheels aren't going to hit the tree.
One point I found the expensive way is don't jack-knife the FW when backing on a solid surface. That is the quickest way to mis-align the axles. As others have written make a minor correction early prevent the need to Jack-knife.

[Winged_One]

crickeydog wrote:
We've had our 5'er just over 10 years now. And I STILL can't back that sucker as accurate as the way I can back a bumper pull.

Happy camping!!! See y'all down the road!!!:)

+1

And going from 20ft TT to 40ft 5th has not made it any easier.

But it is like golf I guess. You get it just perfect one time and you think this is the easiest game ever. Then you go again and oh boy.

[CurtisFamily]

BB_TX wrote:
Walmart small orange soccer cones in a large empty parking lot. Worked for me.

This is exactly what my wife told me to do. I feel like I'm 16 again, with dad taking me to his office's empty parking lot to learn to drive.

[Greentreena]

It will get a lot easier... promise.

My 8' utility trailer in my nemesis: I feel like a moron every time I try to back it up.

[Tom_Diane]

What you are doing is called over steering. Don't try to back up fast. The fiver reacts a little faster because of the location of the pin! This allows for getting into tighter spots easier in my opinion. One reply was that they prefer to watch the RV instead of the tires, I like to focus on the tires and I can see the edge of my spot I want to get into. I also watch the RV for obstacles but I tend to stop and look then proceed. I have found that if I take my eyes off the tires while moving, I find myself resetting my position. Don't get discouraged. I fancy myself as a proficient "backer upper". I drove big truck for a time also so that helps. You will get the hang of it in no time!

[hook47]

Try this: position your self on the same side of the road as your site. Pull forward enough so the rear end of the 5er is 5 ft or so past the site ( different sites may need more or less ) and just before stopping turn theTV in the direction of the site so the TV and 5er are not lined up any more. A 5er wants to stay straight behind the TV, that is why they are so stable when towing. Because of this they take more distance and steering input to st:art to turn when backing and when they finally do turn you have way too much steering in. By breaking the straight line while still moving forward you will have the rear of the 5er pointed at the site and will need less steering input to start the swing of the 5er into the site. Then it is a matter of small correction similar to what you are used to doing.

[rhagfo]

Stefonius wrote:
When I first got my 5er, my uncle (an OTR truck driver) gave me a few pieces of invaluable advice for backing up.

Put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel, and move that hand in the direction that you want the BACK END of the trailer to go.

Remember that the trailer doesn't start turning right away, and it doesn't stop turning right away.

I've pulled bumper hitches and fifth wheels, and I can say without hesitation that (in my opinion)a fifth wheel is MUCH easier to drive.

X2

Stefonius, you beat me to this response!

I have used the hand on the bottom of the wheel for years, I also "palm" the wheel, just easier.
In addition pull a bit further forward to give it time to start turning. DON"T get too far out of line (refer to statement above), I start to straighten out as soon as it starts to turn.

I do well MOST of the time, nail, nail, nail, THUMB!! Most of the nails are with few around, the thumbs happen when many are around.:B

[BB_TX]

Walmart small orange soccer cones in a large empty parking lot. Worked for me.

I have found I do better by watching the trailer wheels rather than the trailer itself to better follow it where I want it to go. And I try to back in on the drivers side so I can better see the wheels without having to watch them in the passenger side mirror. The large mirrors on my truck do help a lot.

[big_buford]

Tip that helped me the most was, when you think your in the right spot to start backing up... pull foward another 5-6 feet. Like others have said it takes a bit for anything to happen.

[Housted]

Took me a while to get used to as well....Remember if you are not moving you are not turning!!!

Housted

[Jack_Diane_Free]

To me the big difference is that when backing the 5er I back in the 'wheels' and with a TT I back in the 'back' of the trailer. Made a big difference for me.