Calculating towing track - parking in a tight space

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5erorT

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Jun 29, 2016
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For my wife and I, one of the biggest hurdles to purchasing a trailer or 5th wheel is where to put it when it's waiting for the next adventure.
Storing it offsite is out of the question financially and our property is quite tight to say the least. The layout does provide a long driveway 10' wide next to the house (quite steep) and if I can swing a tight left (getting the backend of the trailer to go left) down at the bottom, I may be able to stuff something into the space in front of the garage.
I am guessing a 22-24 foot unit may fit as my f250 long-bed (club-cab) can get into that space currently.
I'm not sure if a 5th wheel would be easier or harder to navigate but my guess is a TT would be more responsive to input from the driver's seat.

To get an idea of the limitations, imagine a 10' wide backwards L. My concern is that the nose of the truck will need to swing wide to get the trailer to do what I want and there is simply not enough room without taking out the fence.

My question is, does anyone have a "rule of thumb" I could apply here? I even thought of making a cardboard cut-out of a rig and trying it out on the kitchen table - not sure how realistic that would be though. Maybe I could go to a toy store and get a close facsimile of a rig and draw a plan view of the limits on a piece of cardboard ;D

All perspectives appreciated
 
I don't know about a rule of thumb, but the FW will turn waaaaayyyyyy better than a TT . . . . .
 
I don't quite picture what it is you need to do, but I understand your concerns. We have an RV garage with a 10' wide door beside (with the front set back from) our car garage. The driveway approach is only as wide as the car garage, so I have to angle the trailer up the approach and then swing the truck wide and back over the curb. It is annoying. We are in the process of getting bids to have the approach widened.

I don't know how to solve your problem, but I wanted to remind you not to forget about tail swing, when you are doing your figuring. Several times, I have nearly wiped out the garage door (and the trailer) because I got off course and the tail of the trailer swung wide. For me it is all about patience. I have to stop and get out of the truck several times and make sure that I am on course and not on a collision course. I wish you luck in your figuring.  Having the trailer at home is a real convenience, especially when you need to do a project on the trailer or are prepping for a trip.

Best of luck! Tom
 
We have moved from a 5th wheel to a TT and I find that backing up a TT is easier then the 5th wheel, mainly because the front of the truck does not have to move  as much to get the trailer to move. We also have a 10 ft wide driveway beside the house and with the roof overhang it is even tighter.  We use walkie talkies to communicate as sight lines are difficult as I have to get the truck  by some trees and bushes on the fence side.
Tend to run over the brick pavers getting the trailer into the driveway. Suggest you keep an eye on the front of the truck as well as the trailer
Good luck
Howard
 
I think you are right that a TT is easier to back than a 5W, in the sense that it responds much more quickly to the tow vehicle steering. IMO, the 5W advantage is stability when going forward, not maneuverability. However, there are a few maneuvers a 5W can do that a TT won't, and vice versa. I'm not able to visualize your situation well, but  TT sounds like a better fit.

Better yet, choose a pop-up or "Trail Manor" style folding trailer.  Same "bumper pull" maneuverability but much better visibility and you don't have to watch the tall sides when skirting around a building or trees. Something like the Rockwood High-wall 276 will fit in a 20 ft slot when closed, yet gives over 25 ft of living space with stove, sink, fridge, toilet and shower as well as two beds.

http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=155&Image=5056&ModelID=953#Main

Or the Trail Manor hard-type folding trailer: http://www.trailmanor.com/products/2518.html

Maybe not quite as convenient and nice as a full travel trailer, but well-suited to your needs for a smaller size and maneuverability.
 
Thanks for all the feedback so far.
To give you some perspective. ..

Looking at the truck mirrors, house in left mirror, tall hedge in right, about 10 feet between the two.
Straight back (and down the driveway (5% grade) about 25 feet then the trailer needs to begin swinging left (in the mirror) as the driveway now opens up to the full width of the garage - also about 25 feet.

I still think getting a toy truck and trailer is a good idea - the truck would need front wheels that steer to give be a good idea of what it would take. A trailer is a big investment and it's crazy to get one if I cant keep it here.

Gary, your idea of a fold-up is a good one but I'd rather not have to go that route if I don't have to.

Keep the ideas comming
 
It looks like you 'might' be a good candidate for a powered dolly, if...and it is a big one, you can maneuver it up and down the 5% grade.
This one is a Canadian web site but I'm sure there are plenty of similar suppliers in the US. Here is the URL.
https://parkit360.ca/

These work quite well on level ground and can maneuver sharply without requiring a lot of room. Braking on a hill....don't know.
If you have enough room, going straight down,  to drop the trailer on the garage apron, then a dolly could take over at that point and put it in where you intend to park it.  Same with leaving.  Let the dolly set it up for a straight pull out when leaving.

