Towing and the single person

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by Cracker

Ah-hah! The old "edge of the door trick!" I've been using pebbles and leaves and an open door for the longest time without ever telling anyone what I was doing! I guess the secret is out now. I wonder how many others use this same little procedure????

I do! I do!!! It helps judge distance so you don't crash into your tongue!

Shjari

[S C Streamer]

Originally Posted by Cracker

Ah-hah! The old "edge of the door trick!" I've been using pebbles and leaves and an open door for the longest time without ever telling anyone what I was doing! I guess the secret is out now. I wonder how many others use this same little procedure????

Cracker,
This is spooky, once again, I do the very same thing.

Another little trick is to know the distance from the rear of your trailer to the rear most trailer tire ( pace it off ). Then before you back into the campsite, get out and visualize where you finally want your trailer to end up. From the back of the campsite, pace off the distance and place a bright yellow wheel chock where you want your trailer tire to stop. Then as your back in, use that wheel chock as a target and back in till the trailer tire meets the chock.

[Minnie's Mate]

Another great idea S C Streamer!

I'm picking up ideas and I have my wife to "help" me.

At home we have to use leveling blocks (bright orange legos) on one side of the trailer to get it level. We leave them in place all of the time and back the trailer onto them when we return. Talk about tedious. Anyway, we usually get home after dark and with minimum amount of light I can see those bright orange blocks in the dark.

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by S C Streamer

Cracker,
This is spooky, once again, I do the very same thing.

Another little trick is to know the distance from the rear of your trailer to the rear most trailer tire ( pace it off ). Then before you back into the campsite, get out and visualize where you finally want your trailer to end up. From the back of the campsite, pace off the distance and place a bright yellow wheel chock where you want your trailer tire to stop. Then as your back in, use that wheel chock as a target and back in till the trailer tire meets the chock.

Same here

[thecatsandi]

I have had no problems travelling alone. When i get to a aplce where is looks tight I enlist help for a neighbor or employee to watch the back and sides of the trailer. It is a great way to introduce yourself.

[Whirlaway]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Not sure if this will help you with leveling a MH and they only work on single axle trailers...but it sure helps me when I am travelling by myself.

BAL Leveler

As far as backing in...I try not to, but when I have to, same as everybody else. GET OUT & LOOK FOR YOURSELF. I don't care how big my audience gets or how many helpers step up to volunteer...I only trust my own eyes. I gently tell the helpers I have a routine and after I get settled, I'd love to hear about theirs. Up-down-all around...always, check one more time than you think is necessary. That and go slow. It does get easier each time, but the obstacles change with each campsite...

Another suggestion, go to an empty parking lot with some cones & practice, but if I can do it anybody can! Just go slow & don't care what people think ~

Shari

Does the BAL work with a Safari 23? Two wheels if not what does?

Many thanks,

Irish

[Cracker]

The Bal leveller is interesting - but it looks a bit expensive and cumbersome. What I have been using is a pack of 1/2" thick 10" x 12" (approximately) high density plastic cutting boards that I bought at Wal Mart for around $1.59/each. Don't quote me on the price because that was over 3 years ago. I have 12 of them and, to date, I've never found a "reasonable" site that I couldn't get dead level on. You get pretty good at judging the number of boards you'll need by simply looking at your bubble level before setting up. Another plus is that they show no signs of wearing out or fatiguing - even when used on some bad ground conditions. I usually have enough boards to put one under each stabilizer and the tongue jack after levelling - and after using the extra boards to "ramp up" on if I need to. When I store the trailer in the driveway for the winter I also put one under each tire, each stabilizer, and the tongue jack. They wash off readily and I toss them in a canvas bag for travel. Pick a bright color (---I have white and blue) and you probably won't forget them when you pull out.

[Skater]

The BAL level is good for up to 15" wheels, but the website stresses LIGHT trailers. I think I'll stick to my method with the motorhome - seems like something like that is just asking for trouble. (Also, I have 16" wheels.) I'm not sure I'd trust it even if I did have a small trailer.

[krazeekalvin]

Just relax, and take it easy. Get out and check, and don't worry about those who are watching. They all started somewhere.

[silverbear]

I've only been doing this since June '06 and have made my share of embarassing errors. The learning curve continues and backing up has been fine... that is until one park manager decided he had to guide me into a site a couple months ago and that's where I got my first scratch. I prefer jumping out every few feet and knowing where I'm going.

I did end up getting tired of the tedious hitching process and missing the mark so many times. I opted for the economical version of the camera system and got a magnet mounted hitch up mirror from WriteWright. It's taken sometime to get use to but last time I hitched up, I was thrilled to pull in with one try right on the money!