HOW TO BACK A TRAILER

[Bigbjorn]

This link is for all you Aulrovians who tow vans, campers, boats, etc.

Boat Trailer Reversing 101 - Be A BCFing Expert | BCF Australia (https://www.bcf.com.au/be-a-bcfing-expert/boating/how-to/boat-trailer-reversing-101.html?utm_campaign=au-bcf-2020-wk48-native-verizon&utm_medium=native&utm_source=verizon&utm_content=native)

A mate who lives nearby reckons it is a not bad Sunday entertainment to go down to the boat ramp with a six pack and the newspaper and watch the free entertainment of boaties trying to back down or recover.

[Eevo]

if in doubt, let your wife do it.

[p38arover]

I put my hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and move my hand in the direction I want the trailer to steer.

[trout1105]

I find that the secret to backing any trailer is to Only move the steering wheel when you have to and "Less is More", Most people Overcorrect when reversing and that is why they make it so difficult for themselves.

[W&KO]

Have taught all my crew to select low range before starting to reverse a trailer and nothing more than idle.

[Bigbjorn]

if in doubt, let your wife do it.

Not a good idea, Eevo. Leads to separate rooms, withdrawal of conjugal rights, and even talk of divorce. Women do not take instruction well and yelling "Left hand down dear" then "LEFT HAND DOWN" followed by " LEFT HAND DOWN, YOU STUPID BITCH". Hubby usually up to his hips in water trying to keep the boat aligned with the ramp whilst the tide is trying to take it away.

[W&KO]

if in doubt, let your wife do it.

Agree, happy to let my bride reverse our trailers, we normally share the driving 50% as well.

[PhilipA]

IMHO the main thing is not to undo the winch before getting on the ramp.

Saw a bloke drop his nice speed boat onto the road at the top of the ramp once .

Its a bit of a job to recover from that especially since your face is so red.
Regards PhilipA

[Slunnie]

I put my hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and move my hand in the direction I want the trailer to steer.

I do the same, it makes backing a trailer easy.

[DiscoMick]

I do the same, it makes backing a trailer easy.X 3. Hand moves in the desired direction, so makes it easy.

[Graeme]

Once a year after seeding it takes me about 15 minutes to reverse the seeder's tow-behind cart into a shed. The cart has front caster wheels so is effectively 2 trailers with about a 1m long front trailer and a 4m long rear trailer. The header comb trailer is similar but slightly longer both sections and it gets parked about half a metre out from and parallel to the side of that shed. Patience is mandatory for each!

[DiscoMick]

Imagine trying to back a B-double or a triple!

[disco gazza]

I always felt pity to the blokes with B doubles trying to reverse the 2nd trailer into the dock( which is inside the warehouse,as they are side-loaded),
as the area to do it in was not much longer than the B double itself when I worked at WOW.

Some of the blokes could do it easily, but most had a hard time reversing them into the dock.

cheers

DG

[Graeme]

Not that I've reversed a B-double but I've watched a few unloading at my place and I think reversing the seed cart would be a lot harder. I reverse my semi quite a distance when unloading at dumps when the stack is only new. I've not seen a triple reversing.

[ChookD2]

At a place I worked we had a bloke who, even though he was licenced, could not reverse his B-double, don't know how he got his licence. I was three trucks behind him one day at Woolies DC and he went to the truck behind him (who refused) and then over to a double driver already in the docks and got him to reverse his truch into the dock. When he would get back to our yard he would just park it in the middle and let someone else put it on a dock. I tried reversing a B-double in the yard once, that's why I stuck to singles, and some of the places I've had to reverse them were really dodgy.

[scarry]

I am no Truckie,but with large trailers i have seen them fit pins so the drawbars are locked,making them a lot easier to reverse.

[trout1105]

Watching people reversing at boat ramps is only a small part of the fun, The Real Fun is watching some of them launch and retrieve their boats.
I have seen many outboard legs dragged/reversed along the concrete, Boats actually falling off trailers on the ramp, boats drifting off because nobody is holding the rope, trailers and cars ending up in the drink and full on punch ups.[biggrin]

[Homestar]

With the amount of trailers I use I don’t even think about it any more, they just go where I wan them to now. Practice, like anything makes life easier.

