Reversing a trailer

TheBlackMoth

TheBlackMoth

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Ok. I have a LWB Shogun and an Ifor 510 and I have been towing for about a year.

I am just not able to reverse at a right angle. I can reverse up a bit and I understand the turn the opposite way bit but whenever I do it I end up jack knifing it (put a hole in the bumper of my BMW doing this).
 
Sympathy, It was a nightmare when i started towing a little time and im getting there, think it helped having OH shout at me a fair bit to get me the idea of what to do, you could always grab a couple of lessons from a tailer training company help you out a bit, good luck

I have found to avoid the jack knife use very very slow movements may take a while but a neater job
 
I have much the same set up as you, a Landcruiser Colorado and an Ifor 510. If you imagine that you are steering the trailer by the back of your car and don't try to park the trailer by getting it at a right angle, or it will jack knife as you say. I park it by lining up at more than a right angle and reversing in from there.

So I get it to start turning in reverse and then still reversing, turn the steering wheel towards the side that I can see more trailer in, in my wing mirrors. That straightens it up and lets me park it. Hope this helps.
 
I was very much hoping there was a simple trick that I could learn. When I learnt to drive my instructer stuck a piece of paper on the rear windscreen and said keep the pavement in line with this when reversing round the corner - it worked like a dream.
 
I have a huge trailer over here and it is easy to reverse. My regular one in England was easy too, however I've been driving trailers for literally decades so it is just second nature to me now.

A tip for you though - if you feel you are about to jack-knife, immediately stop, pull forward to straighten up again (just a little bit though) and then continue backwards but not so sharply this time.

The best way to do a right-angled turn is to start with the vehicle and trailer absolutely straight. If you start off on an angle it is far harder to rectify oversteering.
 
Oh and another thing to bear in mind......it is ALWAYS easier to reverse with the trailer turning in full view, therefore always try to have it so that the trailer is turning into you rather than away from you. Not explaining this very well but as you are on the right side of your vehicle then you should try to reverse the trailer so that it is on your right and you can see exactly what it is doing at all times.
 
Tia

I am not sure I understand.

To park my trailer I have to drive down a narrow lane to a piece of ground in front of a deep dip down to the river mersey.

I can then reverse back into the parking space. Currently I get it close and then we unhitch and push it round and in.

I have to reverse back so that the trailer is going to my left and always manage to jack knife it.
 
It sounds like you are allowing your trailer to get to the "right angle" point before you then proceed to turn your steering wheel to straighten up.

I would suggest getting your trailer to just past the 45 degree point and them proceed to straighten. If you straighten too early you know you needed a little more turn to keep the trailer heading where you wanted it to go.

The best thing to do (As Tia has said) is when things start to look like they are going wrong, pull forward and start all over again.

It is very hard to explain but practice and playing about is the best way to suss it out.

I find it a lot easier to reverse off of my mirrors. However that is because of several years of lorry driving and not having the option of looking behind me.
 
Ah okay; I think I get you now.

Is there room for both car and trailer in the parking space? If so then what you need to do is to pull in car first into the space and drive till the vehicles are straight together, then you can reverse the trailer into the area where you currently unhitch. This will mean the the trailer is turning to your right and you have a perfect view of what it is going. Then once you have reversed into the space just before you fall into the Mersey
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, you have to pull forward to beyond the parking space and then reverse once more into it.....again the trailer will be on your right so you can watch where it is going. Then unhitch and off you go
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.

However if there is not enough space to pull in with both vehicles, then you will just have to practice reversing away from you. It's not any more difficult to be honest, just that you have to be sure you know what is there because your vision will be blocked by the trailer.
 
I used to have a trailer-I have now sold it and got a lorry. One of the reasons was that I couldn't park it. I had to reverse mine to park it at the yard. I used to spend about 30 minutes trying to park it after a competition-one time it took me 50 minutes. I just couldn't do it and ended up getting more and more stressed. A couple of times I unhitched it and tried to push it with the help of a friend. I am so glad I have a lorry now!
 
What Tia is trying to say is that it is easier to back round on the drivers side, because you have a better field of vision. The way that wagon drivers are taught is to turn a right angle as a series of smaller angles, basically dont be too overzealous at the outset and it easier to keep control of the turn. And nothing beats the old adage of practise makes perfect.
 
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