How are your backing skills

[Fosgate]

Someone shared this with me at perfect timing this morning. Yesterday had a young couple bring a horse trailer by the office to assess hail damage and four of us were watching them try and back this trailer in. I wound up jumping in the cab of the truck and backing it for them. They were obviously new to the area and to horses so this was a ringer and a highlight of our afternoon. To give them some credit there is a slope they have to come up to our bay and steel posts to worry about with the edge of the drive if they turn too sharp. All four of us were like this inside. 

With that said everyone has to start somewhere and I was awe full at one time (like when I was 10 with no license but backing my fathers van up to hook onto the camper). But once you learn it seems like you never forget like riding a bike. That is unless a boat is involved. Want some entertainment? Just hang out a boat launch for a little while. 

 

[Corylax18]

Hahahah. It seems to be the opposite for me. I starting helping my grand father with his boat when I was kid, but a horse trailer....... I also worked at a marina for a few summers in high school. Backing up somebody's $150k pleasure cruiser into a spot 2' wider than the trailer is a great way to learn. F*cking up just wasn't an option. Now that I think about it, who in their right mind would give a 17 or 18 year old that kind of responsibility? 

My cousins have horses, so I usually let them handle their own trailers!  I think this goes along with a thread I read last week about people/society losing skills. Less people everyday can change a tire, or their oil, drive a stick, fix things around the house, etc. Basically just fending for yourself.  

Somebody needs to teach you most of these skills though, it would take a lot of trial and error to learn how to change a tire safely. I'm lucky I had two grand fathers willing to throw me into the fire when I was young. I'll never forget when I was about 8 or 9 years old I was a couple miles off the cost of Maine with my moms father fishing, nothing crazy, but a big deal for me a the time. He gets us out of the bay into the open water, full cruise, walks up to the front of the boat where I'm sitting and says; "Drive, you need to be able to get yourself home if I have a heart attack." 

Saying that to an 8 year old today might be child abuse. 

[Fosgate]

Oh yes, as children we had a lot of responsibility that would put us in child social services system today. 8yrs old my father used to set us in his lap and operate the steering wheel. After awhile he would set the cruise and my mother would be watching from the passenger seat. dad would go lay down on the bed in the back. I remember people passing would look over and wave and we would smile back. Something breaks like a water line in front of the house we would call the local telephone coop guy in the community that would drive over a trencher or guy from the city maintenance with a tractor. Dig a hole in the front yard to the water pipe and replace it ourselves. Need shingles on your house? Get the neighbors together and buy a few bundles and put all us kids to work removing the old and show us how to lay down a row of new shingles and have the adults on the ends. Think we did all three of us and our neighbors houses within a week. Now days everyone just tries to turn them into insurance and hire it done. Thing is now days you don't have to have someone who knows how to do it. Youtube always has professionals that can show you how. 

[Hurltim]

I had my Mancard suspended for a few months--I can't back up a trailer to save my life. Seeing as how we hopefully will be getting a boat early next spring, I better learn. The wifey does all the backing up with the horse trailer.

Quickest way to spending the night in the man-cave is to criticize her when she backs up

 

[Fosgate]

Unloaded tandem axle boat trailers for bass boat size boats are my kryptonite. I'm good so long as I can see both sides of the trailer from the mirrors but as soon as I loose sight of one or they go under the water I'm screwed. Could be sideways under the water for all I know. Friend forgot to put the plug in his boat and taking on water. I barely got it backed in time to get it on the trailer. Ford F-250 V10 couldn't pull it out of the water we had to slowly ease up and bail water to get it out over maybe a half hour to pull it out. 

[PigFish]

I have been known to pull my boat, or my horse trailer through the McDonalds drive-through!!! I lost my fear of driving trailers and backing them long ago. My horse trailer is backed into my driveway right next to the boat.... -LOL

I love the commercial by the way, as I have horses! The real joke, while I own a VW TDI Jetta, is the thought of pulling anything with a VW!!! Now that would cause me to laugh! Me, 7.3L diesel Fords... to pull trailers. VW's, not a chance in hell. Anyone pulling a trailer with a VW, I can safely assume does not know a thing about trailering!!! I will often see people like this traveling in the #1 lane out of 4, when that is illegal in my state. Oh, and yes, of course tailgating the guy in front of him!

-the Pig

[scap99]

When I was a pipe fitter's apprentice, the company I worked for had some Lincoln Aircraft three phase welders.  Some where in time they trailer mounted one, and I would pull it behind the late 80's s-10 they issued me.  It pulled great, but seeing as how the trailer axle was only a couple feet off the hitch ball, it was all I could do to back it into position.  The tiniest bit of error in steering and that trailer would try to jack knife.  I got pretty good at that, but haven't pulled a trailer in 20+ years.  However, after that welder, a boat or toy hauler should be a piece of cake.

[Fuzz]

I haven't towed a trailer in years, but I was a fair dab at it. I also get a lot backing down narrow laneways to make deliveries, where you just judge by a 1 inch gap between your side mirror and the wall. Looking to get my HV licence next year when I have a bit of free time.

[Jeremy Festa]

I am the one always asked to back stuff in or tow things.

I grew up with boats, and towed them since I was 17. 

My major feat though, was towing a 36 foot airstream trailer with a big ranger truck from London to Abersoch in Wales. 

Those narrow one lane windy roads through the villages and along the coast of the Gwynedd penninsular were very taxing on the concentration. 

We arrived safe, but I zero chat for about a day. 

[GavLew79]

1 hour ago, Jeremy Festa said:

I am the one always asked to back stuff in or tow things.

I grew up with boats, and towed them since I was 17. 

