More Questions on Backing Up with Trailer???

[bowler1]

A couple of quick questions on backing up. I know there is a lot out there on backing up but my questions might be a little different. I am fairly proficient at backing up and maneuvering my trailer, but two things still get me. I have a 29 foot travel trailer for what it's worth....

1. Backing up in a straight line. I always have trouble doing this. It would seem that this would be easy but I always drift to one side or the other...often without realizing it. When backing up straight I try to pull far enough forward to get the trailer in line with the tow vehicle. But then I have pulled so far forward that I have a long way to back up which is when I start to drift even when keeping the wheels straight.

I look out the back window over my shoulder and try to ensure that the truck is in line with the trailer, but this doesn't seem to work well enough. I guess maybe I should use the side mirrors when doing this? Or would looking straight forward and ensuring the tow vehicle is going back in a straight line a good technique?

Any advice or tips?


2. When to initiate a turn. The other problem I have is that I still have not figured out how far forward to pull the trailer in relation to a camp site before starting to back up. I can maneuver the trailer well, but seems that I always start the turn too far forward or back. This results in the trailer being off center in the site. I am still trying trial and error but have not gotten it right consistently.

I also find that that whether the turn is 45 degrees or 90 degrees seems to make a difference as well.

When backing into a site (for consistency mostly) I start backing up with the steering wheel jacked all the way in the direction I want to turn and then start to "chase the trailer" once the angle is about right. Maybe jacking it all the way is not always best...???


thanks for your help

Matt

[IHnutz]

What humblerb said! Watch the wheels and put them where you want them, the trailer will follow. I use a "farmers guide" to spot the trailer where I park at home. Works almost? 🙂 every time. btw- I almost never end up with the TV and trailer perfectly in line but the trailer is straight with the parking space.


"farmers guide"?? = a series of bricks or different colored rocks or other SMALL objects laid in a row

[Chuck_thehammer]

use mirrors, and respond quickly with the wheel.. but in Small amounts..

last month.. had to back down my friends driveway... 1150 feet long.. I did it in One shot... sloped gravel driveway.

and I have never done it before... slow, precise, catch it before it goes off line.

Try to see the front edge and the rear edge of trailer in mirror.

[Dave_Mck]

As others have said practice, practice, practice. Open parking lots, behind stores into loading docks. Good mirrors are a must, I started out with those clip on ones that weren't that great. I upgraded to aftermarket "factory" mirrors and things got a lot easier. Backing up straight is difficult, just have to go slow and make minor corrections as you go. Someone mentioned the scoop method, look it up it helped me considerably.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

Quit looking out the back window. Use your mirrors.

[MitchF150]

For me, I find that focusing on just the trailer tires using the mirrors gets me backed up straight or making tight corners the easiest..

The trailer is only going to go where the tires go, so if you watch those and steer accordingly, it usually works out. You still have to watch where the front of the truck is of course, so it's a dance between looking forward, looking back in the mirrors.

Anyway, as for initiating the turn, I try to get the trailer going the direction I want, and that's usually not more than a full turn of the wheel. Then I start to "follow" it by straightening out the wheel and adjusting as needed depending on where the trailer tires are going and where I need it to go. Easy, peasy.. 🙂 Ha, ha.. Lots of practice too... 🙂

Good luck!

Mitch

[Acdii]

Well, when I went to truck driving school, they taught the down and around method. Hand on the wheel at 2 o'clock position(Remember a Semi has a huge wheel so in a pickemup, top the the wheel works just as well), and to move the trailer left, come down, which is bringing the hand down to the right(Hence why 2 o'clock works best) and to move the trailer right, go around, which is turning the wheel left.

To back up straight, keep your eye on the very back of the trailer, however don't focus on the trailer, but pick something behind the trailer as a guideline, and keep the back of the trailer lined up with that object. If you see it disappear come around, if you see a gap start come down. Small movements of the wheel is all it takes, maybe a 1/4 turn max.

To turn into a space, look at the wheels. The further the wheels are behind the truck, the slower it breaks, making it easier, yet harder at times, to back. The closer the wheels are the faster it breaks.

So to back in, the best way is on the drivers side as opposed to the blind side(did this yesterday with mine to sneak between two large lilac bushes onto my main drive with ditches and a mailbox to avoid. Took 3 attempts and I still scraped one of the bushes, not easy blindsiding.) So pull up as close to the "curb" as you can so that the trailers wheels are edging it, get the wheels about 1/2 the distance from the back wheel to the rear bumper to the entrance you are backing into. As soon as you start moving, start coming down on the wheel, watching the tires, as soon as they start to break, keep pulling down until the back tire starts to skid, then start coming around to maintain the turn. Once you break into the driveway, you should be about halfway in through the turn by now, start coming around slowly as you pivot the trailer in. You may need to pull up once or twice depending on the angle of the lot you are pulling into, but when you get the hang of the trailer break, and how much input you need, it will get easier and you will find yourself backing it in one shot.

