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Old 05-18-2014, 11:18 PM   #21
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Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. We aren't doing this until mid-September, but will post a report in this thread or a new one after the lesson.

For those who asked, Valley quoted $85 per hour for instruction. Here's a link to their web page: About Us - Greater Vancouver/Surrey/Abbotsford

Google says they are one minute away from Escape Trailer Industries on Industrial Way in Chilliwack.
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Old 05-19-2014, 02:37 PM   #22
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My wife and I had the same idea and did it. We used the Euro Driving School which is located in Surrey B.C. The instructor met us at ETI after our morning orientation. He spent the rest of the day with us, with us taking turns pulling the trailer and backing it and parking it. Attila is a great and patient teacher and it was well worth the $300 dollars for us both. He can be reached at 604-809-3876.

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Old 05-19-2014, 07:08 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by 7th Heaven View Post
By far the Best advise I got was from SallyP, "To back up straight, keep your head still and watch your mirrors. Turn the steering wheel in the direction of the mirror that you see your trailer in."
Great advise. Most definitely use the mirrors, and do not turn your body around....ever!!

I have reversed thousands of times, and never actually thought of the idea of turning the steering wheel towards the mirror you see the trailer in to straighten out. I could see that being helpful for inexperienced towers. Great idea, and encourages proper use of mirrors. A way better idea than a few other 'tricks' that I have heard suggested.
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Old 05-20-2014, 09:48 AM   #24
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In my opinion, you don't need to pick up very much to make it worth the time or expense.

After riding motorcycles for >40 years, I recently took a pair of motorcycle courses. It was quite embarrassing to find out how much I was doing wrong.

I like the idea of taking the class with my wife, though I'd probably do it locally.
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Old 05-31-2014, 08:14 PM   #25
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Backing anything takes practice, I see the driver's ed cars in my neighborhood teaching kids how to back around a corner every day. As others have said earlier good communication and clear signals are a must.

One of the most useful tools to backing I learned about in the Air Force backing large helicopters into small hangers, flashlights with 12" long orange tubes on the ends. They are visible in the daytime as well as night. The orange tube is more visible to the tug operator than a bare hand is.

I also think training in backing a trailer is a very wise investment in your confidence and competence. Kudos.
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Old 05-31-2014, 08:25 PM   #26
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Frankly, I think everyone who tows a trailer should learn to back it up and get it into a site or space without ANY help.
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Old 05-31-2014, 08:29 PM   #27
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As a road biker, one of the things I fear most is seeing a trailer, or worse, a rental RV bearing down on me along with oncoming traffic. I wouldn't mind if training for hauling a trailer or an RV was mandatory.
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Old 06-01-2014, 12:50 PM   #28
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I have to agree. I biked across the U.S. From Astoria, Or. To Bar Harbor, ME. As you would expect, lots of logging trucks, grain trucks, etc. But the only really close call came from a large(35-40') motor home pulling a matching trailer that was large enough to contain an SUV(and probably did). The professional drivers were pretty courteous, and while they didn't always leave a lot of room, it was obvious that they understood how large their vehicles were and there was enough room for all parties on the road. But my impression is that a few of the RV drivers were either new to this, or drove their RV only occasionally and didn't have an appreciation of how far their mirrors stuck out.

I also feel compelled to mention there are a few cyclists who could use the safe cycling course from the League of American Bicyclists.
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Old 06-01-2014, 02:03 PM   #29
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...But my impression is that a few of the RV drivers were either new to this, or drove their RV only occasionally and didn't have an appreciation of how far their mirrors stuck out.
I agree - this is a common issue for drivers of all sorts of RVs. In a way, Class A motorhomes are not as bad as smaller vehicles towing trailers, because with a trailer its easy to forget how wider the trailer is compared to the tug.
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Old 07-30-2014, 03:26 PM   #30
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Valley Driving school

Did anyone end up doing this? If so was it worthwhile?

Which did you take:
RV Towing
or Trailer towing

Thanks
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Old 07-30-2014, 03:39 PM   #31
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I think Brent and Cheryl are planning to do this in September. I'm looking forward to what they have to say afterward!
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Old 07-30-2014, 08:03 PM   #32
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Donna and I took a brief course on the day we picked up our trailer from the Euro Driving School in Surrey B.C.. The instructor met us in Chilliwack at ETI after our orientation and really helped us through getting used to pulling a trailer. We both drove smaller vehicles for a living but had never pulled a trailer before. Our instructor after showing us how to back-up observed our driving for several hours and patiently pointed out things we needed to know and habits we needed to change. It was a worthwhile experience.
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Old 07-30-2014, 08:49 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chapitre View Post
Did anyone end up doing this? If so was it worthwhile?