[Bigbjorn]

Watching people reversing at boat ramps is only a small part of the fun, The Real Fun is watching some of them launch and retrieve their boats.
I have seen many outboard legs dragged/reversed along the concrete, Boats actually falling off trailers on the ramp, boats drifting off because nobody is holding the rope, trailers and cars ending up in the drink and full on punch ups.[biggrin]

That is why my mate says it is a good Sunday entertainment to go and sit down next the boat ramp and watch the fun.

[rick130]

My first ex was a dressage coach and all the young ladies that turned up for coaching could put a horse float wherever you wanted it.
Quite a few were on their P's yet could back with confidence.
Then the law changed in NSW and P platers weren't allowed to tow.
Another dumb, blanket law, as they were all very good, very aware drivers from towing their horses.

And yes, I was finally able to convince the ex to put her Patrol in low range to tow. It did take a little convincing.
She couldn't believe the difference in control.
It just gives you time to react.

[alien]

All very well until it gets dark and the trailer nearly takes your own mirror 🤭
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/blob:https://www.aulro.com/189d0b12-f118-4719-b321-ec1b1853c910

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/blob:https://www.aulro.com/ff02b1a9-e338-4241-9b9c-267197c5d4cd

[W&KO]

My first ex was a dressage coach and all the young ladies that turned up for coaching could put a horse float wherever you wanted it.
Quite a few were on their P's yet could back with confidence.
Then the law changed in NSW and P platers weren't allowed to tow.
Another dumb, blanket law, as they were all very good, very aware drivers from towing their horses.

And yes, I was finally able to convince the ex to put her Patrol in low range to tow. It did take a little convincing.
She couldn't believe the difference in control.
It just gives you time to react.

Yes, it’s amazing the very high number of ladies towing horse floats, I reckon it easily nine times out of ten.

Yet the complete opposite when towing camper trailers or vans. No way could my bride sit in the passenger seat all day.

[DiscoMick]

Another source of backing entertainment is watching people backing caravans in parks. Its like Happy Hour.

[Hogarthde]

I am with Homestar in his method. And Graeme with his long trailers .

I don’t know what I do , just do it 😉

Mind you , growing up on the land and in the bush, backing tractors sans power steering and dozers , with all sorts of wide and high loaded trailers or implements in all types of topography, a long drawbar van on level ground is ( nothing to see here )

Dave

[DiscoMick]

This seems like a good video on backing B-doubles, but I've never done it, so what would I know? What you you pros think?

YouTube (https://youtu.be/udwquuBwCkk)

[DiscoMick]

I also found this one good.

YouTube (https://youtu.be/Sk7sRHSRTa8)

[p38arover]

With the amount of trailers I use ...

Number, not amount! I hear and see journalists use it incorrectly and it grates! [bigsmile]

Amount is used for things that can't be counted (or easily counted), e.g., grains of sugar in a teaspoon.

Understanding The Difference Between Number and Amount - Enago Academy (https://www.enago.com/academy/understanding-the-difference-between-number-and-amount/)

[cripesamighty]

Two videos I bookmarked many moons ago showing some awesome truck reversing skills.
I dips me lid...


YouTube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YC100rQW1TQ)


YouTube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iX9ZPmQgiZI)

[Tombie]

Imagine trying to back a B-double or a triple!

Doubles aren’t too bad.

[DoubleChevron]

Doubles aren’t too bad.

hardest thing I've ever backed was a single jetski trailer .... easiest is an empty car trailer :) ... those little trailers, you only see them in the mirrors when they are jackknifed and about to plow into the rear quarter panel.

[scarry]

hardest thing I've ever backed was a single jetski trailer ...

Drawbar on them is too short,the longer the drawbar,the easier to back.And the width,as said.

For me,i can back a trailer around corners,wherever it needs to go,hooked up to a van,easy as.Done it a million times.

