First time with a trailer - what a disaster!!!!

[claire1976]

Yesterday I had my first proper attempt at driving with a trailer - I was supposed to be fetching my sisters horse and it went wrong from the minute I hitched up!
The field was so waterlogged I just kept getting stuck, I was trying to drive slightly uphill with my Landy and the trailer and it was going nowhere!! I couldn't get into low ratio properly and just kept sliding and spinning all over!! Eventually we manually moved the trailer to face downhill, re-hitched and took a section of the fence out so we could go through the cemetary (at least it was dead quiet!). So off we set, down the motorway nice and steady so I could get my confidence - arrived at the meeting place with a flat tyre !!!!! ARRRGGHHHH!!
Luckily the owner of the horse we were fetching had brought her son and he did a much better job of changing the wheel than I could have done.
Thankfully the horse behaved wonderfully and he transfered from one box to another really well.
After unloading at the other end I decided not to park trailer in the field again and took it to my mums. By this time it was very dark and I then got stuck trying to reverse down my mums drive, her road it terrible for parked cars. At this point I gave up, unhitched, abandoned trailer and drove home!!!
Guess I need some more practice!!!

 

[Bosworth]

get yourself into a supermarket car park after 4pm on a sunday, just set yourself target spaces and reverse in to it. Then practice reversing straight lines, corners. straightening up. Reversing around makebelieve obstacles and make sure you cover your reversing mirror. You need to do all your reversing on wing mirrors. It just gets confusing if you look through your rear view. trying to pull a trailer out of a muddy field is really difficult even with a 4 wheel drive so don't worry about that. I got my 4WD stuck in a field without a trailer attached and had to get towed out by a tractor!

 

[fizzer]

i have had several attempts but am c..p at reversing so get oh to do it, i did follow my mate who was having her first attempt, she didn.t even practise without horse, hence that was why i followed, she went round the corner too sharp and bang the horse toppled over, she got him out and has never tried again, poor horse was ok though.

 

[claire1976]

Yes, good idea about the supermarket - will get practising!!

So glad that I managed OK with the horse in it - I did drive really steady and had an extra wide wing mirror on so I could see more. I felt I did well with the driving bit-just no good at reversing , my OH is no better!!

 

[Macha]

Don't worry, my first time I ended up with the trailer at right angles to the landie wedged across the lane !

I find the farmers method of backing best, open the door and lean out slightly , just watch out for nearby objects, my cousin ripped the door off on a gatepost once

 

[Chex]

My mum has been towing for 6 years now, and she still can't reverse, she seems to get it wrong everytime! Hopefully I'll have more luck when I get round to doing my trailer test.

 

[colmio]

Reversing a trailer used to be a complete mystery to me for more years than I care to admit. A chance comment by some one turned on the light globe.

I was told to think of it as a wheel barrow. Now we all know how to manouvere one of those!
If you want the nose of the wheel barrow(=back of trailer) to go left you push the handles of the wheel barrow opposite, to the right(try it with the front of your tailer). And vice versa

Once I had this concept I became the master backer of trailers after an embarrassing number of years as a non-reverser.

Best of luck, if I can have a light bulb moment anyone can!

 

[ginnyspinner]

I was tought that to reverse a trailer always steer towards the wing mirror that you could see most of the trailer in - this keeps it nice and straight. Obviously not as much use when reversing around a corner!!

 

[Fiona]

My dad wouldn't let me out on my own with car and trailer until I could demonstrate reversing round a corner and changing a wheel, so I had to learn.

When reversing round to the right/driver's side (which is easier than to the other side which is a blind side reverse) remember left hand down on the steering wheel until you can see the trailer starting to turn, then gradually straighten up.

Echo advice of practicing in supermarket or school carpark. You will be able to relax because there is nothing in the way.


Good luck!

Fiona

 

[TheBlackMoth]

I have been driving with a trailer all this year and am getting quite experienced. Didn't stop me driving it into a ditch when picking up new horse. Stable owner had to hitch up his 4 x 4 and pull it out. Result - new horse wonders what he has got into and trailer has big dent in roof (from where it hit the side of the stable wall as it went down the ditch)!

 

[claire1976]

Its nice to hear other peoples stories that demonstrate its not only me who can't reverse properly!!!
I clearly need to practice but didn't have time before fetching horse and knew it was mostly motorways so I didnt have much maneovering to do. Thankfully I didn't cause any damage to trailer and landy and more importantly Bailey was happy enough when we arrived home so it can't have been that bad!
Thanks for all your stories though!