Thread: HOW TO BACK A TRAILER

Originally Posted by p38arover

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

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

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

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

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

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

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

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.

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

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. 👍

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

Yes, but everything is better, easier, simpler and more comfortable whne you have a proper Citroen .... 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)

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.