Parking - in the new day an age - Rant

[MossRoad]

The shorter the trailer the harder to back. 53 footers, piece of cake.

Ha! I can remember trying to back up my first 2-place snowmobile trailer in my parents' driveway. Jackknife city!

 

[cqaigy2]

Speaking of things in the back of the rig. Rolled a Bronco, when it came to rest, a big knife stuck thru the front wind screen, between the two front seats.

 

[ning]

I used to have a 4x6 trailer (old studebaker pickup bed). Very tough to back up in the Suburban we had at the time as I could barely see it. Found that by sticking a tool like a rake handle-down in a couple of the corner pockets of the trailer I could easily tell when the trailer started going the wrong way (like, every two seconds, but at least I knew which way it was going).

 

[newbury]

I used to be able to back a trailer extremely well. My training started when I was hired at a small roofing company. About 4 "roofers", 4 trucks, 4 "assistants".
They gave me the keys to a class 5 truck filled with flat roof, hot tar roofing materials and told me to haul the hot tar kettle.
Hauling it was not a problem, backing was somewhat. But I learned.
Nowadays I expect they would give me a two week course.
And nowadays I supplement my skills with cameras.

 

[Oaktree]

Backup lights on GM products are terrible anyways,

Not just GM products. Seems like nobody puts decent backup lights on anymore. Or maybe they never did, but it's more noticeable now that vehicles all seem to have tinted windows.
I've had to wire in an external light on all of mine.

 

[ponytug]

A couple of years ago I replaced the radio in my F150 with a Pioneer unit that has inputs for cameras. I bought a replacement tailgate latch that has a built-in camera and connected it to the backup light and ran the cable to the radio. Comes on the screen automatically just like the factory units do. It took me longer the run the cable from the tailgate to the dash than to do the rest of the install.
It is a nice thing to have, especially like others have noted, to hook up to my trailer.

I had always planned to add a second camera on the trailer and use the second input for the trailer camera. (Mine will actually take three; I had planned to use the third for inside the trailer to keep an eye on the horses. On the do list, but not there, yet.)

Not just GM products. Seems like nobody puts decent backup lights on anymore. Or maybe they never did, but it's more noticeable now that vehicles all seem to have tinted windows.
I've had to wire in an external light on all of mine.

I agree. It is usually the first thing that I do. On one of my trailers, I added LED reverse lights on the back, so I could see where the back of the trailer was going. I have them set up to illuminate the far side, i.e. crossed, so when turning, at least one of the lights is lighting up where the trailer is heading. If I were doing it again, I might use an LED light bar. I have the lights switched so that they can be on for work lights at the back of the trailer, or on via a relay and the reverse signal.

All the best,

Peter

 

[BravoXray]

The pivot point is also in front of the rear wheels, which makes a big difference.
Trying to back my little dump trailer into my driveway at night can be a challenge. Backup lights on GM products are terrible anyways, then try to back around a 90 degree corner into a 12 foot gap. I get out multiple times. Once I get lined up it’s not a big deal to actually get down the driveway.

I put some really bright LED backup lights in my F150, and with the backup camera, I can even see quite well at night.
A friend had a Honda HRV that had the most worthless backup lights I have ever seen, little dinky things, up high on the rear hatch, and even with LED replacements they sucked. I offered to put a couple of LED auxiliary lights under the rear bumper and wire them to the backup lights, but she declined as it would "look tacky".

 

[dstig1]

I think the backing-up/jackknife problem is a ratio, not just one number. I haven't proven it, but the distance from the steering axle (front) to hitch relative to the distance from hitch to trailer axle (or center of axles) is the ratio I think that matters the most. A long vehicle like a long bed crew cab 1-ton won't work well with a short 4x8 trailer but a small jeep will. And the worst example is a towable air compressor. So short that no tow vehicle can win backing up. It all has to do with how much the towed item moves relative to the input from the tow vehicle. I'd bet you could prove it with something like the trailer fishtailing demo that is stickied at the top of the towing sub forum

 

[ovrszd]

I think the backing-up/jackknife problem is a ratio, not just one number. I haven't proven it, but the distance from the steering axle (front) to hitch relative to the distance from hitch to trailer axle (or center of axles) is the ratio I think that matters the most. A long vehicle like a long bed crew cab 1-ton won't work well with a short 4x8 trailer but a small jeep will. And the worst example is a towable air compressor. So short that no tow vehicle can win backing up. It all has to do with how much the towed item moves relative to the input from the tow vehicle. I'd bet you could prove it with something like the trailer fishtailing demo that is stickied at the top of the towing sub forum

Correct.

The deficiency can be overcome slightly if the trailer is bumper hitched. The "swing" created by the hitch point being behind the rear axle improves the effect of moving the front axle side to side.

With a GN you lose that. It requires more movement of the front axle laterally to create a jack knife situation with the trailer. But the positive is that you tend to jack knife less. Negative is you have to move the front axle more so you need more room and need to plan ahead. A lot.

And GN trailers short cut horribly compared to bumper hitch for the same reasons.

 

[Jstpssng]

I used to drive a C-65 Chevy with a 28 foot hay body, pulling a hay mulcher trailer. The body was 8 feet wide, the trailer was 5. It took me a while to get used to that, by the time I could see it in the mirrors it would be jackknifed. Meanwhile the forewoman (?) would sit on the trailer trying to direct me, and get POed because I had no way of seeing her.