Just thinking outside the box here.  Never had, or used one, but there are lots of Youtube videos on how to do it.
Just noticed, this one pictured has a 7pin trailer plug to be able to use your trailer brakes with the dolly.
Good Luck,
Gord
 
When I moved from a TT to a FW a couple years ago, I noticed what Gary said.  FW is better moving forward.  TT is easier to back up. At least this is my experience.
 
Gord Nelson said:
It looks like you 'might' be a good candidate for a powered dolly, if...and it is a big one, you can maneuver it up and down the 5% grade.
This one is a Canadian web site but I'm sure there are plenty of similar suppliers in the US. Here is the URL.
https://parkit360.ca/

These work quite well on level ground and can maneuver sharply without requiring a lot of room. Braking on a hill....don't know.
If you have enough room, going straight down,  to drop the trailer on the garage apron, then a dolly could take over at that point and put it in where you intend to park it.  Same with leaving.  Let the dolly set it up for a straight pull out when leaving.

Just thinking outside the box here.  Never had, or used one, but there are lots of Youtube videos on how to do it.
Just noticed, this one pictured has a 7pin trailer plug to be able to use your trailer brakes with the dolly.
Good Luck,
Gord
Click to expand...

Now there is an excellent idea!
This opens up plenty of possibilities. I have a small tractor and never would have thought of possibly using it to "put the trailer away". Your post got me thinking in the right direction :). The tractor has 12 volts and would operate the trailer brakes once I installed a controller which I could probably find on craigslist. It's also 4 wheel drive, very heavy and very slow in 1st so it would be ideal.

Problem solved - all I need now is a trailer ;D. BTW, this also confirms my thoughts on choosing a 5er or a tt. A tt would be much easier to handle with a simple ball mounted on the tractor bucket..

Thanks so much!
 
You're welcome.
You might find that you will have to add some weights to the back of your tractor to counteract the pin weight on the trailer or 5th wheel.  Either could be rigged to do the job from either a ball or a cup.  Very common in the RV sales yards and Service areas to move their units around the yard and into and out of the service bays.
Sounds like you might have a plan.

Gord
 
The tractor might solve your problem, but, for others, it may help to put a receiver on the front of the tow vehicle.  My cousin did that for moving a garden trailer.  It gives more maneuverability and way better vision, but might be a problem with too much weight on the front of a 2WD vehicle. 

I was also going to suggest that you rent or borrow a trailer of the desired size.  Depending on how much experience you have backing trailers, watching an experienced driver put a trailer in there might be very helpful.
 
One method is to back it up on a gravel lot where you can see the tire tracks.  But you still have the tail swing to deal with

A bag of flower with a hole in it on each end of the rear bumper, and on each end of the both bumpers on the tow car?

Also.. I got lucky with mine.. Seems there was an adjacent vacant lot.. The city had buldozed the house and re-sodded it.. Some neighbors were parking abandoned cars on it.. I applied to the city, got title (cost me 368 dollars including title transfer fee of 18 bucks) fendced it in with a big gate. Oh, posted it so all but one of the cars went away.. and the owner of that one talked to me so I assisted him in getting it out onto the street (on street parking is allowed but subject to impound after 24 hours) and we cleaned it up, made some other improvements and it became my RV parking lot.
 
Reviving this old thread a bit.
We bought an Artic Fox 22G TT. Since it doesn't have a slideout, Northwood makes the trailer 6" wider than standard. The gates for our RV parking area open to 10'. With the trailer width being 8'6" and the opening only 10', we have 9" on either side to clear!! A bit of a white knuckler. We got it in there using our TV, but are considering a powered dolly. That Parkit360 that someone mentioned looks ideal for us.
Just wondering if anyone has since picked up a powered dolly since this thread was started? Or already has one they like and would like to share about it?
Thanks.
 
I have a small tractor that I have moved my utility trailer with. It is a Kubota BX2200 with snow blower on the front. With the trailer empty, it was easy to move around. When full (gvwr is 7000 lbs), even a small rise or impediment or trying a sharp turn on gravel (tandem axels) would get the tractor tires spinning. Mine simply is too small for the job. I now use a bobcat with a ball attachment on the bucket.

Something to think about.
 
Just remember the trailer pivots on the axles.  Make sure the rear end doesn't hit anything, but drive the trailer wheels to where you want the trailer to go.

Trying to position the trailer by watching the rear bumper will make you crazy.
 
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