Can't back a trailer....watch this!!!

Back it like a boss!!!

Lol. Wow. Like a boss? More like a limp wristed Nancy.

If you struggle with backing a trailer, put your left hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and turn the wheel in the direction that you want the trailer to go. Not that hard.

I agree. If backing a trailer is a ""tension-filled ordeal"" for you, that's half your problem. Get yourself out somewhere you can't hit anything & practice. School parking lots on the weekend, etc, etc. Practice til you can do it with calm confidence.

Every spring I head over to the local elementary school parking lot with my trailer & practice backing straight, corners, & parking til I've knocked the rust & cobwebs off my skills.

Even with help. He still did not get the truck and trailer straight.

I drove a tractor trailer for 35 years. One day I put my boat in the water and when I walked back down to get in it a guy told me he watched me and I didn't turn around when I back it down the ramp. He couldn't believe it. I told him that's why they put mirrors on the outside of pickups. Using the mirrors is just natural to me.

If you can't pat your head with one hand and rub your stomach with the other at the same time then you probably can't back a trailer.

OK, don't lie, you tried to do it didn't you.

I learned to back a trailer when I was about 10 yrs old with a tractor on the farm. This required turning around and looking at the trailer. This is the way I have done it all my life, and I could back one from here to NY as long as I could see the trailer. I have a stiff neck now from a car accident and old age and as a result I now have great difficulties backing. I have tried to use the mirrors and keep practicing but old habits are hard to break. So if you see me at the ramp please bear with me and don't bust a gut laughing at me.

Being left eye dominant, I cannot look over my shoulder to back a trailer, forcing me to use the mirrors since day one. I have found that I am often more efficient at it than people who do look over their shoulders. But I regularly tow trailers from 10' to 20' long, so backing a trailer is not a very big deal, even in tight quarters. I recommend people get good with a short trailer of some sort, then the longer the trailer the easier it becomes.

But, I have seen many people at boat ramps, and on jobs, that could benefit from such a device.

This technology will be beneficial to those that continues to have a difficult time backing the trailer. As for myself I've never back any trailer until I bought my first boat. After a couple of times of backing up I picked up pretty good. Never had any problems. Just keep practicing and you'll get it. Don't let other people rush you either at the ramp. Take your time and stay focus. Ignore all distractions while you're backing up.

I wonder if the providers of this technoligy will be liable for all the damaged vehicles along side the ramp? b

Harry has the correct approach, but I am not sure he fully explained it.

If your hands are up at the top of your steering wheel, anywhere above 9 and 3, then your mind has to do a little inverse operation: "I want the trailer to go left so I steer right; I want the trailer to go right so I steer left."

But, if you put a single hand, usually the left if you are going to turn to the right and look over your shoulder, anywhere below 3 and above 9 re-orients the hand motion direction with the desired path of the trailer.

Think about it: With 360 degrees, what is moving to the right from 9 to 3 is now moving to the left from 3 to 9.

So, grab the very bottom of the steering wheel, there is a little opening there large enough for a hand usually, preferably turn and look over your right shoulder, then if you need the trailer to move right, lift your left hand to the right (counterclockwise); if you need it to move to the left, move it to the left (clockwise).

And, it works very well just using the side or rear view mirror if you prefer that. Most of us use our mirrors so often, our brain has it figured out pretty well. If you see the trailer moving off course, the bottom hand position still works great.

Now, your brain's lined up; your trailer should be, too.

Oh! If you begin with the towing vehicle and the trailer lined up pretty good by sweeping in and up high on the ramp, the movements to move it left or right are very small. And, once the trailer is back on the proper tack, you have to remember to straighten the steering wheel back up else the trailer will continue to circle.

Brad

It's not hard to back up a trailer at all....

Brad's comment about the importance of initial lineup is right on. I like to loop as close to the ramp as nearby traffic will allow, swing a little bit across the far side of the lane, loop back to the near side of the lane, and finally turn straight. All this puts the whole rig pretty close to the inside of the lane without being too far above the ramp.

All I ever use us is the mirrors. Don't know if I can do it any other way.

I learned with a lawnmower and a cart.

I graduated from that with a short utility trailer.

Those 2 will get you broke in well. From there, you will appreciate the longer axle length of a boat trailer.

He was crossways blocking most of the launch where someone else couldn't back in next to him.
Backing a trailer almost takes a sixth sense and most folks don't seem to have it.

For me I just do it. If I think about it I am liable to mess up.

I have it easy: my tow vehicle is a Tahoe. I open the hatch and I can see everything by looking over my shoulder. That hurts me a little bit when I have to use mirrors on a buddy's truck!

I think that would mess with my head too much. When I can't back a trailer anymore I'm going to hire a fishing chauffeur.

Or make my wife do it...fat chance.

Literally.

If people have THAT much trouble backing a trailer to need that device, which did about as poor of a job as a novice in backing, maybe I should start a valet trailer backing service at the lake.

I use my mirrors all the time. The biggest thing I see people do is they don't get the boat straight behind them when backing down.

I can see people getting hit using that thing. But at least he will be hitting people like a Boss!

Thats Good, we will shave your head and fit your ears with a set a rear view mirrors so you know whats gonna pass you there hero!

The one thing that would help ramp trailering is to extend the yellow lane markers. Most stop at or near where the ramp begins to slope to the water, which you might then find the trailer improperly lined up. Some ramps don't have any lane markers. During the drought would have been a good time for them to have painted the public ramp markers. Cost is not prohibitive.

I think this is the one thing that new-to-trailering would find beneficial by getting lined up before descending to the ramp itself and assist in over correcting.

I used to over the shoulder until I hurt my back and neck. Once you get used to mirrors its actually easier just pick a line and watch your tires.

Good gawd. Backing a trailer isn't that dang hard!

What gets on my nerves are the people who don't do their prep before they get in line to launch. Don't be getting your rods and cooler and whatever out sitting on the ramp!

Want to try something hard? Back up a 4 wheel trailer with front turning axles! My dad could easy as can be.

[quote=Tommar]Good gawd. Backing a trailer isn't that dang hard!

What gets on my nerves are the people who don't do their prep before they get in line to launch. Don't be getting your rods and cooler and whatever out sitting on the ramp!

^^this^^

Same here. My daughter taught herself to do it 2 years ago when she was 18. She can back up the trailer with or without the boat on it like a pro!

If you want a real challenge, try backing up a personal water craft. or any other short trailer. The shorter and narrower it is, the harder it is to back up.

I backed my boat down the launch in less time than it takes to watch the whole video. I was watching this video on my phone at the time.
This is the direction the world is going. Watch the movie "Idiocracy".. yup.. that's the future.

Lol @ Jake. I was thinking the exact same thing.

Electrolytes...It's what plants crave!

Sooo..... you can't back a trailer by "TURNING the steering wheel"

But turning a "KNOB" will help you?


SMH

something tells me that if your unable to grasp the concept of backing a trailer unassisted this feature probably isn't going to do you a whole heck of a lot of good either.

I was probably 15 or so and it was my Dad's boat but I also turned around and looked at the trailer. That's still natural to me but harder to do the older I get so I am much better with mirrors now. Still faster by turning around looking though.

Amen!