hitching up on slope

[wasafari]

I have always had a bravo india tango charlie hotel of a time getting the hitch to latch when I'm on uneven terrain, guess it's cause the truck is sloped to one side and the trailer is blocked up level. Then today I had one of those Eureka moments, put the same thickness block under the rear truck tire on the low side and dang if everything didn't fall into place like we were on level ground. Another mystery of the universe revealed.......

[moosetags]

I use a Hensley for my Airstream. But, I tow my car trailer with a straight-up ball/tongue arrangement. I have experienced this same problem. What I do is retract the tougue jack, and move the tow vehicle slightly forward. This usually seats the tongue so that I can close the latch.

[CanoeStream]

Yes, moosetags addresses an issue that I've experienced (discussed in threads elsewhere). Have the ball anywhere but the front of the hitch receptacle and the latch may not close. I didn't notice once and engaged my WD bars. Let's just say good thing I wasn't underway when it popped out!

[jdalrymple]

In a related note, I found the neatest camera/monitor set up a Sam's (Wal-Mart Warehouse Club). Sold as a rear view camera for your vehicle, it includes a camera, (powered by a connection to your back-up light wire), and in-cab 7" color display with several mounting options. The connection from camera to display is wireless, so installation is a snap. WORKS GREAT. Back up to hitch point on the 1st try. No fights with wife/companion, no cussing, no moving 10 time to get just right. $100.00 tax and all, in the automotive section.

[dpandorf]

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

In a related note, I found the neatest camera/monitor set up a Sam's (Wal-Mart Warehouse Club). Sold as a rear view camera for your vehicle, it includes a camera, (powered by a connection to your back-up light wire), and in-cab 7" color display with several mounting options. The connection from camera to display is wireless, so installation is a snap. WORKS GREAT. Back up to hitch point on the 1st try. No fights with wife/companion, no cussing, no moving 10 time to get just right. $100.00 tax and all, in the automotive section.

I'm new to this backing up stuff, but I quit yelling at my wife and she the same when I taught her the basic "plane captain" taxi hand signals. (BTW, you can use a light in each hand at night too) We have no problems now coordinating the effort in backing our 34' footer. Basically we use 4 primary signals. Here's a link to get an idea:

General aircraft-handling signals (sheet 2)

The stop command is the first one in this link:

General aircraft-handling signals (sheet 3)