Circus side show

[Andymon]

Originally Posted by Javi

Six tries, heck I wouldn't get excited about six tries to park a 5'er I've done that with just my pickup before.

Same here but it was a 64 VW bug!

[Andymon]

Well....just so ya all know. The only TT I've ever towed was a 64 something about 12 feet long. I've had my 26RLS for about 3-4 months now and it's been in the storage yard ever since. I've never towed anything that big. Heck, I've never had a 3/4 ton truck or a diesel and now I do. Reading this thread, I think I just might sell tickets to watch me back in when we first go out. At the least, I might have to have my other half video the whole thing and then post a link so you can see it. Actually, we are quite excited about our first outing...probably a shake down at a local rv stop. I feel pretty confident that every thing will go just fine.......well, maybe.

[Ken / Claudia]

Advice for knucklhead, Tell her where to stand each time you back up and stop and reposition her if she needs to go to other side as backing continues. Have her use hand signals only, yelling doesn't work. Show her how to point her hand above her head right/left and stop. Keep telling her if she cannot see you, you cannot see her. When that happens I stop to check and walk back to find her.. I have yelled to much thru out my life won't do it to her. I tried radios but, she never would speak without holding the radio to her lips and they don't work so good that way. We even practiced in the house with the radios. She just gets to excited being near the truck/trailer as it's moving to do more than one thing at a time. I still hitch up by myself, its faster. She has tried to help but, she gets me near the hitch always beside it. I just get within acouple feet. stop and check. I mostly get it done within a couple trys.

[Knucklehead]

thanks for the info will help alot

[mguay]

Originally Posted by Andymon

Well....just so ya all know. The only TT I've ever towed was a 64 something about 12 feet long. I've had my 26RLS for about 3-4 months now and it's been in the storage yard ever since. I've never towed anything that big. Heck, I've never had a 3/4 ton truck or a diesel and now I do. Reading this thread, I think I just might sell tickets to watch me back in when we first go out. At the least, I might have to have my other half video the whole thing and then post a link so you can see it. Actually, we are quite excited about our first outing...probably a shake down at a local rv stop. I feel pretty confident that every thing will go just fine.......well, maybe.

Where are you headed? I'd buy a ticket or two. The DW and I get a kick out of the "way too many chief's" directing traffic! 1 for me is the best method and she only tells me when I'm gonna hit something. It's the only time that she doesn't tell me what to do!

[richf28]

I have been to numerous campgrounds where their roads are narrow causing a tight fit to back in with an occupied site across from it. That already being an issue I have seen people who have their truck parked sticking out making it even tighter. I have seen these same people sit and watch the circus without moving their truck till their neighbor gets backed in. And then sit and laugh about it all. Some people are so ignorant.

[dankent]

Ya i can imagine I had made a few laughs when i first started.

[ewkearns]

Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia

Advice for knucklhead, Tell her where to stand each time you back up and stop and reposition her if she needs to go to other side as backing continues. Have her use hand signals only, yelling doesn't work. Show her how to point her hand above her head right/left and stop. Keep telling her if she cannot see you, you cannot see her. When that happens I stop to check and walk back to find her..

Get a hand held radio. Getting out of the truck and walking back to the back of the trailer for the 37th time to remind her that "if you cannot see me, I cannot see you," gets REALLY old.

Get a hand held radio. My wife can draft an entire thesis using nothing but pronouns.... and her hand signals convey about as much useful information. (sortova cross between Mr. Roboto and modern dance, I think.)

Get a hand held radio. Roll up the windows and scream at the radio..... You won't draw nearly as large a crowd and it is a great stress reliever.....

[Bob Landry]

Most of the time, I back it in with DW only watching to make sure I don't back into something. Everything else I can handle with my mirrors. We use a simple set of hand signals when needed, left, right, back, and stop. It doesn't get much simpler than that. The hardest part was getting her to understand that if she couldn't see my mirror, I couldn't see her. She finally got tired of walking up to the cab to see why I wasn't moving and it finally sank in.

[JRTJH]

This may help:

A lawn chair, stratigically placed out of the "line of fire" but still in view from the cab. Place the chair so the back of the RV will be visible when it is at its final "resting spot". Take care to make sure there are no obstacles to avoid, and instruct DW to hold up her hand when the trailer is 3 ft from the posts on the back of the site.

Give her a cool one, suggest she not move the chair until the RV is in position and then use mirrors and "memory of obstacles" until the RV is nearly in position. Then turn to the spot the "chair was in" and if DW hasn't moved the chair, make sure she is "really watching the back of the RV and not some squirrel on a stump. If she appears to be watching the RV, monitor for her to hold up her hand..

ALWAYS remember to keep an eye on the back of the RV just in case there may be a squirrel on one of those posts and she is not really watching the RV, even though it appears she might be.....

Really, in total honesty, my DW is truly helpful, but she also is about as capable of telling me where to go (oops: where to position the RV) as anyone I've ever met

[Kristi]

First off I want to say my DH is very capable of backing a trailer. That being said, I'm sure we still provide entertainment for the neighbors. The problem is me, yep, it's all me. Where to stand so I can see the both sides of the trailer & he can see me.

Last weekend I got the bright idea that I could put our 16 year old DD on the driver's side to "relay" the hand signals from me to DH. You can just imagine how well THAT worked out....

Going to pick up some hand radios and formulate a better plan of action before we head out at the end of the month...

[laidback]

Not all of us are purfect. I drove semi's for 38 yrs and still have days where it won't go where you want. So I don't find it really amusing when somebody is having an off day.

