Some People Can Just Do It

[nomad297]

Across from my seasonal site is a site for transient campers. It is a very difficult site to back a trailer into, and I always watch when I see people negotiating and navigating the task of getting in there. It always takes numerous attempts of back-and-forth with a lot of yelling and cussing between the drivers and the spotters.

It was very dark last night at about 9:00 when I see a huge fifth wheel coming around our loop. The driver slowed down to take a look at the site, then continued around the loop one more time to return to the site. This man didn’t hesitate when he returned, and nobody jumped out of his truck to spot for him, and he backed into that site in a matter of seconds. His fifth wheel was exactly where it needed to be. He got out of his truck and didn’t even bother to check where he had landed — he obviously knew exactly where he was. I have never seen this trailer at that site, so it isn’t like he was familiar with exactly what he needed to do for that particular site — he just knew what he was doing. It definitely was not by luck.

I have never witnessed such skilled backing-up of a trailer and I am deep with envy for how good this guy is. I am truly impressed, and I intend on letting him know this when I see him later today.

I wish I could “just do it” like this man did. I don’t think I could ever be that good, even with years of practice. I guess some people just have it, I know I don’t.

Bruce

[tomkatb]

Watched a guy do that with a 43’ fiver.

Asked him where he learned.

40 years driving a semi. They do it every day. Loading dock lanes are narrow!

The DW and I continue to provide campground entertatinment every time we park.

After the first year, we are better!

[NJKris]

It was probably dblr!

[dblr]

Originally Posted by NJKris

It was probably dblr!

Nope was not me, our camper is in Shipsweanna In. right now getting some beauty work done but on a side note sounds like something I would have done

[A32Deuce]

Biggest problem I see is where people place their hands on the steering wheel. TTs are best with hand at the bottom of the wheel. What ever way you move your hand that's the way the trailer moves. Slow steady gets it. 5er is just the opposite. Easier to back in from the drivers side first learning how.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Skill is someone who can back back a single axle utility trailer a 1/2 mile down a road in the dark.

[cavie]

Always back drivers side. Know you have enough room. Stay as close as possible to the obstacles on the drivers side and nothing will ever jump out at you on the side you can't see! You do Not need to see the other side. That is how he did it! Now you do need to know when to stop. There again once you see it nothing is gonna change.

[jackhartjr]

I backed in a spot the other day, guy beside me commented how easy I made it look, I said almost 40 years of semi driving helps, but it is still harder backing thos 32 foot camper that the 53 foot trailer! Lol

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by jackhartjr

I backed in a spot the other day, guy beside me commented how easy I made it look, I said almost 40 years of semi driving helps, but it is still harder backing thos 32 foot camper that the 53 foot trailer! Lol

So true. I can handle our 38' Cherokee much better than my 26' Jayco.

[joshuajim]

One day I was down at our warehouse when a semi with doubles came in. The load he had was in the second trailer. I watched him back up to the loading dock in a space that was about 100’ between the dock and vehicles parked at the adjacent maintenance building so he could not pull the trailers straight. It took him a couple of tries but he got that second trailer perfectly square and centered on the dock leveler. That was a leeway of about a foot for the leveler to work.

Now that’s skill!

[The Newsoms]

We have a friend who pulls his 5er and a utility trailer with his motorcycle in it. He puts the trailer where ever he wants it, unhooks and then parks the 5er. He says you drive the 5er to park the trailer and then drive the truck to park the 5er.

[GL1800Rider]

Be careful backing in to your site. You never know when there may be a team of fellow campers (FROGS) that will score you.

This was at the Peach FROG rally last year when a late arrival came in. It didn't help that we pulled the burgundy Ram out into the road to make it more difficult. All in good fun

[emjayuu]

I impressed fellow campers with my awesome backing up skills... ok.. credit actually goes to my F150’s pro trailer assist!

[mlwilliams808]

When I got my new 5vr it took over 45 minutes to get it in the drive way, narrow street, narrow driveway and 4ft ditches on either side of driveway. Next time I backed in my kind and considerate neighbors pulled out their lawn chairs and beer to watch the festivities!

[jtesta1]

I knew a driver from Toronto that made pickups from a local company 2 or three times a day. He had to blind side a set of pups and did it every time in one try. It use to take me 5 or 6 times to make it.

[waybeck2018]

I think the DW and I speak different dialects. When we try to back it, it is often a side show. On the other hand, when the eleven year old grandson is with us, it goes like clock work, whether he is driving or I am driving. He also sets up and takes down the camp site at his insistence (Don't tell him I check behind him just to make sure)

[RitaB]

He sounds like a semi truck driver, they have a lot of experience. Me, the first time I backed down my driveway when I brought the TT home, down about 100ft with a slight turn at the end. I did fantastic, got it just where I wanted. Since then I've found that sometimes it's like that but most of the time I just decide that it's good enough where it is.

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

Skill is someone who can back back a single axle utility trailer a 1/2 mile down a road in the dark.

Yeah, up hill, on a curve in a blizzard. 😉

[Delco Bobby]

The primary reason that stops me from getting a trailer is thinking about my first trip home from the dealer trying to back into my driveway. Traffic on my street is awful. And I have no experience.

The second reason is all the subsequent trips for the same circumstances as above.

I won’t even try to back my car into the driveway.

[oldsmasma]

It's always a great thing when you get to witness skills in action. DS has a bud who is a commercial trucker with over 25 years of clean driving. One of his stories from his earlier years is about delivering a 53' refrigerator trailer loaded with pallets of tree seedlings. He had been given specific instructions about how to get into the secluded and difficult site. Of course things went south and he ended up having to back almost 5 miles out of a single lane gravel road. The kicker was that his truck was emblazoned with the company logo in huge red script "Another Cool Move"