But hook that same trailer up to the D4,and i will have trouble.[bighmmm].

It all boils down to practice and experience.

[DiscoMick]

Number, not amount! I hear and see journalists use it incorrectly and it grates! [bigsmile]

Amount is used for things that can't be counted (or easily counted), e.g., grains of sugar in a teaspoon.

Understanding The Difference Between Number and Amount - Enago Academy (https://www.enago.com/academy/understanding-the-difference-between-number-and-amount/)That's right. Number is countable and amount is uncountable.

[trout1105]

That's right. Number is countable and amount is uncountable.

An "amount" of money is very "Countable"[thumbsupbig]
But Yes saying the "amount" of trailers on a truck instead of saying the "Number" of trailers makes little sense.

[p38arover]

hardest thing I've ever backed was a single jetski trailer .... easiest is an empty car trailer :) ...

6x4 box trailers with a short drawbar are a pain. I had no trouble backing my car trailer.

[Epic_Dragon]

I don't know why but reversing trailers is my hidden super power [emoji123][emoji123] [emoji16] (Cobber has been witness to this before [emoji41])
Really want to have a go at 2 trailers as that looks rather hard and I just want to learn how

[Homestar]

Try backing a narrow track Sankey with a 101 sometime. You can’t even see it until it’s too late and it has a shorter drawbar than a 6x4. If you can back that you can back anything. 👍

[JDNSW]

As the last few have said - the longer the tow ball to wheels on the trailer, the easier. And a real pain when you can't see the trailer - I find it a lot easier to back my box trailer with either Landrover when the canopy is on it - without that it is invisible until it is out of line.

A point not mentioned though is that the closer the pivot point is to the rear wheels of the tow vehicle, the easier backing a trailer is. The easiest vehicle I have used for backing trailers was my Citroen, with the rear bumper immediately behind the rear tyres. This effect means backing semitrailers is easier than ordinary trailers.

[DoubleChevron]

As the last few have said - the longer the tow ball to wheels on the trailer, the easier. And a real pain when you can't see the trailer - I find it a lot easier to back my box trailer with either Landrover when the canopy is on it - without that it is invisible until it is out of line.

A point not mentioned though is that the closer the pivot point is to the rear wheels of the tow vehicle, the easier backing a trailer is. The easiest vehicle I have used for backing trailers was my Citroen, with the rear bumper immediately behind the rear tyres. This effect means backing semitrailers is easier than ordinary trailers.

Yes, but everything is better, easier, simpler and more comfortable whne you have a proper Citroen :D .... the best towcar ever made if you don't have a lot of weight to tow. these days everything is too heavy for them ( most caravans/trailers were less than 1ton back when they were new)

[DiscoMick]

Try backing a long camper trailer into a narrow carport without hitting something. Takes me multiple checks.
I do find putting my hands on the bottom of the wheel helps as I can move my hands in the direction I want the trailer to go.

[JDNSW]

Yes, but everything is better, easier, simpler and more comfortable whne you have a proper Citroen :D .... the best towcar ever made if you don't have a lot of weight to tow. these days everything is too heavy for them ( most caravans/trailers were less than 1ton back when they were new)

Not quite everything - backing the car up a long, narrow drive is an acquired skill - the sides are not parallel, as it tapers from the 'A' pillar back. And caution is needed making sharp turns in confined quarters, thanks to the long wheelbase and very good turning circle. As can be confirmed by the witness marks on the rear doors of most examples!

[DoubleChevron]

Try backing a long camper trailer into a narrow carport without hitting something. Takes me multiple checks.
I do find putting my hands on the bottom of the wheel helps as I can move my hands in the direction I want the trailer to go.

Put your towing mirrors on and do it after dark. You can't back into a "black hole". I tend to put caravans/trailers away after dark. You just put the shed lights on (or put battery powered lights down the sides where you need to see). This way your backing into a well lit area, not a black hole. I have also fitted on offset front towbar to the ****box. This way you can look down one side of whatever your pushing into the carport/shed. You still need to do it after dark so your not trying to push somehting into a "black hole".

