Well, that went well

Beelbill · 04-13-2015, 06:37 PM

I have been pulling and backing trailers for 40 years. But never tried a 5th wheel until today. Brought our new Jayco 5th wheel to the mobile home court we will be living in. It pulled much better than a travel trailer. But I can't back it into a site worth crap. When you are backing into a site that is on the driver's side, the 5th wheel is so close and big you can't see squat on the passenger side. My wife was supposed to be back there watching for me, but she was busy throwing twigs in front of my tires to give me better traction. After I hit the tree, I pulled forward and got stuck in the mud. On the bright side, we met all the neighbors who came to watch the show. I now know who the subdivision big mouth is. He was overheard loudly informing each new arrival that I was an unteachable idiot. Once I got towed out of the site, I just left it on the road next to the site to try another more dry day. Should have bought a backup camera but didn't think it was worth it for one vacation a year. Actually, starting to think should have bought a travel trailer. But, everyone said it would be sooooo much easier. They didn't realize I was an unteachable idiot.

DMRGMC · 04-13-2015, 07:10 PM

Hope the damage was minimal. That's when 4 wheel drive is handy. We were in a campground in Burnaby, BC, it took at least a 37 point turn, very tight with hedges and the site was cut in to a berm with a wood retaining wall. Thought I got it centred but the right slide needed another 3 inches. Had to move the unit over, 10 more maneuvers. The people across with the class A would have filled their pants if they saw how close I was to there unit. That was on dry pavement.
Wait till you blow out the rear window! There's a noise you'll never forget.

jayfowler · 04-13-2015, 07:50 PM

Don't let them bring you down. You will get it figured out.

Murff · 04-13-2015, 07:55 PM

Make sure you wait about 6 months and then "payback" the resident loudmouth publicly!

Bsikes · 04-13-2015, 08:01 PM

Don't listen to the riffraff.
Was backing my new TT into my single car driveway with the wife "guiding" me. There was still snow melting in the yard. Went wide and she said "You're in the yard". Didn't think nothing of it. Tried to pull forward.. No movement. Tried to backup... no movement. Thought of two things at that moment. Either I pulled the emergency trailer brake cable or I broke my truck. That's when my wife walked up and said again " you're IN the yard". Got out and looked. Sure enough, I was IN the yard alright. Sunk the trailer right up to the axles on the passenger side due to the melting snow water saturated yard. Had to repair the massive divot and two sprinkler heads.
Oh well, practice makes perfect. Next time it only took one try to get it in the first try.

rryman · 04-13-2015, 08:01 PM

Wow, I shouldn't have looked at this thread! So far, I've only backed ours into our driveway, and I did a rotten job of that, but finally got it in position. In my defense, it was the first time I had backed it in on my blind side, and first time backing a 5'er. Someone said they turned shorter. I found that out right away. Almost ended up with both left and right side tires on our lawn instead of the driveway! Still got some learnin' to do. Thankfully, our first campground scheduled is a pull through. Hoping to get some backing practice before our second trip, which is a back in only site-and tight!

jimandcarol · 04-13-2015, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMRGMC

Hope the damage was minimal. That's when 4 wheel drive is handy. We were in a campground in Burnaby, BC, it took at least a 37 point turn, very tight with hedges and the site was cut in to a berm with a wood retaining wall. Thought I got it centred but the right slide needed another 3 inches. Had to move the unit over, 10 more maneuvers. The people across with the class A would have filled their pants if they saw how close I was to there unit. That was on dry pavement.
Wait till you blow out the rear window! There's a noise you'll never forget.

Sounds like a 12ga shotgun went off in the cab.

NVGun40 · 04-13-2015, 08:19 PM

I have gone from a TT to a 5er and back to a TT. There are a lot of advantages to a 5er when it comes to towing and backing. I would get my 5er in and out of some pretty tight spots on a regular basis.
Give it a little time to get used to. Realistically, your side view mirror may seem like you can't see as much, but its really the same view. What messes with your head is the perception because the pivot point is no longer back at your bumper. The pivot is directly over your rear axle on your TV. Keep reminding yourself of this. It is because of this that your 5ers turn is much more immediate then when you were towing a TT.

Roadwarrior · 04-13-2015, 08:20 PM

I took out the facia board on my house and ripped my rubber roof the first day I brought mine home, and it's only a 185RB. My hat is tipped to you guys with the big trailers and 5th wheels.

Higgy · 04-13-2015, 08:29 PM

Had to laugh when i read this post. Not laughing at the damage i must add. Had the same guiding experience with my wife stepping out of my view as she waved her hands frantically to tell me stop. Luckily i only broke the house roof a little and a small dent on the corner of the trailer

Im glad im not the only one who had or is having a 5th wheel manoeuvring break in period. It is so different. Made me look like a newb the first time putting mine in the drive. I usually had to reverse my other trailers through a gauntlet of parked vehicles then a 90 degree turn into the drive. Had it down to a fine art. First time with the 5th was like a twenty point turn and more mud up the wheels than i would have liked. Garden repair like Bsikes for me as well this summer

Two or three goes at it and you get used to it though.