It is a LOT easier for me to teach this when I am actually watching and guiding the driver, but hopefully you can get the idea.

[mkirsch]

You can't just hold the wheel straight and expect the trailer to back up straight. Constant correction is necessary. Even slight variations in the road surface will cause the trailer to drift off, requiring you to correct.

[FrankShore]

Here is a video tutorial of what helped me:

The Scoop

[humblerb]

Just a couple of quick comments. Most of the replies are spot on.
One thing I found helped me when backing in to a campsite (or my driveway) was to stop looking at the rear of the trailer. Look at the wheels on the trailer.
I immediately went from 3 - 4 attempts to putting it in the slot on the first try. Every now and again, when I get in a hurry, I will have to straighten out once. But concentrate on the wheels and it makes a world of difference. You can cut your TV wheels and see the track that the trailer wheels are taking. Based on their track, you push the steering wheel further or back off a little.

[MudChucker]

Straight line backing...adjust for the way your trailer reacts..hand on top of steering wheel, use mirrors.

As you are backing watch the trailer, side to side in the mirrors, steer (hand on top of the wheel) towards the mirror you see most of the trailer in.

I can back up for miles down Gravel roads using this method. The speed you manoeuvre is related to high quickly your trailer reacts to your steering inputs. A quick to reacthe trailer will require you to go slower as you need time, even to counter steer. At first you will zigzag a lot, but after a while you can back up with only a foot of clearance.

How far past ? Most common, watch your trailer tires, as they pass your driveway, gently turn the steering wheel towards the driveway you want back into and just as you reverse come back the other way with the steering wheel. I've been doing this for so long it's second nature... most days I'm top gun in reverse, some days I have an off day... shikane backing is not my thing...

[Nicholsfamily05]

Just curious, how many lawn chairs got hurt during training? LOL

Haha. We lost a few that's for sure. Make sure u use old ones u don't care to much about. But on the flip side we end up with some nice new ones to go camping with! ??

On the backing up straight I agree with everyone saying use your mirrors. When at home I use the edge of my driveway as a straight line and try to do the same when backing into a site or somewhere else.

[IdaD]

Backing up straight is easier if you rely on your towing mirrors rather than looking over your shoulder. That way you can see how the back of the trailer is tracking as you reverse so you can make minor corrections to keep it on course. If you look over your shoulder it will end up getting off a bunch before you realize it.

[Alabama_Jim]

On your number 1, I look for a straight edge, like the drive way edge. I have also used a row of bushes to line up with. On your number 2, I fight is constantly. I look like a lion pacing up and down when backing in.

[schlep1967]

bowler1 wrote:
A couple of quick questions on backing up. I know there is a lot out there on backing up but my questions might be a little different. I am fairly proficient at backing up and maneuvering my trailer, but two things still get me. I have a 29 foot travel trailer for what it's worth....

1. Backing up in a straight line. I always have trouble doing this. It would seem that this would be easy but I always drift to one side or the other...often without realizing it. When backing up straight I try to pull far enough forward to get the trailer in line with the tow vehicle. But then I have pulled so far forward that I have a long way to back up which is when I start to drift even when keeping the wheels straight.
Keep a slight angle with the truck to the left of the trailer so you are basically backing in a slight arc. It is easier than going straight back.

I look out the back window over my shoulder and try to ensure that the truck is in line with the trailer, but this doesn't seem to work well enough. I guess maybe I should use the side mirrors when doing this? Or would looking straight forward and ensuring the tow vehicle is going back in a straight line a good technique?
Learn to use the side mirrors at all times. Practice is key. I would practice more in situations where backing straight is not possible. Very few campgrounds have room for you to pull forward enough to get straight.
Any advice or tips?


2. When to initiate a turn. The other problem I have is that I still have not figured out how far forward to pull the trailer in relation to a camp site before starting to back up. I can maneuver the trailer well, but seems that I always start the turn too far forward or back. This results in the trailer being off center in the site. I am still trying trial and error but have not gotten it right consistently. You can never be to far forward or past the site. As long as you are past the site you can adjust when backing up. If you are not past the site it is very hard to get turned enough to get the camper back into the site and then get the truck back in front of it to make it straight.

I also find that that whether the turn is 45 degrees or 90 degrees seems to make a difference as well.

When backing into a site (for consistency mostly) I start backing up with the steering wheel jacked all the way in the direction I want to turn and then start to "chase the trailer" once the angle is about right. Maybe jacking it all the way is not always best...???
Jacking it all the way is not the best way. Do a google search for the scoop method of backing a trailer.


thanks for your help

Matt