[DoubleChevron]

Not quite everything - backing the car up a long, narrow drive is an acquired skill - the sides are not parallel, as it tapers from the 'A' pillar back. And caution is needed making sharp turns in confined quarters, thanks to the long wheelbase and very good turning circle. As can be confirmed by the witness marks on the rear doors of most examples!

I've been driving them since I was 12years old .... So that has always been my normal. When reversing one, you just put the back wheels where you want to rest to eventually be (a bit like backing a trailer). You must back anywhere that you can't get a big enough swing to clear the wheelbase of.

[JDNSW]

I've been driving them since I was 12years old .... So that has always been my normal. When reversing one, you just put the back wheels where you want to rest to eventually be (a bit like backing a trailer). You must back anywhere that you can't get a big enough swing to clear the wheelbase of.

I am able to back them - I've been driving them for over fifty years - but I have no illusions about them being similar to 'ordinary' cars, having seen the problems others have got into. I followed my brother into them, and my brother-in-law already had followed him, and my father got me to find him one for what turned out to be his last few years of driving. And when I married I had to teach my wife! Mine was our wedding car, and when my younger son married we managed to arrange several of them for the wedding.

161732

[DoubleChevron]

I am able to back them - I've been driving them for over fifty years - but I have no illusions about them being similar to 'ordinary' cars, having seen the problems others have got into. I followed my brother into them, and my brother-in-law already had followed him, and my father got me to find him one for what turned out to be his last few years of driving. And when I married I had to teach my wife! Mine was our wedding car, and when my younger son married we managed to arrange several of them for the wedding.

161732

You have owned them for more years than me then :) ... Have you ever been stuck at the bottom of a hill ... but not able to get out? If you try going backwards, the weight transfer works in your favour and you can back up muddy/slipperly slopes that defeated you going forward.

Current state of one of my old '63 ID since I pulled the engine out a week or so back.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=161768&d=1590403314

I must be one of the first people ever that has managed this!

[JDNSW]

I have never even heard of a crankshaft breaking like that. In a Citroen or anything else! It has to be a manufacturing flaw in the crankshaft, but I suppose it can't be a terribly serious one if it lasted this long!

No, I've never been stuck in any circumstances in a D series.

[DoubleChevron]

I have never even heard of a crankshaft breaking like that. In a Citroen or anything else! It has to be a manufacturing flaw in the crankshaft, but I suppose it can't be a terribly serious one if it lasted this long!

No, I've never been stuck in any circumstances in a D series.

The motor was rebuilt a long time ago ... but milage wise, it's probably only done 15,000kms. The crank was reground and 0.5mm undersize shells fitted. I'm betting they didn't get it perfectly straight when they machined it and its been flexing while spinning .... so fatigued and cracked.

[JDNSW]

Ah! That could explain. A proper metallurgical examination of the fracture surfaces should confirm this by showing the growth of a crack.

[Phideaux]

(Thanks all for the tip about hand on bottom of steering wheel! - I've done it without realising but so simple when spelled out!)

A few years ago a daughter's best High School friend (that I'd taught to drive a decade earlier) asked me for lessons in backing a trailer.
Before I let her into my car, my trailer, I decided I'd teach the principles by getting her to reverse a two-wheel wheelbarrow through a narrow space or two, with a direction change or two - hands behind her on the T-bar handle, pushing backwards with her bum.

It was one of the smartest teaching aids I've ever come up with! - the principles - and the traps and the comedy of getting it wrong - are exactly the same as a real-world trailer. I thought I'd have her do that for maybe one minute but I found it so useful we spent maybe five minutes by the clock "a long time" before we got into the car/trailer.

A few things no-one seems to have mentioned in my scan of the topic:
For small awkward trailers (like jet-skis or things too small to see until they're out of order) "two sticks" that you can see through the back window like sand-country flags help a lot.
Personally I've found that a reversing camera is helpful mostly for connecting towbar - for actual reversing I've found it confusing.

