First Trip Failure

[DKB_SATX]

I'll second the votes about a) 6 o'clock position of your hands on the wheel, b) pull forward as much/often as you need to reset, and c) TAKE YOUR TIME. Campsites and trailer storage aren't in the middle of busy thoroughfares, go slow and relax. If you're in a storage place with a loop driveway and someone is waiting to go by and stressing you out, just drive around the loop and go for it again, etc.

EVERYONE towing had to learn sometime. I grew up on a farm dealing with trailers, but I hadn't towed in 20 years or so when we bought the Argosy. We went to an empty parking lot, set up cones in progressively more challenging arrangements, took our time and used our walkie-talkies and developed better hand signals. I got my partner to try some backing and parking when we were in the empty parking lot, but so far he hasn't been interested in the tow driving. We'll see if that changes on the big trip in August.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

I got my partner to try some backing and parking when we were in the empty parking lot, but so far he hasn't been interested in the tow driving. We'll see if that changes on the big trip in August.

He does need to learn. If something happens to you, he may need to tow the trailer all the way back home. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, and life usually goes in between.

[Zia]

It is funny that every body have problems initially. We use to get mad, upset, my better half tries her best and I was ready to pull my hair off. Now the parking is a breeze. You have a much larger AS and it probably may be more difficult than my 20 footer.
Lke other folks said have patience and perseverience.
Good luck in your practice.

[RickDavis]

It helps to have your spotter move from side to side as needed . As long as the spotter can see YOU in the mirrors you can see them.
Also if you can pull up at an angle it is better than trying to make a 90 degree turn.
Pull forward when need be, no need to get it all in one try.

We used to have a couple drivers who hauled trailers into our transport co. storage lot.
They could put a trailer anywhere but if you looked at the track afterward you would think it was done by a drunk. Many minor corrections.

Once seen on a mirror on a big truck GOAL. When I got closer the fine print was "get out and look"

And of course big trailers are much easier to back than short ones.

It will get easier with time

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by overlander63

He does need to learn. If something happens to you, he may need to tow the trailer all the way back home. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, and life usually goes in between.

He did pretty well in the parking practice, and he drove ambulances for years so I don't think it'll be a problem long-term, he just needs to get over the "new thing" aspect of it. Our '75 Argosy is only slightly wider than the F150, he drove big wide ambulance boxes on 1-ton trucks and backed into the station bays with just the mirrors.

[A W Warn]

PRACTICE!!! AND GO SLOW!!!
Everyone starts where you are, at the beginning. Tomorrow is another day. Be calm and have positive thoughts! Don't feel bad if you have to repeat and repeat the setup and start over. Last time it took me four times to back in the driveway and I've been towing more than 40 years. You will get less nervous with experience as you get to know your trailer.

[DougZ]

I have the answere to your problems. It's a front hitch. I have one on my F-250 and can park anything anywhere. I have helped quite a few people that gave up and were going to quit.

[newroswell]

Lots of good advise, I would like to repeat RickDavis excellent comment. Adopt the rule that if you can not see your partner in a mirror giving you the PROCEED sign, STOP until they reappear in a mirror, and motion you to continue. That will allow them to check the other side, etc, without fear that you will keep backing up when it may not be safe. If using a radio, do not continue to backup when you can't see them, just because you didn't hear them say stop. Radios can lead to the old who's left, mine or yours, problem and if you have a few good hand signals and adopt the eye contact rule, won't be needed. I have watched a neighbor back in and his partner was saying one thing on the radio and gesturing the opposite. I don't like the word whoa, which sounds like go, but I go by the hand signal I see anyway.

[Silver Goose]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

PRACTICE!!! AND GO SLOW!!!
Everyone starts where you are, at the beginning. Tomorrow is another day. Be calm and have positive thoughts! Don't feel bad if you have to repeat and repeat the setup and start over. Last time it took me four times to back in the driveway and I've been towing more than 40 years. You will get less nervous with experience as you get to know your trailer.

I couldn't agree more. Using the bottom of the wheel when backing is a tried and true technique. The plastic trash cans are a great tool for practice. Personally, I think if you master backing a couple trailer lengths in a straight line, backing around obstacles will come a bit easier. You can see and watch one side of your rig; use the road's edge or other landmarks with relation to your tires and trailer's side wall to gauge how parallel you're coming. Your spotter is responsible for all that you can't see and must remain in your vision. If your spotter disappears, STOP. While you're concentrating on everything back there, remember to keep an eye on where the front fenders are heading also.

The truckers make it look easy, but they practice every day! I also believe shorter trailers are harder to back than longer ones.

