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Old 06-26-2013, 08:00 AM   #41
Festus2
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Originally Posted by Outbackmel View Post
Take your RV and go to a church parking lot during the week when all is empty. .
Might be an excellent place to practice having someone above guiding you.
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Old 06-26-2013, 08:59 AM   #42
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One thing people hate to do is actually open the door and put their eyes on the situation. Even with the DW standing in place, I will sometimes stop the trailer and GET OUT AND LOOK. None of her hand signals can replace me putting my own eyes on the situation. I will then tell her what to look for, ie,don't let me hit this limb on my blind side. I will take care of what I can see, she takes care of what I can't see. We don't yell, usually we don't even talk. JK, that is all referring to back our camper in.

Biggest thing for me, just get a picture of what you want to do, then execute!
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Old 06-26-2013, 09:08 AM   #43
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back a few dry boxes into the dock and you'll have no trouble with TT's or 5'ers... Or my personal favorite backing a tanker trailer two miles down a 8 1/2 foot wide fence row road (between two fences) to the farmer's tilt tank.... cause he didn't leave you a place to turn around...
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Old 06-26-2013, 10:07 AM   #44
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back a few dry boxes into the dock and you'll have no trouble with TT's or 5'ers... Or my personal favorite backing a tanker trailer two miles down a 8 1/2 foot wide fence row road (between two fences) to the farmer's tilt tank.... cause he didn't leave you a place to turn around...
Javi,
We do agriculture type work and I have "truckers" all the time telling me they have more miles than me.....yada, yada, yada. We take sleeper cab trucks with 53' dry vans into places people would cover their eyes over....or get some popcorn and watch. I have had to do some weird things with a truck and trailer to make things work and this was not on the interstate. Usually on a dirt road with limbs hanging over and scraping the trucks. You learn to use all the tricks to get into and OUT of a lot of situations!!
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Old 06-26-2013, 11:19 AM   #45
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We call it the set-up show. We like to get to our sites early whenever we head out - then we sit and watch the other couples battle over where to set up, where to position the trailer... how to back up.
Those that still try to yell to the driver over a diesel engine drive me the most crazy - we found using a good pair of walkie talkies helps us look less like rookies.
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Old 06-26-2013, 03:01 PM   #46
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The door opens and HE gets out and closes the door. The spring brakes then release and SHE is behind the wheel. As he is walking in front of her...only using had signals...THEY back that thing in in one shot!
The DW and I sometimes use this approach. We don't use it all the time because I want to keep my skills sharp. But it really works well for getting into tight spots.
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Old 06-26-2013, 04:05 PM   #47
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Just suggestion why not talk to each other on your cellphones. My truck has speaker phone or can use speaker phone on cell. I maybe young but I have been around trailers all my life an I just ask my wife to make sure i don't hit anything. So far so good. Good camping.


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Old 06-26-2013, 05:22 PM   #48
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Just suggestion why not talk to each other on your cellphones. My truck has speaker phone or can use speaker phone on cell. I maybe young but I have been around trailers all my life an I just ask my wife to make sure i don't hit anything. So far so good. Good camping.


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I'd be a little concerned about the inherent delay with digital devices. It will very widely depending on various factors.
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Old 06-26-2013, 06:40 PM   #49
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In addition to digital delay, there is a "thing" called cellular service. My cell phone (ancient as it might be) only works if there is a cell tower within reception distance. Where we camp there's often no cell service, so, a cell phone is pretty much just another "sinker in the tackle box"
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Old 06-28-2013, 11:15 PM   #50
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Javi,
We do agriculture type work and I have "truckers" all the time telling me they have more miles than me.....yada, yada, yada. We take sleeper cab trucks with 53' dry vans into places people would cover their eyes over....or get some popcorn and watch. I have had to do some weird things with a truck and trailer to make things work and this was not on the interstate. Usually on a dirt road with limbs hanging over and scraping the trucks. You learn to use all the tricks to get into and OUT of a lot of situations!!
Here's one for you: My husband did farm pickup for milk (25+ years). You can't believe the places dairy farmers expect those tankers to go. Once, when DH was backing up to the milking parlor, he heard a "crunch". Now, where did that soda machine come from? Someone had place a Pepsi vending machine, where there had never been one before, right in front of the milk parlor.

Another dairy had a big bull dog who would come out and just sit on DH's foot and look at him with meanacing eyes. Husband began carrying dog treats. Turns out the dog was harmless

Before he drove milk tankers, DH was a log truck driver. Makes pulling a 28' 5th wheel seem like the proverbial "walk in the park".
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Old 06-29-2013, 05:54 AM   #51
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While these "circus side shows" may provide entertainment and laughs for some, you have to feel for the poor guy and his family who are trying to get their rig parked and be as inconspicuous as possible.

