Newbies= gotta luv them

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

I confess: I am not great at backing. Neither are DW or her daughter and they towed horse trailers hundreds of times over years and years. Everybody says "Just put your hand at the bottom of the wheel and move it in the direction you want the trailer to go." And that's all they say. There's no detailed manual to tell you any more.

There seems to be a magic point where the angle between TV and TV gets too great and you can't recover--no matter which way you turn the wheel the trailer continues to jackknife. We had to pull a simple 5x7 U-Haul cargo trailer with a Yukon XL last month and it was a good thing we could load it at the street because the driveway wasn't happening. I'm told that the shorter the distance between ball and axle, the harder it is to back, so this could have been an exceptional case but is supports my query.

Can someone recommend a website or video that has more information than "Put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel."?

The best teacher for backing up ? YOU ! and access to a big parking lot if you can find one. I did that with our first 26' Jayco, it helped a lot. Hands TOP, Hands BOTTOM, I figured out what worked for "ME" When we bought our 36' Cherokee home, took about 20 seconds and I had it in the driveway and exactly where I wanted it.

[H20loo]

I agree with most of the replies here. I will be there to help if they need and they could very well be ok. That’s what makes me “marvel”.
Many of us old timers have done stuff and got away with it that we wouldn’t do today. But we all have seen overloaded tail wagging campers that made us cringe. Our OPP(state troopers) have a blitz on long weekends and spend a lot of time at rest stops on major highways counselling these campers. The counselling is expensive.
What makes me sad is that Ford talks a lot about Explorer cargo volume and a little about towing but try to find ccc on line. And salesmen are quite often pathetic. This is where sites like this one are tremendous sources of info. It should be required reading for any newbie before they buy. And I am no different. I joined after I had purchased and continue to agree and disagree while learning a thing or two. Unfortunately, there are so many varying opinions that we can choose the ones we want to agree with- right or wrong.
A number of people have commented here so I will update this post with their success or adjustments.

[frank4711]

backing is easy once you have done it 1000's of times ... several times daily in my 25 years lawn maint gave me a big advantage but I always use a spotter and advise-take your time and pull up and start again as many times as you have to... best of luck to the newbies

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by frank4711

backing is easy once you have done it 1000's of times ... several times daily in my 25 years lawn maint gave me a big advantage but I always use a spotter and advise-take your time and pull up and start again as many times as you have to... best of luck to the newbies

I seen a few "Newbies" back in TT's better than some veterans did. I've seen veteran campers get ticked off enough to drive around the site and drive thru the grass to pull straight onto the pad.

[frank4711]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

I seen a few "Newbies" back in TT's better than some veterans did. I've seen veteran campers get ticked off enough to drive around the site and drive thru the grass to pull straight onto the pad.

For sure ... practice practice

[Aford]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

I confess: I am not great at backing. Neither are DW or her daughter and they towed horse trailers hundreds of times over years and years. Everybody says "Just put your hand at the bottom of the wheel and move it in the direction you want the trailer to go." And that's all they say. There's no detailed manual to tell you any more.

There seems to be a magic point where the angle between TV and TV gets too great and you can't recover--no matter which way you turn the wheel the trailer continues to jackknife. We had to pull a simple 5x7 U-Haul cargo trailer with a Yukon XL last month and it was a good thing we could load it at the street because the driveway wasn't happening. I'm told that the shorter the distance between ball and axle, the harder it is to back, so this could have been an exceptional case but is supports my query.

Can someone recommend a website or video that has more information than "Put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel."?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p1B5d_K2__4&t=892s

If the link posted correctly, I found this to be a very detailed tutorial.

[campers302]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

I confess: I am not great at backing. Neither are DW or her daughter and they towed horse trailers hundreds of times over years and years. Everybody says "Just put your hand at the bottom of the wheel and move it in the direction you want the trailer to go." And that's all they say. There's no detailed manual to tell you any more.

There seems to be a magic point where the angle between TV and TV gets too great and you can't recover--no matter which way you turn the wheel the trailer continues to jackknife. We had to pull a simple 5x7 U-Haul cargo trailer with a Yukon XL last month and it was a good thing we could load it at the street because the driveway wasn't happening. I'm told that the shorter the distance between ball and axle, the harder it is to back, so this could have been an exceptional case but is supports my query.

Can someone recommend a website or video that has more information than "Put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel."?

Anything after that is all learned as each backing experience is going to be different. A tree here or a hole there. The angle of the road you are on and the angle of the camp site. If every campground and campsite were exactly the same then yes there could be a manual.


One thing that will make a difference is a backup cam on the back of your TT.



Cones and parking lot will help only if you make it next to impossible to back into. If you make it too easy it will be of not benefit.


Happy camping

[KellyG]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

For years, the wife and I with 4 kids traveled with a Dodge Caravan and a Jayco 8 sleeper popup hooked on back. Rushmore, Snowy range, Yellowstone, Glacier, No scales, no WDH, just camper, gear, kids, wife....and we went. Never killed anyone, never felt unsafe, didn't fear for my life. We went and had fun.

