Can I get my TT into my driveway?

[Camerong]

Thanks all. I was in a bad mood earlier from other stuff and it showed!

Another question. I think I could get ramps for the curbs and put down sheets of OSB or plywood on the grass to make a wider entrance to the driveway. I could probably go either direction, as I’m sure the owner next door wouldn’t care. Would that help? Or would it be bad to have one side’s wheels going up a ramp over a curb while the other side was still in the street?

I will have no problem getting the neighbors to move their cars if needed. But it is a fairly busy street, for a residential, at least one car a minute and often several. I can back it up outside of rush hour time, so that would help.

Thanks again.

 

[Rene T]

No need for the OSB. It will roll just fine on the grass. What about that small tree? Will that be a issue? Is it yours or your neighbors?

 

[SpencerPJ]

For me, I'd back right over that curb, but honesty a couple closer pictures and a straight shot of your driveway would help. I back mine over grass, not after a good rain, I don't want ruts.

 

[Camerong]

Tree is neighbors, but it’s a few feet away from driveway. I can cut the branches where they come over the property line, or tie them back to get out of the way if that would work. I had thought some type of sheathing to prevent possible ruts, particularly on the neighbor’s parking area (meaning the grass between sidewalk and street which actually is city property). Here are some more photos of the driveway and area. Thanks!

 

[LarsMac]

If you can fill in that dip so you're not bottoming out coming and going, I think it's doable. It will take a number of attempts to figure it out.
It it were me, I'd go with backing in. You would want to go the direction the camera is looking in your first pic. and back into the drive, working around that tree, I think.

I am confident that I could do it that way.
Again, it will take some practice, and a lot of false starts to get the hang of it.

 

[SpencerPJ]

Yikes, even a bit more challenging than I thought. Maybe head to a large parking lot with sidewalk chalk and practice. Your first tree next to the street will be your first obstacle to maneuver. Looks like a 9' driveway and your trailer will be 8' wide. It might be done, but a belly like mine would require sucking in a lot . That certainly will be interesting. Good luck

 

[Isaac-1]

My advice is if you try this have plenty of spotters to watch for tail swing, off tracking, etc.

 

[Rene T]

You would want to go the direction the camera is looking in your first pic. and back into the drive, working around that tree, I think.

I too would back in the same direction. If you try backing it in from the other direction that would be on your blind side which can be very difficult especially for someone with no experience.
Take a look at the branches of the tree on the corner of your driveway. You may have to do some trimming. It’s hard to tell in your pictures. Do it now before you attempt to back in. You’re probably gonna want to back in close to that tree which may be good to use as a anchor point. Just back around it with maybe 3’ clearance. Once your first trailer wheel is along side that tree, you can start turning to align the trailer with the driveway.

 

[Seon]

Park it across the street in front of your house then when traffic is at a minimum practice backing in. Again, I'd suggest installing a front hitch which make parking onto your driveway much easier.

 

[HueyPilotVN]

I am a project guy. So I thought I would show my solution for having a front hitch on my Jeep for use in several different situations.

I use it for spotting or moving a trailer with much better control by pushing it or pulling it and having the turning wheels close to under the trailer tongue.

I also use the front hitch receiver to mount my winch that I carry in a hidden diamond plate storage compartment in the back. I can use it on the front or the back of the Jeep.

The storage compartment also holds all the things in the picture.

Normally I have my License plate in the receiver mounted on what I call "The Mother-in- law seat".

One final caution. Do not try to use it on a 20+ thousand pound stacker without a Trailer Toad. See last picture.

 

[Matt_C]

Camerong,
I have played that kind of "thread the needle" a few times, not all were successful. Well worth the try thought.
When you do your first attempt, do have lots of spotters and agreed signals before you start. This can save damage. Also have someone to be a dedicated photographer. This will allow you to come back here and prove it could be done. I am hoping that these pictures are not part of the insurance claim.
Do come back.
Matt

 

[fpotus]

So we have a Forest River 273QBXL on order from the factory. 33' 5" overall length. Vehicle is a NV3500 van.

