Re: [a/s] backing a trailer

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Don,
 There's only 2 or 3 'secrets' to backing a trailer successfully:

1. Put your hands on the bottom of the steering wheel and move them in
the direction you want the trailer to go.

2. Go very slowly so you can watch what the trailer is doing before it
gets all out of joint.

3. Practice!! Find an empty parking lot on a Sunday morning, a school
lot on a weekend, or whatever, and practice. Use the painted lines as
guides, pretending that they delinate a campsite. Or, buy a few cones or
use weighted cardboard boxes or something else to mark the place that
you want to back into.

Other tips:

Naturally, you'll want to practice backing in both directions, but when
it counts, try to back to the Left so you can see the trailer easier.
Have your helper/spotter with you, let her (or him) know what you want
to do, and agree on a set of signals ahead of time. Some folks use 2-way
radios, but if you've not agreed on the voice signals, you're no better
off than those using hand signals.

                                                  <<Jim>>