Any tips on lining up the ball under the hitch when alone?

[dennis b]

Originally Posted by wwsmith111

Asking my wife to help me will only lead to divorce. So I do it by myself while my wife walks the dog...

Good idea. I invested in the iball no more arguments over backing up or yelling back and forth, its almost to easy, I backup and my 13 year old boy tells me when to stop and he takes it from there.
ALMOST MISS THE OLD RITUAL!

[Arefbee]

My wife does a stellar job of directing over FRS radios and has most of the hitching process down.

I use the GOAL method when she is not available. I had to use it this weekend since she stayed home with a stomach virus. Both kids (6 & 9) were very patient while getting it hooked up which amazed me.

I have gently bumped into the chain on one occasion, but other that, there has never been an issue.

I looked at the cameras but I prefer mirrors after using them for years. Her new car has the built-in camera and I nearly sheared a mirror first time I used it - and haven't used it (until I am close to the back of the parking space) since.

A few times hopping in and out is probably good for me. The exercise helps I'm sure.

[Upuaut]

Originally Posted by mcfarmall

This thread's older than dirt.

You have a problem with dirt? I thought farmers loved dirt.

[jimp]

Originally Posted by Upuaut

You have a problem with dirt? I thought farmers loved dirt.

New members like to join in on old threads that have some dirt. We all like to get dirty every now n then.

[Paulx213]

Just practice. After hooking up a half dozen times I can do it first or second try every time.

Like backing up you have think the procedure through.

[frank10]

Originally Posted by nwminnesota

I bought the peak camera. Every time I pushed on the gas pedal the picture would go fuzzy could not make out the picture at all. I ended up returning it.

I mounted the video sender almost inside the cab. It's so close, I might as well have gotten a wired unit. But, it was cheap and works well enough. The more I can do on my own, the better.

It's also nice when backing the truck up in general.

[Crabman]

Lots of good ideas here.

[ottor]

Best money I've ever spent towards the rig .....

http://www.amazon.com/Swift-Hitch-SH...ds=swift+hitch

[Jpetrey]

Master Lock 4843DATSEN Vehicle Back Up and Hitch Alignment Camera with 3.5 Inch Color Monitor

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-48.../dp/B002FOAZSG

[eldermike]

Perhaps its been suggested already but before I had a camera I used a method that worked for me. I backed up to something close, got out and visualized the position and the offsets needed to correct it. I put a penny on the ground next to the drivers door and left the door open and watched the penny. The left/rignt corrections took some learning but the backing distance difference is easy to judge.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by eldermike

Perhaps its been suggested already but before I had a camera I used a method that worked for me. I backed up to something close, got out and visualized the position and the offsets needed to correct it. I put a penny on the ground next to the drivers door and left the door open and watched the penny. The left/rignt corrections took some learning but the backing distance difference is easy to judge.

I use the cheaper method: pick out a distinctive characteristic on the ground like a pebble, or a spot on the asphalt that's a different color.

[Big Sky]

My son & I are quite the team. The wife on this = fighting. When the kid moves out of the house, I'm getting those magnetic tennis ball things.

[GMC]

If you happen to have two iphones avaiable there is an app called WiFi Camera. Using bluetooth, you can remotely see on one phone what the other phone's camera sees. Basically a $1 back-up camera (if you already have the hardware!)

[kepami03]

Where did you find a camera for $80.00?
Thanks

[nbhybrid]

Originally Posted by kepami03

Where did you find a camera for $80.00?
Thanks

when you are asking someone a question you should use the quote feature so it is known who you are talking to. Since this thread is over 2 years old I did a simple search on amazon and found many. here is an example
http://www.amazon.com/AGPtek%C2%AE-L...=backup+camera

[sootman60]

I have hooked up to every trailer type there is, gooseneck, fifth wheel, ball, pintle, with a hundred different combinations.

Best thing to do is look at both side mirrors and have an even view of the trailer on both sides. that will line you up. Now distance can be determined by looking at relationship of bed of truck to trailer. If you tow often you can get within an inch of how close your TV should be to the trailer.

A good tip is to not lift the trailer completely off the ball when you pull TV away. let it push the truck down a bit until it clears. This way when you hook back up you can feel the truck squat a bit as you back under and you will be near perfectly lined up.

I can hook up a 30ft gooseneck in middle of winter with a full bed in under 3 minutes and be headed down the road.

[tjpolsin]

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

My backup camera mounted in the tail gate of my truck works wonders for me...

With the view screen feet markers and centerline I can watch the trailer hitch ball move right under the trailer hitch first time everytime (Day or Night)..

GOOGLE Images similar to my rear camera view



Roy Ken

Even with my camera, folks still try to help me backup. I'm polite and pretend to follow their lead so as not to get hard feelings. My kids have helped me by doing hand signals right in front of the camera. But they still can't get the left/right position correct. Their response is usually "ok, stop, you're there. Just move over 4" to the left". The whole time I'm watching them in the camera trying to let them learn from their mistakes. To their credit, they are getting better.

It is quicker for me to do it myself. I back up until the ball almost touches the hitch, then get out and check tongue height, then get back in an finish backing up. THEN I SET THE PARKING BRAKE TO KEEP THE TRUCK FROM ROLLING 1-2 INCHES AFTER I GET OUT.

oh, did I mention to set the parking brake?

[nbhybrid]

Originally Posted by sootman60

A good tip is to not lift the trailer completely off the ball when you pull TV away. let it push the truck down a bit until it clears. This way when you hook back up you can feel the truck squat a bit as you back under and you will be near perfectly lined up.

This may not be a good practice as you could potentially damage something plus it wouldn't work for an RV generally because you would mostly likely always need to raise/lower it to level for camping after you unhitch

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by tjpolsin

THEN I SET THE PARKING BRAKE TO KEEP THE TRUCK FROM ROLLING 1-2 INCHES AFTER I GET OUT.

oh, did I mention to set the parking brake?

I'll only set the brake if I'm on an incline, otherwise, I want that play between the ball and socket so I don't get anything bound up. If I'm a little too far back, I just push forward on the truck while I lower the trailer onto the ball, if I'm a little too far forward, I just tug on the tail gate for the exact spot. In fact, just a hair too far forward is my preference, then when I lower the trailer onto the ball, I just let go of the truck and it leans forward and pulls the ball into the front of the socket which is just perfect. This completely eliminates any possibility of the ball and socket getting in a bind.

[Brownie]

Never thought much for back-up cameras until my current TV came with one. Now, I wouldn't be without one! Well worth the money!