Backing up a trailer

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TreePapa

TreePapa

Minister of Fire
Dec 24, 2008
612
Southern Calif.
As in driving in reverse with a trailer. Before I got my "new" utility trailer (old p/u bed) a little over a month ago, I don't think I've driven with trailer in at least 15 years. Maybe longer. As soon as I started backing it up, I remembered ... I've never been very good at backing up a trailer. I know you're supposed to turn the wheel in the opposite direction you want the trailer to go, but for the life of me I couldn't get the dern thing to back up straight, let alone turn in the direction I wanted to.

I wound up parking the trailer on the street, and after hauling the back-straining load of pine, my helper and I pushed the trailer by hand into the parking space (luckily, there is a wheel on the jack stand).

Any advice? Thanks,

Peace,
- Sequoia
 
Practice. Little trailers are harder than big ones. Turn your wheel opposite the direction you want the trailer to back, but as soon as that trailer starts pivoting, get the wheel over the other way and "follow" the trailer. Don't use a lot of wheel. Practice. You'll figger it out. Rick
 
LOL
Put a ball on the front of your truck and put the cart before the horse.

Or do as the old Fossil says... practice. Put a couple of stakes in the pockets so you can better see where the trailer is.
 
little trailer are the hardest but what i think about when backing is to follow the trailer (may not make sence now but thats what your doing) follow the trailer!
 
ok put your hand at the botton of the steering wheel what ever direction you want the trailer to go move your hand . IE if you want trailer to go left lift hand left with your hand at the bottom it will turn the wheels right
My son has parked my boat since he was 10 useing this method . very easy
 
It is something that becomes almost second nature once you have done it often enough. Since it is something that you want to come almost without thinking, practice is the best way to master it. Find an open area large enough that you can loop the trailer around forwards if you have to and just have at it and see what you can do. As long as you don't cut a tagalong too sharp and jack-knife it into the tow vehicle, there isn't much harm that can be done. As others have said, long trailers back much easier. Start with a 16'-20' long model if you can.
 
Dumbfishguy said:
ok put your hand at the botton of the steering wheel what ever direction you want the trailer to go move your hand . IE if you want trailer to go left lift hand left with your hand at the bottom it will turn the wheels right
My son has parked my boat since he was 10 useing this method . very easy
Click to expand...

+1 that is how I taught a lot of folks to back a trailer. And yes the longer the trailer the easier it is to back I would rather back a semi trailer than one of these little 6 or 8 foot trailers behind a full size pickup.
 
All good advice.

To back straight, your vehicles front wheels must be straight, as well.
 
Another thing with the smaller trailers...many times they are harder to see. If that's the case with yours tack on some small flags to the trailers rear that you can easily see from the drive vehicle... that'll help stop a lot of your over steering.
 
Practice practice - I have found that some folks never get any good at it.
 
Use the mirrors.
I can't back up looking out the back window (which is mostly obscured anyway) but using the mirrors you will get the hang of it.
Extend out the tongue if necessary, and put flags out the sides.
I find logsplitter about impossible to back up. instant jacknifing.
practice practice...

kcj
 
Glad to hear that I am not the only one that has a hard time backing up the small trailers.
One tip is that once the trailer starts to go in the direction you want, stop cutting the wheel and try to straigten it out.
 
First trick to backing up shorter trailers- BACK SLOWLY. Don't let it turn on you faster than you can correct it. Don't be affraid to pull up, to straighten trailer out. Practice is the second to none. Oh! don't turn your steering wheel to far it makes it harder to correct while your Backing. But, you can always pull up and you can never have too many pull ups.
 
Lots of great tips in here...... No tip is worth a pinch of coon poo however without just getting in your rig and doing it.
Anyone that makes it look easy has done it a lot. After a while you won't even be thinking about what you are doing, it just comes natural.
Like anything, for some it just comes easier. All these tips will help speed your learning to back your rig, only time spent backing your rig
will make you proficient. Isn't it true, tasks that seemed impossible at first are always the most satisfying when mastered. :coolsmile:
 
To tow a short trailer, use a shorter wheelbase tow vehicle with a short distance between the ball and rear wheels.

I look like a pro backing up my 4x8 utility trailer with my wife's Vibe - 102" wheelbase and the ball is less than 2' behind the rear wheels. I look like an idiot backing up the same trailer into the same spot with my Tacoma - 140" wheelbase and the ball is at least 4' behind the rear wheels.

