Reversing trailers - Help!

[nicolaj]

Anybody got any handy tips on trailer reversing!!!

In a nut shell I'm USELESS, can go forwards, round bends etc, but backwards forget it!

Can reverse a car easy and well enough, but stick something on the back it all goes to pot. I know the theory about turning the wheel the opposite way to the direction you want the trailer to go, but I seem totally incapable of doing it!

What should be a very straight forward task of backing the trailer into it's parking space becomes a very long and stressful task. Start off nice and straight, but as we go backwards, it all happens quite quickly, the trailer will begin to go off to the right/left like it has a mind of it's own. Doubt it has, more than likely my fault, but even so!

Any ideas?

[DavidH]

A few tips :D
Do everything REALLY slowly.
Make sure the car and trailer have correct bend before you start reversing. So if you need to bend anti clockwise when reversing make sure the front of the car is pointing slightly to the right and the back of the trailer is also to the right. back of car and front of trailer will be to the left.
Reversing a trailer in a straight line is very difficult to do. If you have to reverse in to a parking space to so from a slight turn using the set up described above.
Reversing a trailer anti-clockwise is much easier to do than clockwise as you can lean out of the window and see the trailer. Just concentrate on the right side of the trailer having first made sure all is clear to the left.
There's no substitute for practice ;) and my OH gives me lots of opportunity

[Merlinz gal]

remember to steer the opposite way you want to go :p

be slow, maybe practise in a large car park??:D

[cvb]

what helps me is to think of which way I would need to move and push the front of the trailer if I was moving it by hand (i.e. was actually at the front of the trailer).

Then - because I am in the car, and IT is doing the pushing not me - I have to move the car so it pushes the trailer the way I want it to be pushed.

(Then I don't have to think "opposite" the whole time, I just need to think where I want to push the trailer).

This works with our baby tractor and the arena grader as well, tho the unlevel ground does throw a few random movements into the game and make live more interesting ;)

[galadriel]

VHS video might be a bit of a problem for you, but this might be really useful :)

Taming The Wild Horse Trailer Video
The Secrets Of Putting Your Trailer In Its Place
http://awarenesshorsemanship.com/trailer.htm

[helenc]

It just takes practice - I found that if I reversed the trailer while looking in the mirrors, rather than out of the window, it helped because everything it makes it seem like everything is the other way around.

[Janette]

I learned to reverse my trailer on Sunday (smug ;) ), so I'm very new to this, but I did reverse around corners without hitting the curb!

what helps me is to think of which way I would need to move and push the front of the trailer if I was moving it by hand (i.e. was actually at the front of the trailer).

That is just how I did it, also by using my mirrors and steering towards the mirror where most trailer appeared (if you see what I mean....) That's how I reverse in a straight line.

[Murphs]

I do the same as Janette - ie. if i can see more of the trailer in the lefthand mirror and i want the trailer to go right - steer left and vice versa. It takes time and i'm better if i can be left quietly to get on with it and figure it out for myself! - Not a lot of use i know if i meet someone going down a narrow lane and i need to back up!!!!

[Janette]

Nightmare Scenario!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek:

[cvb]

VHS video might be a bit of a problem for you, but this might be really useful :)

Taming The Wild Horse Trailer Video
The Secrets Of Putting Your Trailer In Its Place
http://awarenesshorsemanship.com/trailer.htm

also on eBay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Taming-The-Wild-Horse-Trailer-VHS-Video_W0QQitemZ7172564387QQcategoryZ47296QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

(plus a whole load of other videos this guy does !)

[galadriel]

(plus a whole load of other videos this guy does !)

Yes--he's awesome. The articles and discussion on his website are more in line with my own experiences/feelings about working with horses than anything else I've read.