Mission Impossible: Backing my Camplite into any kind of sit

[leslie]

This is the honest truth: I grabbed the steering wheel at the bottom and turned it in the direction I wanted the trailer to go, and it went in the opposite direction. I swear this happened several times today.

For those of you who want the gruesome details: I am 68 years old and have never towed anything. Now I am trying to back up my 21 foot Camplite to fit into a storage space, and it was not pretty. In fact, my husband and I were working for several hours this afternoon in a vacant parking lot with dismal results.

A man came along and told us he has towed all sorts of trailers for all of his adult life and took pity on us. Pity! He was right! What we were doing was PITIFUL. He owns a factory, and told us to follow him. Then he backed our Camplite into a spot next to his Dutchstar. It will sit there tomorrow while I make arrangements with the dealer to bring it back to fix some latches that won't close and have the Camplite winterized.

I can't impose on this fellow any further. Does anybody here have any words of advice?

[gerry]

go slow and take your time.......make little movements.....

[walt3]

Practice makes perfect.

[gerry]

agree......you must practice or you will run into issues in the future.  

[solds88]

[p][font face="comic sans ms" size="4"]This is an art, not a science. Practice and more practice is the answer. You mentioned that the trailer went the opposite way that you thought it was going to go. Steering from the bottom of the wheel moves the back of the trailer in the desired direction, not the front of the trailer. Start with small movements, try this exercise in a large parking lot: Hand in the neutral position, centered at the bottom of the wheel, turn wheel 90 degrees clockwise, (1/4 of a turn), and back slowly holding the wheel in this position for 1 or 2 seconds then return the wheel to it's neutral position. Your trailer should going in a slight arc to the drivers side. You should be able to see your progress in your drivers side mirror. Oh, I forgot to tell you to set out a cone or cardboard box to serve as a target to aim for. If you're arcing too much you'll want the rear of the trailer to swing the other way. Move the bottom of your wheel 90 degrees counter clockwise for a second or two then return to the neutral position. Go very slow and make a lot of corrections, don't let the arc become too acute as it will require a lot of wheel correction to straighten the arc. The idea behind this exercise is to get your hand and eye coordinated with the trailer movement. Good luck      [/font][/p]

[daplumbr]

I can imagine a 21 foot trailer being intimidating as a first backing experience! It helped me to have learned/practiced on small trailers. Even a riding lawn mower with a little garden trailer would help get the feel of what happens when backing. In the end, you'll get to be good at it with practice, so don't give up!

[djsamuel]

[quote source="/post/4313/thread" timestamp="1413802699" author="@sandroad"]

I can imagine a 21 foot trailer being intimidating as a first backing experience! It helped me to have learned/practiced on small trailers. Even a riding lawn mower with a little garden trailer would help get the feel of what happens when backing. In the end, you'll get to be good at it with practice, so don't give up!
[/quote]
That is exactly what I did; used a lawn tractor with the small utility trailer.  In the end though, it was definitely just practice.  My driveway has a curve in it with the house on one side and a tree on the other.  It was very frustrating at first, but now it isn't bad.  The key for me was to realize I can't make it in in one motion.  NOTHING wrong with partially backing in and pulling forward to reposition, and doing that repeatedly.  Also, as stated above, SMALL movements of the wheel, holding it at the bottom.  When turning one direction, when the trailer begins to move, start turning the other way.  It takes a LONG time for the trailer to react to steering wheel movements.

[mitch]

Ditto what everyone else said.  By the way, a garden tractor with a little trailer is way harder than an RV because the wheelbase is so short.  Finally, there are many videos on youtube you could watch to give you some ideas but as everyone else said slow and easy and lot's of practice.

[leslie]

I really appreciate your comments. We thought we had a plan. Started out with 2 lines of cones 30 feet apart. I told my husband I just wanted to put the trailer between them. I did that - twice. Then we moved the cones to 20 feet apart - and that is when I fell apart.

I told my husband I wanted the entire trailer to stay between the cones, but the right corner of the trailer, the one on the passenger side, kept swinging wide. The longer I tried, the worse things got.I was exhausted by the time the fellow who helped us got there.

[pinstriper]

I totally agree with the lawn tractor idea if you have one.

A 21' long trailer is difficult as a learner.

You might consider going to your local rental store and rent an 8' or 10' box or flat trailer to practice with. Prolly run you $50 for half a day, which will be plenty and you can do it several times.

The big advantage is that you'll be able to turn around in the driver's seat and actually see over the top of the trailer where it is going. You really can't learn this by looking at your side mirrors.

[david]

As others have said, backing is an art.

Here is one thing that may help until you develop that art: A trailer turns while backing depending on the angle between the TV and the trailer. Start your turn by increasing the angle to make the trailer start to move the way you want it to move. But after it starts moving in that direction, decrease the relative angle to let the TV follow the trailer in an arc. Go slow and work the wheel back and forth to get a feel for how it works.

It just takes practice but can be done. When we return our trailer to the storage yard, we have to back into a 10' wide spot. That leaves about a foot on either side. Any more than about 2' off and I hit the adjacent trailer. Very infrequently I can make it in one smooth arc. But mostly it takes 4-5 fore and aft corrections to get it in the middle of the slot without hitting anything.

David

[leslie]

You have offered me some options. When I take my Camplite back to the dealer on Wednesday, I am going to talk to the technicians about this. I was also considering hiring someone to teach me. I googled truck driving schools and there are several in the Chicago suburbs. I thought some hands-on training might help.

The storage site I reserved is 10 feet wide, with trailers on each side. I can't go near it until I can control backing up. My husband has to work while I am planning to head to Louisville with the trailer where I have another storage place lined up for November. We have a home in Louisville. It is all on me right now to get comfortable with towing and backing.

Eventually I want to head to Florida so I can use the trailer during the winter. My husband is going to take about 10 days vacation in January to join me. I want to make it to Florida before the roads become slick and icy.

[drdave]

Leslie I my only advice about backing is I just want to say that you should go slow and not rush backing.   I actually think with a bit more time behind the wheel towing navigating turns, exit ramps etc.  youwill gain confidence and relax a bit behind the wheel with that trailer behind you and backing will get MUCH easier.    I remember when I got home towing my trailer for the first time my back was all tight from nerves.   Now I am completely at ease.  If you think a driving school will work for you I say go for it. 

[leslie]

Tlbones, when the dealer finished up my trailer on Friday, I towed for the first time in rush hour traffic, cars and trucks passing and cutting in front of me. I thought that was fearsome, and it went OK. Leaving the Wal-Mart on Saturday morning traffic was a piece of cake compared to Friday evening. Thanks for the encouraging words.

[pinstriper]

This may not be helpful, but you might consider selecting drive-through campsites for a little while as well. Not having to worry about backing into a campsite with the world gawking will make your first few outings less stressful and help you get comfortable with the new rig. It narrows your options as there are fewer of these spots, but if it is available...