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Old 02-24-2018, 01:39 PM   #21
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Make extra wide right turns and watch tail swing on both right and left turns. Use those side mirrors.
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Old 02-24-2018, 01:39 PM   #22
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Ditto the rent a small trailer for practice!

We had a 30' boat trailer. Trust me. A 8' any type trailer is many times harder to back up.

If you can do that any big trailer is a piece of cake with a rear camera and the DW on her phone.

A couple of cones and a school parking lot is the place.
I beg to differ - I don't think you should learn on a standard ball hitch and expect it to be like a 5th wheel. (unless you can rent a 5th wheel). My first time with a 5th wheel I found myself starting turns too soon and found the trailer cutting corners way too tight.

Cheers
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Old 02-24-2018, 01:43 PM   #23
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I tried the two way radio with my wife as a spotter, I also tried using her with just hand signals, she is so poor at giving directions that I finally just gave her a canned horn with instructions to blow it when I come within three feet of hitting something. The best thing for the one doing the backing is to get out and look first, take your time and go slow. I would also suggest you buy yourself something too use as cones, place those in a empty parking lot and practice your backing. A few 5 gallon plastic buckets make excellent cones. Also remember that when cornering, the 5th does not track in the same track as the tow vehicle. So to keep the trailer wheel from running over a curb or dropping into a ditch you must swing wide with tow vehicle on a sharp turn. One thing you must really pay attention too, is overhead clearance, such as canopies at fuel stations and watch your rear swing clearance.
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Old 02-24-2018, 01:59 PM   #24
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I beg to differ - I don't think you should learn on a standard ball hitch and expect it to be like a 5th wheel. (unless you can rent a 5th wheel). My first time with a 5th wheel I found myself starting turns too soon and found the trailer cutting corners way too tight.

Cheers


I agree. 5ers react a lot slower than a TT. Backing is even worse with a 5er than a TT. When backing don’t expect the trailer to react as fast as you’d like it. They move very slow when you want them to move fast.

I had a 38’ TT and could put it anywhere I wanted and now have a 32’ 5er and have a hell of a time with it when backing. I’ve towed small to large boats, small to large TT’s and now a smallish 5er and don’t care for it when backing. Of course towing a 5er is much more comfortable but backing sucks.

Good luck.
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Old 02-24-2018, 02:18 PM   #25
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I agree. 5ers react a lot slower than a TT. Backing is even worse with a 5er than a TT. When backing don’t expect the trailer to react as fast as you’d like it. They move very slow when you want them to move fast.

I had a 38’ TT and could put it anywhere I wanted and now have a 32’ 5er and have a hell of a time with it when backing. I’ve towed small to large boats, small to large TT’s and now a smallish 5er and don’t care for it when backing. Of course towing a 5er is much more comfortable but backing sucks.

Good luck.
the small trailer suggestion is for backing practice, nothing special going forward except leaving enough room. yes the respond different but a longer trailer is easier to control backing TT or FW.
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Old 02-24-2018, 02:54 PM   #26
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I have had a CDL with all the endorsements for 45 years, and I have taught several drivers, my wife also has a CDL, we did a lot of off road because we delivered heavy equipment, the thing I teach everyone is visualization, sit in the the seat look through the mirrors and then I mark the four corners of the vehicle by walking to each corner while the student watches me. Then I tell them to just feel the truck and trailer as if it a part of them. That is best start.
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Old 02-24-2018, 03:18 PM   #27
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Take the trailer to a shopping center in the middle of the night and practice. It is a lot easier than backing a travel trailer. Follows the tow vehicle better so no need for big wide swings when turning . Use common sense a d don't over think it.
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Old 02-24-2018, 03:34 PM   #28
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There ARE RV driving schools/instructors available. Newbies usually learn enough in 2~4 hours to be competent and confident enough to drive on their own. Many larger RV rallies/events offer driver training for a modest fee.