[davidjsimons]

The situation as I originally explained was far from amusing. As it turned, after they were all situated, we spoke and they we quite a nice family. I'm glad that during this entire episode nobody was hurt.


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[pmh]

The system my DW and I have worked out works really well for us. We both have cell phones and my truck has the Synch feature. See calls my cell, and we can talk back and forth hands free (for me).

Now instead of totally losing sight of her or not being able to hear her yelling we communicate with the phones. No extra expense, and a lot less stress getting into tight areas.

[CCFROMFL]

Reading about all you "lookers" would it not have been nice for you to offer some help and assistance to a possible newbie.

[labs4life]

Originally Posted by CCFROMFL

Reading about all you "lookers" would it not have been nice for you to offer some help and assistance to a possible newbie.

I am at Old Federal campground on Lake Lanier. Some how last night as the DW and I are eating dinner, I hear air brakes pop off. I say man I got to see this rig!!!! Then I hear tell take noises of a road tractor. He starts up the hill toward us and I can then see he has a 53' van in tow :0. He has the guidance of two older gentlemen (both Part of the host group). The were both telling him to go a different direction and one was only concerned with him not "touching" the grass or his curb. I ate a hamburger and an ear of corn during the fiasco!! I walked down as the two gentlemen were directing the driver to where both driver side tandems would fall off the pavement and drop at least a foot. I calmly asked if he was loaded and he said yes, HEAVY. We talked for a second and got a plan. He rolled down the passenger side window and I climbed on he step. We were almost out when one of the gentlemen started screaming the driver did not know what he was doing. I walked to the drivers side and he is telling the driver to listen to no one but him. He then tells me (36) he has more miles backwards than I do forward!!! (I can have a bit of a smart tone sometime). So I reply, if you could drive better, maybe you wouldn't have had to back up so much. then I explained they had jacking around for over 35 minutes and the driver was back in the same position as when he started. I tried to explain that we had more progress in the five minutes I had been there then since they started.

So I walked back up the hill (steaming) then listened to them yelling for another 45 minutes before he ever got out. By this time I sipping on another cool one and could have cared less if he ever got out!!!

[Javi]

Originally Posted by CCFROMFL

Reading about all you "lookers" would it not have been nice for you to offer some help and assistance to a possible newbie.

After getting my butt chewed of several occasions and at least once threatened with having my butt kicked all the way back to where I came from by a much smaller and less muscular but clearly feisty individual, I've learned to keep my advice to myself unless asked for said advice...

[mguay]

As I stated in an earlier post...I'm a circus watcher, but I watched something this weekend that I envied! While at our usual SP, we watched something that I have never seen be so flawless. The sites can be sometimes tricky to get on as there are trees on the corner of each site at the road with the site at a 90 deg angle to the road and the roads are only wide enough for 1 vehicle at a time. While having dinner, we hear a DP coming. The site next to us was empty so my thought was,"Some popcorn will wash down this steak nicely". As HE drives past I see that it is in the 40' range with a tag axle. He stops just past the entrance to the site and stops. I hear the spring brakes come on and my attention is now all on. 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! Never touched the grass at the curb or any tree branches. Other than the "one shot" park, the thing that amazes me is that she never once looked in a mirror! Total trust and excellent communication! I thought...they just got married and still like each other! Then 6 kids all piled out! My hat's off to them!

[Ron]

Every year for a week, I worked and organized a Horse back trail ride in Montana, did this for 35 years, it was a progressive ride so we moved camp every day. We had any where from 250-500 rider and around 175 rigs to move each day, from pickup campers with trailers to long goose neck living quarters. A lot of drivers for these rigs were hired by the rider and did not know or never even pulled let alone back a trailer, well every year since I was running this organization, at some camp sites I would have to park about 30 rigs a day, turn them around in a tight spot etc. what a pain but someone had to do it.

I have learned over the years you have to be careful who you want to help weather just a hand in the little things or getting behind the wheel, a lot of friendly folks out there that appreciate the help and a lot not. For the most part at RV camp grounds everyone has been pretty good at getting there rigs backed in and set up, once in awhile there is the little thing they need assistance with and usually im right there to assist if need be.

[Outbackmel]

Take your RV and go to a church parking lot during the week when all is empty. Set out 4 or 6 orange or yellow cones, give your DW a cell phone, you leave yours on speaker in the truck and practice, practice, practice. Many people make an error of not pulling forward far enough when approaching and setting the position to back in. If is feels like you are too forward of the spot, you are probably in perfect position. My last trip to FL, stayed at Rock Crusher Canyon in Crystal River. All sorts of spots. Mine was tight, surrounded by trees on one side and was the first spot in from the turn. Neighbors in a huge pull thru spot across came running over: "you'll never back that thing in there". First try, no foul language, no shouting. Never heard from them again in the 10 days we were there.

Another practice routine is make yourself an upside down "L" using something like yellow police tape, available at Home Depot, and line it so you measure your slide out width, and "follow the yellow brick road" to happiness.

When returning to my mountain spot, I have to be within 4 inches on one side to maximize my concrete pad space for leisure. Anything over that is not acceptable. No overhang allowed as commercial mowers would be blocked. Strictly enforced.

You CAN DO THIS. I am 70 and park mine in the mountains all the time with NO person around. Yes, I do use markers and yes, I am in and out of the cab 6 times or so, BUT, never knocked out a water line or power box or took down any trees.....not bragging here...just say'n, PRACTICE.

Ohh, one LAST thing....Gooooooo Slllloooooooowww!

My rig is 36ft, triple slide Outback pulled with a 2500 Dodge short bed. quad cab.