A Three Point Turn with a Trailer

[matthewijenkins]

I recently bought my first TT. It's not very long, only about 16'. Maybe 18' total including the hitch. Before I bought it, I had worked it out in my mind that the whole effort centered on making a three point turn in my front yard to park it so that it would be pointing forward when I'm ready to leave. My driveway and property doesn't allow me to do a u-turn maneuver. I have enough width to my yard to pull all the way up so that the truck and trailer are straight while being at a perpendicular 90 degrees to my driveway. Well, the best laid plans... Turns out the one thing I forgot was that I recently had to have a new water service put in, so they dug a trench across my yard, shortening the width by about 1/4. When I tried this the first time my front wheels got stuck and I had to dig myself out.

Knowing that I need to avoid this, I tried it last weekend coming home from a camping trip and was not able to straighten the trailer behind my truck. This made it difficult to get it to start turning the other way and ate up a lot of space. Well, after about a 21 point turn, I got it in place. Since then, I've been trying to come up with a solution. Part of the problem is just needing practice, but the only time I can do this is once every few weeks and by then, some of the little details are forgotten. Anyway, I think I have a solution that I will try next week, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to make a three point turn with a trailer. Thx!

[Terryallan]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I've heard of people putting a receiver hitch on the front of there truck to make backing easier. This was usually done for people with 2 wheel drive trucks that had to put there boat into the lake. But, your TT is small enough to make it possible.

OK I'll ask. why would that help launch a boat. IF the truck is backwards, and the drive axle is up the hill, and the tongue weight is picking up the drive axles. The drive tires would never have the grip to pull the boat out????
Isn't that one of the reasons front wheel drive cars are rated so low for towing?

[CavemanCharlie]

I've heard of people putting a receiver hitch on the front of there truck to make backing easier. This was usually done for people with 2 wheel drive trucks that had to put there boat into the lake. But, your TT is small enough to make it possible.

[Terryallan]

wing_zealot wrote:
Just remember when you are backing up you are required to yield to oncoming traffic. If there is an accident, it won't go well for you (buttheads not withstanding).

Hard to yield when you have the entire road blocked, and won't be out of the way until the whole thing is in the driveway. then they can have it all.

[nomad297]

Terryallan wrote:

matthewijenkins wrote:
Well, you guys nailed what is a happening, and that's me being a little intimidated to hold up traffic. I certainly thought about it. But I live on a busy street in Atlanta. at the edge of my house is a traffic light and on the other side of that the name changes from Road to Highway and is four lanes. And like nomad, many are going over speed limit. If I could pull up and back right in, I wouldn't mind holding up traffic. But if I had to go back and forth a few times to get it right, I think it could be really stressful. Plus I have a tree on one side of the driveway entrance and a flower bed that drops about 1 foot on the other.

The trailer dolly is something I never considered. Will think about that. And I think going to an empty parking lot to practice is a great idea. I'm sure by this fall I'll be a 'pro' and can back into the drive but just feel more comfortable for now being on my own property. However, last time turning around was so aggravating that I may just choose the aggravation of buttheads honking horns as less stressful.

Nomad I wish I could see what you mean exactly. Do you pull up past your drive? or you said just TO your drive that you then turn perpendicular in the road toward the center lane? When I posted originally, I was looking for tips on how to angle the truck with the trailer so when you stop and put it in reverse, you'll be perfectly set up to begin turning in the direction you need to. Any practical tips? Or perhaps I should just go practice.

I really do appreciate the notion that it's OK to make people wait. That helps me. Though I may try it in the yard one more time...

.

Pass your drive as close as you can get to on the side of the street it is on. As the TV passes. Turn away from it. Go until the rear of the TT lines up with your drive. As you bring the TV to a stop turn again so that the TV is at the angle to the TT you need to push the rear of the TT farther toward your drive,. Put it in reverse, and slide on in. Backing is always easier if you can get the TT lined up with the hole.

I have to back out of the road, thru the drive at an angle, go between a tree, and a flower garden, only 10' apart. Then turn to back down beside the house, and turn again to go thru a gate, and then turn the other way to back under the TT shed. Getting out of the road is the easy part.

This is exactly what I do.

Bruce

[wing_zealot]

Just remember when you are backing up you are required to yield to oncoming traffic. If there is an accident, it won't go well for you (buttheads not withstanding).

[Terryallan]

matthewijenkins wrote:
Well, you guys nailed what is a happening, and that's me being a little intimidated to hold up traffic. I certainly thought about it. But I live on a busy street in Atlanta. at the edge of my house is a traffic light and on the other side of that the name changes from Road to Highway and is four lanes. And like nomad, many are going over speed limit. If I could pull up and back right in, I wouldn't mind holding up traffic. But if I had to go back and forth a few times to get it right, I think it could be really stressful. Plus I have a tree on one side of the driveway entrance and a flower bed that drops about 1 foot on the other.

The trailer dolly is something I never considered. Will think about that. And I think going to an empty parking lot to practice is a great idea. I'm sure by this fall I'll be a 'pro' and can back into the drive but just feel more comfortable for now being on my own property. However, last time turning around was so aggravating that I may just choose the aggravation of buttheads honking horns as less stressful.

Nomad I wish I could see what you mean exactly. Do you pull up past your drive? or you said just TO your drive that you then turn perpendicular in the road toward the center lane? When I posted originally, I was looking for tips on how to angle the truck with the trailer so when you stop and put it in reverse, you'll be perfectly set up to begin turning in the direction you need to. Any practical tips? Or perhaps I should just go practice.