We have a long driveway on the side of our house which is wide enough to fit the TT and still leave an aisle, but I am concerned about my ability to get it into the driveway in the first place. With a door on the right side, I really need to pull the TT in, so that the door faces the house. If I back it in, I would have to get it very close to the house, which would be a challenge with dryer vents and a few things sticking out. But there is no alley behind the house, so if I pull in, my van will be stuck, unable to leave because of the trailer. I have thought about using a motorized trailer dolly to pull it in?

Either way, I am concerned about the ability to make the turn, whether pulling in with a motorized trailer dolly, or backing it in with the van. Any idea whether we will be able to make this turn? Paved driveway is 11-13' wide (it is asphalt so it is not a clean edge), but I can pull off onto the side of the driveway a few feet if necessary. Once the driveway is equal with the house, it is 14' wide, and the extra area is gravel. The street is 25' wide. I can ask neighbors to move cars that park on the street.

Any way to make this work? If not, we will just have to get RV storage nearby, which can work, but obviously will be less convenient when packing (we have 6 kids, so that will not be a quick task). Below is a picture of our driveway--ours is the gray house on the left. Thanks for any thoughts!

View attachment 146843

The only issue I see is inexperience with backing up trailers. Looking at the photos I see no reason why someone with experience and skill couldnt easily back your camper up your driveway. The grade issue doesnt look that bad after looking at your updated photos and the road is wide. Remember, your trailer will spin on a dime where the axles/tires are located, not at the back end of the trailer. Even though your trailer is 33ft overall, its probably only 20-23ft from your hitch to the trailer axles. And if you cant back the trailer over the curb due to dragging, remember your TV can easily drive forward and over the curb across the road and allow you to adjust your entry.
I dont personally see the small tree as being an issue, other than maybe small limbs hitting the trailer. You should already be in the driveway and lined up straight by the time you get near the neighbors small tree.
Again, could someone do this with no experience? Maybe with a lot of aggravation and rubbernecking happening. Could an experienced driver? I feel like I could park a mobile home in this driveway

 

[Babe2201]

If you have the gray house it does not look like your driveway is even long enough unless it is OK if it sticks beyond the sidewalk. That being said the cars alongside the road might be an issue but I would have no trouble backing your trailer in there. If it was mine I might be worried...

 

[Babe2201]

I am not one that will give you a hard time about buying a TT without knowing that you can back it into your driveway. We bought a 32' TT and I was pretty sure I could turn it around in our driveway. Luckily I was right.

 

[Lordismyshepherd]

You said in an earlier reply that you could store it for about 50 bucks a month ( $600.00 a yr).
One wrong move could easily cost you more than a couple years of rent, just my two cents.

 

[Oldgator73]

You said in an earlier reply that you could store it for about 50 bucks a month ( $600.00 a yr).
One wrong move could easily cost you more than a couple years of rent, just my two cents.

I agree. It’s nice to have your RV handy but sometimes that’s not possible. $50 a month is a pretty good rate for RV storage.

 

[Old Blevins]

Lots of good advice in here. One minor point that I don't think has been made very clearly yet is you will, I believe, be much better off backing the trailer in than driving in forward. This is because if you pull it in, when it's time to back the trailer out, it doesn't look to me like you have the room to maneuver your tow vehicle to make the trailer do the turn into the street. Congratulations on the trailer. Since you had the foresight to check out storage options, you're really in very good shape. Enjoy.

 

[Camerong]

Success!! Was able to back it in after all. Did go over my grass a bit, luckily it has been very dry. Before this, I set out After some ropes in an empty parking lot and trying a few times. Came close to scraping on the slope, but made it. We will know if it’s too loaded down in the future, hah!

The most difficult part actually was getting it behind the house, angled so the slide out can pop out and the door on the other side can open. Probably won’t keep the slide out out forever but the kids are sure enjoying it. Thanks everyone!

 

[SpencerPJ]

Congrats on the new trailer, and good job backing in. Always take it slow, easy to get sloppy. I have to cut across my grass a bit, I have a couple 3/4" scrap 2' x 8' sheets of plywood in case it is wet and soggy. I was glad I had them once, very wet. Enjoy, don't let the hooligans' (aka kids) play and leave things turned on. I have a battery disconnect keyed switch mounted on my battery, kills everything

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Your lucky the roof overhang is so high, although that downspout may have been a bit close. You are going to be a great backer upper after parking that thing several times!