In life, going forward is natural. Going backwards is impossible. Pretty much the same thing applies to towing a trailer. When we purchased our 26-foot travel trailer last month, we had booked a pull-thru spot knowing there would be a steep learning curve for backing up. But we knew we needed to get started. So we spent a couple of hours on our first two days at the campsite practicing backing up. Well, technically, I guess, we practiced how not to back up.
We were so bad that at one point, some campground neighbors came by to ask if we knew that we didn’t have to back into a pull-thru spot. RVers can be so helpful!
Things didn’t get much better when we towed the trailer back to Denver. We needed to get the trailer weighed in order to register it in Colorado. I had looked up the closest weigh station to our home, and upon arriving back from Texas we went straight to the station. Unbeknownst to me, that station had a scale with no way to drive straight on it. We would have to backup the trailer on the spot. To make things worse, the scale was tucked up right alongside the building. In essence, I had to parallel park the trailer.
There was no shortage of onlookers viewing the spectacle, and providing often incorrect advice. One woman tried to tell Mrs. 123 which way we should turn the trailer, but kept confusing her right and her left.
What finally helped me, was rather than relying solely on Mrs. 123’s directions, I would get out from time to time and see with my own eyes where the trailer needed to go. I finally got the trailer completely on the scale. Sure, it was crooked, and sure, it didn’t look pretty. But this endeavor was all about utility. It was function over form. We got our weight slip and headed home.
Our final challenge was getting into a parking spot outside of our apartment building. Our complex has a corner designated for big trucks, boats and trailers. And we had scoped out the ideal spot in that corner, and parked Mrs. 123’s car in that spot to reserve when we left for Texas to pick up the trailer. This time, I had learned from my mistakes and was able to back it in fairly quickly right in the middle of the parking spot.
We had watched a lot of YouTube videos about how to back up. The trick everybody shares is to put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and then turn the wheel with that hand in the direction you want the trailer to go. What I realized those videos didn’t explain well is that once you get the trailer turning, you can’t keep the wheels of your truck turned, or you’ll change the approach trajectory of the trailer into the spot. You’ve got to straighten out the truck’s wheels, once the trailer is turning on the arc you want.
I later found this YouTube video that describes the process better than any other I’ve found so far. I will admit I felt a little seen as he started the video apologizing for having made fun of people who didn’t know how to back up a trailer. But he was trying to do penance by pointing out the process.
If you’ve never backed up a trailer before, imagine placing a shoebox on the table, and then trying to control it with a single finger pushing on the side box. It’s challenging enough to push the box in a straight line. Now try turning the box by rotating your finger one way or the other. It’s not at all intuitive.
Our trailer hasn’t moved from its spot since we got home, as we’re waiting for the nightly low temperatures to stay consistently above freezing. Then we’ll dewinterize and take it out for some weekend trips this spring. Before we do that, however, we’ve got plans for two modifications that should help the backing up process. First, we’re going to install a back-up camera, so I can see where the trailer is heading. Second, our Ford F-150 pickup has the Pro Trailer Back-up Assist feature. It’s a knob that you use to direct the trailer where you want it to go. The truck takes over the steering to match. Hopefully, that should make things much easier. It’s a bit of a crutch… Okay, it’s a huuuuge crutch. But there’s no shame in using it. There’s a lot more shame being the campground entertainment every time you try to back up.
We’ll choose an upcoming weekend to set up and calibrate the system, and then we’ll practice backing up in an empty parking lot. After all, the spring season is right around the corner.
