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Post by roly on Mar 9, 2021 4:47:37 GMT -5
It's a great skill to have (one that's not in my inventory) and other than the semi guys, the wood guys are the best I have seen.
Lost a few gate posts over the years but, in general they are pretty good at backing in a truck with an 8' wide deck connected to an 8x20 trailer through a 10' wide gate.
So.....hat's off to those who are good at it.
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argo
Wholenote
Posts: 403
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Post by argo on Mar 9, 2021 6:02:10 GMT -5
It is an Art. My Dad taught me how while I was still a teenager with one simple statement. "Put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and turn it the way you want the trailer to go"
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Post by gato on Mar 9, 2021 7:48:30 GMT -5
The rhythm guy in the band hauls our gear in a trailer. I am in awe of his ability back that thing into the most restrictive areas for loading and unloading.
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Post by LTB on Mar 9, 2021 7:51:30 GMT -5
Only backed a boat trailer in younger years. Don't think I would want to try a large trailer you talk about. Hats off to those who do it and very good at it.
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Post by Leftee on Mar 9, 2021 7:53:23 GMT -5
I learned on the farm, as a young dude, with a tractor and various wagons, manure spreaders, etc. The tractor made it easy to learn because you could look down on the hitch.
I had to haul out my latent skills last summer when we moved. I’m not so good these days.
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Post by jhawkr on Mar 9, 2021 8:16:05 GMT -5
I used to be pretty good at it backing a boat down launch ramps and into various parking/storage places. I am not so good at it anymore. It is a skill quickly lost without practice.
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Post by ninworks on Mar 9, 2021 8:31:08 GMT -5
I learned to back trailers in my teens when I would have to haul the trash from my dad's automotive garage to the dump about once a month. Like already stated, it requires practice to keep that skill relevant. I can still do it but nowhere near as well as I used to. I can't even imagine having to back a 40' trailer like the big dogs do.
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Post by Leftee on Mar 9, 2021 8:32:36 GMT -5
Most truck drivers are amazing at this.
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Post by themaestro on Mar 9, 2021 8:34:24 GMT -5
An interesting point is that the long trailers are easier to back than short trailers. Short trailers react way quicker to steering input than long trailers. That makes the shorties quite squirrelly and harder to control. My brother-in-law had a little homemade trailer with about a 6 foot box and a 3 foot tongue. It was a source of hilarity to ask someone to back it up and watch them keep messing up. The longer the tow vehicle, the worse the mess.
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michael
Wholenote
Recent Retiree
Posts: 620
Age: old enough to know better and not care
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Post by michael on Mar 9, 2021 8:44:52 GMT -5
i've backed trailers of all sizes and shapes all of my life, but i'm terrible at it. i wouldn't trust myself too far.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Mar 9, 2021 8:46:19 GMT -5
"The longer the tow vehicle, the worse the mess."
A welder or compressor trailer is the worst...watching some guys try to back one up is hilarious.
Thankfully, this skill has stuck with me whenever I need it.
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krrf
Wholenote
Posts: 376
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Post by krrf on Mar 9, 2021 9:50:05 GMT -5
It is an Art. My Dad taught me how while I was still a teenager with one simple statement. "Put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and turn it the way you want the trailer to go" This is exactly how my dad taught me. When he and I worked together, he'd always make me backup the compressor we towed, I hated that little trailer! |
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Post by Blacksunshine on Mar 9, 2021 11:39:58 GMT -5
We have a 24' camper, so I get to practice backing a dozen or so times a year.
When I was 18 years old I worked on a lawn crew and had to learn (quickly) how to back the equipment trailer into a garage. That was tough at that age, with almost no experience. Just "do it" was all the instructions I got.
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Post by Blacksunshine on Mar 9, 2021 11:41:59 GMT -5
Most truck drivers are amazing at this. I had a couple buddies that drove tractor/trailers for Budweiser. They told me at the company picnics, they would have obstacle course races where you had to back the trailer around a course laid out with cones and obstacles. Amazing drivers, some of those guys. |
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Post by Taildragger on Mar 9, 2021 12:49:17 GMT -5
There was a real tight, difficult (for a semi) approach to the loading dock where I worked before retirement. The loading dock was low, so there was a narrow, downward incline bordered by concrete walls right in front of the hydraulic ramp (so that the trailer floor and dock would wind up on roughly the same level for unloading). The regular drivers could slide into this slot blind-folded, but it made for an entertaining "extra break" whenever one of the usual truck drivers was breaking in a new guy and we were waiting to unload the contents. One guy literally took half an hour and about 10 attempts trying to get it right. I think the trainer eventually had to do it. We never saw that new guy again, so I assume he washed out.
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Post by slacker 🐨 on Mar 9, 2021 14:19:59 GMT -5
I've always been good at it. For some reason it just came naturally to me. The first time I did it, I was backing a sailboat trailer down a ramp...just did it.
I've had a few notable events. One I was backing my 32' travel trailer with my diesel excursion into a camping spot. We had the spot reserved and the DB across from us had a vehicle parked across the opening to his spot, about 3' into the road, directly across from my spot. It was dusk and, with a maker post on one side of my spot, it was going to be a challenge. The guy across from me was not around, so asking him to move his truck wasn't an option.
Others already there were, of course, all enjoying libations around the campfire and my predicament, along with the noise of my tow vehicle, quickly drew attention. When it was all said and done, I did it in one shot, clearing DB's truck by about 4" and squared up perfectly in my spot. I shut off the engine, climbed out and about 10 people stood up and clapped.
I used to park the same camper at my FIL's place. Pulling in I had to pull past and back into my spot. I ended up +/- about 3" of the same spot every time.
I had a sailing acquaintance who couldn't even go forward with a trailer without incident. He was pulling into a driveway that had a telephone pole adjacent and he racked the boat on the pole. He was so oblivious that he raked it all the way down the side of the boat. At a regatta he had a buddy back it down the ramp to pick up his boat, but then he pulled it out. Trying to show off, he took off like a bat outta hell. He'd left his sails on and one blew over the side of the boat and got under the wheels, shredding it. That was a $800 ooops. All with a boat that should have been mine. He overheard me talking to my brother about seeing it for sale. Brother and I decided we'd go after work the next day to make an offer. He went over in the morning and snagged it out from under us. I figured his problems were karma, but it sucked to see him trash that boat.
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Post by thumbpicker on Mar 9, 2021 17:02:23 GMT -5
Only backed a boat trailer in younger years. Don't think I would want to try a large trailer you talk about. Hats off to those who do it and very good at it. I've always found that when the load drops down behind you is the hardest place to see what you're doing. Flat ground is pretty easily seen. Boats can be a booger. |
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Post by Seldom Seen on Mar 9, 2021 19:40:02 GMT -5
I learned to back a trailer when I was young and have been doing it successfully ever since. I have a buddy with a monstrous boat and years ago, after we'd taken it for a ride on Lake Washington, he told me about his backing woes. I told him I was pretty good at it. He jumped at the offer and I backed it in perfectly in one try. He looked at me with a look of amazement and just shook his head.
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Post by HeavyDuty on Mar 10, 2021 9:09:15 GMT -5
I haven’t trailered for years, but had a heavy 16’ behind my 26’ Uhaul from IL to Boston last weekend. I only had to back it a few times, that was enough for me.
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