Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-30-2015, 10:03 AM   #21
Phat Phrog Stunt Team
 
TURBS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 34,507
Quote:
Originally Posted by dblr View Post
Would love the wife to be able to drive our rig, she did drive the pick up and wood trailer but that's about it, with the Kenworth she plans to be like ET & phone home just hope we are safely off the road.
Lol funny.
Amy drove the peterbilt once albeit we "slip seated"

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded, 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "2 nights"
TURBS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 10:15 AM   #22
Senior Member
 
mjones12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Lexington, NC
Posts: 2,621
My wife can't back a normal vehicle into a parking spot, let alone a camper. BUT, she can tow the trailer on the road and can set it up and break it down by herself. We learned to set it up and break it down by doing it together, and we still do that.

Before I retired, she would sometimes tow the camper to a campground near our home. When I arrived after work, she would have the trailer off the truck (in a pull-through site), everything set up, dinner on the table and a beer (for me) in her hand. With that, I can't complain about the lack of backing skills.
__________________
2018 Coachmen Apex 249 RBS
2010 Silverado LT 5.3 V8


The world is a great book, of which those who never stir from home
read only a page. - St. Augustine
mjones12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 10:24 AM   #23
RVer
 
shanbub4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Georgia
Posts: 20
My wife can set it up and break it down. She could drive it but I can't get her to get behind the wheel.


Family fun is the most fun.
shanbub4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 10:33 AM   #24
Senior Member
 
Gleaner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Idaho
Posts: 279
Are you nuts? :)

She makes me nervous driving her Highlander.
In an emergency?
The dog will have to step up.




P.S. She doesn't mow the yard either....
but that's for another thread.
__________________
2015 nights camped (54)
Gleaner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 10:44 AM   #25
Site Team
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Northen IL
Posts: 8,288
I haven't towed any of our trailers since we sold our last pop-up, but my wife would get anxious whenever I towed that.

She has never had her license and has no plans to ever get it either.
Iwritecode is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 11:14 AM   #26
Broken Toe
 
Cowracer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Imperial (St. Louis) MO
Posts: 3,745
Sorta related, but funny:

Back in 2001 when I bought our first boat, I decided that I am NOT gonna play that game where the family just sits in the boat while Dad backs it into the water, then gets outta the truck, climbs in the boat, backs it off the trailer, ties up to the dock, and then walks back to get the truck and trailer off the ramp.

So I gave Mama-Bear the choice, she can either run the truck or the boat. She chose boat. For the most part she did 'okay'. Getting off the trailer and picking me up is easy, but getting back on the trailer was not. If we put in on a River with a current, then all bets were off.

If she would have just listened to my direction, there would have been no issues, but she is a very strong-willed woman who chafes at me telling her anything. One day, with a particularity swift current, she was having no end of problems and was getting steamed at me "screaming at her" (I was not). She yelled at me to just shut up and she would be OK.

Fine. I leaned back on the tailgate of the truck, adopted my #1 attitude of smug, and let her do it herself. 10 of the longest minutes of my life later, (at the ragged edge of her temper) she finally chops the throttle and yelled at me. "All right Mr. Smarty-Pants... What am I doing wrong?" I replied, very calmly that "Dear, the first rule is the pointy end of the boat goes on first". She had the poor old bayliner sitting dead sideways across the trailer, and actually hung up on the fenders.

I was not aware that my sweet, loving wife was capable of generating that long a stream of high-grade profanity in public.

Tim
__________________
FROG Member MO-0008-571 Since 20124444444444My Project Blog: https://cowracer.blogspot.com/

"Camper" 2016
Rockwood Signature Ultralite 8329ss
"Casper" 2017 Ram 2500 Laramie Diesel
..ProPride 3P Hitch - "Yeah. It's worth it."
Cowracer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 11:29 AM   #27
Senior Member
 
Mowgli64's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Central Minnesota
Posts: 311
DW does not tow and does not want to. Truthfully I would be a nervous wreck with her towing. She actually is to the point where she doesn't care for driving at all.
__________________
2015 Wildwood X-Lite 271RBXL
2019 Ford F350 CrewCab Diesel

(2013 Ford F150 Crewcab Ecoboost traded)
Mowgli64 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 11:41 AM   #28
Senior Member
 
deartruc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Southern New England
Posts: 862
My wife is a great driver (or I live in a state where everyone else is). We commute to work, and on the rare occasions that she drives, I bury my head into my phone or keep my eyes tightly shut. So, no, she's never pulled any of our trailers we've had.
__________________
2017 GMC Yukon
2018 Roo 23 ikss
deartruc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 11:46 AM   #29
Senior Member
 
iceblaze580's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Here and there
Posts: 803
Mine can't even park her Chevy aveo between the lines in a parking lot I like having my truck and trailer with no dents in them. My 17 year old daughter knows how to hook and unhook and tow the 5th wheel she hasn't mastered backing in yet
iceblaze580 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 12:21 PM   #30
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 153
Most of these comments deal with backing up or being able to hook or unhook - which is nice to have . But the really important skill is how to handle your rig in an emergency! This needs to be learned because anyone can get behind the wheel and go down a highway. It's when the situation suddenly changes that counts.
ottawapaul is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 12:25 PM   #31
GLCM Warrior
 
Lefty59's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 277
My DW towed our TT once when my back was giving me fits...although then she only pulled out on the highway. Once we got near town, she wasn't too willing to tow the TT the rest of the way home so I got back in the driver's seat.