Also - no-one has mentioned 'persons on board a trailer'. This is illegal, and for good reason. My niece died like that, age 3. Old or young, fit or fragile, simply don't do it. One of the peculiarities of falling off a trailer is that often, one's head or neck winds up underneath the trailer wheel and however slow the speed - injury or death can still take place in less than communication time. (I wasn't there, but that's how she died, and death took a long time. Very traumatising just to remember, even. Decades ago now, but I still will drop everything to prevent anyone doing any such thing whenever I see it. Most people aren't that silly, yet many a loving parent has been inveigled to this bit of 'fun'.) Hay-rides and so on? Forget it. Prevent it!

[Old Farang]

My first ex was a dressage coach and all the young ladies that turned up for coaching could put a horse float wherever you wanted it.
Quite a few were on their P's yet could back with confidence.
Then the law changed in NSW and P platers weren't allowed to tow.
Another dumb, blanket law, as they were all very good, very aware drivers from towing their horses.

And yes, I was finally able to convince the ex to put her Patrol in low range to tow. It did take a little convincing.
She couldn't believe the difference in control.
It just gives you time to react.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkeiv7hZy_Y

[Old Farang]

Not sure if this one may have been posted previously:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOXlZbAfcdo

[donh54]

Imagine trying to back a B-double or a triple!A daily occurrence for some of us!
Short (19m) b doubles are often harder to back than long (26m) ones. Different types of prime movers are more suited, as well.
Stacking up road train trailers onto each other is fun, too! Especially when you can't see over the loading ramp until the prime mover is on it

[DiscoMick]

I have two reversing cameras on the Defender - one down low for the towbar and the other above the rear door to see over the camper - and find them very useful.
With hands on the bottom of the wheel they make backing much easier.

[trout1105]

I have two reversing cameras on the Defender - one down low for the towbar and the other above the rear door to see over the camper - and find them very useful.
With hands on the bottom of the wheel they make backing much easier.

I just use my mirrors[thumbsupbig]

[DiscoMick]

Yes, the mirrors help for sideways movement, but the camper is too tall to see over from the mirrors, so the high camera solves that.

[numpty]

I put my hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and move my hand in the direction I want the trailer to steer.

This is fine if the towing vehicle has power steering. I could never do this with the Stage 1.

[POD]

An "amount" of money is very "Countable"[thumbsupbig]
But Yes saying the "amount" of trailers on a truck instead of saying the "Number" of trailers makes little sense.

Amount of stuff, number of things. A number of dollars makes an amount of money. A number of vehicles makes an amount of traffic. A number of grains makes an amount of sugar. Water comes in amounts, people come in numbers.

[POD]

I used to consider myself a professional with trailer backing, worked on a spud farm for several years and I used to race the harvester back down the row when towing the bulk trailer, the harvester had steering so it was not a fair fight but no problem, even when sliding around in mud. Could back a 40ft semi anywhere it would fit, in one bite. Now the big rear overhang of the 130 combined with the short drawbar length of my camper trailer often makes me look like a rank beginner.

[DiscoMick]

An amount of water makes a number of glasses of water.
Can't count liquids like water, but can count glasses filled with water.

[Tombie]

An amount of water makes a number of glasses of water.
Can't count liquids like water, but can count glasses filled with water.

So how does a Water meter work then [emoji1787]

[POD]

So how does a Water meter work then [emoji1787]

Not sure how it will help back a trailer, but here you go:

Water Flow Meters – How They Work (https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=15058#:~:text=The%20mechani cal%20types%20of%20water,rotational%20speed%20of%2 0the%20blades).

[Tombie]

Not sure how it will help back a trailer, but here you go:

Water Flow Meters – How They Work (https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=15058#:~:text=The%20mechani cal%20types%20of%20water,rotational%20speed%20of%2 0the%20blades).

It was rhetorical. [emoji6] Based only on the context of the post I quoted.

Our flow meters use a Source. Our product is a bit more dense than H2O [emoji41]

[POD]

Yeah. I was adding an amount of irony to your rhetoric. So there are now a number of off-topic posts.

