Fifth Wheel vs Travel Trailer Backing Techniques
by admin | Nov 14, 2018 | Tips and Tricks
Fifth Wheel vs Travel Trailer Backing Techniques
So is there a difference between the Fifth Wheel and Travel Trailer Backing up Techniques? Not in the way you would back them up. The biggest difference is just in how much more maneuverable a Fifth Wheel can be because it doesn’t jack knife into the truck like a bumper pull does.
Wandering Wagners, Mike & Lynn have put a lot of time into making this excellent video on different Travel Trailer backing techniques. This techniques can be used for either Fifth Wheel or Travel Trailers . This is by far one of the best training videos for Travel Trailer backing I have seen. Check out their video and our break down below. We hope this will make backing up your Fifth Wheel or Travel Trailer more enjoyable and take some of the fear away.
0:00 Tail Swing
When you turn, the rear of the trailer swings out wider than the pivot point of the Travel Trailer axles. Trailer swing is the amount that the back end of your trailer swings out when making a sharp turn. You get 1 foot of trailer swing for every 3 feet of trailer behind the centerline of the trailer axles.
This comes into play when you’re on a tight street and making a sharp turn when there are cars beside you. Or when at the gas pump and you pull in tight. You always need to have the trailer swing in the back of your mind. You may need to pull straight until the rear of the trailer is clear before you start your turn.
3:56 Straight Line Backing
Make sure your mirrors are adjusted. Pull the truck straight in front of the place you are trying to back into. Place your hand on top of the steering wheel. Start backing up and only make small corrections. If your trailer starts to go to the right then steer to the right and straighten it out. If your trailer starts to go to the left then steer to the left.
This is one of the more basic techniques. This is a great technique for backing into a parking spot at a truck stop, Gas pumps, or storage lot.
6:46 Reverse Lane Change
The reverse lane change is an excellent technique to have in your back pocket. It encompasses so many maneuvers that can be used in the real world and will Instow confidence in your abilities to handle just about any situation.
Pro Tip: You want to imagine that straight in front of you is 12 o’clock. In most maneuvers, we will back up and crank the wheel until the truck is pointed at either 1 o’clock or 11 o’clock.
In this Right to Left lane change. Put the truck in reverse and turn to the right, because we want the trailer to go to the left when backing up. Keep backing up until the truck is pointed in the 11 o’clock position. Then stop and turn the wheel all the way to the left and back up until the truck and trailer are straight in line with each other. Now back up until the trailer axles reach the imaginary center line between the 2 lanes.
Once the axles reach the centerline you turn the steering wheel all the way left and then back up until the drive axle gets to the center of the lane. Now you need to get back straight in line with the trailer. So turn the wheel all the way to the right until you’re straight with the trailer and you’ll be straight in your lane. And now you can back straight up.
And do the opposite to do the Left to Right lane change.
13:18 Parallel parking
Parallel parking is something you may never use. But traveling to big cities you can get yourself into some unique situations. So being confident and ready for every situation you will make vacationing that much more enjoyable.
To parallel park, you are going to need a 12 ft wide spot and it should about 15 ft longer than your overall rig.
So you pull ahead of the parrel spot, just like you would in your car, back in a straight line until the trailer axle reaches the start of the parking spot. Then you will turn away from the parking spot. So if the spot is on the right, you turn to the left and if the spot is on your left you will be turning to the right.
Pro Tip: Always remember if your unsure of what’s behind you or in your blind spot (G.O.A.L) Get Out And Look. Patience should always win over speed. If there is someone waiting for you to get out of the way. Just pull forward and let them pass. The last thing you want is some crazy person honking at you while you’re backing into a tight spot.
You will back up and set our angle to 1 o’clock. Once you’re at 1 o’clock turn all the way back to the right and get in line with the camper. Now go straight back until the trailer axles reach the outside edge of the parking spot. Now we will turn to the right. Back up until the drive axle reaches the edge of the parking spot. Then turn back to the left until everything almost straightens out. If you have the room, you can keep backing until you’re all the way into the spot. But with our 15 ft we started with you probably won’t have enough space. So just turn back to the right and pull forward until the truck is fully into the spot.
Parallel parking on the driver side can be a little more challenging. But in almost every situation you are going to be in the oncoming lane of traffic. So this is a maneuver you should never need to use. But if you find yourself in a situation just follow the same steps as previously described.
19:18 Ally Dock / Campground back in
This is going to be your most used maneuver in real life. It’s what you’re going to use to back into most campsites or storage yards. It will also be when the most eyes will be on you. So out of all the maneuvers we discussed, this is the most important.
You start off at a 90-degree angle to the parking spot. With the campsite on our driver’s side, we pull passed the site about a full rig length. Turn the wheel to the right and start getting some angle on the trailer. Once it’s pointed at the spot you want to park turn back to the left and straighten the truck tires out and keep backing up. This will keep the trailer turning on the same path. Make small adjustments to keep the trailer pointed into the parking spot. Once the back of the trailer is lined up with the camping spot turn the tires all the way to the right and swing the trailer until the trailer axle reaches the edge of the spot. You are going to need to turn the wheels sharp right, back up a little, straighten them out, then sharp right, then straighten them out. It’s a dance you’ll be having with the trailer. Once you get the trailer lined up into the spot. Turn the wheel to the right and pulled forward slightly. Now turn the wheel the other way and back up a little more. You may have to do this, forward and back, a few times until you get the truck and trailer nice and straight into the spot. When you’re making your final backup make sure and get out and look at what’s behind you and how far you need to go.
Pro Tip: I usually find a spot on the ground outside my truck and use that as a marker. So If I need to go 4 more feet, I can use the spot on the ground to gauge how far I have gone.
I hope this guide to Fifth Wheel vs Travel Trailer Backing Techniques helps you during your next camping adventure. Check out our review on Wireless Back up cameras. Having a backup camera can make backing up even that much easier especially when you don’t have a spotter.
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Jake
Owner of GetCampin