newbie to towing

[1 MEAN66]

backing is easy!!! but a pain in the ass your first few times. Do not overthink it! Practice it. AS IT WILL BE NEEDED somewhere and at some time. Go to a parking lot with a set of cheap soft rubbery cones ( so you can drive over them forever without damage to truck or trailer. The way I was taught at a tractor trailer school (learning so I could get my class A license and drive OTR- over the road) was: Going forward or backward you ALWAYS do the same thing!!!! Move the front end of the "towing vehicle" in the direction you want the "backend" of the towed vehicle to go. If you are going forward you move the front of your truck to the right or left and the back of the trailer follows you. Going in reverse : steer the trucks wheels to the right the front of the truck goes left! PERIOD. If the trailer is back there when the front of your truck moves to the left SO WILL THE BACK OF THE TRAILER! The hard part is how are you will need to move to get the trailer to start to move and how soon/fast you need to "chase it" to finish the process. Sat. and Sun. are good days to use a school parking lot to practice. Keep a car and trailer toy set and prove it to yourself. The longer the trailer the easier it is to learn. The shorter the trailer the faster it reacts and you over react. Have fun, be safe, Remember more weight longer stopping distance. Take your time enjoy the ride and get to where you are going each and every time. There is a lot of country out there to see.

 

[crash68]

So let me clarify then. Im not disagreeing with you. In my experience it all depends on the load your pulling. I personally like my trailer - under load - to START grabbing as I push on the brake pedal. Thus stopping both together at the same time. This is what i meant when i said that i wanted the trailer to grab before the truck. With that said, ill back the trailer brakes all the way off if im empty. Keeping the brakes on full time is dangerous and wears your brakes and tires out. It all is situational based is what im saying. This is why you need to have access to the brake controller to adjust the "Gain" inside the truck,

That's a clear as mud way of describing that you need to adjust the trailer brakes when the load in the trailer changes.
Sounds like you maybe accustom to using time delay style brake controllers, hence the "trailer brakes grab" before the truck brakes. This is not something you worry about with the OEM brake controller as it uses not only braking force but along with vehicle speed to determine how much trailer brake to apply.

 

[supertramp]

Wow, that is a lot to digest! Thank you to all! Think I will stay home! Can ride my Polaris here without having to tow them somewhere

 

[KoboldTaco]

Wow, that is a lot to digest! Thank you to all! Think I will stay home! Can ride my Polaris here without having to tow them somewhere

Watch a few YouTube videos, and just get out there and try it. Pay attention to your payload number (on the frame inside the drivers' door) and don’t max it out. I’ve seen far too many crashes because rigs were at the limit and without a distribution or sway control hitch, inexperience and then blam.

When backing up - use a spotter viewable in your mirror. The cameras always help in a pinch but there is nothing better than a live person.

 

[dhay13]

Best advice when learning to back up...go to an empty lot and try to back into spaces between the lines. Very small movements on the wheel. The bigger the trailer the bigger the wheel movements can be. Shorter trailers are harder and need very small steering wheel input. When you are pulling up to start your backup pull up far enough to get the trailer straight with the truck. That makes it so much easier to get started. If you get out of whack pull forward and start over.

 

[Daily Driver44]

That's a clear as mud way of describing that you need to adjust the trailer brakes when the load in the trailer changes.
Sounds like you maybe accustom to using time delay style brake controllers, hence the "trailer brakes grab" before the truck brakes. This is not something you worry about with the OEM brake controller as it uses not only braking force but along with vehicle speed to determine how much trailer brake to apply.

Ok you got me!
I have never had a truck that had a factory brake controller. I understand that the onboard computer most likely takes all that into account. Maybe Im missing something in that. Im just used to having my own control of my rig.
With that said please help me fill in the blanks.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Watch a few YouTube videos, and just get out there and try it. Pay attention to your payload number (on the frame inside the drivers' door) and don’t max it out. I’ve seen far too many crashes because rigs were at the limit and without a distribution or sway control hitch, inexperience and then blam.

When backing up - use a spotter viewable in your mirror. The cameras always help in a pinch but there is nothing better than a live person.

By all means use a spotter for backing up when possible. And make sure they know that if they can't see your mirror you can't see them.

 

[mtofell]

For backing up we all have our methods but I gave up on spotters years ago. Sure, in some situations they may be helpful but what about when you're by yourself? Needing someone to help you park is a crutch and one you need to be able to do without. Stop, get out and check your progress as many times as you need to. Start over to get the right line and do it again. Unless you want to needlessly fight with your spouse or friends learn to park your trailer solo. If you don't want to take my word for it go to a nearby loading dock and tell me how many 18-wheelers are being guided by people standing and screaming, "just a bit more right.... not my right, your right.... what? I thought you heard me and saw me point." LOL..... no thanks!

The final straw: I pull into a KOA campground and it's one of these situations where they INSIST on the campground guy "escorting" you to your site and helping you park. Fine... so we get to the site and the elderly "******" says he'll guide me in. I say no thanks... he insists so I foolishly start to back up. I've got my eyes glued to him in my mirror and he's giving me the "keep going" signal. All of the sudden a lady in the next site screams and I slam on the brakes.... I get out and go back to see I'm about a foot from backing directly into a tree. "******" dude was just standing there clueless.... I'm not sure what his deal was but parking trailers was not his calling. I actually felt bad as I lit him up and took out a long day's travel on him. He apologized profusely for not paying more attention and wandered away. Anyway, I park my trailer... end of story. It keeps my marriage intact and keeps me from berating elderly camp hosts.

LOL.... the site sensors the word "e s c o r t". WTF?

 

[tron67j]

Agree with crash68, trailers should be adjusted so the stopping does not reach the point where you feel it pulling back. Vehicles are designed to have the front wheels perform more of the braking function to keep control under all braking conditions. Changing that behavior is a recipe for disaster.

 

[itscody]

Wow, that is a lot to digest! Thank you to all! Think I will stay home! Can ride my Polaris here without having to tow them somewhere

Don't give up traveling to new areas. It's def not a lot, being put down in text on a forum it seems that way. But in reality its not.