Can you reverse a trailer?

fryup · 23-04-2021 08:38AM

look at this cocky brat half my age

able to master it no problem

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

BnB · 23-04-2021 05:35PM

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 · 23-04-2021 06:20PM

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.

23-04-2021 09:39PM

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 · 23-04-2021 09:54PM

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 · 23-04-2021 11:20PM

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 · 24-04-2021 12:34AM

Odelay wrote: »

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

That was a joke!

Stoolbend · 24-04-2021 01:10AM

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 · 24-04-2021 01:29AM

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 · 24-04-2021 01:45AM

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 · 24-04-2021 07:35AM

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 · 24-04-2021 09:09AM

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 · 24-04-2021 09:10AM

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

DaSchmo · 24-04-2021 09:17AM

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 · 24-04-2021 09:26AM

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 · 24-04-2021 12:49PM

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 · 24-04-2021 01:10PM

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 · 24-04-2021 01:33PM

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 · 24-04-2021 02:11PM

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 · 24-04-2021 02:20PM

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.

the_pen_turner · 24-04-2021 02:58PM

ratracer wrote: »

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.

The vast majority never reverse around a corner or do a 3 point turn or a hill start etc but they should be able to. . It's a basic skill that everyone driving should be able to do.
If your incapable of reversing then you will be less likely to be competent in other areas

harr · 24-04-2021 03:32PM

the_pen_turner wrote: »

The vast majority never reverse around a corner or do a 3 point turn or a hill start etc but they should be able to. . It's a basic skill that everyone driving should be able to do.
If your incapable of reversing then you will be less likely to be competent in other areas

I would imagine most drivers would encounter a hill start or a 3 point turn regular enough?
The majority of people I know would have absolutely no need to know how to reverse with a trailer that’s why it’s a separate test . I definitely wouldn’t call it a basic skill you need .

24-04-2021 03:37PM

I've never had a trailer in real life, but I find if ever I'm having difficulty getting parked, parallel parking, reversing into tight or winding alleys etc. I try to picture the car from above.

fits · 24-04-2021 03:42PM

Yes. Did BE test ten years ago.

However one year I was dropping an art installation to a sodden electric picnic site and had to reverse trailer a few hundred metres on a metal track to let an artic out. That wasn’t great.

ml100 · 25-04-2021 09:23AM

frosty123 wrote: »

and what's a BE test?

Car and trailer test,
B is car full licence test,
BE is car + trailer, its needed when the
combined maximum mass of the towing vehicle and the trailer is greater than 3,500kg.
I did this test about 5 or 6 years ago.

frosty123 · 25-04-2021 11:20AM

So basically double axel trailers then ?

Do many people avail of it? or is it mostly work related?

Zimmerframe · 25-04-2021 11:29AM

frosty123 wrote: »

So basically double axel trailers then ?

Kind of as they will be heavier, but the actual number of axles is irrelevant, only weight is taken into account.

What is kinda deranged with the normal B licence, is in some cases you can tow a larger trailer if you have a smaller car.

the_pen_turner · 25-04-2021 12:09PM

harr wrote: »

I would imagine most drivers would encounter a hill start or a 3 point turn regular enough?
The majority of people I know would have absolutely no need to know how to reverse with a trailer that’s why it’s a separate test . I definitely wouldn’t call it a basic skill you need .

im not sugesting most people will ever reverse a trailer.
i think that the skills needed to do so would really help drivers in other areas of driving.
havig it on the normal test would force drivers to have higher driving skills and be better able to drive.

you also dont need a licence to pull a small trailer

obi604 · 25-04-2021 12:21PM

I grew up on a farm and have no bother reversing a ‘10 by 6’ loaded trailer in a tight space when attached to a tractor.

Have never really mastered it in a car, same idea and all, front wheel opposite way to the way you want trailer to go , but never got hang of it, maybe the extra height in a tractor made it easier.

Saying this, never really spent much time practising the car scenario.

jmreire · 25-04-2021 01:04PM

My hat goes off to the drivers of livestock truck / trailer rig's. Unbelievable what these guys can do, driving an Artic is childs play compared to them. And as for Aussie road trains....

Can you reverse a trailer?

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