How do I determine if I have enough space for turning the RV around?

[John From Detroit]

What's more fun is backing UP said driveway. Did that in my trailer days every trip.

The answer to the "How do I find out if I have enough room" for far too many is "When you hear the CRUNCH you know you don't"

Seriously. Go to a shpping mall and take a bag of flour and DW.. crank the wheel and let her figure out the "Widest" part and then dribble flour as you drive..

Grab a tape measure and measure.. That is the absolute mininum. You will need more

Alternative.. Measure the space you have and mark out with Dunce caps or flour and see if you can turn around within the marked off space say 4 dunce caps and "Caution Tape' (from harbor freight) and if you touch a cap or the tape. NOT ENOUGH ROOM.

 

[A Traveler]

Have a good spotter )
Not all spotters are good

I NEVER, EVER use a spotter. In fact, the only time I have ever hit anything while backing was the one time I DID use a spotter. I was watching him instead of my mirrors. With mirrors that can see down each side and a rear view camera, I don’t need a spotter and will never use one.

I also use the G.O.A.L. method when backing into an unfamiliar location. What is the “GOAL” method you ask? Simple. Get Out And Look.

 

[Jkeithmac]

We just bought our first tt and I absolutely suck at backing. I'm about to buy a backup camera to help, any suggestions on which one?

 

[John From Detroit]

No suggestions on a camera but a suggestion I do have

Get a bunch of those rubber traffic cone "Dunce caps"

go to a campground you plan to visit and take measurements of a typical site. (Take only your car or tow vehicle NOT the trailer, and your "Yardstick"or 100 foot real tape)
Now go to a local shopping mall or outlet mall big parking lot empty after hours and lay out the road and campsite per measurements with the dunce caps and practice backing in without hitting the cones.

Also.. my wife was... no good at assisting so I'd park her on the sewer cap (or next to it) so i did not run over it and could line up on it ... But then I'm used to backing trailers been doing it longer than I've been Driving cars.. (Old farm boy.. You don't want to follow behind the trialer I backed the most often)

 

[LarsMac]

Backing a trailer can be fun. It takes practice. A lot of practice. But you'll get the hang of it before too long. My only suggestion, ... use the mirrors. Don't start out by trying to turn around and look back. It really doesn't help.
Make sure you can see the trailer in both mirrors. And turn the wheel the direction you want to see the trailer move in your mirror.

 

[A Traveler]

I never use a spotter...

I used a spotter once. Never again. The only time I ever hit anything while backing up was when I was looking at the spotter instead of my camera and mirrors.

I can see down both sides with my mirrors. I can see straight back via my camera. I use the G.O.A.L. method. (Get Out And Look). So will someone please tell me why I need a spotter, especially when I can see more of the big picture than the spotter can!

No thanks.

 

[FunSteak]

You probably already know this, but just in case...

While backing, put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. That way, the back of the trailer will always go in the direction your hand is going. Hand goes left, trailer goes left. It really helped me as a young guy learning to back trailers.

 

[Oldgator73]

You probably already know this, but just in case...

While backing, put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. That way, the back of the trailer will always go in the direction your hand is going. Hand goes left, trailer goes left. It really helped me as a young guy learning to back trailers.

I’ve heard that from many folks but doesn’t work for me. I learned to use the mirrors with my hand on top of the wheel. I visualize where I want the TT drivers side tire and back to that point. I don’t use a spotter; I look at the site before backing in. our 37’ 5th wheel was actually easier to back in than our current 17’ TT. You wanna have some, try back a trailer with a tractor and 3 point hitch. For those that have done it you know what I mean when I say a swinging trailer.

 

[FunSteak]

I’ve heard that from many folks but doesn’t work for me. I learned to use the mirrors with my hand on top of the wheel. I visualize where I want the TT drivers side tire and back to that point. I don’t use a spotter; I look at the site before backing in. our 37’ 5th wheel was actually easier to back in than our current 17’ TT. You wanna have some, try back a trailer with a tractor and 3 point hitch. For those that have done it you know what I mean when I say a swinging trailer.

Oh sure, it's no panacea, but it was very helpful to me when I was learning, and it stuck all these years.

I had a very small cargo trailer for a while. Get good at backing up a seven or eight foot long one, you can back ANYTHING!

 

[oldryder]

things worked out . a 5 point turn gets me turned around without getting tires off the paved area. Appreciate the suggestion about keeping the tires off the grass.