Can you reverse a trailer?

fryup

C'mon now own up...who here can do it??

I can't i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i just can't master it...,i can drive forward no problem but when it comes to reversing and parking in a specific spot with a trailer..i can't fekin do it, i usually end up getting out and doing it by hand.

harr

fryup wrote: »

C'mon now own up...who here can do it??

I can't i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i just can't master it...,i can drive forward no problem but when it comes to reversing and parking in a specific spot with a trailer..i can't fekin do it, i usually end up getting out and doing it by hand.

Yes badly, not to bad if on my own but if people are around I always make a dogs ear of it ..

con747

Try doing that with a 40ft container. Yes all sizes.

harr

harr wrote: »

Yes badly, not to bad if on my own but if people are around I always make a dogs ear of it ..

That’s me too!

On my own, not a problem. If I get an inkling that someone could see me doing it.... just take out your phone and you’ll have a viral “wtf are they doing” hit.

CoBo55

Nope, I’m brutal... No problem mirror reversing a van or minibus but just can’t master the trailer at all, and I have a trailer licence!!

fryup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U91Zp9wWS30

Bonzo Delaney

Transit van and 10 x 5 builders trailer every day around tge housing estates for refurburbs and extensions. The only annoying thing is even when the hazards are onwhen reversing people still drive right up the arse of the trailer.
Been reversing hay trailers into the grandfather's aul sheds since I was 12

HeidiHeidi

Yep. Love the challenge!



Reversed a yacht on a trailer through an entire sailing club full of boats on trailers a while back. Bit out of practice these days though.

Atlantic Dawn

The longer the distance from the hitch to the wheels on the trailer the easier it is to reverse, I'm useless at it no matter what.

frozenfrozen

never tried so it's a no from me

The Royal Scam

Have owned 2 Caravans and yes arriving to a campsite late on a Friday when everyone else is already sipping beer and judging can be stressful.
I always try to visualise directions before I do the move but always found it better to do small movements in direction changes.
Also I know what the smell of a burning clutch is like!

enricoh

Eventually got better! Brought up on a farm so no excuses, it was and is a constant source of slagging!
Was in the tractor years ago with my oul lad when he took a wrong turn down a boreen n ended up reversing 2 silage trailers back up to the main road for half a mile. No bother at all, even having a fag doing it! I'd be in the ditch in 2 minutes!

Wishbone Ash

con747 wrote: »

Try doing that with a 40ft container. Yes all sizes.

A 40ft trailer is much easier to reverse than a short car trailer.

Bonzo Delaney wrote: »

.. The only annoying thing is even when the hazards are onwhen reversing people still drive right up the arse of the trailer....

A reversing driver has no right of way in any situation in a public place and must give way to all other vehicles. Activating your hazard lights does not give any rights.

Wildly Boaring

Yep

Grew up on farms.
It's a prerequisite.
Most loads of silage or grain need to be backed in.
And there's a LOT of silage and grain.

Someone said it but yeah a short single axel car trailer that you can't see in your mirrors is he worst.

Well actually two trailers are worse. A roller behind a tractor is an absolute pain in the hole too. A loader on the front around sheds is also a bitch.

I find artics easy due to no nose length.

markmoto

try this semi-truck, trailer parking game
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thm.truck.parking.adventure&gl=IE&showAllReviews=true

con747

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

A 40ft trailer is much easier to reverse than a short car trailer.

A reversing driver has no right of way in any situation in a public place and must give way to all other vehicles. Activating your hazard lights does not give any rights.

You think so? Not in my experience. I take it you have reversed a 40ft so maybe you are better at it than me. Also I was referring to the OP's comment about lifting it off by hand to turn it.:)

mikeecho

I voted no.. only because.. even though I can.. I'm not great at it.

peasant

I used to could

Nowadays only using the car trailer 2-3 times a year...maneuvering under the watchful eyes of the composting site crew is stressful

The real killer though was the CE licence in the German army, pulling a two axle trailer with a drawbar. Trying to reverse that was a real challenge. With the extra axle that turns, this thing is at the next level of wrecking your brain. It's the opposite of the opposite of what you first thought was the wrong way to turn the wheel.

Not helped by the fact that the trailer was narrower than the truck, so you only saw it appear in the mirror when it was already way off course. Also the military trailer coupling is designed for off-road use with lots of play. It just does not reverse straight...ever.

This was our rig that we drove through and around Munich:

alchemist33

I grew up on a farm like a poster above so it was a necessary skill to learn. There's an annual fair near me where they have a tractor and trailer reversing competition around corners and between traffic cones. Some of them are fantastic at it.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

I've reversed the following

Car + trailer
Jeep + trailer
Van + trailer
Rigid truck + trailer
Artic truck + 53" trailer

The easiest is the car and trailer. But I've no real issue doing any of them

One thing I always found strange is I was giving the License to drive a full sized coach and trailer but that test or lessons for that don't exist in Ireland

bigtimecharlie

20 years since I've reversed a car and trailer, could I do it roday, Hmmmm............

GM228

Some people can't even reverse a car properly, yet alone an added trailer!