Google is your friend:

https://www.google.com/search?q=rv+d...hrome&ie=UTF-8
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Old 02-24-2018, 05:58 PM   #29
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Two important factors -- Tail swing and wide turns. Tail swing is what happens when the back end of a long trailer swings out in the opposite direction of your turn. This pretty much only applies in tight spaces, such as pulling into a campsite in a crowded park. I learned about this from a sad experience. When turning a large trailer, such as going around a corner on the right, you must swing wide or your trailer wheels will hop the curb and/or the back of the trailer will hit or run over what ever is there. Observe tractor trailers when they are making turns, especially right turns. They will often swing so wide they will be on the wrong side of the road. So patience is required to wait for a lull in traffic IN BOTH DIRECTIONS when making right turns. Left turns are a bit easier because you have better vision of the back of your trailer in the mirror, but you need to swing wide then too, especially if there are vehicles stopped close to the intersection. Highway driving is surprisingly easy...the biggest issue is remembering that long hunk of metal behind you when overtaking slow vehicles. Make sure you have enough space before returning to your lane. Towing a long trailer seems intimidating at first, but you will quickly get used to it. Enjoy your new trailer and life style.
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Old 02-24-2018, 06:12 PM   #30
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If backing into a camping spot try and get one on the driver side. Backing in that direction is always easier. Make sure the spotter understands the dynamics of backing. Mine always insists I am turning the wheels the wrong way. We have a simple system, stop me if I'm going to hit something any thing else is just confusing hand signals. Actually I do better if she takes a walk.......
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Old 02-24-2018, 06:47 PM   #31
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Originally Posted by RACarvalho View Post
Two things that tremendously help with backing up a big rig:
1 - Rear view Camera
2 - Another person with Walkie Talkie
And two things you need to know.

1: Big rigs take up more road. You need to know where the centre of the lane is.

2: Turning circles are huge. You need to remember to drive almost through an intersection before turning the tug. This ensures the trailer gets around the corner and doesn't cut it, which could wipe out your van and whatever you hit.

Remember also to look at the overhead obstructions. Trees, building gutters, awnings, eaves, etc, service station roofs. ALWAYS check the height tag before entering. At least one will catch you sometime.

Reversing is not too hard, after a few practice runs. I was taught that to reverse into a site on the driver side, take the whole rig past where you intend to reverse into, a quarter turn of the wheel to the left, reverse until just before your van wheels reach the corner of the site, then a quarter turn to the right and follow it in. Reversing in from the other side is similar but for some reason a little harder, for some of us.
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Old 02-24-2018, 07:19 PM   #32
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The best advice I ever got about trailering is this: When backing up, place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. When you want the trailer to turn left, turn the bottom of the wheel to the left, and vice versa for turning right. If you have towed bumper hitch trailers in the past, you will find that fifth wheels are slower to respond when backing up. This is simply because the pivot point for the trailer is located directly above your rear axle so there is no leverage to begin turning the trailer until the real wheels actually move to one side or the other. Agree completely with the idea of going to a large, empty parking lot and practice....practice...practice. My wife and I do not use phones or radios for communication, but we have developed a system of hand signals that have served us well for more than 40 years of trailering. Also, and perhaps most important, NO YELLING!!

You will find the fifth wheel much more stable when towing ahead on highways, especially if there are cross winds. If your tow vehicle does not have extendable side mirrors, recommend you get some mirror extensions that can be fastened to the mirrors when needed, and easily removed when not needed.
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Old 02-24-2018, 11:29 PM   #33
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The best advice I ever got about trailering is this: When backing up, place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. When you want the trailer to turn left, turn the bottom of the wheel to the left, and vice versa for turning right. If you have towed bumper hitch trailers in the past, you will find that fifth wheels are slower to respond when backing up. This is simply because the pivot point for the trailer is located directly above your rear axle so there is no leverage to begin turning the trailer until the real wheels actually move to one side or the other. Agree completely with the idea of going to a large, empty parking lot and practice....practice...practice. My wife and I do not use phones or radios for communication, but we have developed a system of hand signals that have served us well for more than 40 years of trailering. Also, and perhaps most important, NO YELLING!!



You will find the fifth wheel much more stable when towing ahead on highways, especially if there are cross winds. If your tow vehicle does not have extendable side mirrors, recommend you get some mirror extensions that can be fastened to the mirrors when needed, and easily removed when not needed.