[DiscoMick]

So how does a Water meter work then [emoji1787]It imposes a unit of measurement and then counts it.

[Tombie]

It imposes a unit of measurement and then counts it.

So it measures an amount (volume) of flow [emoji6]

It certainly doesn’t count in ‘pipefuls’ [emoji56]


My coffee maker meters an amount into a coffee mug.
I can count the number of millilitres or I can specify a volume (amount) delivered. I can then count how many cups I’ve filled or the amount of coffee dispensed. I can also count how many millilitres in my cup (if graduated).

Got to love the English language [emoji106]

[Bigbjorn]

A pipe of port or a pipeful of tobacco?[bigwhistle]

[DiscoMick]

So it measures an amount (volume) of flow [emoji6]

It certainly doesn’t count in ‘pipefuls’ [emoji56]


My coffee maker meters an amount into a coffee mug.
I can count the number of millilitres or I can specify a volume (amount) delivered. I can then count how many cups I’ve filled or the amount of coffee dispensed. I can also count how many millilitres in my cup (if graduated).

Got to love the English language [emoji106]Yep, no-one said the English language was logical.
Basically, things which are uncountable include fluids, air, sand, emotions, feelings etc.
For example, you can say, 'I'm feeling very sad,' but you can't say, 'I'm feeling litres of sadness,' because emotions can't be measured.
To measure uncountable things, you have to add a unit of measurement, e.g. sand is uncountable but you can say 'a bucket of sand.'
A common error is to talk of 'terrains'. 'Terrain' is uncountable, so there can't be a plural 'terrains' because 'terrain' already includes the idea of plurality. But you can say, 'varied terrain' as that gives the idea that terrain can vary.
Anyway, I'm retired now, so I don't have to teach this stuff to confused students any longer. End of story.

[Homestar]

If you think sand is uncountable, that means pretty much everything is uncountable by that logic.

[scarry]

You could give sadness a rating,such as one to ten,like pain.

There is always a way.

Oh,and I have three grains of sand in my hand.

[superquag]

Two videos I bookmarked many moons ago showing some awesome truck reversing skills.
I dips me lid...


YouTube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YC100rQW1TQ)


YouTube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iX9ZPmQgiZI)

The take-away for ALL forms of transport, same as pilots -

"never take your vehicle (plane/boat/semi) where your brain isn't already familiar"

Don't drive above YOUR ability.... or else a dash-cam will getcha. YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry9gRbrY8kk)

[ChookD2]

I have a magnitude of sadness.

[DiscoMick]

Being able to back a trailer should induce a state of happiness.

Bhutan has a Gross National Happiness Index. They have a scale to give a unit of measurement. I might see if I can do it. Might be fun.

Gross National Happiness - Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness)

[DiscoMick]

I see Australia only ranks 105th out of 140 countries in the World Happiness Index, so that makes me unhappy. [emoji16]

Australia — Happy Planet Index (http://happyplanetindex.org/countries/australia)

[ramblingboy42]

I'm very happy that we as a nation are happier than 35 other countries.

Wonder who is making so many Australians unhappy.

[94GQPerentie]

I cannot reverse a No 5 trailer in a Perentie, just keeps jack knifing ....I took 5 attempts and gave up trying getting out driveway ! I can reverse any normal trailer without much trouble but not this one.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

So stumbled across this thread. I have a new camper trailer. I'm ok at backing - but the defender is a shocking car as the visibility is really poor and the turning ciricle is atrocious. So you can't maneuvre at all quickly. Big arcs are fine but no sharp moves. The only thing it's got going for it is low range. The camper we have is a TVAN but it has the drawbar extension so that probalby helps a bit.

Anyway our parking area is a bit rubbish and IMHO the only chance I reckon I've got of wedging this thing in there is with a front towbar.

My childhood home had a looong narrow driveway. Dad built a boat in the back yard. They took it out for sea trials and no one could ever get it back down the driveway. Everyone in the neighbourhood who could drive had a crack at it. It stayed out on the road for 6 weeks until there was a front towbar fitted to the falcon and after that it was just an everyday thing pushing this boat up the driveway.

