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How to back up a trailer in 5 easy steps

StormRnr

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So for many of us a trailer is a critical camping and overlanding accessory. Recently a friend who follows my channel and Instagram, and knows I'm a trailer expert (read: someone who posts photos of his trailer and pretends to know what he's talking about) asked if I'd help him learn how to back up a trailer. So since it features a Tacoma, I thought I'd share it here. Video is at the top and the narrative is below. LMK what you think about my trailer backing method. The video was kind of a quick last minute thing so I shot it with my iPhone and didn't do much editing. My usual content is much more polished.

How to Back up a Trailer in 5 easy Steps

Original link: https://youtu.be/S8sqbrbE3Pc


As you may know, I have a trailer. It’s a really cool customized 4×4 trailer that’s been in my family for 30 years. In that time I’ve learned a thing or two about backing trailers up, or at least this one, in many different situations. Most recently, I made a bad decision to try to tow it up the Steam shovel jeep trail and had to stuff it up into a Pinyon tree to get it turned around.

Backing a trailer on a mountain road


Recently a friend asked if I would help him learn to back up a trailer, for an upcoming trip where he and his wife are renting an Airstream for a week long trip. So we hitched the trailer up to his Tacoma and headed over to Galena High School in Reno, NV. If you want to learn trailer backing, or want to practice, find yourself a big empty parking lot and follow along.

Step One: Go around​

When you’re out in the real world and you have a trailer of any size hitched to your vehicle, the best option to get back is to go around. If you can just make another loop around the block, parking lot or campground, just do that. It’s going to be the easiest way, and the safest for your vehicle and people around you. Most of the time, planning is what you need not backing skills.

Step Two: Back straight​

Of course, you can’t always go around. Often that alley you thought might be a loop is a dead end and now there’s no way out but to back up. Backing up straight is the easiest way to back a trailer. Here’s what you need to know about backing straight:

  1. Go Slow
  2. Ride the brake. If you’re in a manual, feather the clutch.

Manage your inputs​

You’re just trying to keep the trailer in line. If it starts to deflect, use small steering inputs to bring it back. As things get farther out of hand, your inputs will need to get bigger since you’ll have to catch up with the trailer, and over correct to bring it back. Keep in mind that if you have limited space, your truck may start to get close to objects. If this happens, jump to step 4: Straighten up.

Step Two: Break the Angle​

Eventually you’ll have to get that trailer into a camp site or back it off the road to make a U-Turn. To do this you will need to turn the truck so that the trailer is no longer in line with it. I call this “breaking the angle.” To do this, you need the FRONT of the truck, to move the direction you want the trailer to go.

If you want to break the trailer driver, you turn passenger. If you want the trailer to turn passenger, you turn driver.

The key to breaking the angle is that once you start the trailer diverting from center, it wants to keep going. You can turn the wheel back to center, and it will continue on that course.

Step Three: Follow the trailer​

If you break the angle and keep going you’ll end up going to 90 degrees at which point the trailer and the truck will impact in what’s called a “Jackknife.” You do not want this.

You will need to turn the wheel back the opposite way so that the front of the truck swings away from the direction the trailer is going. If you broke the trailer to driver side, turn the wheel back driver to follow the trailer. If you broke the trailer to passenger, you need to turn passenger to follow it.

On short trailers, it’s hard for the truck to keep up. On longer trailers, you will be able to catch up with the angle and straighten it up. Ultimately, most back up situations, you need to break it, follow it until you’re straight and then back straight into the spot.

Step 4: Straighten up​

If you have broken it too far and can’t catch up, or you’ve turned past where you need to be, turn the wheels the opposite way and pull forward. If you’ve backed it too far driver, turn passenger and creep forward. If you’ve turned the trailer too far passenger, turn driver and crawl forward.

Once you straighten up, you’ll be in a better position to back straight into the spot, or only have a small turn to make to get into the spot.

Step 5: Repeat​

If you back a trailer up every day, chances are you can get it in first try, no problem. Most of us will need to repeat these steps to get it right most of the time. So take your time. If need be, pull all the way out of the turn and go right back to the beginning lining yourself up better for the turn.

So that’s all you need to know to back up a trailer. Take your time. Go slow. Don’t be afraid to start over.

What else did I miss? Let me know in the comments.

-M
 
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I have a pretty small trailer and it is a pain to back up. Longer trailers are much easier. One tip I would suggest: know your jackknife point. IOW, how far can you "kink" the trailer without doing damage to it or your tow vehicle.
 
I have a pretty small trailer and it is a pain to back up. Longer trailers are much easier. One tip I would suggest: know your jackknife point. IOW, how far can you "kink" the trailer without doing damage to it or your tow vehicle.
Definitely. This particular trailer was built with intention to make that jack knife point as tight as possible. It's saved me a few times.

-M
 
When you're backing up a trailer, grab the bottom of the steering wheel and steer to the direction you want the trailer to go.
I’ve heard that one. I suppose it works for breaking the angle, but you always have to counter steer to follow it.
 
If you do it you will understand, you don't have to worry about counter-steering anything, just grab the bottom of the steering wheel while backing up and whichever way you wanted trailer to go steer in that direction.
It's true, but you still have to follow it back the other way immediately. But as a first step it works.
 
"follow it back the other way immediately" yes if you oversteer but you never have to release the bottom of the steering wheel until you park the trailer.

Just do what works for you, I was giving advice what works for me.
I'm talking about if you're turning while going back. You always have to go back the opposite way to make a turn and not jackknife. The rudder concept works by itself if you're just trying to go straight.
 
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