Learning How to Back-up into a Campsite

[B00merang]

Three more points: Make sure you don't jackknife your fine AS (that's where the slow and GOAL and partner come in), look for overhead obstacles (branches etc. that will scratch up your AS at beast, tear off antenna and/or AC (ditto the parenthesis hints), and make sure your anti-sway bar is disconnected (hint: it bends surprisingly easily). Now get out there and practice. jon

[VT Wanderer]

I concur with the advise about "The Scoop" check it out on YouTube at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLtfrBWzNCw

It's funny and really great advice.

[featherbedder]

What is not covered is many campgrounds don't see to under stand trailers and backing into sites as most roads are backwards, so you back in on blind side, not good for most people, plus some sites are angled wrong way for blind side. I don't have problem with back wards but I often go reverse against there traffic signs, so my suggestion to drivers that have trouble with blind side go reverse not matter what directions signs say.

[davidlparker]

Originally Posted by Freqman

Hi All,

I am a newbie with a 25FB. I have been out twice in a large open parking lot trying to master the back-up maneuvers.

Although I think I am getting there, I quickly see I am not a natural at this; frustrating!

Surprisingly enough to me, I am mastering the 90 degree backing maneuver. However, backing into a 45 degree parking spot, I can't stop the trailer from bending so I end up parking at a 90 degree angle.

For your experienced folks, are there any tips you can provide? Or, when you were learning was there an "ah ha" moment where the light bulb went on and then things fell into place?

Thanks in advance!

Everything the others have said! Emphasis on going slow.

Also, put you hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. Gripping the steering wheel as you slowly back up move your hand in the direction you want the trail to go, e.g., if the trailer needs to go to the right bring your hand up to the right. If going to the left, obviously do the opposite.

Hopefully you have a spotter! Also, continue to practice. Backing up a trailer is not an intuitive process. Practice, practice, practice is my best advise.

David Parker
1993 Excella
1989 Dodge D-350

[SuzyHomemakr]

Lots of good advice here! Unfortunately, most campgrounds don't have the room to allow for straight-in backing up. So you have to back up on a curve. The trick is to try to do this as a backing up right turn; so it's on the side that you can see.

Remember that the trailer pivots on it's wheels. When I do my initial spotting walk around, I say to myself, "I want my trailer wheels about 3 feet on the other side of that tree." So I try to get the wheels that I can see in the right spot, then I use the truck to push the tongue so that the trailer is now aligned to the campsite. Then continue backing in. If you were holding the trailer tongue in your hands, it would be easy, right? Just use the TV to make the same moves, don't think about anything else.

You should never say to yourself, "It's the opposite of what I usually do." That's a sure way to always be confused! Visualize yourself pushing the trailer in by hand, then just do the with the TV.

I disagree with having strangers help me back in. Having a bunch of possibly drunken folk leaping, waving and yelling behind me in complete disarray as I try to do an exacting task in not my idea of a good time! If I can't politely dissuade them, I ignore them and just watch my wife. Of course I profusely thank them when done!

[USAtraveler]

Originally Posted by joshjack

Lots of good comments here so I'll pick my favorite 2:
Remember when backing the bottom of the steering wheel goes the direction you want the trailer to go.

Pull past the campsite turn away from it and then back towards it so the wheels of the camper are at or just past the entrance, and the rear of the camper is already aimed into the site slightly - plus you can see down the whole side of the camper and those driver side tires. Ease it back in slowly.

Let me add #3....after aligning TV & TT as above, Turn your steering wheel full in the opposite direction to which you want the trailer to turn. Begin to back up and simultaneously begin to straighten the steering wheel. Do both slowly. The objective is to turn the steering wheel at an even rate as you are backing up so that by the time the TT is pointed into the campsite slot at the desired angle the TV will be exactly in line with it. You have to start turning the steering wheel as soon as you start to back up. If you wait until the trailer is aligned straight into the campsite before you start to straighten the steering wheel, or if you are turning the wheel too slowly, your TV and TT will still be at an angle to one another and the TT will overshoot the desired alignment into the slot (this, I think, is what you are now doing).

Trailer length and TV turning radius will affect this technique, so you will have to make an adjustment to the starting position of your steering wheel to make it work. Like others have said, the only way to get the hang of it is practice, practice, practice.......

[GCinSC2]

Can you see down the sides of your AS with the mirrors on your TV when driving straight?

Bigger mirrors can't hurt.

[Mattirs]

If you want to get to Carnegie Hall, - same if you want to get into a camping slot - slow and steady practice, practice and practice. Took me 45 minutes to get into a camping slot the 1st time what I can do in 10 minutes and my wife is not mad at me. 😀

[brad1]

The only thing a spouse should be allowed to do when "helping" back a trailer into a spot is to ensure that it doesn't hit anything. This requires being in back of the trailer with a view of both sides.

In my experience, any other help will be of little value. Unless the spouse is adept at backing the trailer, they won't understand that one can't quickly adjust the radius of a turn, so those little finger motions won't be of much help. In fact, they'll make it harder.

I once pulled into a great little RV park operated by the City of Sisters in Oregon and the way was blocked by a guy who was having a really hard time. I sat patiently watching the drama between the driver and his wife unfold. It soon became clear to me that the increasingly exasperated and increasingly vocal wife was the problem. Her arm waving, finger pointing and shouts of "more" and "not so much" just weren't helping. So I got out, told her that I would help and that she could take a break. I then approached the driver and said, "Dude, you've to this. Relax. Breath deeply a couple of times, then pull up and try again." He nailed it, if slowly. I only helped to the extent that I stood at the back where he could see me and showed him with spread hands how much room he had.