Has anyone fitted one to the front of a defender? :o Factory bullbar.

[Tins]

I used to wonder, as a kid, how a bloke got his caravan into his carport off the lane. Small, both of them, but he had hardly any clearance at all. Then I saw he had a towball on the roo bar of his Studebaker. It was offset to the left and he could see down the side of the van. Simple really, but I'm not sure I'd have thought of it. And of course the steering is a bit like a forklift, really direct. You are correct re the long drawbar. I have backed things for most of my life, but a 6x4 box trailer still challenges me. Behind the Disco I can't see the thing until it's too late. No fancy tow assist features on the D2.

[austastar]

Hi,
A mate drilled a hole in the tyne of his forklift and put a big bolt/nut there to fit in the tow ball receiver on his van. Yep, he runs it offset, to see down the critical side of the van.
Cheers

[JDNSW]

Re the above comments -

1. Yes, the longer the effective towbar (ball to axle) the easier. e.g, my big trailer is easier than the 6x4.

2. It is really hard if you can't see the trailer! Again, my big trailer is wider than the County (or my son's D2, so easy. But the 6x4 is almost impossible - unless I put the canopy frame on, then it is easy to see, at least in the County, which has far better rear (or front) vision than the D2.

3. You reckon the Defender is bad - try a lwb series like my 2a, with no power steering and a turning circle that makes the County look good!

4. Also, the shorter the distance from the rear axle of the towing vehicle to the towing ball the better. But my DS, which had the tow ball little more than the tyre radius behind the rear axle, plus power steering and a very good turning circle had two other issues - it has a very long wheelbase, and the sides are not parallel. Think about that for a moment - difficult to back accurately by itself, let alone with a trailer!

[Tins]

Yep. Boat trailer is easier to back than a caravan, and a semi is easier than either of them. B-Doubles are easy too, once you get the knack. Dollies add to the fun.

[V8Ian]

This is one of the hardest things I had to reverse.
195199
Once you get your head around the fact that the front axle is fixed and the steering input is reflected in the chassis articulation, it's fine. It backs up like a car. Hopping out of a semi-trailer into a dumpy confuses your instincts.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

I'm relieved and delighted (thanks everyone) to hear that I'm not alone in having trouble backing box trailers behind the defender. I can only see them in the side mirrors, and I can't see them until they poke their rear out so they are already turning. I managed to back my brothers trailer into a pole because I couldn't see the trailer or the pole. [bigwhistle]

[DoubleChevron]

Years ago I just purchased a towbar extension tube .... cut it off and welded it to the ****boxes bullbar. you offet it heavily to the drivers side so you can see down the side of whatever you are pushing :)

You cant just weld a tongue on as it will protrude to much and attract police attention. Instead you just slip a standard box section type hitch into it and use whatever ball you need on that ( unfortunately you can't just move the hitch receiver from the back as its some huge thing the hayman reece rear step uses).

[Tins]

Terex belly scraper was like that, Ian. We also had the Ovlov dumpies on site. Yep, startling on first try, even though I could see how it went.

[gromit]

The rear window in my MUX is so high (and small) that I struggle reversing trailers.

Easy fix, I open the tailgate and get a considerably better view. Just one minor problem....when you hitch a trailer the tailgate can't be opened, you have to go into the menu and 'enable power tailgate while trailer connected'.


Colin

[Tins]

you have to go into the menu and 'enable power tailgate while trailer connected'.


Colin

Just remember to turn it back off if you hitch up the boat, Colin....[bigwhistle]

[Hoges]

So stumbled across this thread. I have a new camper trailer. I'm ok at backing - but the defender is a shocking car as the visibility is really poor and the turning ciricle is atrocious. So you can't maneuvre at all quickly. Big arcs are fine but no sharp moves. The only thing it's got going for it is low range. The camper we have is a TVAN but it has the drawbar extension so that probalby helps a bit.
Enjoy the Tvan... been lusting after one for years[thumbsupbig]. When I finally accrued the readies to get a reasonable pre-loved unit, I discovered that it's taller than I expected and wouldn't clear the 2040mm under the garage door.