I suspect that most vehicles are built with a reasonable--50%???--design margin. That said, based upon my own anecdotal experience, the old Dodge Caravan's of the early 90s had an above-average design margin: possibly closer to 100%. Had the local Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth dealer been more honest, we probably would still be Chrysler (Ram) customers instead of Ford (F-250) customers. (Frankly, Chevy may be the next iteration, but we'll see. We still have a year or two before deciding: very happy with Fords, but my brother has had great Chevy experiences.)

[dalford]

Wife’s sisters husband... brother-in-law?

[JeanineJoy]

Originally Posted by Mrprovy

I thought the Exploders were supposed to be one of the most capable towing vehicles in the SUV segment?

My daughter's boyfriend attempted to rent a U-haul a month or so ago -- they won't rent to Ford Explorers.

[H20loo]

Originally Posted by dalford

Wife’s sisters husband... brother-in-law?

I said it the way it is lol

[dalford]

Originally Posted by H20loo

I said it the way it is lol

Lol...

[maia285]

2 weeks for their first trip? They'll learn a lot.

We started rv'ing 4 (long? short?) years ago. Our very first trip was was from northern New England to Williamsburg, VA, with multiple points in between and two kids under 10 at the time. It ended up being nearly 1800 miles round trip and 10 days. See where I'm going here? Lol.

I still look back in wonder about how damn lucky we were. The tv and tt were weighted and distributed just fine, but I've learned so much since then that I can't believe we came back unscathed. The trip included all kinds of driving conditions and 3 different campgrounds. Lots of parking, getting gas, hitching and unhitching. It was certainly trial by fire, and we had zero issues or problems, but I would still NEVER recommend such a long or far trip to anyone as their first.

[upflying]

Originally Posted by JeanineJoy

My daughter's boyfriend attempted to rent a U-haul a month or so ago -- they won't rent to Ford Explorers.

20 yrs ago, I rented a car trailer from UHaul. They would only allow a 2500 (3/4t) pickup to haul it. Fortunately I had one at the time.

[jcr59]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

I confess: I am not great at backing. Neither are DW or her daughter and they towed horse trailers hundreds of times over years and years. Everybody says "Just put your hand at the bottom of the wheel and move it in the direction you want the trailer to go." And that's all they say. There's no detailed manual to tell you any more.

There seems to be a magic point where the angle between TV and TV gets too great and you can't recover--no matter which way you turn the wheel the trailer continues to jackknife. We had to pull a simple 5x7 U-Haul cargo trailer with a Yukon XL last month and it was a good thing we could load it at the street because the driveway wasn't happening. I'm told that the shorter the distance between ball and axle, the harder it is to back, so this could have been an exceptional case but is supports my query.

Can someone recommend a website or video that has more information than "Put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel."?

I don't know about specific videos or sites to visit, there probably are some. Watching though is no substitute for doing. As someone stated earlier, find an open lot and practice. My best advice is to go SLOW. Many people seem to feel they are blocking traffic and they get in a rush and get all out of whack. Take your time, others will wait, not always patiently but they will wait.

And as for that 5x7 trailer... those stubby ones are the worst.

[Dogpatch]

I love the “If it’s got a hitch....it can tow anything, otherwise it wouldn’t be there!” mentality.

[wabakami]

Originally Posted by jcr59

I don't know about specific videos or sites to visit, there probably are some. Watching though is no substitute for doing. As someone stated earlier, find an open lot and practice. My best advice is to go SLOW. Many people seem to feel they are blocking traffic and they get in a rush and get all out of whack. Take your time, others will wait, not always patiently but they will wait.

And as for that 5x7 trailer... those stubby ones are the worst.

Make it doubly worse with a short wheelbase TV!


Geoff

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by jcr59

I don't know about specific videos or sites to visit, there probably are some. Watching though is no substitute for doing. As someone stated earlier, find an open lot and practice. My best advice is to go SLOW. Many people seem to feel they are blocking traffic and they get in a rush and get all out of whack. Take your time, others will wait, not always patiently but they will wait.

And as for that 5x7 trailer... those stubby ones are the worst.

Thanks! Good suggestions.

Pressure to hurry is real. The official state traffic count on our street is 7300 vehicles/day. We are at the head of a T-intersection and all the lanes are traffic lanes. No on-street parking. People get really annoyed when you hold them up and they miss a light cycle. After a couple of tries we moved the car/trailer away, staged all the cargo on the sidewalk, and then parked in the traffic lane and quickly loaded.

At the other end, no intersection but just as much traffic and nastier drivers.

But we will take the 22 foot trailer to the high school parking lot as suggested and practice. When I was teaching my kids to drive, a quarter-century ago, I had them go to the same parking lot and back from one space to an offset space across the aisle. A good practice for us.

[KA1VCQ]

Once met a Husband & Wife team, She did not know how to tell hubbie what to do in order to get properly parked. He could tell her how to maneuver, so, she drives the truck and he guides her in. Impressive to see them work together in this situation. Worked for them!

[frank4711]

I am sure it has been mentioned ... when practicing the words have to translate to moving in the right direction or all you will hear is no pull up the other way .... spotter can stand behind and say more right or more left ... do that until there is no doubt which way trailer will turn when you say right or left ... as far as impatient drivers they can just sit there a shut up! Best of luck practice you will get better fast!! My confidence backing comes from many years of backing but #1 is knowing Cindy will not let me hit anything