NVGun40 · 04-13-2015, 08:45 PM

One of the 5er maneuvering problems I had was loading the bed of my truck with extra stuff for the trip. I put the tall stuff forward of the hitch and figured I was pretty smart till I had to back the whole show into a narrow slot by starting out with a ninety degree turn. That 5er overhead rammed my tall cargo right into the corner of the cab of the truck shattering the back window.

rryman · 04-13-2015, 09:05 PM

Wow, this is a good thread for those of us who are new to 5'ering! I haven't sprung for the Revolution or Sidewinder pin box yet, so I'm going to be extra cautious when backing. I don't have room to put anything forward of the hitch except low stuff due to the retractable bed cover I have. (Pace Edwards Jack Rabbit) Nice thing about it is once I'm unhooked, the cover closes right over the hitch and locks, and will cover anything else in the bed. I think I'm going to hook up one day on the weekend and go to an empty parking lot and get some practice prior to getting on the road. I guess my biggest concern is getting around during fuel stops. A couple years ago I got hemmed in by a gasoline tanker that pulled in while I was fueling and blocked my exit path. Ended up backing up onto a service road while DW watched for traffic. We have since bought the Good Sam book to find the good fuel stops.

djtho1 · 04-13-2015, 10:45 PM

I echo the change in pivot point. Once I realized that I have to move the whole truck instead of just the rear bumper it became, if not easier, more understandable. It might help to find a truck stop and practice there. I did some.

On our seismic the break away cable for the brakes is too short and I can't pivot one direction. The first time that pulls out and the whole rig just stops will get your attention! Always takes a minute to remember

Good luck with learning. It will come. Apparently the resident loudmouth has not tried anything new. It might change his perspective.

djtho1 · 04-13-2015, 10:48 PM

Sorry to post twice, but rryman, I find no shame in dropping my unit in the truck lot and just taking the truck to fill up if it's tight. Let them snicker

rryman · 04-13-2015, 11:13 PM

……….. I find no shame in dropping my unit in the truck lot and just taking the truck to fill up if it's tight.
========
Now there's yet another good idea. Hadn't thought of that, but it will be on my list just in case. I've passed up gas stations where I thought I couldn't get in and there were large parking lots next to them. Good idea.

Quahog · 04-14-2015, 05:14 AM

Since moving up from a travel trailer to a 5th wheel, I've come to appreciate just how much nicer the 5th wheel tows. I wouldn't go back. Now that said, we all had a 'learning experience" on backing in the trailer. It does get better and easier with time and practice -- which you can do in a big empty parking lot vs. trying to squeeze into a tight space on your first time backing. Personally, I prefer backing in from the driver's side if at all possible since your line of sight is better and you don't have to deal with the wall of the trailer being a giant blind spot when backing up.

Here's a short little video that might help folks trying to learn to back into a space.

Travel Trailer & 5th Wheel Backing Tips | The #1 RV Video Education training Source RV 101®

TexasRT · 04-14-2015, 05:50 AM

BeelBill - The guy with the loud mouth probably did the same the first time out, don't sweat it. Like others have said, it takes time to get used to it. Go to a big empty parking lot and practice. Go slow , don't get in a hurry no matter what.
On our first long trip years back I took a wrong turn at night, and about a 1/4 mile down the road I realized it was not were we wanted to be and there was no way to turn around. At that point I was very glad I had gone to the big parking lot and practiced backing up the new 5'er. I had to back up the road (in the dark) and back on to the service road to get back on track. Not fun, but doable.

The moral of the story, it will get better for you and don't trust an old GPS unit. lol

Good luck

bucko · 04-14-2015, 05:51 AM

Interesting thread. It reminded me of the time my dad was teaching me to drive at the age of 15. He put me in his 1973 Ford F100, standard transmission truck. He had me go forward, and reverse in front of the house for an hour. When I "mastered" the clutch on a straight street, he took me to a hilly one, sat in a chair, and read a newspaper while I "mastered" that.

Then he took me out on the road. After a week of that, he took me to a mall parking lot on an early Sunday morning with his 16 foot trailer in tow. He set up cones, then had me backing that trailer within them. I learned how to "turn the steering wheel right" to get the trailer to go left, and vise versa.

At first I had no clue as to why he made me do this, but many years later, I realized his logic.

To anyone who is towing for the first time; head over to a large parking lot with some chairs or whatever to mark a spot; then practice backing into and out of.

When you get to a campsite, you'll be the "pro".

bryyce62 · 04-14-2015, 12:13 PM

I'm in the learning phase as is most of you folks with backing a 5er.
One thing I might want to add is, grab a set of cheap walkie-talkies & carry them with, so when the wifey is at the rear of your unit trying to guide you back, you can communicate more effectively than hand signals.

rryman · 04-14-2015, 12:32 PM

One of my biggest concerns is what is always on my blind side. I just watched the video above and one of the best things I've found is to walk the site like they suggest and get a good feel for what you're backing into. And some places, you don't want to forget to look up, for low hanging limbs. I found out last year that some of these people that check you in have no clue about lot size/location vs the size of your TT. I hope that was the exception. A lot of places they escort you to the site and assist you in getting parked.

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