I really do appreciate the notion that it's OK to make people wait. That helps me. Though I may try it in the yard one more time...

.

Pass your drive as close as you can get to on the side of the street it is on. As the TV passes. Turn away from it. Go until the rear of the TT lines up with your drive. As you bring the TV to a stop turn again so that the TV is at the angle to the TT you need to push the rear of the TT farther toward your drive,. Put it in reverse, and slide on in. Backing is always easier if you can get the TT lined up with the hole.

I have to back out of the road, thru the drive at an angle, go between a tree, and a flower garden, only 10' apart. Then turn to back down beside the house, and turn again to go thru a gate, and then turn the other way to back under the TT shed. Getting out of the road is the easy part.

[mrw8i]

Long trucks are harder to back than short trucks. Takes longer to make the trailer to react to your commands. Other than not much traffic on our street, pretty much non-existent; I have to go back and forth to get it straight in the driveway - the issue is the long bed crew cab with horrible turning radius which is longer than my trailer.

[coolbreeze01]

If possible, practice in a parking lot during off hours. Also longer trailers are easier to back than short ones.

[hawkeye-08]

I don't know how level your driveway is or how much help you have, but if you have a concrete or asphalt driveway fairly level, you might be able to put a wheel on the tongue jack and just manually push it around (turn it around in its own space) to reverse its direction. We used to do that with our 18' boat.

I am expecting that your trailer is single axle if only 16', if it is double axle, then you won't be able to turn it around easily manually.

Perhaps a picture would help generate some more ideas?

[matthewijenkins]

Well, you guys nailed what is a happening, and that's me being a little intimidated to hold up traffic. I certainly thought about it. But I live on a busy street in Atlanta. at the edge of my house is a traffic light and on the other side of that the name changes from Road to Highway and is four lanes. And like nomad, many are going over speed limit. If I could pull up and back right in, I wouldn't mind holding up traffic. But if I had to go back and forth a few times to get it right, I think it could be really stressful. Plus I have a tree on one side of the driveway entrance and a flower bed that drops about 1 foot on the other.

The trailer dolly is something I never considered. Will think about that. And I think going to an empty parking lot to practice is a great idea. I'm sure by this fall I'll be a 'pro' and can back into the drive but just feel more comfortable for now being on my own property. However, last time turning around was so aggravating that I may just choose the aggravation of buttheads honking horns as less stressful.

Nomad I wish I could see what you mean exactly. Do you pull up past your drive? or you said just TO your drive that you then turn perpendicular in the road toward the center lane? When I posted originally, I was looking for tips on how to angle the truck with the trailer so when you stop and put it in reverse, you'll be perfectly set up to begin turning in the direction you need to. Any practical tips? Or perhaps I should just go practice.

I really do appreciate the notion that it's OK to make people wait. That helps me. Though I may try it in the yard one more time...

[Pod_People]

Others have suggested backing into your drive. I would agree to that, but also suggest that first you practice backing and turning. when we first got out TT, we took it to a big school parking lot on a Sunday afternoon and spent a couple of hours practicing backing. It's amazing how practice helps.

Vann

[RVcircus]

When we got our trailer we thought it would be easier to pull in the driveway, but man we were wrong. Backing in made like so much easier.

[Terryallan]

SoundGuy wrote:

nomad297 wrote:
I have a 33' long trailer that I have to back into my 400' long driveway off of a main road with four lanes and a center turning lane. The speed limit is 35, but most are doing around 50, so it can be a little nerve wracking at times. It doesn't help that I live in the Washington, DC metro area where considerate drivers are nonexistent.

I pull up from the main road with my driveway on the right, just in front of my truck, turn my flashers on, drop my wife off, wait until I see a break in traffic, then jump out into the opposite side of the road, across the turning lane. My wife jumps out into the street to ward off traffic and I back right in.

I have this maneuver mastered and it only takes me about a minute to get completely off the road, but I still get the occasional middle finger, yell or horn -- I don't care -- it's the street I live on and I need to get into my driveway, and I do it in a very considerate manner. I just ignore the butt heads.

Bruce

Bruce:

I'm on a typical suburban street and fortunately don't have the volume of traffic to deal with as you do but we do still have the same buttheads who in trying to avoid a nearby traffic light will tear down our street as a shortcut. :M Despite the bravado from those claiming to "own the street" as they block the street with their trailer the reality is they own nothing and buttheads will do whatever buttheads want to do regardless of what any of us may think of them. With that in mind it seems to me about the only thing one can do is to make yourself as visible as possible so many years ago I built a Trailer Lights Dongle (4 pics) that will flash ALL the lights on the trailer, not just the rear tail lights.



No, this doesn't suddenly transform a butthead into a prince or princess as he/she tears down the street but it does serve to make your truck / trailer as visible as possible as you back off the street on to your driveway. I use mine religiously so I've since wired mine into a box mounted on the trailer tongue for even greater convenience. Cost is minimal and IMO certainly worth using in a situation like yours, and mine. :B

Only thing that puzzles me. I live in the middle of the block. There are intersections less than 50 yards in both direction. But the oncoming drivers refuse to use them to go around the block. So I don't worry about it. They can sit there and wait.

[Stovepipe]

Speaking of 3 point turns, check this one out:

https://youtu.be/4YqTqS8QvPc

[SabreCanuck]

As an ex-truck driver I would do the back-in scenario HOWEVER if traffic/street does not allow that then I believe one of these might be in order??
Seems like a pretty cheap solution to your problem.

OH DOLLY