Backing a dually

[DanDee]

Not that I had come anywhere close to mastering the art of backing my 5th wheel with my old srw Dodge, but... .

The couple of times I've pulled my trailer out of it's spot to work on it with my new truck... . I find myself having to do a bunch of "pull-ups" & generally feeling like an idiot , when I try to put it back!



At first I felt I was just rusty because my trailer has sat for over a year while I ****** around trying to buy a new Dodge, but today I noticed that the trouble seems to be judging the angle of the truck to the trailer, using the side mirrors.



After I had everything put away... it dawned on me that maybe the wide rear fenders make a difference visually as I'm trying to sight down the sides, making it a little more difficult to judge the angle of the truck correctly... .



So, anyone else notice a difference going from a SRW to a dually when it came time to back a trailer??? If so, any tips?

(Or am I just so rusty that I'm back to learning all over again?)



Thanks, DanDee

 

[John - K5AWO]

DRW backing trailer

Well, I got both here. A Chevy 1/2 ton SRW and my CTD DRW.



I just don't pay any attention to the dually fenders. A trick I use is to get the rig straight and stopped. stick something on the front and rear of the trailer that pokes out about 3 to 5 inches. Look in your outside mirrors and find the spot that lines up with the two measurement objects. if necessary, mark it with black electrical tape. When backing, line up the three marks and you are straight. Turns are easier to control by watching how the front/rear of the trailer is going.



Just marking a spot that shows the whole side of the trailer on each mirror helps too.



I used to pull tandem trailers. I used the same trick to let me know where the rear trailer was at. Backing up tandems is harder, but with the outside markers, it is easier to do. Takes a moment to get used to turning the steering wheel opposite of what you would normally do with a single trailer.



My TT was a bumper pull 27'er and the tandem was a motorcycle trailer about 10' bed, maybe 13-14 ft overall. You don't want to make fast turns, that tandem trailer got out of sorts real fast.



I did my practice work in a large mall parking lot when it was empty.

 

[DanDee]

Good tip! Next time I hook up to my trailer I'll try placing a mark on the mirror (although right now I'm having a little trouble visualizing the concept... ) I'll see how it goes!



Brings up another thought... . yesterday was the first time I've tried backing with the mirrors flipped out. Remember thinking how great these new mirrors are, they actually seem wider than the trailer allowing a great view down the sides.

(But maybe that makes it a little more difficult to view a straight part of the truck bed to guide off of... I'll have to try backing with the mirrors flipped in & see if its easier. )



All I know is that as I got frustrated I would cheat & look over my right shoulder at the tailgate... then I could see what angle the truck was at, but lose visual of what the trailer is doing!



Probably just me... a little more practice & I'll wonder what the hay I was complaining about!!!!



Do love the flip out mirrors... those and the Cummins are probably my #1 reason for sticking with Dodge!!!

(Well of course there's also the great looks, the seats, the handling and... aw well forget it, I think I like just about everything about my new truck!!!!)



DanDee

 

[GerryDrake]

If you are backing the trailer to a specific spot, this might help. I took 3 pieces of 2x2 (about 3' long each) and fixed them for quick assembly at right angles. Kind of like the corner seams of a box ... (actually have the two on the ground extend a couple inches so it doesn't fall over. I walk to where I want the rear corner of the trailer to end up, and place my device such that when the trailer is exactly where I want it, one leg will be under the end of the bumper, one under the side (at the back) of the trailer, and one standing straight up at the corner. As you are backing, it is pretty easy to adjust your angle and swing to place the corner of the trailer right where you want it.

 

[John - K5AWO]

That is also a good tip. And I think that I maybe do that without realizing it. I also keep track of where the trailer wheels are tracking. If you pulled it of the spot. The wheels ought to track right back into that same spot!

 

[CFarlow]

A tip an old timer (even older than me!) told me all you have to do is aim the front of your hood in the direction you want the back of your trailer to go. I have found it very helpful, and ya don't have to concentrate on keeping your hand at bottom of steering wheel. Tryit,, I think you will like it.



Chuck

 

[DanDee]

Good tips... I have laid lumber down to give me a straight line to aim for & that helps. (I have to back in at a slight curve, going around a few obstacles. )

I like the idea of where the hood goes/ so goes the rear... . that will be easier to remember than the bottom of the steering wheel thing (I normally steer from the top)... .



But what I'm really having a little difficulty with is judging the angle of my truck to the trailer... once you have the trailer pointed where you want it to go, you have got to get the truck lined back up with it fast... or the trailer veers off in a new direction.



I'll do it again in a few days & I'll see what happens with a little more practice. I guess I'm just a little frustrated because I don't remember having this much trouble with my old truck...



Thanks, DanDee

 

[doldenburg]

I can not belive anyone that has a pickup can't back a trailer.

 

[DanDee]

Yea, who da thunk..... I'da thought spending 42K at my local Dodge dealer would have made me an instant expert!!!!

 

[Casey Ray]

Originally posted by doldenburg

I can not belive anyone that has a pickup can't back a trailer.

Some gosh darn good entertainment has been had watching people back a trailer into a spot. How many relationships have been ruined while backing a trailer into a spot? God bless Marconi and the subsequent FRS radios, forget about hand signals and not being able to see her standing directly behind the rig, she can yell into the radio and I can turn it down, lol! Best to get you a cold one and a nice chair, then wait for the campground 'captain' to arrive to remedy the situation. I've got some great tales of my Korean ex-neighbor trying to get into his driveway.



Now if you were having trouble backing into the spot next to me, and I was low on beer and the "CC" was busy elsewhere, heck, I'd help you back 'er in.



Not everybody has been through Dootson's



LOL.



Thanks for a few chuckles this morning remembering my ex-neighbor.



