Backing Up - Amos n Andy

[dieselcrawler]

Ive been working with my youngest son (8yo) and he's getting good at guiding me back. I mostly just hook up alone, but the wife does ok when asked to help.

I direct co-workers backing up nearly daily, I try to use clear hand signals, keeping a clear line of sight with the operator, hand directly in that line of sight. Amazes me how many guys who should be trainded better just wildly flail their hand when giving signals. Often with a single finger. Let you guess which one.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Maybe it is a female thing that they cant indicate side to side offset until the bumper touches the trailer. Then they can tell you to move over 6" OR they tell you to steer right and when you bump and look you should have been going to the left. At least that is how my wife is. It is easier for me to do it myself even if I have to get out and look a couple of times.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I think it was the movie Arabesque (Gregory Peck, Sophia Loren) which had a scene where they directed a truck to back into/through a brick wall to get it out of their way in an alley. I couldn't find a YouTube clip for it, though.

 

[Farmer495]

My SOP is to back up alone. I'd rather get in and out of the truck than have someone help.

No one knows my rig and what I want to do with it better than I do. Someone guiding me just messes stuff up or slows me down. Absolutely hate it when someone wants to "help"

I can normally line ball up on bumper pull first shot if lucky (no back up cam)

 

[Bird]

My SOP is to back up alone. I'd rather get in and out of the truck than have someone help.

No one knows my rig and what I want to do with it better than I do. Someone guiding me just messes stuff up or slows me down. Absolutely hate it when someone wants to "help"

I can normally line ball up on bumper pull first shot if lucky (no back up cam)

I don't know what I could do now-a-days, but there was a time when we were RVers and I had a bit of a reputation for being able to back rigs AND for helping others back them (I never tried to "help" anyone unless I was sure they wanted me to). I've seen a lot of people get at the back end of a travel trailer and wave at the driver to try to help him. If I were helping someone back a trailer, I walked along beside the driver's door and told him which way to turn the steering wheel. And if we went into a strange (new) RV park after dark and had to back into a tight parking spot, I put my wife in the driver's seat. We had a CB radio in the truck and I had bought a cheap Radio Shack handi-talkie. So with her driving (and I told her she could just close her eyes if she wanted to), I'd go behind the rig and tell her, on the radio, when to back up, when to stop, and which way to turn the steering wheel. Piece of cake.

 

[gsganzer]

I find it very entertaining watching some folks back up a trailer. It's something I'm able to do easily. When I was a kid, we had a lawn tractor with a vac trailer, so backing that up with it's short tongue helped hone my skills. I then graduated to maneuvering a dump truck towing a wood chipper through wood lots. That was equally challenging.

Some folks really struggle with it. I watched a guy at a boat ramp one time. He had installed a ball on his front bumper, so when he pulled in, he'd chock and drop the trailer, then turn his truck around and hook the trailer to the front ball and drive his boat down the ramp. It seemed like an incredible amount of work to me, but he must have really struggled with the whole left/right brain thing.

 

[Farmer495]

IHe had installed a ball on his front bumper, so when he pulled in, he'd chock and drop the trailer, then turn his truck around and hook the trailer to the front ball and drive his boat down the ramp. It seemed like an incredible amount of work to me, but he must have really struggled with the whole left/right brain thing.

This is classic. Someone too stupid to back a trailer up, puts a ball on the front of their truck and then proclaims themselves a genius for doing it and all the time they save since they can now put the trailer in on the first attempt, but forgets all the hitching and unhitching time.

I laugh when I see front ball hitches, driver might as well be wearing a "I can't drive" T-shirt or hat.

 

[Farmer495]

I don't know what I could do now-a-days, but there was a time when we were RVers and I had a bit of a reputation for being able to back rigs AND for helping others back them (I never tried to "help" anyone unless I was sure they wanted me to).

The way it should be. Way better than having to ignore the guy waving his arms and talking like he thinks you can hear him. Once had a guy decide I needed help to hitch, I'm backing up to the ball, he starts yelling stop waving arms etc, I set the brake, get out and the ball is like a foot in front of the coupler, I asked why he wanted me to stop there?

 

[hosspuller]

For both our mental state, the best method for wife & I is only one direction command allowed... "stop" before hitting something. No left, no right, no move more to the XX Just "stop" Works for us, no matter who is driving.

 

[aczlan]

This is classic. Someone too stupid to back a trailer up, puts a ball on the front of their truck and then proclaims themselves a genius for doing it and all the time they save since they can now put the trailer in on the first attempt, but forgets all the hitching and unhitching time.
I laugh when I see front ball hitches, driver might as well be wearing a "I can't drive" T-shirt or hat.

I can see them on a marina truck where they are putting trailers in tight spots all day and may not have enough room to swing around with the trailer on back.

Aaron Z