Which did you take:
RV Towing
or Trailer towing

Thanks
Being newbies to towing, Liz and I are booked with Valley Driving School for a 3 hour session in mid August. At $95/hour with the 3 hours split between the two of us. We are using our tug and new egg for the session. They figured 3 hours would be enough.

Valley Driving School were easy to deal with. We will post about our experience. But off hand just knowing we will have some training under our belts made us more ready to plan our first week's trip. We are going to three different campgrounds and feel way more confident about the trip then if we were planning to learn on the road by ourselves. We figured the investment of the trailer made investing in how to tow the thing worthwhile.

Larry
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Old 07-30-2014, 11:07 PM   #34
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Any of the schools offer a "drive our rig" lesson? As a newbie with no towing experience nor a tug/trailer I would like to see how I do before the $$$ leaves my wallet.
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Old 07-31-2014, 08:48 AM   #35
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I guess I should consider myself lucky. In '91 I purchased my first 15' sailboat that I "dry sailed" in other words haul to lake and back down ramp with and without boat on trailer (single axle). One of the members of our sailing club was a driving instructor and spent time with the noobs for free. Since then I've hauled up to 35' sailboats, dry sailed all of my boats up to a 22' keel boat. I then started riding horses at the ripe age of 45 and had a variety of trailers including goosenecks. I hauled all of the above all over the SE without problems by myself. Since I'm single and live alone everything from hooking up to backing up was by myself. Going down the road with a horse moving around in the back could be challenging!

It's the only skill I'll bring to the table when I get a TT. Otherwise I read these forums like a hawk trying to learn the ins and outs of camping life with a TT and will again be a rank noob.

My camping experience was car camping in college in Central Oregon. We'd throw sleeping bags, a tent if we were lucky, cooler and a camp stove and off we'd go....young and dumb camping in the wilderness of central and eastern OR - sometimes I look back on that and I'm surprised I'm still among the living
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Old 07-31-2014, 09:40 AM   #36
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Brent, I think your spot on for seeking training. I have thought about it knowing I have zero experience towing and would love to hear your feedback on the training at Valley Driving School. If you feel its beneficial, I too will arrange for some training during my pick up in Dec. After all, we are making huge investments in our trailers and have a responsibility to the public and ourselves to be as prepared and safe as possible when towing. In may ways, I think some type of training or skills assessment should be a requirement for towing, but somehow its not. Thanks for being this issue to the forum!
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Old 07-31-2014, 10:59 AM   #37
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Although I'm self-taught (and still always learning!) about towing, I'm increasingly of the opinion that there ought to be some additional license requirement for towing, perhaps above a certain weight, like the commercial drivers are obliged to do. It's downright scary seeing some trailer connections, how people drive, and the general inattention given. When I had a sailboat berthed in our local harbor, one of the afternoon diversions was sitting near the launch ramp with a beer, watching people trying to get their boats into and out of the water. It was always good for a laugh, and made me realize I never wanted to be one of those people being laughed at!
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Old 07-31-2014, 11:39 AM   #38
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Although I'm self-taught (and still always learning!) about towing, I'm increasingly of the opinion that there ought to be some additional license requirement for towing, perhaps above a certain weight, like the commercial drivers are obliged to do.
British Columbia has this: Towing a recreational trailer. I don't live there, so I am not required to have the endorsement, but if I lived there and had a large enough trailer I would gladly comply with the testing and licensing requirements.

The B.C. "house trailer endorsement" doesn't apply to anything as small as an Escape, but it does apply to larger travel trailers; most which are heavy enough to qualify are fifth-wheels.
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Old 07-31-2014, 11:50 AM   #39
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Any of the schools offer a "drive our rig" lesson? As a newbie with no towing experience nor a tug/trailer I would like to see how I do before the $$$ leaves my wallet.
I don't know, but I have a suggestion...

If you already have a suitable tow vehicle (with hitch and wiring for trailer lights), but not yet your trailer, you can rent the biggest cargo trailer that your tug can handle and train with it. For instance, a U-Haul 6' wide 12' long (body) enclosed cargo trailer is about the size of an Escape 15' (although the U-Haul has tandem axles), so it would give you a good idea of what it will be like to handle the travel trailer.
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Old 07-31-2014, 01:26 PM   #40
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i pull a goose neck horse trailer often but it's been a while since i backed a bumper pull. i remember thinking it was easyer to back the bumper pull then my goose neck. i will have to practice alittle at home before i head out.
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