Watching someone backup with a toad attached

[cwdavis]

Relevant to the recent (closed) post on backing up with a toad attached:
clicky

We observed someone doing just that today, and it was rather horrifying! The fellow was leaving the campground and stopped on his way out to dump off his trash. Unfortunately, he pulled into the 'In' lane, rather than the 'Out', and after realizing that and stopping, he just parked and completed his mission. Then, we watched to see how he'd get out of the predicament, one where he had a too sharp right-hand turn to get properly oriented to leave. What he did caught us by surprise:

He backed up, with no one in his toad. For about half the distance he had to back up, everything was OK, but then the front wheels of the toad began to pivot. Very quickly, they pivoted to the max, began to skid, then the whole toad was skidding, 4 wheels down! He finished backing up, made his turn and left -- the whole thing happened too quickly to run out to alert him as to what was happening.

Hopefully, he made it to his destination safely ... It's hard to imagine the stresses on his tow apparatus and the chassis of his toad when the whole vehicle was skidding across the pavement!

[viajante]

Won't backing with the tow attached damage the tow bar ? When my tow bar was first installed, I was told that backing would damage the tow bar.

[Jagtech]

Dale.Traveling wrote:
It can be done but very, VERY slowly and once the toad steering wheel starts to move you've gone as far as you can and it's time to unhook.

X2...this is the real answer in almost every case. Know when to stop, and don't go any further!

[Dale_Traveling]

It can be done but very, VERY slowly and once the toad steering wheel starts to move you've gone as far as you can and it's time to unhook.

[Dachristianman]

Mr.Mark wrote:

Dachristianman wrote:
See, it can be done. 😕

Tom

Tom, I don't think anyone is saying it can't be done but most people don't have the skill that you do.

I might consider rolling straight back for a very short distance but I don't have the talent of any serious backing-up and really don't want to risk the damage that 'might' happen.

To each his own as they say.

Safe travels,
MM.

I was saying this tongue-in-cheek. If anyone is crazy enough not to have a spotter and risk this sort of damage to their rig, toad, tow system, they deserve whatever happens. On the other thread, the OP had asked if it could be done, and this post answered that question, although in an "anything is possible" type way.

Tom

[Mr_Mark1]

Dachristianman wrote:
See, it can be done. 😕

Tom

Tom, I don't think anyone is saying it can't be done but most people don't have the skill that you do.

I might consider rolling straight back for a very short distance but I don't have the talent of any serious backing-up and really don't want to risk the damage that 'might' happen.

To each his own as they say.

Safe travels,
MM.

[bullydogs1]

I had to do this one time in the line for a Flying J..I was straight and toad and was straight..I had to back up just a few feet so I could get over...inched back about 10 feet and I was fine...Only time I ever did it or will do it because I was totally straight..watched toad the whole time.

[vance]

The only time that I watched anyone back up with the toad hooked up, he left the steering locked (by leaving the key in the off position)and it worked quite well. Once he got to where he needed to be, he unlocked the steering and away he went.

[Ductape]

Surely he was informed prior to that not to reverse. Chose to anyway.

People of that sort don't respond well to information so I would probably not intervene.

And maybe he read on the internet it's OK to do that.

[TexasShadow]

DH has backed our jeep from 3 to 5 feet on two or three occasions...verrrrry slowly and watching the wheels of the jeep all the time. But only when the wheels were pointing straight ahead already and we just backed straight up.

[dahkota]

Dachristianman wrote:
See, it can be done. 😕

Tom

Yeah, the guy just went twice as far as he should have.

Had he stopped, straightened out, and resumed, it may have worked the entire way...

[Dachristianman]

See, it can be done. 😕

Tom

[fullautodave]

I have backed up my 38ft fiver with my Jeep behind it on a couple of occasions. Just have my wife get in Jeep and start engine and hold steering wheel so the front end won't pivot. Don't try it without power steering on.