Reversing Trailer ...any tips?

[ROG]

TIP - You will still be turning in reverse until both mirrors are seeing the same each side

Find a long white line on your left and try to reverse in a straight line using it as a guide before trying to turn in reverse

 

[sollimum]

I am the same as you, and still have to look at my hands to tell right from left somedays! I use the mirrors and do very gentle movements. Start off as straight as you can and then do little nudges using the mirrors. Go forwards and straighten up if you need to. Practice with an empty trailer but the only way I can manage is using the mirrors and doing small correctional movements.

 

[ForeverBroke_]

I'm another who 'empties' the wing mirror with the most trailer in it! So if your driver side has more trailer in it 'point,' toward that one with your steering wheel til you empty the trailer back out of it.

Works for me with my tiny quad and trailer too!

 

[Julie Ole Girl]

All great advice, thank you again everyone. I have tried to book at my local training centre, now with lockdown I am in a different county from the training centre in North Wales although only a mile from the border, so I'm not allowed to go there!! And they have a ton of young farmers on the waiting list first. And in fact it may be I have to just wait as I can't go anywhere much now

 

[luckyoldme]

Basicly when you get the trailer moving in the direction you want it to go you need to get your vehicle back in line with it.
If you can set off to empty car park and practice reversing straight first.
Get the actual feel of how to move it slightly to one side then bringing your vehicle back in line with it.
Its worth spending the time because its a great feeling when you rock up somewhere and hoy a trailer in a tiny gap !

 

[Kat]

I struggled for ages with trailer reversing and avoided it at all costs. I am now getting the hang of it though and can now reverse into my parking space alone pretty reliably.

I would say first of all find somewhere quiet and practice reversing in a straight line, then work out how to turn in a wide arc with plenty of space before you try to actually put the trailer somewhere specific.

Someone on here (I think it was ROG) posted a link to an online game where you had to reverse a boat trailer that really helped me get my head round things.

What helped me was thinking about pushing the tow hitch with the back of the car rather than thinking about emptying a mirror or steering in the opposite direction. Also thinking about starting/setting up the turn and then following the trailer round was a bit of a lightbulb.

 

[Annagain]

After weeks of my OH and I winding each other up (he's a police driving instructor, I pity his students but assume he's not like that with them!) I had a lesson - just the one was enough.

The best tip I was given was to hold the bottom of the wheel and to think about turning the BOTTOM of the wheel in the direction you want the back of the trailer to go. We always think about turning the top of the wheel without thinking that bottom is the going the opposite way so thinking about the bottom of the wheel automatically gives you the opposite without your mind getting all confused! This was a lightbulb moment for me and from that point on, I just got it. After that, it's just practice - the thing that requires the practice is knowing when to turn back the other way, that's just a judgement thing that comes with time. You can always go forward to correct if you need to.

OH now admits I'm better at reversing trailers than him!

 

[ROG]

http://www.juggernart.com/games/free-online-car-parking/park-it-trailer.html
Have fun! - I did LOL

 

[Caol Ila]

Park one in New York City.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

I have to reverse our trailer into quite a tight space on the yard drive. I'm ancient so didn't have to take a test but did get a couple of lessons first which helped enormously with confidence. Reversing straight back is easy - I just take it slowly and use the wing mirror tip (steer towards the side with the most trailer in it - when both mirrors are even, you're going straight). For reversing round a bend I stop, take a moment to think and say out loud to myself 'I want the back of the trailer to go to the left, so I need to steer to the right' - saying it out loud helps me get my head round it . It's still not my favourite thing to do .. but I can do it and usually not make a complete fool of myself

 

[Tarragon]

I have got one tip!
Pretend you are riding, and if you want to move the quarters over to the left, you put your right leg behind the girth, and vice versa. So, if you are reversing a trailer, and you want it to swing over to the left, turn the steering wheel to the right.
This works for me.

 

[QueenT]

Here we have to do a course, so here are tips from my instructor. Even if it is not required, you could consider doing a couple of lessons to become comfortable with it ?

1. Turn towards the light if you want to straighten up in reverse (the white front facing side lights). I say this aloud to myself!
2. If you are coming into a narrow place, stop, think, plan. Don’t go in before you know how to get around
3. Don’t turn your head, use your mirrors
4. Don’t do anything in reverse that you could have done going forward
5. Your trailer can turn sharper than you think
6. Go slow! Don’t worry about what other people think
7. Ask for help if you are not sure how to get around, people are always willing to help. I can’t count the times I have asked my horse friends “what’s the best way to get around here”

 

[cremedemonthe]

My mate who drives HGV's taught me, he said, hold your steering wheel at the bottom with one hand, if you need to go to the right in reverse pull the wheel upwards to the right. It gives you opposite lock on the wheels and you turn right. If you need to go left pull the wheel up to the left and so on, it takes a bit of practice and it does take a few seconds for the trailer to start to turn so be patient,
I hope I explained that right!

 

[case895]

I was taught by a rider. Trailer kicks it's quarters out, put your next leg on (left hand down).