Anyway our parking area is a bit rubbish and IMHO the only chance I reckon I've got of wedging this thing in there is with a front towbar.

My childhood home had a looong narrow driveway. Dad built a boat in the back yard. They took it out for sea trials and no one could ever get it back down the driveway. Everyone in the neighbourhood who could drive had a crack at it. It stayed out on the road for 6 weeks until there was a front towbar fitted to the falcon and after that it was just an everyday thing pushing this boat up the driveway.

Has anyone fitted one to the front of a defender? :o Factory bullbar.

Enjoy the Tvan... been lusting after one for years. [thumbsupbig]
However when I finally accrued the readies for a decent pre-loved example, I discovered how tall they actually are... wouldn't fit under the 2040mm clearance of my garage door!
The Grenadier I bought 2 1/2 yrs ago doesn't have a winch or bull bar... but it does have a hidden tow hitch receiver behind the hinged front number plate.... now all I need is a camper trailer!

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Enjoy the Tvan... been lusting after one for years. [thumbsupbig]
However when I finally accrued the readies for a decent pre-loved example, I discovered how tall they actually are... wouldn't fit under the 2040mm clearance of my garage door!
The Grenadier I bought 2 1/2 yrs ago doesn't have a winch or bull bar... but it does have a hidden tow hitch receiver behind the hinged front number plate.... now all I need is a camper trailer!
We have a Mk5 and I was measuring it for this exact reason. The van itself is about 2m to the top including solar panel, but the awning sticks up quite a bit about 12cm on the passenger side making the total height about 212-215.

I reckon if you dropped the tyre pressures on the awning side you would get it in. 2040 is a bit lower than my garage. I think mine is 2.1 and I reckon with the air out of the awning side I would be fine.

Atlas RV also do an air suspension kit that I don't think is stupidly expensive. That's another option. That would make it fit easily. You could also change the factory awning. The earlier ones don't have the awning but having an awning is handy.

They have just released a mark6. It's larger inside and at the front and it's also taller. I believe it's maybe 10cm taller but I haven't seen one in the flesh so you might want to consider that.

I think the Ultimate is similar in height.

I was watching a caravan review of an offroad cub last night. It was over 3m tall. It shows how tiny these campers are.

You can see the awning height in this photo.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczP60hIhQvSN7Rt3tlnEkeLmJ-HVQvqCi_G_57EHZ5xGKQI_XHprwBRrA4w5CLVAJQiq11Vv2eZB CRxPM1FkKn3YtiNAK-5dLfRovVhGAuA3jyEFWhZE2kdPb8Jq4fdNwBwmLE-c3-v8MClNNGq_HH4u=w2178-h1530-s-no?authuser=0

[RANDLOVER]

Yesterday I saw an ARB bullbar on a D2 with a square hitch receptacle in place of the winch hidden by the number plate.

[DoubleChevron]

Yesterday I saw an ARB bullbar on a D2 with a square hitch receptacle in place of the winch hidden by the number plate.

You're still pushing blind if its center mounted... You want it heavily offset to the passenger side, so your looking down the side of what your pushing.... Well for big box trailers/caravans where you can't see down the sides of them.

[Tins]

Yesterday I saw an ARB bullbar on a D2 with a square hitch receptacle in place of the winch hidden by the number plate.

Properly built it would be ok for a recovery point. My OKA has a winch mounted in a cradle that can go in the hitch receiver front or rear. Stupid idea. Try carrying a winch from one end to the other when you’re up to your armpits in mud. And it doesn’t solve the problem of not being able to see to move the trailer. In fact it makes it worse. At least when you are reversing you are going to see the trailer in the mirrors eventually. In the middle you will be blind. OKA has it in the middle, at least I can see over the top of both my trailers because I sit so high. Caravan, not so much. I am removing the bar to mount the winch permanently.

But maybe that’s why the D2 had it there. My Oka was bloody great Anderson plugs front and back. Full of mud when I needed them. Sigh.