Learning how to drive with a trailer..

[charlessenf]

Sounds like all good advice. Backing up is so very hard to do . . .All my accidents involved backing up! (though, none while trailering stuff!) GPS is good for taking trips into the unknown "re-routing features, yea!" I like that Six O'clock" thing and hope I remember it next time I'm backing a trailer up.

If you've a community college handy, see if they have a trucker's class. Those drivers can do some amazing stuff backing a fifty foot rig into a driveway and up to a loading dock between other truckers! Some big yards may have guys who just handle trucks in their yard - those guys might offer some tips!

 

[panamaguy]

Okay this is something that at 58yo, I have never done and its on my list to learn. I have a tow package on my truck, but no hitch and I don't own a trailer yet. To make things more interesting I live in the country and there are lots of windy small roads...some so narrow I fold in my trucks side mirror when I am on them...as I know from experience can be an issue. Two weeks after getting this truck someone came too far over and we slapped mirrors.

Anyway what is the wisest and safest way you guys would recommend to get into this? I want to get a trailer for the tractor at some point and a small camper.

I am one of those people that is typically, cool calm and collected and not easily stressed out. But for some reason thinking about getting stuck on one of these curvy back roads and having to back out or turn around with a trailer etc tenses me up just thinking about it lol.

Thanks in advance!

If your that nervous don't do. You will be a hazard to yourself and others. There is enough bad drivers on the road already

 

[EABill]

First thing is to take your time and slow down. I'm used to pulling two hay wagons behind the truck on curved hilly roads and if you have a city slicker bearing down on you just let him pass. If your hauling something big you own the road. Same thing with our 36 foot boat, take your time.

 

[LDR812]

A lot of good advise already. Dkmc talked to what I had in mind. Make sure you know how to load the trailer and secure the load. Also - depending on the weight, get a trailer with breaks and a good controller. I like the old style that you set the gain but can override with the slide. Go slow and be safe

 

[tjandrews]

Farm kids didn't learn how to back up, how to back was breed in at birth

Maybe for some of us, but not for me. I remember being assigned to learn at about 13. My father had borrowed a little Massey Harris to use to haul a homemade grain trailer around, and back it into the barn for unloading. He ran the combine, and I unloaded.
On top of it being a borrowed tractor, it was my first extensive experience with a foot clutch. (Our old Case SC has a hand clutch). After a bit of instruction, a few minutes of practice under his watchful eye, and dire warnings of the consequences of hitting anything, he went back to work, leaving me on my own.
That was 60 years ago. I never did hit anything, so I never found out if the "consequences" were real or not, but I did learn how to back a trailer up with a tractor. Even now, when my neck doesn't allow me to turn my head like it used to, I can back a two-wheeled piece of equipment behind a tractor a good quarter mile with no problem if I have to. But, I never did learn very well how to back one up with a car/SUV/pickup. And doing it using a mirror? Forget it. Didn't have occasion to need to very often, so I never practiced. And as others have said, practice is the key.
I would add one thing, though. Borrowing someone else's vehicle and/or trailer for learning the fundamentals isn't a bad idea, but it shouldn't stop there. After using about 15 tow vehicles over the years, I can tell you that it isn't just the length of the trailer that's important. The wheelbase and turning radius of the tow vehicle are just as important. You need to do most of your practice with the vehicle and trailer you are actually going to use before you put your new skills to the test.

 

[dkmc]

A lot of good advise already. Dkmc talked to what I had in mind. Make sure you know how to load the trailer and secure the load. Also - depending on the weight, get a trailer with breaks and a good controller. I like the old style that you set the gain but can override with the slide. Go slow and be safe

As the trailer began to sway, and got more aggressive as I let off the gas, I had no clue but in a semi-panic I grabbed the slide on the brake control, and gently applied trailer brakes.....having no idea if it would make things worse or better. Thankfully, the trailer straightened right up. What a relief. I shake my head thinking about it now. It was not funny when it happened.

 

[Redlands Okie]

As the trailer began to sway, and got more aggressive as I let off the gas, I had no clue but in a semi-panic I grabbed the slide on the brake control, and gently applied trailer brakes.....having no idea if it would make things worse or better. Thankfully, the trailer straightened right up. What a relief. I shake my head thinking about it now. It was not funny when it happened.

To my knowledge and experience that was the best move you could have picked

I pull a variety of Trailors daily, usually in urban area, but some highway travel. Being able to use the slide when in a bind without even looking for it is so important to me I use it fairly often so that I have it in my muscle memory.

 

[lastfarm]

I idnt read all the comments but wanted to point out the, "short trailer means to some the bed of the trailer. What you want is for the Toung of the trailer to be long enough to back easily. Practice with your mirrors {side) without a trailer. Around yard obstacles, cones or whatever. Then get the hitch, brake controller and trailer from a good dealer the can help.

 

[John0829]

Yeah, that comment about farm kids was just a stupid joke. Everyone pulling a trailer has had to LEARN at some point in life. Those on a farm just have more opportunity to learn and refine.

 

[Shady oak]

The longer the trailer hitch the better, especially if you have a short trailer. When at all possible use driver side mirror, less distortion. concentrate on the trailer wheels, especially with a small narrow trailer. Those are the things you need in the right place. Last, don’t over react. Patience is a virtue. You get out of line, reset yourself. Don’t try and fight it, if you keep getting more crooked, you can bend trailer hitch. As for forward, don’t over think it. Just drive, and corner just a little wider. You don’t have a 53’ behind you. Lastly, allow more stopping time.