Should start with the basic poll, "can you reverse properly", once that art is mastered then they can try for a little bigger challenge.

ulster

fryup wrote: »

C'mon now own up...who here can do it??

I can't i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i've tried and i just can't master it...,i can drive forward no problem but when it comes to reversing and parking in a specific spot with a trailer..i can't fekin do it, i usually end up getting out and doing it by hand.

You have to turn the wheels of the vehicle the opposite way. You always have to think opposite all the time and adjust as you reverse . I find the best way to make the reverse easier is you drive forward and straighten up both the car/tractor and trailer and have it lined up as close to the spot you want to reverse into.

I've been reversing slurry tankers and cattle trailers since I was in my teens though, so I suppose I have a lot of practice.

I was rubbish when I started out. I drove a tractor into a ditch. Almost jackknifed a slurry tanker. Got stuck in wet ground. Yeah. Most of the time with my Dad giving out to me afterwards haha. The trauma.

Wildly Boaring

Actually dollies are a right pain in the hoop too
Were all the rage about 15 years ago when the gaurds turned a complete blind eye

https://www.google.com/search?q=tractor+and+dolly+with+trailer&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj08ZqN75LwAhUCbsAKHVo1BHkQ2-cCegQIABAC&oq=tractor+and+dolly+with+trailer&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQAzoECCMQJzoCCAA6BQgAEM0COgQIIRAKUPzcBFiLmwVg_6UFaABwAHgAgAFziAHiFJIBBDM1LjKYAQCgAQHAAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=R_SBYLSyGYLcgQba6pDIBw&bih=782&biw=412&client=ms-android-samsung-ss&prmd=isvn&hl=en#imgrc=OZ2VHwcHiOsibM

Alkers

I'm ok with the caravan but tried a much smaller trailer and couldn't get it at all

Wishbone Ash

con747 wrote: »

You think so? Not in my experience. I take it you have reversed a 40ft so maybe you are better at it than me...

Yes, as a truck driver in a previous life. Artic trailer no problem but a car trailer is a bitch due to its short distance.

(Dolly trailers are another matter - never really got enough experience to master them).

monkeysnapper

Omg . .. I have a story for you....

I'm 45 and have been driving since I was 17 and would say I'm an ok driver but had never pulled a trailer.

A few years ago I was doing ground work for a large patio we were having done .... the guy that was laying stone work asked me as I had a hitch on my audi A4 if I would go to quarry for him as his van was in garage with his trailer and nervously I said yes.

His trailer was massive and he said just get a ton of sand .... I drove down into the quarry which was pretty steep and said to girl in office a ton of sand ..... anyway guy in bloody huge truck chucks 2 tons in. .... says agghh you'll be ok ....

So anyway like a bloody egit I decide to go out of quarry the way I came in not realising you drive out the flat entrance ( one way) and start driving up the steep hill....

There was a slight bend on the hill and drop either side of road going out and I realised very quickly my car would never get up the hill .... so I would have to reverse back down hill while the yard lads watching on ....

Trailer was in wrong direction to go back down and I had to drive up a bit to straighten it while not going over edge .... I tell you my heart never beat so fast in my life .... the danger... the embarrassment .... the poor car...

After a couple of mins I got back down hill thank god .... I was physically feeling sick .... I had never reversed a trailer before !!!!

Guy points me out the other exit and I drove all way back to my house in 3rd it was so heavy ....

-=al=-

Got stuck trying to reverse a small truck with a trailer in a cul-de-sac once... made it eventually. Funny now, but not so much then :pac:

ratracer

The key trick to reversing a car trailer is to do it slowly, then it’s easy to correct over-runs as soon as they begin to happen! And as with every other life skill....... practice, practice and then do some more practice!

newmember2

Am not pulling a trailer very often but when I am I love the challenge and start improving the longer I have it on the car.

con___manx1

I worked in Australia driving a tractor and a tip trailor. I never reversed a trailor before I got the job. I was terrible at the beginning but masterd it after a few months.

fryup

look at this cocky brat half my age able to master it no problem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LELx2Gs860

BnB

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

A 40ft trailer is much easier to reverse than a short car trailer.

100% There is nothing harder to reverse that a little pr1ck of a short single wheel trailer. The slightest twitch of the steering wheel and the little fcuker is at a 90 Degree angle to the car.

A good long trailer with double or treble wheels is very forgiving, and once you take your time, very easy to reverse.

ml100

You have to reverse around a corner for the BE test, same test as E without the 3 point turn, for reversing around the corner the tester gets out to direct you.

9935452

ml100 wrote: »

You have to reverse around a corner for the BE test, same test as E without the 3 point turn, for reversing around the corner the tester gets out to direct you.

I think i was shortchanged when i did the test.
My tester got out to observe me reversing around a corner.

yamaha4life

You need to add just about to the poll!

Ive pulled a trailer probly 3/4 times. But one sticks out from memory. I went to cork to collect something for the house. Sat nav brought me through some very narrow streets.

As i closed into the place i was going, i had to go up a very narrow street with cars up on the kerb on either side barely enough room for the car and trailer!