Alternatively try to add 4' to the tongue. I have no problem backing up boat trailers with the Tacoma. Its MUCH easier to back up and much easier to lift the tongue onto the ball this way. If you need any convincing go to a boat ramp and watch people with full size vehicles back up jetski trailers. Then watch people launch 25' boats with similar vehicles.
 
Thanks for all the tips. Yup, I need to practice, but these tips will (I hope) make the practice helpful instead of just fustrating. In this case, the 9' utility trailer isn't that short, as the tounge assembly must be at least 5 or 6 ft. It's an old truck bed with what looks like the original "D" beam frame modified to a trailer. Overall length has got to be at least 14 or 15 ft. including rather large rear bumper.

I like the idea of flags or posts in the pockets.

I'll be practicing as soon as there is good weeather on a weekend. The nearest suitable parking lot is about 4 miles away. The streets in these "urban 'burbs" are too crowded for me to practice on the street, and my driveway is too narrow, w/ too much chance for me to run into the house.

Thanks again!

Peace,
- Sequoia
 
One other point is to try to not blind side back. Try to always pull up and then back in in to the left where you can look out the window at where you are going as you turn. Definitely don't turn the wheels sharp on a small trailer. There really is no such thing as backing straight in. It's a constant left and right correction. I'd rather drop it in after pulling parallel to where I want and backing to the left (turning right) than back it straight in. Much easier to see. Of course practice.
 
Takes a while, but just keep on working with it. Try to use the mirrors not look over your shoulder, it sounds harder but after a while it's easier, and a whole lot better to see at night. Sometimes going forward isn't all that easy either; I learned to watch where the wheels went after taking out a strangers (with a very big dog!) floodlight in his flower garden. One nervous apology later, I was watching real close!
 
moosetrek said:
Takes a while, but just keep on working with it. Try to use the mirrors not look over your shoulder, it sounds harder but after a while it's easier, and a whole lot better to see at night. Sometimes going forward isn't all that easy either; I learned to watch where the wheels went after taking out a strangers (with a very big dog!) floodlight in his flower garden. One nervous apology later, I was watching real close!
Click to expand...

Yeah. The one time I've taken this triler out so far, I stopped @ a gas station / CONvenience store for cold water. I parked parallel to the building 'cuz it was where I was sure I wouldn't have to back out. When we left, I made a fairly sharp right turn, forgetting (momentarily) about the trailer. Fortunately, the trailer just bumped over the curb and no damage done, but it raised my pulse for a few minutes. After that, I tried very hard to remember the trailer - not that I could forget once I got underway; my Ranger performs very differently when towing what was prolly over 1/2 ton of pine rounds. Plus the 650 # weight of the trailer (according to the title paperwork).

Peace,
- Sequoia
 
Like Moosetrek said, get use to using your mirrors. Looking over your shoulder is a bad habit. All it will do is cause a neck injury. MIRRORS, MIRRORS, MIRRORS ........PRATICE, PRACTICE,PRACTICE
 
Practice. Make sure your trailer is level or slightly tongue-down; I find that tongue-up makes for twitchier handling on smaller trailers, particularly on uneven ground (such as transitioning from street up to driveway level).
 
I'll agree to that! Scariest tow I ever did was pulling an extended cab truck on a short trailer, it was so long that more weight was over the rear and I almost lost in when it started to sway. Drove 60 miles at about 15 mph... Keep about 10-15% of the weight on the tongue for a bumper-pull trailer.
 
Yep, I've got a 4x8 utility trailer that is much much harder to back up than my big car hauler and RV. I'm getting pretty good at it but I had to spend a good year on the little one to get good. I will agree that you should go slow and not be afraid to pull forward frequently if you get too far off. Even if it means moving back 10 feet and pulling forward 5 a whole bunch of times.

I hold my hand on the bottom of the wheel and then move it in the direction that I want the trailer butt to go, then follow. I am now at the "full mirror" operation level and don't look over my shoulder. Huge mirrors help this.

So go to a gravel road somewhere and just try and back the trailer up the road for practice. Before too long it will become automatic.
 
Yes. like has been stated already, use your mirrors, and practice backing up with the same vehicle, you'll learn the truck's habit and clearances as well.
 
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