Another marriage saved!

[AlinCal]

Good man Brad! My mother hated to go camping because of the parking stress, my dad had only one eye and a short temper so getting backed in was allways an event and poor mom wanted no part of helping with something she did not understand.

[1970 Safari]

Years ago with a 10' SOB trailer and a crewcab dually I was getting very frustrated trying to back into an angled site. The wife and I had NOT worked out "standardized" hand signals and there was a lot of hand and arm waving, dirty looks and of course frustration for both of us.

The CG host saw our predicament and came over to help. First he laid out the standard hand signals for my wife. Second SLOW, SLOW, SLOW. Third hand on the bottom and turn the wheel the way you want the trailer to go.

Fourth and the BEST ADVICE EVER......Place your wife where you want the trailer to end up and AIM FOR HER!!!!

Works every time.....

[Roxy59]

My wife is the spotter and we use walkie talkies. After many frustrating attempts I find out she is talking into the earphone jack rather than the microphone....... The joys of backing up.

[Rocinante]

BTW, this advice used to drive me crazy: "put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, and while gripping the steering wheel as you slowly back up, move your hand in the direction you want the rear of the trailer to go."

That advice drove me nuts because it *only* works they way we expect it to work if the trailer and tow vehicle are straight. Once we're into a turn, the trailer does not respond in quite the same way. At that point we have to think about it in terms of either "following the trailer in" or "sharpening the angle of the turn."

You will get this figured out over time. If we can do it, anybody can!

Oh, and we have found that when we are backing in, for the most part it works out much better when the DW drives while I, the DH, walk around outside and do the spotter thing, telling her which way to turn and when to stop. If she is uncertain of the quality of my directions, she has license to stop anytime she wants to Get Out And Look. It's not about ego here, it's about getting the trailer parked without adding any scratches or dents.

[majorairhead]

I've had a wee bit backing experience with farm equipment. Our 25' airstream responds rather quickly to steering wheel turn.

Best advice I could give is find a decent open area and practice backing it up in a straight line. That'll let you get the feel of how quick the trailer responds to turning the steering wheel of your tow vehicle....plus, the rate of trailer response in relation to how much you turn the steering wheel.

Also when backing, if a jack knife situation ensues, if you sense it coming on, you often have to throw the steering wheel the complete opposite direction to attempt to get the trailer to straighten out....or, pull up a few feet and straighten things out a bit.

[thiel]

Originally Posted by Freqman

How do people feel about the tail swing rule of thumb offered in this video? They say one foot of swing for every three feet of trailer behind the axle...

[Rich Jenkins]

Originally Posted by 1970 Safari

The wife and I had NOT worked out "standardized" hand signals and there was a lot of hand and arm waving, dirty looks and of course frustration for both of us.



The CG host saw our predicament and came over to help. First he laid out the standard hand signals for my wife.

What are the "standard" hand signals?

[dmslawson]

Haven't noticed anyone mentioning using a trailer-mounted back up camera--now standard on the largest new Airstreams. Very helpful for general viewpoint and with the built-in microphone in models like Voyager, the driver can hear the person helping out behind the trailer.

In agreement with others about the advantage of backing into sites on the driver's side of the road. If one keeps the trailer in view, then it's easier to keep it from going wrong.

And a definite YES to the driver getting out and checking the alignment of the trailer if need be.

Good luck!

[Rocinante]

This is, by far, the best instructional trailer backing video I've seen anywhere. Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by Freqman

Also, a recent posting by the Wandering Wagners is excellent -

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by Llando88

7) Stop, and Get Out And Look (GOAL)

^^^^^^^THIS ^^^^^^^^^

Not getting out to look just ONE last time when backing into a friends driveway last month...even though things "looked' fine as far as I could tell...resulted in me scheduling a trip to Jackson Center in July for $4300 in repair work (replacing two upper rear panels.) And I thought I was overly careful. 10 seconds of laziness by not getting out to look one last time was costly.

[Freqman]

Originally Posted by brad1

The only thing a spouse should be allowed to do when "helping" back a trailer into a spot is to ensure that it doesn't hit anything. This requires being in back of the trailer with a view of both sides.

In my experience, any other help will be of little value. Unless the spouse is adept at backing the trailer, they won't understand that one can't quickly adjust the radius of a turn, so those little finger motions won't be of much help. In fact, they'll make it harder.

I once pulled into a great little RV park operated by the City of Sisters in Oregon and the way was blocked by a guy who was having a really hard time. I sat patiently watching the drama between the driver and his wife unfold. It soon became clear to me that the increasingly exasperated and increasingly vocal wife was the problem. Her arm waving, finger pointing and shouts of "more" and "not so much" just weren't helping. So I got out, told her that I would help and that she could take a break. I then approached the driver and said, "Dude, you've to this. Relax. Breath deeply a couple of times, then pull up and try again." He nailed it, if slowly. I only helped to the extent that I stood at the back where he could see me and showed him with spread hands how much room he had.

Another marriage saved!

So true when it comes to the spotter. I believe it is more important to understand how to maneuver the trailer which leads to being able to respond to the spotter via whatever system the two of us work out