reversing van into park site

Hi Ray,

I suggest you ask your wife (assuming you are a couple) to get into the driver's seat and you give the directions....that way if you have any problems, it is not HER fault!

This works for us.....apparently I can't give directions and he can't take them! lol

Regards,

Heather

I drive the vehicle and the wife backs me in, but, she only uses hand signals, I taught her the military system of hand signals. No voice. That way she doesn't insult me too much and life is better.

It has been a long time since I towed anything so I am not sure of the relevance today.

You may consider a towball/hitch on the front of the car. Others who read this post no doubt will have some welcome constructive comments. Emphasis on the word constructive please.

Phil

Ray

can i suggest to you the only way to learn to reverse with confidence is just practice. try somewhere out of the way of everyone/everything by yourself and go for it. it will come to you.....patience is the key.

The cardinal rule is to learn to use your mirrors. Left and right. Look at how truckies reverse their rigs. They aren't leaning out the drivers window trying to look back over their shoulder.
Also know your tugs wheelbase (A)....because if the distance from the tow ball to the pivot point (the axle of a single wheel van..or mid point between tandem axles) lets call it (B).....because if B is shorter than A the van can turn inside your tugs turning circle and cannot be controlled by frantic corrections. I have always had a set where B is greater than A and it makes for more controlled backing. Cheers W

G`day Ray,

While reversing, the van will go the direction that you turn the BOTTOM of the steering wheel.
i.e. If you turn the steering wheel anticlockwise the bottom will be moving towards the drivers door/or to the right. The caravan/trailer or ?? will go right also.

Same principal applies when needing the van to go left, just turn the bottom of the steering wheel to the left.
Makes reversing using the mirrors much easier I reckon.

Regards,

Scrubby.

Where do you live? Is there anyone around who gives caravanning lessons? These are good value, they will teach both of you to park the van plus heaps of other valuable info. Well worth the money.

Ray

another little trick is to reverse your van on your drivers side .....meaning if you have to back into somewhere from an angle,keep the van on your drivers side. its harder to see out your left hand side.

Hi Ray - as Mark says - practice.

There are no tricks that will make it work like magic (sorry, couldn't resist it). Try and find somewhere without an audience and draw or mark the space on the ground, then back in. Try it in several different locations until you are confident to go to a busy car park and try your skills. Practice, practice, practice.

Motherhen

g'day ray
start off with the tug & caravan in a straight line.
cheers
toohey.

hello Ray.
Practice, Practice, and don't try to rush slow and steady and don't try and make it to technical after all it is only reversing a trailer happy reversing Bill.

Ray! A lot of good advice here and if you have a UHF fitted to your vehicle, buy a hand held for the person out the back guiding you , they can talk to you from the handheld to your vehicle UHF. It better than them waving their hands and yelling at you!! Michael

I give my misses the hand held UHF and this seems to work well, the other thing i do is put the 4by into low range as this will allow me to take foot of off the clutch completely so not riding the clutch or over heating any thing.

Vern

Hi
A lot of good ideas mentioned.

I just watch on my driving side.

Before we back it in I usually place a marker opposite the concrete slab where the van wheels should end up. (Drivers Side)

It's very easy then to park the van.

The Cook just keeps an eye on things with out any yelling ect.

Before you start backing the van take the WDHs of the draw bar.

Cheers

Hi Ray

I believe the RACQ conduct a caravan driving instruction course in their Brisbane carpark Saturday mornings. May also be a possibility in your neck of the woods.

Regards and good luck

Greg

After practice the number one rule is No Shouting! That way lies divorce and entertainment for the park! Practice together with hand signals before going near a caravan park. The other rule is, when you are still a novice, or even later, don't be afraid to ask for help. Good caravan park operators will usually offer assistance if their sites are a bit tight. They don't want their power poles knocked over! Some use tractors. There is no shame in accepting help. One park in Tuncurry always offers the tractor as their roads are narrow. Last time there we (and others) happily accepted the offer and were quickly set up watching a chap with a large ego spend half an hour trying to get his large van around and abusing his poor wife! Inthe end he got the tractor too! Could have saved himself all the pain! So check the site on foot before attempting to back on, look for hazards and best approach angles. Relax! Go slowly! Everyone has had to learn! Lynne

Perhaps for starters (or myself if I haven't reversed a trailer in a while), try holding the steering wheel at the bottom instead of the top (ie. 7 and 4 instead of 10 and 2). Then, to push the van left, you move your left hand, and ditto for right.

just jump in and have a go mate...make it a fun thing with the cook and laugh about the mistakes together..it will come to you what movement has what action ... and enjoy the humour of it...the idiots who yell at each other are only embarrassed because other people are watching so need to pass on the blame..most people there will assist if it gets too difficult...I would get in and do it for you and I think most others would also..people will also help because they dont want any damage either and if they are laughing then you guys may as well also...you will probably be sitting there with them later laughing about it....just relax and have fun with it ...after all...thats why you went away...:)

G/Day Ray, ..If backing in beside a slab, I reckon its a good idea to aim your mirror at the caravan wheel slightly, you can then place it right against the edge no worrys, and don't have to worry about the missus backing you up a telegraph pole!!!...LOL..LOL....Will now go and hide!.

Cheers Axle

Hi to all you happy caravaners. Appreciated the humour that was contained in some of the replies. It appears that practise is the key word from most of the comments. An understanding with the wife/boss/cook/knitter/lover/etc would also be high on the agender. Thanks to all for your comments they will be very helpful. Regards Ray.

In my opinion, have a towball fitted to the front on your Car, best thing I ever done, little bit of messing around changing from back hitch to front, but well worth it when you need to put the van just where you need it, & just about most of the time without the WIFE !!!! shouting, "back,back,back CRUNCH Stop !!!
Legal ??? who knows & who gives a rats !!! it helps me

Miroku12g

When you book in,just ask for a drive through site, most parks have them.

Use the big shiny things hanging off your doors a lot, they help you see backwards ;-)

Ray,
I am sure that you got the message - practice.

The thing you will probably find is that you don't know how to judge where the van will end up. Or, you won't know where to start to get the van to end up where you want it.

I found the following guide a great help, and although I don't bother with the "points on the van" after prcatisding it a number of times, it taught me the general idea of how to make sure the van ended up roughly where it ought to.

One time only, set up your turning marks.
They depend on the van and vehicle. Find a nice big car park somewhere!

With the van and vehicle straight and stationary, first you turn the steering wheel to RH full lock and then turn it back 1/2 a turn.

You then do a 180 degree turn to the Right and stop when the vehicle is at 180 degrees, and look back through the side mirror along the vehicle and put a reference mark on the front of the van in line 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.

Parking from the Right side of the site is usually easier because you get more visibility. You can repeat the above from the LH direction to place a mark for the LH side if you want to park from the left of the site.

Measure up a site approach.

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 and then 3 large steps down the road to the right.

You put a marker on the road in this position (put a stick on the road).

You then place the van RH wheel at this position on the road (rear wheel on a tandem) with the vehicle and van straight on the road at 90 degrees to the parking position.

Practice will determine the correct number of steps, both out and down, to suit your van’s turning characteristics.

Now to park on the site.

You turn the steering wheel to hard LH lock and then back 1/2 a turn.

You now reverse while looking in the mirror until the RH side of the vehicle is in line with the reference mark on the front of the van, and then stop.

Now you turn the steering wheel to hard RH lock and back 1/2 a turn, and reverse again, and (in theory) when straight, the van will be in position on the site.


hope this helps
Ken

Arrange for you and your wife to go on a towing course (like TowEd) together. They'll show you ways to reverse that will greatly assist you both
Regards
Bob