[overlander64]

Even after towing travel trailers
for more than 30 years, my greatest dread is any back-in space with limited side clearance. If I weren't able to store my coaches on my farm with ample "wiggle room", I would definitely have taken my Airstream dealer up on his offer to fabricate a front hitch on my Suburban for easier parking of either coach. I still consider adding a front hitch to my Suburban, but it might spoil me and lure me away from utilizing my Cadillac as a tow vehicle - - and it is so much more fun to Airstream with the top down on the tow vehicle.

Unitl very recently, I always towed solo so found it exasperatingly difficult to follow somoneone's hand directions. My usual practice has been to make full use of the "see-through" feature of my Vintage coaches along with a good set of McKesh mirrors on my tow vehicle -- to which I add frequent stop-and-check operations if the clearances are uncomfortably tight. Next on my list of needed projects is to replace the smoke tinted center panel on my Minuet's rock guard with a clear piece of Lexan so there is less obstruction of the "see-through" feature on that coach. I have also found that my frustration level is usually in direct proportion to the number of hours that I have spent on the road . . . if my day of travel has been more than 300 miles, the spot better be pull-through as my parking frustration tolerance goes down tremendously with each mile traveled beyond 300.

Good luck in resolving your parking issue!

Kevin

[Wingeezer]

If you cannot back in straight, then back in from the side such that the driver can see the tail end of the trailer, not the "off side."

It would be easiest if you have enough space to do so to try and back straight in.

When backing, the driver should go slowly, and watch the back end of the trailer to see that it is going where he/she wants.

If not - then grab the BOTTOM of your steering wheel and move it in the direction you want the back of the trailer to go. The sooner you correct its undesired direction the better.

IE - want the back of the trailer to move to the left side ?

Then grab the bottom of the steering wheel and move it to the left - that is, clockwise rotation. A simple rule and easy to remember!

It gets confusing if you sometimes look in your mirror and sometimes look out the window or back over your shoulder!

It is good to have a second person on the ground, and cheap FRS radios are handy, but even with the radios make sure they stay in view of your rear view mirrors so they can wave like hell if you are about to hit something.

Even though I always use my better half to help me back into a spot, I will often stop part way and walk back to survey the scene myself just to be sure I understand what I am dealing with and note any potential hazards!

Also be aware that when you are backing, the trailer cannot change direction instantly - it takes some distance of reversing before it will change direction significantly, especially with a 30' trailer, and you have to be aware of that. You may be better to pull ahead and try again. My wife still doesn't seem to appreciate this fact!

These are just things that I have learned over the years - haven't damaged any trailers yet - touch wood (or aluminum?)

As others have said - just practice - you will do just fine and soon be a dab hand at it, maybe even enjoy the challenge! It is however true that some sites can be pretty tough for a large trailer. S far we have always managed, but at times I have been damn close to giving up and asking for another site! I'l gladly take a pull-through site for a few more $$ if available!

The absolute worst situation is when you half a half dozen well-meaning campers all around giving you directions - usually conflicting!

In one instance, I was at my wits end, and literally had to tell me wife to go explain to them that I knew they were trying to help, but that they were just making me nervous, and unless they wanted to do the job for me, would they please just leave me to my own devices! They seemed to understand and we had a good laugh afterwards when I apologized!

Brian

[Gene]

Many people at campgrounds who "help" you back tell you to move the wheel as if your hands are on the top, not the bottom. Ask them what they mean—which way do you want the trailer to go? Then tell them you hold the wheel on the bottom, not the top.

Gene

[Kd9]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the great advice. At least no one else was around to see us trying to park. We did pull forward numerous time, but probably not far enough. As the spotter I do need to stand so that my husband can see me in the mirrors. We will try again in another couple of days.

[barts]

The key is practice, practice, practice.... I've backed my steam launch down a ferry ramp, onto the boat, and curved into our assigned spot with fifty people watching, in one go, no stopping... palms only slightly slippery that time. The Airstream is definitely more difficult to back because visibility is poor; on anything but a very slight curve, the outside rear is blind. Practicing where the only consequence of getting it wrong is pushing a cardbox box or bumping into a plastic cone is a very good idea. The other thing that takes time is learning about the upper corners of your 'stream; the things are much taller than other types of trailers, and overhanging obstacles (roof overhangs, tree branches, etc) are always a threat. If you're backing by yourself, there is absolutely no substitute for getting out often and looking. I often find I need to ask
helpers to just alert me to clearance issues rather than getting explanations of how I should be turning the steering wheel.

