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Old 09-21-2018, 07:27 PM   #1
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Backing straight...

While taking my trailer (15) out of the garage for the first time I marked where the wheels hit the driveway on the way out, and put tape there (to be paint eventually.) Today I used those marks to put the trailer back.

Problem- I don't have a lot of room to straighten out the car/trailer combo. So I can line up with those marks for the trailer tire and still have the trailer go in at the wrong angle. I tried pulling out and backing as straight as I can but I still ended up with a slight angle in the garage (and unfortunately- angled the wrong way if I'm going to be angled.)

Any hints for backing absolutely straight? (And with the car in line with the trailer?) I can see that I'm not hitting the garage door opening but I can't really tell if the trailer is going straight back without getting out to look. I didn't end up off by too much but it took 3 or 4 tries to get it straight enough to allow access to the trailer inside the garage.
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Old 09-21-2018, 07:31 PM   #2
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Old 09-21-2018, 08:04 PM   #3
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The mark on the approach is a good idea. However sometimes a line on the floor where the trailer needs to set helps. I line up on the saw cut in the concrete and estimate how far away I’d like to be as well as watching the door frame. Your rear view mirror tipped slightly down so you can see the floor and the line will help. Go very slow and only make minor corrections with the steering wheel.
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Old 09-21-2018, 08:08 PM   #4
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The best thing is to pull forward straight first. With your lines( good idea ) lay a hockey stick or broom handle down on the drivers side visible from rear view mirror lined up with your lines . I use that trick when backing into a camp spot solo . Works for me , some times I use 2 pieces of fire wood or rocks.
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Old 09-21-2018, 10:18 PM   #5
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I have 3 pieces of 1 inch Schedule 20 PVC pipe that I line up aligned with one side of the garage as an extension of my path into the garage as I have to make a 90 degree turn to back in. I also have a rear view camera with a target mounted in the center of the back garage wall.



The pipes let me line up on my path, then I use the rear view camera to back in, keeping the target centered in the monitor. Once you run over the pipes a few times they get kinda flat and stay in place even better.....



As a stop gauge I mounted a garage door safety sensor so the beam goes sideways across the garage. It's wired to be ON if the trailer isn't blocking it. When it turns OFF I stop.
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Old 09-21-2018, 10:53 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa Dave View Post
The mark on the approach is a good idea. However sometimes a line on the floor where the trailer needs to set helps. I line up on the saw cut in the concrete and estimate how far away I’d like to be as well as watching the door frame. Your rear view mirror tipped slightly down so you can see the floor and the line will help. Go very slow and only make minor corrections with the steering wheel.
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I can't see into the garage to where the wheels are going. Otherwise that's basically what I did- I'm just not getting the car-trailer combo perfectly straight as I back so the trailer is entering the garage at a slight angle. Maybe I can extend the lines further out to make sure I am straight at that point.
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Old 09-21-2018, 10:58 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tractors1 View Post
I have 3 pieces of 1 inch Schedule 20 PVC pipe that I line up aligned with one side of the garage as an extension of my path into the garage as I have to make a 90 degree turn to back in. I also have a rear view camera with a target mounted in the center of the back garage wall.



The pipes let me line up on my path, then I use the rear view camera to back in, keeping the target centered in the monitor. Once you run over the pipes a few times they get kinda flat and stay in place even better.....



As a stop gauge I mounted a garage door safety sensor so the beam goes sideways across the garage. It's wired to be ON if the trailer isn't blocking it. When it turns OFF I stop.
Happily my 90 degree turn is at the other end of a 35 or so foot driveway. I'm just not ending up straight enough. I like the rear view camera idea but currently don't have one. I figure I can mark a line where the car needs to end up.

At least I haven't (yet) hit the garage door trim or worse, the new doors.
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Old 09-21-2018, 11:00 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Devil Dog View Post
The best thing is to pull forward straight first. With your lines( good idea ) lay a hockey stick or broom handle down on the drivers side visible from rear view mirror lined up with your lines . I use that trick when backing into a camp spot solo . Works for me , some times I use 2 pieces of fire wood or rocks.
I tried that- several times- but still did not end up exactly right. The problem was having to make tiny corrections to get between the lines and then the car wheels aren't straight so the trailer goes in at an angle.

