Plans for pickup in Sumas, WA on Memorial Day

[kavm]

I'd like to offer a few words about backing trailers. To begin with, always pull ahead farther than you think is necessary; the reason is, the trailer will always respond slowly at first as you try to gain angularity between it and the truck. But at some point the angular difference becomes great enough that it will be turning quickly. And soon afterward your 5th wheel will be pivoting much faster than your truck can turn, making straightening impossible. With some time and practice, you will locate that 'sweet spot' angle where the front wheels, turned all the way, do not increase or decrease the angular difference between truck and trailer but merely maintain it. When you come to recognize visually what that angular position is, you'll then start to anticipate it as you approach that angle while backing, and you'll be able to use it to your advantage.

Sometimes you will need a sharper angle to get into a site, so you will need to overshoot the 'sweet spot' angle on purpose long enough to get the trailer angled sufficiently. Then you just need to back it until it looks like you've put the trailer a little too far over to the inside of the angle... that's when you stop, turn your wheels, pull forward a little ways to straighten the trailer in the site (hopefully far enough to pass the 'sweet' angle, this time on the straighter side of it), then cramp the wheels back the other way and resume backing. At this point the truck will be catching up to the trailer, reducing the angle between them.

I hope that produces some sort of helpful mental image of the process.

Thank you very much, Mike! That’s very helpful indeed. It describes my observations very well, but also adds to my understanding. I have had some difficulty putting it into practice. But, your description is very good - and I will print it out and review before the next few attempts at backing the trailer to get my mental processes aligning well with it.

So far, I have figured out how to move the trailer one way (by making the truck go the other way). But, I seem to be overdoing it and getting it to turn too much and getting the angle between the truck and camper too acute. From that position, I am not not able to recover - and sometimes get confused if I should be going forward with the same orientation of truck front tires as I was using to reverse - or to turn them totally the opposite way. So, it is this recovery from the overaggressive turn at the beginning that gets me all muddled up.

 

[rubicon327]

Yes. I told him we need an alternative. Cutting up wires underneath the camper is not in our wheelhouse... And, we anticipate the same issue as you: we have rented the storage space for camper 75 miles from home. So, it's not something we'd be tinkering with.

Our time is very constrained. I'd frankly be happy to pay from my pocket for someone to resolve the issue for us, but I am not even sure where / who that'd be. So, we are preparing ourselves for the high likelihood of needing to go without the fresh water tank level indicator. Sad but that's the sinking feeling I get based upon the exchange so far.

Just brainstorming but if your pump is reasonably accessible could you use an in-line water meter? Would be more accurate than the typical tank sensors anyway. Disadvantage is you would need to remember to reset it each time you filled the water tank and need access to read it. Plus a battery would need to be changed.

 

[escape artist]

Hint!!!

Hi: kavm... Pulling farther ahead before U reverse is great advice. By then there's usually someone wanting thru but take your time. Remember too that the 5.0TA reacts faster than a bumper pull. Even if U feel like the afternoon entertainment relax and watch the show. After years of Escape fifth wheels I still don't get it in one or even two but usually three. This year will be like a new dejaview due to Co-Vivid lockdowns. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

 

[kavm]

Just brainstorming but if your pump is reasonably accessible could you use an in-line water meter? Would be more accurate than the typical tank sensors anyway. Disadvantage is you would need to remember to reset it each time you filled the water tank and need access to read it. Plus a battery would need to be changed.

Thank you very much, Dave! I watched the video. Seems like an interesting meter to measure the water.

I will look to see where the water pump is but we are quite uneducated when it comes to these type of things. So, my chances of success are quite dim…

 

[kavm]

Hi: kavm... Pulling farther ahead before U reverse is great advice. By then there's usually someone wanting thru but take your time. Remember too that the 5.0TA reacts faster than a bumper pull. Even if U feel like the afternoon entertainment relax and watch the show. After years of Escape fifth wheels I still don't get it in one or even two but usually three. This year will be like a new dejaview due to Co-Vivid lockdowns. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Thank you very much! I will pull forward more.

I think the main ailment is what Mike captured - recognizing enough but not too much turn angle. I start OK but see the camper turning too little, feel the irresistible urge to speed it along and find the camper turned too much and the truck at too acute an angle. Then comes the part where I get confused - pull forward but should wheels be the same way as they were when I was reversing or turned the opposite way. Things usually go downhill from there

We try to get closer to the site to give the TV more space to go in the opposite direction. But, since I end up being too aggressive with that, the ending situation is not great. So, giving us a greater travel distance and lighter / more optimal turn might help.

 

[JStelly]

Thank you very much! I will pull forward more.

I think the main ailment is what Mike captured - recognizing enough but not too much turn angle. I start OK but see the camper turning too little, feel the irresistible urge to speed it along and find the camper turned too much and the truck at too acute an angle. Then comes the part where I get confused - pull forward but should wheels be the same way as they were when I was reversing or turned the opposite way. Things usually go downhill from there

And I learned with my 5.0 to be patient and go SLOWLY when backing. I would over correct just as you described. I found by going very slowly I could see how small changes made a big difference. It allowed me to correct before getting into trouble.

Lots of practice and you will get it.

 

[camp4528]

This overdoing behaviour is exactly what I experienced with my first ever practice backup in an empty parking lot with a friend’s utility trailer just yesterday. And exactly like kavm I couldn’t figure out how to straighten the TV relative to the trailer. And of course the “humiliation” continued when the owner backed his trailer into it’s parking spot swinging around his parked car and landing about 2’ beside his garage and 2’ beside the tree on the opposite side. Sigh!!

These tips will be very helpful (as well as the “hold the steering wheel at the bottom and move it in the direction you want the trailer to go) for my next session later this week.

Always good, considered suggestions on the forum.

Thank you.

 

[Ooshkaboo]

Originally Posted by rubicon327 View Post
Do you have the underfloor foam? Solving this will be immensely more difficult if you do.
Unfortunately yes.
—————————————————————————————————————

Having a business that requires maintaining plumbing, electric and gas I think the whole spray foam offered as a option is something the company could note there are drawbacks.
Maybe plan a vacation when there is access to the plant, you have plenty of time left on the warranty.

As far as the backing, hit a empty lot with some type of markers.
I would only rely on the side mirrors to start out, spotter in the left mirror using two hands closing together as to let you know your stopping point.

Practice is the best way, no one was good at it at first…