I have a new found respect for people backing up trailers. I will never get upset if stuck in traffic while someone backs up.

I rented a tow behind wood chipper and had one hell of time backing that little thing up. It would jackknife on me in a heartbeat. It was only about 6 ft. long. I think a longer trailer would be easier the trailer would turn slower.

I hear ya!

The smaller the trailer the bigger the PITA. It's wicked easy to oversteer a small trailer.

CHEATING TIP BELOW:

Put your hand on the BOTTOM of the steering wheel. Then move it in the direction you want the trailer to go.

Easy peasy, and you don't have to think backward.

I love amusing people with my work trucks... "you can't fit that there..."

Wanna bet? 48' or 53' flatbed or curtainside pulled by a '99 Mack CH series with the 5th wheel locked all the way back... it's pretty long and the tractor doesn't turn worth a dang. But it's still basic manuvers. If there's room it'll fit. If you drive forward into trouble you can back out, how else did you get it there in the first place?

In my limited experience, shorter trailers are squirrelly when backing up. Trailer for 20' boat, no problem. Jetski trailer, I'm sure other people find it entertaining. I was good with our 35' travel trailer, but the new 38' 5th wheel I'm still learning. With the pivot point over the truck's rear axle, it takes a long time before the trailer starts to turn.

Short, single axle trailers are the biggest PITA. They just move so quick, you pay for the smallest error very rapidly. Add an axle, and they get a bit easier.

Behold the impossible:

If you can back this up:



Towing this:


You are a towing GOD. 26' truck + 4'x6' trailer= you see it in your mirror, its already wrong.

Backing a dolly behind a 28' pup trailer will make you say a lot of bad words.

A military 5 ton 10 wheel drive dump truck pulling a bolster trailer. You cannot see the trailer in the mirrors, and by the time you can see it, you are already over-steered beyond the ability to correct.

It's the hardest thing I've ever had to back up, and I'm a truck driver for a living now.

Its sad to say I was trying to back up in the street to drive up between the house and could not get it for the life of me. I finally gave up and drove around the block to avoid backing up.

I have watched farmers back up four wheeled hay wagons , on a few occasions.

I think I could watch them do it 6 or eight time , and still not be able to do it

Like Mooney said, smaller the trailer the tougher, and I always use his cheat. th wheels take a whole different mind set.

I am bad at backing up myself. We had an 18 footer Travel Trailer for 3 summers. I always take a long time when I back up to our camping spot. Always jack knife fews times before I get it where and how I want it. Neighbors at the campground smiles at me when I have to drive back out, then reverse back in. Yet, I see some guys back in their 40 footer 5th wheelers in a very tight space in one attempt.

Our current motor home is about the same lenth as this UHaul truck. The tow dolly I use to tow the car front wheel up is almost the same length as this UHaul box. When I get to the campground, I tried backing the motor home in, with the tow dolly attached (no hooked car). Impossible!!! I had to remove the tow dolly, back it in (pushing it back in), then back in the motor home.

quote:

Originally posted by kz1000:
Behold the impossible:

If you can back this up:



Towing this:


You are a towing GOD. 26' truck + 4'x6' trailer= you see it in your mirror, its already wrong.

As others have pointed out, the shorter the distance between the hitch pivot and the trailer axle, the more of a pain in the ass it is to back up.

I was raised on a farm and started driving tractors around 8 or 9 years old. I NEVER learned to back up a 4 wheeled wagon, much to my Dad's disgust. He could do it with his eyes closed, but he started with horses...

You've got 2 pivot points when backing a wagon: The wagon tongue pivots around the hitch pin and the steerable axle on the wagon pivots around the king pin. Throw in a swinging drawbar and the hand clutch on a John Deere B with no power steering and you have a formula that would make the Pope cuss.

Thank God for back-up cameras is all I can say. I have an 8' utility trailer that was a bear to back up with the Ford Explorer when we had it, but after getting the Sorento with the camera and using the hand on the bottom of the steering wheel trick it's now less of a hassle.

Jim

like noted, place your hand at the 6 o'clock position.

Had an E- nothing in the navy (dumber than a box of rocks) who could back an f-14 the first time, every time, and fast, including into the hush house with only 12" on each wing tip without a redo.

Try backing a trailer with two pivot points!!

Stiles was the man when it came to towing an aircraft. Spelling and test taking, not so much.

I watched a guy back a large tour bus/motorhome deal pulling maybe a ten foot trailer into a spot that I wasn't sure was even long enough for the two last night. The guy was either the most skilled or the luckiest driving son of a bitch I've ever seen.

My wife and her sister grew up on family farms. It always amazes my friends how two tiny little mid twenty something blondes have the mad skills to back up everyone's fifth wheelers,campers, and boats for them when we go camping or boating. Not to mention running combines, all models of tractors, and driving semi trucks and trailers to the elevators.

I learned how to do it with my grandmothers John Deere lawn tractor when I was barely old enough to drive it. Used to hook up to her pop-up camper and pull it around the yard and back it in the garage when I was done and she wouldn't even find out unless my grin gave it away LOL

When I had my 12' utility trailer with my F250 it was a chore to back up but with practice I became quite good at it. The issue is that the truck is almost double the length of the trailer and has a horrible turning radius. Very small steering corrections is the key. Most people oversteer and get into trouble. After getting the hang of a small trailer, a longer one is a cinch to back up.

Tried backing in a trailer with a ~15' bass boat on it and had one hell of a time. I'm glad I haven't had to do that again lately.