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Old 04-06-2012, 09:18 AM   #21
Outbackmel
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Wink Backing a 36 ft 5er

We have tried everything, including allowing my ole buddy, who drove a car hauler from town to town for 30 years, to back into a tight spot at bike week Needless to say, no issue for him, took 10 seconds.

After some practice and use of cell phones, DW steers me right in to any spot.

We are returning from AZ to GA and recently ran into a pickle. Road sign said:
Warning, no vehicles over 50 feet. Checked with a local tourist spot and was warned the turns for 40 miles were wicked and tight. We turned around rather than chance it. My luck would be to have a tire problem half way through and a DW passing out from nerves....sooooo, we went back.

Issue: turning around in a tight space. Got a good assessment of what I needed to do, asked the wife to "post" and never had an issue AND not one harsh word or loud language.

Practice and patience are the words. Learn to read your mirrors. ALWAYS, ALWAYS know what may be hanging low that you can damage or damage your rig. I KNOW this from 10 years ago, rented a MH and went on the FL beach, under a pier, whako, took out the A/C cover. Fortunate no roof or unit damage. First year with a motorcycle trailer, backed into a friends awning, $500...

Be careful, EVIL LURKS out there

We are sitting on the edge (literally) of the mighty Mississippi River in West Memphis, Arkansas...staying a second beautiful night. Barges push past within 50 feet of the rv as they traverse the river 24x7. They barely make a sound.

HAPPY EASTER to everyone out there. After 3 months we arrive in GA on Sunday afternoon.
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Old 04-13-2015, 05:47 PM   #22
Bill Edwards
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Backing a 5er

I bought a wireless camera system. works great backing up. My wife doesn't get yelled at anymore, that was worth the price.
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Old 04-14-2015, 02:33 PM   #23
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Welcome to the "It's Showtime" club!

Just remember "If in doubt straighten it out." Once it gets jack-knifed, it won't get any better by itself in reverse. As an example... How many times does an 18 wheeler pull forward, get straight, and try again. Practice, practice, practice!

You'll do fine, I actually do better with a long trailer than I do with my lawn tractor's utility trailer.

p.s If need be, they might have a pull through with a free upgrade... just to free up the access roadway. LOL
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Old 04-14-2015, 03:09 PM   #24
EVMIII
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Patience. Dragging a fifth wheel behind a 3500 club cab with a full bed I finally learned slow gradual changes. It takes several feet for the changes to get from my steering wheel to the trailer wheels. As long as I have adequate room for the front end of my slow turning truck, the fifth wheel is a breeze. Never be afraid to stop and get out and look around. Straightening up is your friend. Backing towards the drivers side is preferable because it's easier to see, but all the slots I want always seem to make me back to the passenger side. Practice and have fun.
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Old 04-14-2015, 07:15 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pol1122 View Post
Ok, today I took my 36' 5er to a nearby school parking lot with some cones to practice backing up. I did ok only hit the cones twice. My problems is I space the cones to the width about a single lane road backed in to space from the leftside, to see back of the trailer, into a space of what a normal campsite would be. My front of the T V always seems to exceed the single lane width, if there were actual other RVers on the opposite side I would have probably hit some one with the front of my T V. So anyone have and tips like when to start cutting the wheel or how far away from your point of turning should you start and should you be position more or less to oneside of the lane. Help!
Well lots of good advice and some bad.
What works for me is to pull to the same side of the road as i am backing into. Pull an little extra forward.
I steer from the bottom of the steering wheel and push the way i want the back of the trailer to go, in addition I "palm" the wheel for continuous motion, not too much, as soon as the wheel start going the way I want them to I start bring the wheel back to neutral.
The only spotting the DW does is keep wild kids from behind the 5er.
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Old 04-15-2015, 07:21 PM   #26
tree1668
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Here is my 2 cents. My DW and I made a pact that we were not going to be "those" people at the campground screaming at each other. Starting out a trip that way is an easy way for it not to be fun for anyone. So what we do is become over the top polite and nice no matter what. And guess what? Everything goes so much smoother now. Nerves go away, she knows what needs to happen, and if it is going south fast she tells me. I then make sure I take the instructions calmly and be thankful about it. She also makes sure she listens when I ask her to move to a different spot and so on and so forth. Can't tell you how much better this makes the whole experience.
As for backing up, patience and above all confidence. Not to the point of silliness but enough that you don't let nerves take over. You got to be Ice Man (Top Gun Reference) happy camping!
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Old 04-16-2015, 04:00 AM   #27
Hercules1978
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Always remember GOAL. Get Out And Look. It's saved my bacon several times.

Another favorite is the pre-backing swoop as you approach the site. If you are backing into a site on the left side of the road, ease down the left side of the road, then turn towards the right, and once the trailer nose is angled towards the right, cut back to the left. This will "pre-load" the trailer to back cleanly to the left.

Works just as well to the right side.
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Old 06-30-2015, 08:42 AM   #28
NavyDiver1980
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Manuevering a 36'er

Wow, great read. We just purchased our 5'er and have only had to back it into the storage spot. I purchased the RV Education 101 Backing Video, that was excellent, also found another on youtube where the guy uses small toy trucks to demonstrate. When my DW and I had a boat, the one thing that always happened was that we would have to raise our voices in order to be heard above the noise of the engines. Before we had to sell the boat, I had gone to a boat show and saw a pair of two way earphones. Although there is a bit of static, they are amazing. We don't even have to raise our voices, we just talk normally.

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Old 06-30-2015, 10:24 AM   #29
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[


We are sitting on the edge (literally) of the mighty Mississippi River in West Memphis, Arkansas...staying a second beautiful night. Barges push past within 50 feet of the rv as they traverse the river 24x7. They barely make a sound.


I know this was posted some time ago, but I'm guessing you were in the Tom Sawyer RV Park. We stop there overnight every year on the way to the East Coast.
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Old 06-30-2015, 06:41 PM   #30
randy69
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F350 crew cab long bed and a 40' 5th wheel . Not very many tight places I can go the truck itself has a very wide turning ratio. Does take time to put this monster in place.
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