That's great advice on where to place your hands on the steering wheel. DW really just keeps me from backing into anything. We use our iPhones and Bluetooth on the phone and truck, works for us. Oh yes take your time, don't get rushed. You will get better over time, remember Rome wasn't built in a day. Besides the people watching you back in you will probably never see again in your entire life. Have fun
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Old 02-25-2018, 12:46 AM   #34
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Two things that tremendously help with backing up a big rig:
1 - Rear view Camera
2 - Another person with Walkie Talkie
We use our cell phones so I can put it on speaker while I back up.
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Old 02-25-2018, 09:48 AM   #35
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wow, lots of great recommendations. we had to learn ho-w to tow/turn a large fifth wheel. I'll list several item, most of which have already been mentioned.
1. get some soccer cones (maybe $10) and go to a large parking lot. put the cones out to mimic a right hand turn at an intersection. pull up an make a right turn. go very slow. while you are doing this look out the right hand mirror and watch where the trailer tires track. they will try to make a shorter radius turn than the truck. you need to learn how much wider you need to turn the truck in order to keep the trailer wheels in the road and not hopping up over the curb. one image I have in my mind is that i need to pull the trailer up into the intersection far enough so that the trailer wheels are even with the curb of the street i am turning on before i start the turn. that way i know the trailer wheels won't hop the curb. you may need to actually turn the truck into some lane other than the rightmost lane in order to make the turn. left turns aren't so bad as they are normally not as tight a radius as a right turn.
2. watch and learn about tail swing. as you are turning the trailer its rear end will swing in the direction opposite from the direction you are turning, the sharper the turn the more the tail swing. and you can't see it in the mirrors from the truck cab. get two people and make a slow turn in a parking lot. have one person watch the tail swing of the trailer and mark how far the rear end swung out. then switch places so both can see. i was amazed how much the rear end swung out.
3. one tip a guy at a storage lot told me about backing into a space was to back in with the trailer angled to the drivers side. that way the driver can look in his mirror and watch the trailer tires. just watch the tires and drive them into the space using the space marker line as a reference. this was a great tip and it helps. even so it helps to have a spotter unless you plan on getting out of the truck and checking the trailer position many times. and watch the tail swing when backing.
4. height has been mentioned. some 5th wheels are tall and there are height obstructions.


it's doable and you'll get it. many people have learned and are still learning. go slow, respect the size, use the mirrors, watch the where the trailer tires go.
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Old 02-25-2018, 09:54 AM   #36
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On and I agree with the personal radios for the helper. Sure beats screaming from one end of the unit to the other ��
Or in my case, wild hand signals that I have NO Earthly idea what they mean.

I got tired of having to get out and see for myself so I bought a pair of walkie talkies, One of the best purchases Ive made in a long time.
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Old 02-25-2018, 10:06 AM   #37
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I'm on my 3rd year with my first 5th coming from multiple bumper pulls and here are a couple points that have already been posted but should be reiterated:

1. Height height height! If you back country camp like I do, don't assume you can get into your favorite spots without double checking clearances. I destroyed a roof because the extra height on my 5th caught some large branches. Also, the extra height caused significant damage another instance in a residential neighborhood with, again, tree branches that weren't an issue with a bumper pull. My insurance company loves me. The first time was back country camping and the second time was getting into my Dad's subdivision late at night after a 20 hour drive and hitting a tree branch that cleared with my previous bumper pull trailer. I carry a cheap Poulan gas chainsaw and a handsaw in my fiver at all times since I learned two expensive lessons. I try not to go into areas with lots of trees late at night anymore with my fiver.

2. Backing up is not the same as a bumper pull trailer. I find I, and my marriage, does better with the wife out of site. It may be a bit frustrating but practice will make perfect. Try not to store your trailer during busy times at your storage lot. I find myself being rushed by other folks waiting for me to backup so they could pass me to get to their storage slot. The stress/pressure of being rushed only made things worse for me.

Hope this helps and good luck!
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Old 02-25-2018, 12:19 PM   #38
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DW help

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If you employ the DW for help backing, be sure to explain the job description before you file for divorce! Uncle Gene's DW assumes her task is to get his rig exactly in the center of the pad even though that leaves almost no "patio" and sometimes doesn't allow the awning to be deployed fully. Oh... and she cannot comprehend that LEFT is always on the same side!
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Old 02-26-2018, 01:11 AM   #39
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On youtube you can query tips on backing up a trailer and there are a few that are pretty good at telling you how to most effectively use your mirrors to back into a space. Backup camera, phone with blue tooth, are all good, but wives are not too excited to be out in the rain and cold giving you direction.
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Old 02-26-2018, 02:15 AM   #40
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I tried the two way radio with my wife as a spotter, I also tried using her with just hand signals, she is so poor at giving directions that I finally just gave her a canned horn with instructions to blow it when I come within three feet of hitting something. The best thing for the one doing the backing is to get out and look first, take your time and go slow.
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