Can you reverse a trailer?

fryup · 22-04-2021 05:46PM #1

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 · 22-04-2021 05:47PM

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 · 22-04-2021 05:48PM

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

22-04-2021 05:52PM

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 · 22-04-2021 05:55PM

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 · 22-04-2021 05:56PM

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

Bonzo Delaney · 22-04-2021 06:03PM

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 · 22-04-2021 06:04PM

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 · 22-04-2021 06:20PM

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 · 22-04-2021 06:23PM

never tried so it's a no from me

The Royal Scam · 22-04-2021 06:33PM

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 · 22-04-2021 06:48PM

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 · 22-04-2021 06:48PM

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 · 22-04-2021 06:54PM

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 · 22-04-2021 07:15PM

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 · 22-04-2021 07:47PM

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 · 22-04-2021 08:02PM

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

peasant · 22-04-2021 09:16PM

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:

xLKTmrh-q9-o3f9U9RNaGJmxVXVrwYqf0A1PI97jTlB6s8PLc1SMsu_dpzWzf81eRNr0RsEyRTCfHGntdBlxFKJfjfcSPaoD5jYva5tUwqfex1SDNfs

xLKTmrh-q9-o3f9U9RNaGJmxVXVrwYqf0A1PI97jTlB6s8PLc1SMsu_dpzWzf81eRNr0RsEyRTCfHGntdBlxFKJfjfcSPaoD5jYva5tUwqfex1SDNfs

alchemist33 · 22-04-2021 09:20PM

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 · 22-04-2021 09:39PM

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 · 22-04-2021 09:48PM

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

GM228 · 22-04-2021 10:25PM

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 · 22-04-2021 10:32PM

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 · 22-04-2021 11:14PM

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 · 22-04-2021 11:26PM

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

Wishbone Ash · 22-04-2021 11:26PM

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 · 22-04-2021 11:47PM

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=- · 22-04-2021 11:51PM

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 · 22-04-2021 11:54PM

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 · 23-04-2021 12:15AM

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 · 23-04-2021 12:24AM

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.

Can you reverse a trailer?

Can you reverse with a trailer? 179 votes

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