A car came from the opposite direction and wouldn't reverse the very short distance to let me pass. I had to reverse my A6 + trailer the length of a football pitch to where i could pull in, my car had bin bag windows in the rear, it was dark and i was wearing sunglasses.

The amount of near misses i had was atrocious, i was furious as soon as the car was gone i caned it up the street for fear of a repeat!

Odelay

yamaha4life wrote: »

You need to add just about to the poll!

Ive pulled a trailer probly 3/4 times. But one sticks out from memory. I went to cork to collect something for the house. Sat nav brought me through some very narrow streets.

As i closed into the place i was going, i had to go up a very narrow street with cars up on the kerb on either side barely enough room for the car and trailer!

A car came from the opposite direction and wouldn't reverse the very short distance to let me pass. I had to reverse my A6 + trailer the length of a football pitch to where i could pull in, my car had bin bag windows in the rear, it was dark and i was wearing sunglasses.

The amount of near misses i had was atrocious, i was furious as soon as the car was gone i caned it up the street for fear of a repeat!

If only there was someway of avoiding the sunglasses problem...

yamaha4life

Odelay wrote: »

If only there was someway of avoiding the sunglasses problem...

That was a joke!

Stoolbend

8x4, 10x5 or car transporter is no problem. Small single axle is an issue.

I find the easiest way is to keep it moving left and right slightly. That way you are in control of where it goes.

beauf

I spent a lot of time driving a van with a small single axle trailer in my youth.
Main issue with it was a the trailer was narrower than the van so you couldn't see it in the mirrors that well.

Haven't done it much in the last 20yrs but when I do pull the trailer out I can generally reverse it up a driveway, or into a parking spot first or 2nd attempt.

While practise is important. I think once you learn the basics of it, you never really forget. Or at least I haven't yet.

The_Honeybadger

Grew up on a fairly good size farm where this skill was a must. I became really good at it. Totally out of practice now but I’d say I’d still do a straightforward reverse no problem and get more difficult ones in a couple of attempts, it’s all about practice

vintagevrs

Short single axle it's 110 the worst. The amount of corrections needed when reversing a quad with a little trailer would put your back out, or maybe it's just cus I'm crap at it.

fryup

i've noticed nearly all the tuition videos start off by say "just use one hand and keep it on the base of the steering wheel"

hmmm must try that next time before i make a hames of it

Mad_maxx

Yes but I prefer to roll down the window and put my head out than just use mirrors

DaSchmo

Can be a few months between having to do it. When I do I try to imagine that the towbar is my hand and my hand is on the trailer hitch and I'm pushing the trailer myself. Since I'm able to make the rear of the car go where I want it to without having to think about it this works for me. Definitely easier to do with a trailer that allows for some rear visibility. A caravan backwards up a slope is a whole different kettle of fish

Akrasia

I learned to drive when I was 16 and helped a relative on a yard (not open to the public), had to do a lot of reversing trailers using a commercial jeep, the trailer he used had a bent axel so it absolutely refused to reverse in a straight line but I think that actually helped me to work out the physics in my brain so that nowadays on the rare times I need to reverse a trailer it’s not so bad. We park up a caravan for the winter behind our house in a very narrow lane at 90 degrees with a high wall blocking off visibility and a restricted turning circle, haven’t scraped the caravan or car yet

frosty123

ml100 wrote: »

You have to reverse around a corner for the BE test, same test as E without the 3 point turn, for reversing around the corner the tester gets out to direct you.

and what's a BE test?

FishOnABike

yamaha4life wrote: »

You need to add just about to the poll!

Ive pulled a trailer probly 3/4 times. But one sticks out from memory. I went to cork to collect something for the house. Sat nav brought me through some very narrow streets.

As i closed into the place i was going, i had to go up a very narrow street with cars up on the kerb on either side barely enough room for the car and trailer!

A car came from the opposite direction and wouldn't reverse the very short distance to let me pass. I had to reverse my A6 + trailer the length of a football pitch to where i could pull in, my car had bin bag windows in the rear, it was dark and i was wearing sunglasses.

The amount of near misses i had was atrocious, i was furious as soon as the car was gone i caned it up the street for fear of a repeat!

Did you have a full tank of gas and half a pack of cigarettes?

the_pen_turner

if you cannot get a basic grasp of reversing a trailer then you should not be on the road. its very easy with a bit of practice and should be on the basic test.
it shows that you understand how to control the car and reverse properly and use the mirrors correctly.

ratracer

the_pen_turner wrote: »

if you cannot get a basic grasp of reversing a trailer then you should not be on the road. its very easy with a bit of practice and should be on the basic test.
it shows that you understand how to control the car and reverse properly and use the mirrors correctly.

The vast majority of motorists will never need to use a trailer. For those that do, there is a specific test separate to the car test.

Zimmerframe

BnB wrote: »

100% There is nothing harder to reverse that a little pr1ck of a short single wheel trailer. The slightest twitch of the steering wheel and the little fcuker is at a 90 Degree angle to the car.

!00 % agree


the little trailer on the back of the quad, with handlebars instead of a wheel obviously, can be annoying too.