Questions about Backing up a hill

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shawnk98

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Mar 27, 2018
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As of last year I was a tent camper; I just purchased a 27BKS Salem. I am having buyers remorse (as I always do with new purchases) and am wondering how to get it up my driveway. I live in a neighborhood that once I get in, there is no way to "go around the block" I live on a dead end hill. My driveway is a cement drive that goes uphill and now I'm a bit nervous.

How can I tell if I am able to get up the drive?
Is there any attachments to the trailer that I can look at to avoid ruining my trailer?
Is there anyone who has a trailer like mine that has backed up a hill that can give advice?
Do I take off the sway bars and the friction bar?
Should I have stayed with the Trails End tent? (Kidding)

I am a little nervous
Shawn
 
There are too many variables to give a meaningful answer. Two major ones are the length of the rear overhang on the trailer (distance from trailer axle to rear bumper) and the steepness of the hill where it joins the road (attack angle). Height of the tow vehicle at the hitch is another.

There are two concerns: (1) as you back the trailer from the flat road to the rising driveway, the back of the trailer may drag until the axles reach the edge of the grade and begin to lift the rear; (2) same thing when the hitch on the back of the tow vehicle reaches the edge of the grade before the tow vehicle axles.

You will have to try it once or twice to see if it will drag and whether it is slight or serious. Sometimes a few boards laid at the transition between flat and upgrade will change the angles enough to avoid a problem.

Some people put skid wheels on the back of the trailer so it can roll rather than drag, but that is a double-edged sword. The wheels reduce the clearance between frame and pavement by 4-6" so it hits sooner, but it rolls when it does.

I would probably remove the WD bars and certainly any friction type antisway device. However, if removing the WD spring bars causes the rear of the tow vehicle to drop much, that can exacerbate the problem at the hitch.
 
Use a spotter.  Have the spotter film so you can see what they see.  BE the spotter so you know what happens. 
 
I put a front hitch on my F-150 to mount a bike rack too. It is supposed to have the same rating as the rear hitch. It makes parking a lot easier.

That is the second easiest option. The easiest option for me is to drive across the yard around the tress and park it where I want it.

If you what to back it into your drive, remember it does not matter if it take one try or twenty tries. No one will give you a certificate of merit if you get it on the first try and it will not go one your permanent record from high school if you need multiple tries.

No one really keeps a record of how well you can park you RV. Indeed, I have found that the better I get the more fussy I get about getting the perfect angle on the parking space.

Have fun and enjoy the RV



 
 
The good news is that your trailer isn't any longer or wider when backing up than it is going forward. If you fit going one way, you'll fit the other.

I have an issue with the crown of the road in front of my driveway. I need to enter and exit at an angle to prevent bottoming out.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
(1) as you back the trailer from the flat road to the rising driveway, the back of the trailer may drag until the axles reach the edge of the grade and begin to lift the rear;
Click to expand...

This is the problem I ran into when backing my trailer up my driveway. I had the axles flipped, which raised the trailer enough to eliminate the problem.
 
shawnk98 said:
As of last year I was a tent camper; I just purchased a 27BKS Salem. I am having buyers remorse (as I always do with new purchases) and am wondering how to get it up my driveway. I live in a neighborhood that once I get in, there is no way to "go around the block" I live on a dead end hill. My driveway is a cement drive that goes uphill and now I'm a bit nervous.
Click to expand...

Putting aside getting the trailer up the driveway, how far do you have to back in along the street before you reach the driveway?  Is the street straight or curved?  Do you have to back the trailer around a corner to get it pointed in the right direction to go down your street?

If you don't have much experience backing a trailer, find a large, empty parking lot and practice backing before you tackle your street and driveway.  Find a straight line or something like a row of spaces and practice backing along the ends of them.  Practice until you're comfortable correcting the path of the trailer as it strays away from the line you've selected to follow.  Get used to watching your trailer in the side mirrors instead of turning around to look at it.  Since you're there, also try turning the trailer into an angled parking space or two like you were backing into a campsite.

It's a lot easier if you have a spotter to guide you when backing up.  If you're by yourself, don't be afraid to Get Out And Look.  GOAL is one of the things they drill into you at truck driving school, it's too easy to hit something you can't see from the drivers seat.
 
A.  How steep is your Hill?
B.  My wife and I use walki talkies, work great as long as she lets off the button.  A spotter is always advisable. 
C.  Did you consider this obstacle prior to purchasing? 
 