Many of us, including me, have at one time or another found ourselves having a dickens of time getting our RV's backed into a spot. The last thing I would want is for people to start gathering, plunking down their lawn chairs and video taping my ordeal on their smart phones. As we know, sometimes the harder we try, the worse it becomes and all I need is for some bonehead to put my side show on YouTube for the whole world to see.

I am wondering if anyone, seeing how much agony this person must have been going through, offered to help or did everyone just stand around, watch and do nothing? For some, even a pull-through presents a real challenge.
Got to agree with you on this.

No was born with the ability to back up a 5th wheel

That guy lived through his experience and the next time he will do a bit better. I remember the first time I had to pull into a spot I had 50 things floating around in my head, things I had gleaned from reading these forums of course I didn't remember one of them. The second time camping I remembered 2 of them

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Old 10-09-2013, 09:30 AM   #52
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Some people just don't get it or just don't care. While workcamping in the Badlands this past summer I seen a guy with a brand new 5er trying to push one of his slides in with his truck! When a bunch of us stopped him, he just said " it won't go in when the switch is pushed". I politely asked him if I could take a look at the problem, after some of his name calling, his very embarrassed wife got him to let me have a look. I came out of the RV. And told him this. KISS,,,,, keep it simple, stupid. He had a blown fuse and a tripped breaker. Well. After he duct taped the hole in his slide and 45 minutes to get hooked up, he pulled out of his spot,,,,,,,,,, only to side swipe a tree and the end of the road!! And guess who gotto clean up the glass from every window on the side of that BRAND NEW 5er. Yup,,, ME ! Sure wish someone had filmed it. Just like Ron White says--- you can't fix stupid
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Old 10-09-2013, 11:00 AM   #53
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Had he paid attention during his walk-through, he would have remembered that the slides, while not fun to do so, can be manually cranked.
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Old 10-09-2013, 12:15 PM   #54
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This is one of the many reasons why I avoid the campground scene altogether.

No one enjoys being an object of entertainment or ridicule. Or the subject of pity or charity.

Even with over a decade of 5er experience, amazingly, I rarely back in perfectly the first time. But eventually, I always get there. On my own. Without any help!

In my many days, I have encountered several RV park lounge lizards who clearly thought they were God's gift to all other RVers. They sprang out of their lawn chairs as soon as I dared to apply the brakes or got out of my truck to have a looksie.

From their point of view, I quickly became "that scary/stupid guy" who "knows everything" or "cannot he helped". In truth, I was simply not in immediate need of having my hand held by total strangers.

Why can't people just mind their own business???
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Old 10-09-2013, 01:53 PM   #55
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There's two sides to every situation: The "STOOPID" guy who is destroying his rig and obviously needs help or restraint..... and then the "take it slow and easy, but I'll get there by myself" kind of guy who prefers to be left alone. Both are easily found in almost any campground... The problem is, which is which ????

I'd rather offer and be turned down.. <POLITELY> than to sit and watch someone tear things up and not have offered...

Diugo, if we ever cross paths, just say, "No thanks" and I'll leave you to your own devices.....
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Old 10-09-2013, 06:47 PM   #56
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People react to stressful things in many different ways. I think as folks that may to able to help should offer help. Some words are better than others things like "can I help" "what can I do to help" not "I can back you in" "Thats easy, I can do it" etc. I would not want help from someone who acted better than me or appeared upset at me. And I have asked What can I do to help and been told to get out of the way. Nothing else said on my part, I just walked away. We can't fix stupid. Storys I have from working at boat ramps. Thats for a different web site.
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Old 10-12-2013, 05:52 PM   #57
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try

try a 65 foot rig. its a good thing I have over a million miles in a bigger rig and lots of experience going into feed mills. I try to get a pull through but I can back in too. as for the circus act I know people like that. they are like that regardless of their circumstances. as forrest would say stupid is as stupid does
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Old 10-12-2013, 07:38 PM   #58
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Circus Side Show reminded me of the time we camped in Boise, ID for a month not knowing the State Fair was right next door, running while we were there. All the people, side shows, and everything else that were at the fair camped in our campground. There were no problems but sure were a lot of people coming and going at all hours of the day or night...it was also a real sideshow.
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:26 AM   #59
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try a 65 foot rig. its a good thing I have over a million miles in a bigger rig and lots of experience going into feed mills. I try to get a pull through but I can back in too. as for the circus act I know people like that. they are like that regardless of their circumstances. as forrest would say stupid is as stupid does
So true. My husband backed milk tankers into remote dairies and terminals for 25 years. Often, a tanker and trailer (doubles). Says it makes parking a 30' fifth wheel nothing. Never-the-less, he is pretty cautious when pulling into a spot, as he recalls some of the predicaments you can get yourself into. Pull-throughs are always welcome. But, at least you don't have to wade, ankle deep, through cow manure (usually)

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