Casey

 

[GerryDrake]

I used to think the surest way to a divorce was to have the spouse giving directions to you while you back the trailer in. I think it involves setting up the TV dish now.



A way I found works quite well is to have the spouse drive, and place my hand on the door mirror while walking alongside (keeps me from under the tires) and tell her which way to turn the wheel as she backs up. We can come pretty close that way. Funny how differently we see/understand the backing process. .

 

[MHalberstadt]

Hey I can't back mine up worth a darn either.



I have three trailers to back up regularly. A 31 ft fifth wheel, a ski boat and a tandem jet ski trailer.



I thought I was pretty good with my 97 2500 long bed but have a lot of trouble with the new dually especially the jet ski trailer when the skis aren't on it.



I realized after a while that I was gaging the angle of the trailer to the truck by sighting along the bed. With the dually fenders you just cant see the trailer or where it's going. I'm getting better especially by flipping the mirrors up and adjusting them a little higher and as if the fenders are not there.



I also don't like the new spot mirrors as it's harder to see the rear wheels than the old symmetrical spot mirrors.



It does help to have a straight edge to sight on. I'll have to try that. We keep our fifth wheel at the Colorado river and back the boat trailers up next to it.



Just have to keep practicing and have the wife spot.

 

[TX Gooseneck]

They don't turn near as tight as a 3/4ton or a srw. The best advice I can offer is to learn your mirrors and find a parking lot to practice in. Small mistakes can make for big errors and the faster you are going the faster things can go bad. If you need a great practice road, there is a nice little dirt road about 3 miles long in Grants, NM that you think goes to the Wal-Mart, but instead has a 'no outlet' sign towards the end, leaving you with a great opportunity to practice your backing

 

[boonsur]

For the little trailers (jet ski's), drop the tailgate & look thru the back.

 

[Ramtough]

The thing that everyone's missing is the fact that this problem has more to do with the trailer than the truck. Anyone who has experience backing a single axle trailer or even a tandem tag along is going to be frustrated with a fifth wheel (the voice of experience speaking)



The problem is the mounting point of the trailer in the truck bed. This causes the trailer to react very slowly to steering inputs. However, once it starts reacting, you had better be thinking about straightening it out again because it is also slow to respond to corrective inputs.



What you need is practice. The first time I brought my trailer home, I couldn't get it into my driveway which requires a hard 90 degree turn.



After some practice, I've learned that I can do things with a fifth wheel that I could never do with a tag along, like back it around a 90 degree turn.



I don't know if you have a 4WD but I've found that using a 4 Low kit helps significantly becasue I can slow the combination down to a controllable speed and cause less stress on the truck.

 

[John - K5AWO]

Originally posted by Ramtough

I've found that using a 4 Low kit helps significantly becasue I can slow the combination down to a controllable speed and cause less stress on the truck.

I didn't even mention the 4x4 part RamTough. I always drop mine into 4-Low because I am backing up a hill on a gravel drive. The first time I thought the tonque weight would be more than enough to keep everything in check... ... well, it wasn't. The duallies just hopped up and down and made a hole about six inches deep so fast!



So, I just put it in 4-Low and it was like I owned the world.



Everything under control, and all I had to do was release the brakes. No throttle control ever got involved after that.



I have never pulled a 5'er yet. (If you don't count an old 1960 international OTR truck) The truck has the hitch, but all of my previous trailers have been bumper pulls.

 

[DanDee]

Ramtough... your right, most of what little experience I have was towing a 24' boat & the switch to a 5th wheel is an ongoing adjustment! (like how much it tracks to the inside on corners!)



I used to use 2wheel low on my old truck all the time & it was great... but the new truck only has 4low... . sometimes seems a little jumpy while turning, but I'll give it a try! (Where I'm parking is on gravel, so it shouldn't hurt anything)



I agree about a 5ver being different but it still seems harder for me to tell what angle the truck is at (unless I'm swung way out) with my new truck than with my old... . (and if I'm off by a just bit, by the time I see the rear of the trailer veering, its like Ramtough said... it's hard to correct!)



At least going forward is easy with my new rig!



DanDee

 

[DanDee]

Oops... Ramtough I just read your post a little slower & saw that you have a "kit" on your 4low... (to disengage the hubs?)... .

Probably what I need, really miss my 2low on my 1st gen! (Plus it had manual hubs... which I would prefer!)



Where did you get your 4low kit and how much of a hassle was it to install?



Thanks, DanDee

 

[Ramtough]

I got my 4 Low kit from Genos. I belive that BD Diesel is the manufacturer. I have a 2G truck with vacuum operated 4WD. The installation was very easy - just mount the box on the air horn and reroute some vacuum lines. Also required installing a simple switch in the cab.



I don't think they have a kit for the 3G trucks yet because their front axle engagement is electronic and not vacuum operated.



The 4 Low kit is important becaue it disengages the front axle - more correctly prevents it from engaging. This prevents the wheel hop and severe drive line strain that comes from making a sharp turn - even in gravel.



My 4 Low kit is one of the most useful accessories I have installed on my truck.



I am not sure of the applicability of the kit to a 1G truck.

 

[DanDee]

Went to BD Diesel ( http://www.bd-power.com ) cool site, lots of neat stuff... . nada for the 3rd gen 4low as of yet. (Didn't see anything at Geno's either)



Such a useful feature I wonder why the factory dosen't allow 2 wheel low anymore??? (Maybe they don't want you putting that much power to just two wheels... )

Heck, they could even charge a bit more & I would have paid... . kinda like the thousands more I had to pay just to get the split heater!!!!



1st gen truck dosen't need a kit, as the transfer case allows you to select 2or4 low & 2or4 high. (Plus mine has the Warner hubs added, along with a TransDapt "part-time" kit)



Thanks again... . DanDee