Tips on backing into a campsite

Thank you, thank you, thank you! We will take all your sound advice and wonderful descriptive suggestions and put them into practice.This forum is a life saver to say the least.
Natalie

[wbmiller3]

I'm pretty good at backing (see picture: I back it in until the tonguewheel is over the step, then we push it a foot or so) but I never learned to use the mirrors...those tractors that I was schooled on didn't have them, I guess. I stick my head out the window. My son is an excellent spotter, too.

I would give a lot if the guys who built my house had put the 2-bay garage door on the other side of the garage, then I could just back straight in from the street. With the way it is, I have to jog over to the right while backing which adds too much interest.

[mbd4kids]

As a woman, who is better at backing up than my husband, I recommend the hand on the bottom of the wheel. Move your hand whichever way the back of the trailer needs to go. It is also extremely helpful to have a calm person helping you from behind, recognizing that you start to head toward an area before you want to be there. We back into our side yard through a section of fence that we remove. We have about 6" on either side, and a couple of trees to maneuver through. I can do this with my calm 15 year old (Tim) with few mistakes, but with my 14 year old, or my husband, it gets ugly. Best to park on the street until Tim gets home.

[MudDog]

One of the tips that I picked up (I think on this forum) was to look at the inside wheel on the TM and then make a mental chalk line of how that wheel needs to track in order to get the TM to where I want it.

On most sites, I'll pull past the site and back in so the TM driver side tire is on the inside of the turn so I can look over my shoulder (out the driver side window) and track the TM tire along my imaginary line. I go slow and check progress against the imaginary line and make small adjustments as needed.

Backing into the garage, I back the other way (with the passenger side TM wheel being on the inside of the turn) because I park the TM with the TM entry door against the garage wall and want to be able to watch the clearance on that side. It's a bit harder to watch the wheel and I use the mirror more instead of looking back out the window...but same idea...a make a mental imaginary line of how/where I want the TM wheel to track.

- Good mirrors
- Use hand on bottom of steering wheel trick
- Spotter with agreed to protocols (we use driverside and passenger side in lieu of right and left)
- Two way radio with vox for hands free or cell phone with blue tooth (problem is that your cell phone may not work everywhere)
- Get set to back up then get out and visualize where the trailer needs to go (e.g., if there are hook ups or site features to take advantage of)
- Don't do anything you can't undo by just going forward...and don't be afraid to go forward for a better try at it.
- As you make a move backward, let the TV follow the trailer (this is a tough concept but basically will set the TV in line with the trailer as close as possible at it's resting point.
- be mindful of hitching and unhitching. I've backed into places where the grade made it difficult to hitch and unhitch the trailer....my driveway is a good example.
- Practice and don't be afraid- just don't get too close to anything until you have a lot of confidence. BTW, you usually don't have to get dangerously close to most things except if you put it in your garage.
- There's nothing wrong with pull throughs except they're usually not in the best spots.

Phil

My wife and i use our cell phones. I put mine on speaker and lay it on the seat. Actually wworks quite well. Communication wise that is. On backing I agree it is all about practice, unless you grew up backing trailers, then it comes more naturally.

good luck and go slow.

moaboy

Great advice. There's nothing to add. Practice, Practice, Practice.

When we were into boating in the California Delta, we used to walk down to the launch ramp just for the entertainment.

[arniland]

About a decade ago we were on a cross country drive to visit out kids in the northwest and go up into Canada to pick up an antique car. We were towing a 20 foot box trailer. We had decided to stop and pay a get-to-meet visit with the parents of my son's then fiance. These folks lived in an upscale gated community outside of St. Louis and we had been told that there was NO overnight trailer parking allowed. We would have to put the rig on the drive beside the house.

We arrive and the family came out on the porch to watch as DW jumped out of the cab with a walkie talkie and positioned herself down the drive to provide feedback. I deftly wipped the trailer around the large oak tree beside the top of the drive and down the two one foot wide concrete paths. I never even came close to putting a wheel off of the concrete and was feeling pretty smug as I very slowly backed the final few feet to my wife repeated "you're doing good, keep coming" over the radio. Just as I was about where I wanted to be there was a loud BANG!! with a shock to the trailer. I pulled up a foot or so and jumped out to see what I had hit. Turns out that the house was cantilevered out over the drive. Lois had never thought to look up.

No harm, no foul. Didn't chip the brick facade on the house and just put a little bend on the aluminum gutter over the rear door of the trailer.

That evening we took a walk and I called our son in Seattle to confess what had transpired. His only question was "Did you hurt the house?" Forget my trailer. ;-)

Arn

[mecicon]

Where are the McKesh mirrors found? RV outlet? WalMart?

Thanks for the input.

Always position your "guide" directly in line with your rear view mirror so you can easily see the signals.
Put down all the windows so you can hear the "STOP" if ever needed.
You want to pull past the area you are going to back into further then you think you need to.
Like the others, if I'm not sure, I get out and look. Usually a lot since my DW doesn't seemed to understand the need for communication during this process.

You can get the McKesh "style" mirrors at Camping World for about $55.