I don't get the hockey stick, though, wouldn't I just run over it? Extending the lines further out may work, though.
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Old 09-21-2018, 11:21 PM   #9
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I think it may have been someone over on the FiberglassRV forum that pulled their tow vehicle and camper straight forward, then placed an adhesive dot on his tow vehicle's rear window and another on the front of his camper in perfect alignment when looking through his interior rear view mirror (maybe a small dot on the mirror too). When backing, he'd get things lined up straight with the dots aligned, then while backing, as long as he kept the dots aligned, he knew he was backing straight back. Or something like that....
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Old 09-22-2018, 04:34 AM   #10
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How about a trailer dolly? a couple folks use the self powered ones. Something like this one. https://parkit360.ca/
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Old 09-22-2018, 06:02 AM   #11
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Is your driveway flat? Could you buy a wheel for the front jack and push it the last 5 feet manually? I did that once with our 17. It was difficult but possible so the lighter 15 should be easier. However, if you do this you should be very diligent in blocking the primary trailer wheels before unhooking as the front end will be less stable with that wheel.
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Old 09-22-2018, 07:04 AM   #12
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one word PRACTICE....mine is not always straight, I painted lines about 18" long for my rear tires to follow, and you are right, the slightest turn and the whole trailer is a little askew. But as long as you do not hit the side walls, who cares?
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Old 09-22-2018, 07:30 AM   #13
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Practice, for sure. Pretty much the only way to do it.

However, with any bumper pull Escape, especially a 15, just get it close, use a hitch wheel and push it to wherever you want.
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Old 09-22-2018, 08:59 AM   #14
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I still do not know what I am doing, but I manage to get the trailer where it needs to be. Every time I get in the car to back up camper, I say now what do I do. Carl
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Old 09-22-2018, 09:29 AM   #15
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Just an observation: I don't have a lot of trailer backing experience and I struggle with backing one straight as well but I've found it easier to back a larger trailer than a smaller one. My 8' landscape trailer gave me fits compared to the 24' HiLo I had.

As others said, keep practicing and remember "GOAL" (get out and look).
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Old 09-22-2018, 09:43 AM   #16
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Quote:
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Just an observation: I don't have a lot of trailer backing experience and I struggle with backing one straight as well but I've found it easier to back a larger trailer than a smaller one. My 8' landscape trailer gave me fits compared to the 24' HiLo I had.

As others said, keep practicing and remember "GOAL" (get out and look).
Very true, the longer the distance of the axle(s) from the pivot of the hitch, the slower it is to react. I have driven tractor trailer fifth wheel combos where you can manoeuvre the truck a lot, yet the rear end of the long trailer moves very little. I have also towed a few shorter trailer where reversing is way trickier, where if you can easily get jackknifed in a heartbeat.

The getting out to assess your positioning and where you wish to be, I do it all the time. I like the GOAL acronym.
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Old 09-22-2018, 10:33 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by War Eagle View Post
I think it may have been someone over on the FiberglassRV forum that pulled their tow vehicle and camper straight forward, then placed an adhesive dot on his tow vehicle's rear window and another on the front of his camper in perfect alignment when looking through his interior rear view mirror (maybe a small dot on the mirror too). When backing, he'd get things lined up straight with the dots aligned, then while backing, as long as he kept the dots aligned, he knew he was backing straight back. Or something like that....
I can line up the car and trailer- but what might work is two dots, one still just says the trailer is behind the car, but if I had two lined up it says it is in a straight line behind the car. Hmm, might be something I can do with that.
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Old 09-22-2018, 10:38 AM   #18
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How about a trailer dolly? a couple folks use the self powered ones. Something like this one. https://parkit360.ca/
My neighbor has one- but he wasn't home yesterday. That would help once I'm in the garage as his isn't powered but I don't think I could push the trailer in with the unpowered one (slight lip at the garage door- I couldn't even push the Campster over it by myself). Alas, he is selling his house! But maybe I'll get a chance to try his before he sells- it might help me position the trailer in the garage now. I think I might be able to move it on the wheel jack, but it's hard to manipulate that way.
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Old 09-22-2018, 10:46 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
one word PRACTICE....mine is not always straight, I painted lines about 18" long for my rear tires to follow, and you are right, the slightest turn and the whole trailer is a little askew. But as long as you do not hit the side walls, who cares?
Once in there I have a little more room but I want to be able to get into the trailer in the garage- which means leaving space on one side to open the door. It doesn't take much to lose that space if the trailer goes in at an angle.

Practice, yep, I'll have to plan a few camping trips so that I have to back into the garage again!
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Old 09-22-2018, 01:02 PM   #20
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Similar to Tractors pipe method, I lay down a long rope. It is lined up parallel to the garage inside walls and positioned where I want the tires to be.
I still start and stop a bit, get out look, and try again.

I like the Tractors idea of using a Garage Door 'beam' to tell me, if I'm backed in as far as I can go. I do take off the spare tire to gain a few extra inches, this being helpful in walking around the front of trailer, while the garage door is closed.

But like all things, it's Practice, Practice, Practice
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