With our 5'ver, my wife usually tows to & from our storage lot which is about 4-5 miles each way (she's only curb kissed once so far. ). She also does a lot of the backing when we reach our destinations while I guide from beside the driver/passenger's window. I'm sure she can tow our 5'ver out on any highway too...but she doesn't have very much experience yet.

This past winter, we developed checklists for hitching & unhitching but still have yet to shake them down to be sure we covered all the steps.

We both think it important that she can hitch up & tow if the need arises.
__________________
2014 Wildcat 312QBX
2014 Ford F350 SD 4X4 CC LB 6.7L PSD
Bob & Debbie, USAF Retired
Lefty59 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 12:28 PM   #32
Senior Member
 
dudleydoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Southeast Wisconsin
Posts: 172
I made, what I thought was a mistake, getting in the driver's seat while getting instructions on the 24' Class C we rented in Alaska. Well, I ended up doing all the driving for that trip as well as two others. Since I felt so confident I told my husband we should buy a trailer and I would do the driving. He agreed and hasn't towed the trailer yet, we've only had it 2 seasons. I need to work on hooking and unhooking in case I go with a friend.


My only problem is we have a 23IKSS and I need to teach my friend, who is really short, how to lower and raise the bunk ends. Anyone have any suggestions for short people? Has anyone raised and lowered the ends on their own?


Bonnie
dudleydoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 12:35 PM   #33
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Niles Ohio
Posts: 19
I took my wife to a big open mall parking lot to practice wit the trailer behind the truck and she was very excited to try! I have a 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500HD with a crew cab and 8ft bed. She jumped in the drivers seat looked at the side mirror jumped back out and said FORGET IT! LOL! :-D She said there's NO WAY she was even going to try! I pull a cherokee 28a+ and she said she'll never tow something bigger than the truck. LOL! :-D
muzykman819 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 12:50 PM   #34
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: West St. Paul, Manitoba
Posts: 886
Very interesting posts, my wife drives my truck and can tow a trailer. She towed our last fifth as it was less than 10000 lbs. GW. Now this trailer is a little longer and GW is around 13300 lbs gross? The problem for us now is that were we live our driver licensing authority requires us to have a class 3 license for anything over 10000 lbs. towed, meaning more driver tests, examinations and medical for authorization. My wife is not interested in the tests and examinations. If push came to shove she could and would drive the rig to the nearest help.
__________________
Of all the things I've lost in my life the thing I miss the most is my mind!
prairiecamper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 01:18 PM   #35
Senior Member
 
Jestercyco's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Arlington, Texas
Posts: 469
My DW decided when we got the new 5er to learn how to drive it. First she learned how to hook and setup after we got them. Then towing with me and now is towing without me in the setup. She has been mastering it well. We have a 4500 mile trip in Aug and want to drive halfway. She is a trooper and k is tens and asks a lot of very good questions. I don't know if she wants learn or prepare to through me away.LOL It is a 42 foot trailer.
jester
Jestercyco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 01:24 PM   #36
Old Ram Guy
 
Avenger61's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Chambersburg, PA
Posts: 138
She can tow the trailer but the problem is she can't seem to get me into the truck when she does it!! She knows how to set it up though and sometimes has to remind me what to do.
__________________
Marty, Jenice and DD
2019 Entegra Odyssey 29V
Avenger61 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 01:33 PM   #37
Moderator Emeritus
 
Kaadk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,173
Can your spouse/partner drive your rig?

DW has no issues pulling the trailer, but she refuses to back it up. Don't really know why either, considering she backs up the shop trailers, which are almost the same length, without an issue.

I think she just hates my truck. I hear it every time she drives that she can't see over the hump and I that I should have gotten a different brand. (Not going to go into brand details...)
__________________
There's no use crying over spilt milk... unless it's on your keyboard.
Kaadk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 01:40 PM   #38
Senior Member
 
jevanb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,440
If I am alive I am pulling the camper, besides the DW is blind in one eye from a rock when she was a kid and her depth perecption is a little off as my camper mirrors on my truck show the scares from the mail box
__________________
2012 Wildcat 344QB

06 LBZ ,CC 4x
lots of mods
Superglide
jevanb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 01:44 PM   #39
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: oakdale, ca
Posts: 292
My wife will not go near the drivers wheel. I tried tough love and left her on the side of the road telling her to drive it 3 miles down the road and she sat on the road side for 2 hours before I gave in and got her. never happen.
j free is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2015, 01:44 PM   #40
Senior Member
 
vinmaker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: MA
Posts: 1,830
Nope. My wife is not able to tow our pop up. I would like her to learn so we could share some of the duties but it is man's work to her. It just limits us to how far we can go each day as I do not feel safe when I sleep while driving. I stay within 6 hours of home and since we have the Atlantic to the east, that whole potential range is not available.

Vin.
__________________

2015 HW296
2006 HW256 (previous pup)
2013 Chevy Tahoe
Equalizer WDH 10000#
vinmaker is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:23 AM.