My major feat though, was towing a 36 foot airstream trailer with a big ranger truck from London to Abersoch in Wales. 

Those narrow one lane windy roads through the villages and along the coast of the Gwynedd penninsular were very taxing on the concentration. 

We arrived safe, but I zero chat for about a day. 

Was that for Wakefest Jer?

[Jeremy Festa]

1 hour ago, GavLew79 said:

Was that for Wakefest Jer?

Indeed it was mate! 

[wabashcr]

Reminds me of one of my favorite commercials.  "Time was, a man knew how to command his own vehicle." 

 

[Blazer]

I am not ashamed to say I suck at backing up my trailer. I only take it out every few months and inevitably I am asked to back it up into some very tight driveway or garage. I get so damn frustrated when I start turning the wheel and the trailer is going the opposite direction I need it to go and I have to start all over again. What compounds matters is my lack of patience and the fear that I am going to get T-Boned if I don't move out of the road as quickly as possible.

[Hurltim]

I worry about how long I would take up dock space backing up my future boat. I do a lot of night fishing so I figure that's a good time to learn as I won't be in too many people's way.

I don't want to be THAT guy at the dock. 

[SloppyJ]

This is a great thread. I've never been great at backing up trailers but I'm getting better. I got a new truck this year and things have went downhill since then. The only thing I really ever pull is my bass boat. My new truck is taller than my old one which makes it much harder, if not impossible to see the boat at some times. It has a camera but it's about worthless for anything other than lining up the ball to the hitch. Like @Hurltim, I traded in a couple of my man cards and put some PVC stick up off the trailer so I can see where it's at after a few very embarrassing attempts to load my boat in a tiny, crowded ramp at dusk. Now it's no big deal to back it up but I look like a goober rolling down the highway or at the boat ramp. 

 

My wife wants to learn how to back the trailer in to make loading/unloading easier. I'm not even sure where to begin with that. Maybe a big empty parking lot....... 

[Cigars4me]

I do a lot of bass fishing from my Hobie kayak. A few years ago I got a Waverunner and turned it into a "bass boat"

I wanted more range then my kayak had, but not a full size bass boat.  I could hardly see it behind my truck over steep ramps, so I put long removable flags on both sides of the back of the trailer.  Made backing much easier!

[Miller1985]

I'm loving this thread!!! I had a great teacher in backing trailers... Hell in life skills... In my dad. Sumbich can back a trailer like its his job. The best I've ever seen him do was get caught in a dead end, single lane road with a four door truck and sixteen foot trailer. He looked at me, "Well, shoot." Put it in reverse and backed almost a half mile, curves and all. He taught me young and I'm thankful for the confidence he had in me. His philosophy was learn by doing. 

[Fosgate]

On 9/22/2016 at 8:44 AM, Hurltim said:

I worry about how long I would take up dock space backing up my future boat. I do a lot of night fishing so I figure that's a good time to learn as I won't be in too many people's way.

I don't want to be THAT guy at the dock. 

I've been THAT guy once or twice. Last time was with my cousin that owns a Ford/Toyota dealership. Back about 2007 when Toyota went to the big Tundra 1/2 ton truck we discovered when trying to pull his new boat out of the dock near impossible. Could not get that thing to pull the boat up the ramp. Here we are flipping through the owners manual on this brand new rig with the window sticker still in it, bed is half under water with a new $80k Ranger boat floating the trailer behind us. Once we figured out how to turn off the traction control we were good. Had no idea that slapping it in 4x4 was not locked in until you disengage the traction control. How dumb is that to have on a pickup. 

[Ken Gargett]

my old man had a bit of a temper so no one really ever played jokes on him but there were times i could not resist.

years ago, he was trying to back a trailer up our driveway which had a bit of a hairpin bend. it was really difficult - a nasty little trailer - and he kept at it. i was giving directions. we got a bit of a crowd gathered, including a few of his legal partners. and time after time, i sent him back as it would just not take the corner as it should. every time, it was "what the hell was wrong with that time?". jackknifed this way or that way or off target or something.

finally he nailed it perfectly.

no, i yelled. go back.

he did. "what the hell was wrong with that one?"

"nothing. it was perfect".

blood pressure goes through the roof. dad never swore but he went close. exploded at me. when he slowed down the ranting, he asked why.

"well, we are all having so much fun watching you try and reverse with the trailer, i didn't want it to stop". fortunately, everyone was laughing too hard for him to kill me but without witnesses, i might have been in a shallow grave somewhere. took him another 30 minutes but i had been dismissed and was no longer assisting.

[forgop]

I don't have a boat, but I'm pretty good at it from my days working on the farm. Backing grain wagons that pivot at the front wheels prove to be far more challenging than a boat on a ball hitch alone.


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[Phillys]

I am fairly skilled at backing up trailers. good skill to have to laugh at my buddies who work construction and have a hard time backing up massive trailers. I tell them move over, I'll back it up for you (I work in an office), they laugh and let me do it. Then I proceed to back up the trailer like it's nothing, gets them every time

Worst time though, I was driving a long box 4 door Ram with a 24 foot enclosed trailer, that things was massive! I am driving in downtown Montreal and there is a parade of some sorts and the streets were closed off. We are diverted to a small alleyway and it gets tight, then I have to turn and there are about 10 cars behind me. I see a driveway on the side, tell my brother to watch the back so I don't plow into anyone and go for it. Trailer had about 12 inches on each side in the driveway, backed it in, allowing me to take the turn I couldn't make. My brother gets back in the truck like WTF just happened, that was nice! pretended like it was easy and kept going.

At the next intersection I asked the cops to let me through because there was no way I was going back in the alleyways. Cop laughed and let me through.