I have recently added 5" convex mirrors to both sides of our truck; this helps both going down the road and backing. The whole control reversal thing just takes time to get used to; those who've flown radio controlled models know this well. Happily, with a trailer, one can always stop and take a deep breath instead of crashing.

If you have a long tow vehicle (like our F250 Crew Cab or even worse, an long bed F350 Crew Cab), there _are_ indeed limits as the the places you can back into, because the turning radius of your truck is too large. It is in these cases that a front hitch can be invaluable, because with the steering wheels in the middle the overall rig will do a much tighter turn. This is a last resort, though; it's a pain to chock, unhitch, swap towbar locations, re-hitch, un-chock, etc.... but it is indeed sometimes the only way. I have backed very unwieldy trailers into very tight spots with the front hitch.
However, if you find you can get the trailer out with the hitch in the rear, you could have backed in as well.


- Bart

[casarodante]

I have to disagree with the failure part. Everytime you do anything with your Airstream, positively or negatively, is part of learning. I have been in Airstreams all my life, the last 12 towing. You learn from EVERYTHING and you WILL get better. You will look back and reminisce how difficult you thought backing up was. I think I actually prefer back-in spots to pull throughs now. I usually park my truck (solo) by backing into parking spots also. Just practice whenever you can.

[funkill]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Many people at campgrounds who "help" you back tell you to move the wheel as if your hands are on the top, not the bottom. Ask them what they mean—which way do you want the trailer to go? Then tell them you hold the wheel on the bottom, not the top.
Gene

Or like one of my camping friends: telling me to "turn your wheels to the right". Whaaa? WTF? I know this is inate to some but the best directions for me are something like "push the trailer to your left".

Laura

[TinCrumpet]

[/QUOTE]

Come to England and practice manouvres in a 26 foot Bedford TL with impossible gears.. reversing a 26 foot trailer..with an audience of 15 or so fantastically experienced macho lorry drivers having a break in our cramped motorway services..all staring..bored out of their brains..nothing else to do..what one can accomplish under these circumstances is simply amazing..It could have the opposite effect for some but Sheer panic and the fear of looking a twerp worked wonders for me..

But..no matter what..I cannot..cannot for the life of me..reverse a trailer under 6 feet..Ive shunted back and forth..and red faced..unhitched it..
I take a bow and remove my hat to any manwoman who is capable.
When I owned a Saab..which was a nifty little thing..I reversed very quickly into our drive with a small trailer on the back..thing was..I forgot it was there..Clouseau i.e. my true love was on his hands and knees
reconstructing the crime..took a whole 4 minutes before he started yelling..

If your lucky enough to have an accomplice at your rear..
Walkie Talkies are just the ticket..right hand down left hand down..
definite instructions though..Limp wristed squeeks from the rear doesnt inspire confidence..and use your mirrors..Practice using your mirrors
in your car ..
There you have it..Bobs your uncle..once you dont have to think too much youve cracked it..the harder you concentrate the more it wiggles the wrong way..
Your so lucky and have so much room over there..deserts and all manner of things..shunt it around..I can never remember if deserts is one or 2 esses..anyway..the sandy bits..the other is pudding isn't it ? you know..dessert..
Im off ..too tired for most..time for a Cider and a Film..Good Luck and cheerios..

[Gene]

You can spell it either way, but desert is arid, dessert is tasty.

Short trailers are harder to back with.

Gene

[Smokin Camel]

a few decades ago I used to work at a large U-Haul yard. I remember using a variety of trucks to back a variety of trailers around corners and back down long rows with other vehicles and trailers on each side (enough room for a person to walk on each side as well).

Now I only back up my trailer a few times a year (& am 30 years out of practice!) and I often have a H of a time.

I have tried the hand to the wheel bottom -then do what they say
and
the hand on the top with the "Steer to the Mirror" method.
These all work, there is no substitute for both guide and driver, than practice. I practice alone and with guides when I can. Several times a summer I back that trailer past a race care and a ski boat, in a machine shed - & believe it or not - a lot of machines. I generally have two to four feet after I make the curve through the door.....Trust me I never do it the first time.

The best advice I read in this thread was to move forward and straighten out if you even have a doubt. I do it, I would rather be successful than smooth

[SilverCottage]

A good friend and fellow Airstreamer told us the story of his parents backing up with walkie-talkies.

It was the end of a long day traveling, everyone was tired and patience was short. The wife was behind the trailer giving corrective directions on the walkie-talkie. The husband was doing his best to squeeze the trailer into the tight spot. After a long pause with no directions from his wife, he wondered where she was. His next comment into the walkie-talkie was "Audry, please say anything, even if it is just goodbye".

We still laugh at that story when facing a particularly challenging campsite.