I also have to back up a very steep drive way, and every time I do it, I have my wife watch that one critical point  where the hitch just about touches the ground.

One thing that might help if you have a wide enough driveway is to try to come in at an angle.

Mine is so steep and it is gravel that I have to put it in 4 wheel drive to keep the wheels from spinning.

Good luck

Jack L
 
When I need to back into a tight spot I like to approach the target with it on my left side.
That way I can see where the trailer/toad/whatever is in relation to any obstruction on that side.
A spotter on the right side is a tremendous help in letting you know how close you are to obstacles on that side.

Good luck.
Corky
 
Gary and others addressed the problems of transition to the hill.

As far as backing up, if you feel comfortable backing up on level surfaces, you will do just fine.  Just practice as Lou said.

A spotter is REQUIRED. 

GOAL is your friend.

A front hitch may also be very worthwhile.

You probably will laugh at this, but can you pull in, then turn the camper around once it is up to the house?
 
Thanks a lot everyone, there were a lot of helpful tips. To answer a few questions:

I don't know how to explain how steep the drive is; I can't turn around at the top of the drive; I can't  drive through the yard due to ditching; There is only one house past mine so traffic won't be an issue; and I obviously didn't give this any consideration before I bought it!!  lol  ;D  :)

I think I will take some advise by going to the high school to try backing up a bit before I attempt the neighborhood. Thanks again!

Shawn
 
I think RGP front receiver hitch is the best idea. Easy and cheap to install by about anybody with a welder. Doesn?t have to be 5000lb or whatever rated. The front hitch has the added advantage of being closer to the front wheels so you get a height advantage which may let you use a drop hitch to raise rear of trailer without dragging hitch.
I have front hitches on a couple of vehicles. DW puts boat in water with one. (I?m in boat) Never could back down boat ramp, but she can drive down it and then backs STRAIGHT up ramp. Never could understand it. I guess once the boats off trailer she relaxes or something.
 
Looking at what pictures of your TT I could find (pictures of your driveway would help), I think your issue is going to be the rear bumper clearance. Its a long trailer and the axles are towards the middle. I'd be concerned about the transition from the road (assumed to be relatively flat) to your driveway. If your driveway starts with a gradual slope, you should be OK getting it into the driveway and then it is just a question of the grade changes as you back in. I'd get out a tape measure and a long spirit level and try to estimate the ground clearance you will need.

 
At the risk of being Captain Obvious....I suppose you could store it off site...and then no worries about backing at all...?
 
I find that when backing up a trailer it is important to me to only use the drivers mirror while moving. The passenger mirror often has a different magnification and looking back & forth will have you weaving all over. I do stop and study the passenger side but go back to drivers side while moving.

Measure the width of your trailer and the driveway. Now you know how close the passenger side is if you can see the drivers side. Then, all you gotta do is keep the drivers side wheels the right distance from the edge. If you do, you know where the other side has to be.

Yes, get out and look. Yes, have a spotter. If you have good cell service, put your phone in speakerphone mode and set it down. Chat with spotter. Arrange hand signals in advance. Simple directions. Get out and look.
 
I have to agree that up hill, down hill, or level, a good spotter is the best answer.

I have driven into a couple of dead ends by mistake and backing up is very annoying. However, with the wife standing so I can always see her in the mirror it is usually a matter of slow and steady. Also I is perfectly fine to stop get out and look for yourself. I recalibrates your brain to the surrounding.

Good Luck
     
 
I, too, have to back up a sloped driveway. Of course, I don't know whether it is as steep as yours. We are fortunate to have an RV garage attached to the car garage. Here's how we do it. [list type=decimal]
[*]DW calls me on her cell phone; I answer on bluetooth connection in truck.
[*]I begin backing and turning; DW tells me ONLY which direction the rear of the trailer needs to go. (Of course, if I'm about to run into something she tells me that as well.)
[*]We have a line on the floor of the RV garage so that, if the left hand trailer wheels are just inside the line, alignment of the trailer in the garage is perfect.
[*]DW talks me along the line and tells me when the rear trailer bumper arrives at the cross hatch at the end of the line.
[*]We do as many "takes" as are required to get it right.  ;D
[/list]
Hope this helps. I would say the two main things are practice, practice, practice, and don't be afraid to get out and look as many times as needed.
 
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