First summer holiday booked for 2013 ! Hope the summer is better than this year. NOw I have a Pullman, and can tow it with confidence on normal road, it's when it comes to reversing it all goes wrong! can anyone recommend a towing course to help with my skills. Cheers!
------------- What's the point in them folding campers, there silly........................2 months later I own one!
IMO if its only reversing you need help with a couple of hours with some one who knows how to do it may be all you need,its not difficult its just one of those things that needs to fall into place in your mind.
mike
------------- they said it couldnt be done so i left it and went camping
a bad days camping is better than a good day at work
Caravan club run them but as above to be honest find a big deserted car park and take some cones or large boxes and have a practice. Plenty of online advice about reversing and more you practice easier it becomes.
Hi sunshine tours is right. When I first got the Fc I thought this is big to reverse. Go out on a Sunday to an office car park ( so it is empty ) and just practise getting into bays etc. when reversing sometimes you will need to pull forward to get the angles back but don't worry about it as even the lorry drivers have to do this every now and again and they reverse trailers all the time.
Best advice is ignore every one around you, take it slowly and do not stress if another car is waiting - let them wait. If you get stressed you will mess up .
Keep Calm and Carry on !!
Thanks for all the advice, i am envious of truckers they always make it look so easy. Yeah i think i will just go to a quiet car park and have a practice. I think when you seem to have an audience(or perceive you have an audience) you stress and rush and just want the ground to swallow you up ha ha.
Thanks for the game hacksaw bob......i will spend more time then you could imagine it trying to complete it ha ha
------------- What's the point in them folding campers, there silly........................2 months later I own one!
If you want a bit of instruction, you could pop down to the NEC (this week) for this Camping and Caravanning Club offer, or check out Central Transport Training at Wolverhampton.
The secret of reversing any trailer is to go SLOW Start by turning the steering wheel the opposite way to which you what the trailer to go, then once it starts to turn turn the steering wheel the other way to follow it round, constant adjustment are usually called for even by the best of drivers after a few goes it becomes second nature and you will find yourself doing it without thinking
I once saw a showman reverse three yes three trailers into a yard so if he could do that one trailer should be easy which it is once you get the hang of it just don't let the trailer fold up to tight to the car if in doubt pull forwards and try again
On the HGV test they will not fail you if you get out of the cab and have a look round to make sure you are not going to hit anything but they will if you do hit something!
No body gets it right first time so don't worry just practise and you will soon be showing off your skills like the best of them and wondering what all the fuss was about
It realy is easy as moppetsdad says Biggest piece of advice TAKE YOUR TIME
your not in a race put thr back of the car opposite direction to normal if you can back up your camper a 40 ft artic is easy i dont have hgv but shocked a load of artic drivers whe i parked one up at Tilbury
------------- If its Too loud your Too OLD
Russ Boy
What has been already said is true. The only thing I would add is that as soon as you start to get the camper going in the direction you want you have to get the car to follow through ie turn in the same direction. People often mess up reversing by leaving this part too late.
If you're using your mirrors, set them so that when you are straight, both mirrors have the same ammount of the trailer's rear corner in them. When you want to reverse in a straight line, if there is more of the trailer showing in one mirror turn your steering wheel slightly in that direction. As the trailer appears less in the mirror, turn the other way, but only slightly.
The reason I say less is that you can only use one mirror at a time, so use that mirror on the side you want to turn towards. If you want to turn to one side, the more trailer you have showing in that sides mirror, keep following the trailer or straighten the wheel to make it turn sharper, if you know what I'm getting at.
Hope this helps.
------------- Some days you are the dog,
some days you are the tree.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Towing
