Reversing Technique
Submitted: Sunday, Jun 22, 2008 at 22:04
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donk
I was watching a program on tv last night & a trainer from a caravan training orginization demonstrated a technique for reversing a van on to a site
With the van & vehicle straight & stationary first you turn the steering wheel to rh full lock & than turn it back 1/2 a turn
You than do a 180 degree turn (driving forward) & stop during the turn & look back along the vehicle & put a reference mark on the front of the van inline with the rh side of the vehicle (from memory the mark ended up on the passenger side of centre on the van front boot lid)
This mark is left on the van permanently
When you want to reverse the van on to a site you firstly take 2 large steps out from the rh front corner of the site & than 3 large steps down the road
You put a marker on the road in this position (they put a stick on the road)
You than place the van rh wheel at this position on the road (rear wheel on a tandem)
You than turn the steering wheel to hard lh lock & than back 1/2 a turn
You now reverse while looking in the mirror until the rh side of the vehicle is inline with the reference mark on the front of the van & than stop
Now you turn the steering wheel to hard rh lock & back 1/2 a turn & reverse again & in theory the van is in position on the site
I have never heard or seen this before & wonder if anyone has tried it or uses it
We are on site for the next 3 months & i wont get a chance to try it until we move again so any feed back would be appreciated
Regards Don
Reply By: Member - Tessa (NSW) - Sunday, Jun 22, 2008 at 22:39
Sunday, Jun 22, 2008 at 22:39
Donk
They're having us on surely!!! This reminds me of those old mathematical tricks where you multiply by 25, add 33, deduct the age of your mother and it gives you your birthday. I just can't see it working with the number of variables involved - length of the individual's large steps, turning circle of the tow vehicle, number of turns lock to lock, length of the caravan, length of the draw bar, depth of the site and not to mention the embarassment of people watching while you step out your starting point and carefully lay your stick on the road (all the time praying that this b-----y thing is going to work.)
I always rely on the simple principle that slowly slowly wins the race. Its a lot easier to get it right when the site is on your right hand side and you can see the right hand wheel/s of the van as you reverse back in. A little bit of right or left hand down at the right place at a slow speed makes all the difference. I think the main mistake people make is trying to put the van back from a fairly straight position rather than bending the rig 90 degrees to put it in.
tessa
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311715
Follow Up By: Stephen M (NSW) - Sunday, Jun 22, 2008 at 22:53
Sunday, Jun 22, 2008 at 22:53
My god I got lost halfway through that. As you have said,slow,slow if you cant see have some one guide you, this full lock one way then the other then drive foward put a stick out etc. At the end of the day its practise and if your not confident enough (I dont mean you) then have some one do it for you. I have helped out before and Im sure plenty of other would also. Some caravan spots can be a bit tricky to get in and out but as Tessa has said slow and steady. There are
places around that teach but must say Ive never seen it explained that way before, but no doubt it works if you saw it. Regards Steve M
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Reply By: V8Diesel - Monday, Jun 23, 2008 at 09:57
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 at 09:57
Please don't read this as rude, but I'd suggest just learning to reverse properly in the first place would be a helluva lot easier and prevent a lot of future road rage too.
It's not hard, especially on something as 'visible' as caravan.
No.1 tip - Learn to use your mirrors. Only girls with Elna presses and hairdryers turn their head. When's the last time you saw a professional truckie looking over his shoulder?
No.2 tip - Plan your approach and position yourself correctly from the start. If you're too cramped a simple reverse becomes challenging.
No.3 tip - don't be afraid to take a 'second bite' at it. Literally a few feet forward again can make a huge difference towards getting the right approach angles.
No.4 tip - get a toy car with a trailer that has a tow hitch BEHIND the rear wheels like you car. A model truck with a
turntable positioned directly over the back wheels wont demonstrate this as clearly. Sit down at a table and practice reversing it, paying very close attention to the concept of a car 'pivoting' around the back wheels and how that determines the movement of the towball hitch. Hard to explain in writing, but trust me on this and when penny drops it'll become easy.
No.5 tip - buy some stick on convex mirrors from Supercrap / Repco etc (only a couple of bucks each) These are the best things since sliced bread - I kid you not. They will make life so much easier and safer.
No.6 tip - practice.
No.7 tip - practice some more.
No.8 tip - and always REMEMBER THE RULE OF THE SEVEN P's!
PRIOR
PREPARATION &
PLANNING
PREVENTS
P.I.S.S.
POOR
PERFORMANCE
Hope this helps - Good luck mate!
AnswerID:
311748
Follow Up By: madfisher - Monday, Jun 23, 2008 at 10:24
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 at 10:24
Thats very good advice v8, and
well put.
CXheers Pete
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Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Monday, Jun 23, 2008 at 15:49
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 at 15:49
Nobody starts out knowing how to reverse a trailer.......it's gotta start somewhere.
I initially tried to reverse a trailer when I "had" to and made a god-awful mess of it.
I then decided to go down to the local car park (empty) on a sunday arvo and mucked around there for a couple of hours, backing the trailer into position (between the painted lines) and after that I reckon I was pretty good. Some of my mates would still dispute my ability to reverse a trailer, but I reckon I'm as good now as I'm ever gunna be.
At
home I have to reverse the camper trailer up a 25 meter driveway and into the garage with about 6" clear space on each side. I use low range (with hubs unlocked) and can go nice and slow without having to ride the clutch. Once I get it lined up it's just a case of keeping it straight.
Mirrors MUST be used......I haven't looked over my shoulder to reverse in over 30 years. (I don't think I could twist around even if I wanted to!!!!hahaha)
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Follow Up By: Muddy doe (SA) - Monday, Jun 23, 2008 at 23:20
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 at 23:20
I went barra fishing with the old man to Proserpine
dam a few years ago for 10 days. We took my Prado and his barra boat.
At that point I was not that good at reversing trailers so Dad insisted that I back the boat down the ramp every morning and evening when we went out. "That'll give you a bit of practice son!"
With the water being down a bit in the
dam I was somewhat unprepared for the sight the first time we rounded the corner to the ramp. The ramp to the water was at least 100 metres long!!! And it was only wide enough that you had to reverse all the way down.
Off I went giving it the first go which took quite a few minutes (nobody else waiting thank christ!) and several goes back up the ramp a bit to straighten it all out. A few tips from the old man and I made it to the water without putting the trailer over the edge.
By the end of the 10 days I was able to back that boat down pretty quick and easy in one smooth go and it was an invaluable opportunity to learn and practice.
Now a few years later I have my own box trailer and an offset driveway to back into at the house but can back it in with ease. Just takes practice.
Cheers
Muddy
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