Hooking Up your Trailer

[FDziurda]

My wife hates it when I ask her to help me hook-up the trailer. It just seems that she can't quite get me "lined" up properly. Then she gets mad because I complain... I'm sure some you other guys have had a same situation .



I decided to see if I could come up with a simple solution that would take her "out of the loop" and keep me from being killed in my sleep.



I went to the local Peterbilt truck dealer and bought one of those 8. 5" convex mirrors that the big rigs use. Mounted it on a short stick and hung it at a 45 degree angle from the top rear of my camper shell. I can now look in my center rear view mirror at the convex mirror and see the hitch and trailer tongue as I'm backing up. I laid a small white towel on the ground under the trailer tongue, which adds contrast and helps the initial line-up. It works perfect, every time and only takes one try.



Thought some of you other folks might like experimenting with this idea. Have priced some of those larger acrylic "security" mirrors, thinking they might improve visability, but the places I've looked want too many $$$s for them.



Good Luck and have fun,



Frank Dz

 

[RJOL]

Another Cheap Solution

Haven't owned anything buth a 5th wheel since 1990 but I used to have a regular trailer.



Here is how I handled this problem.....



1. Mounted a magnet to each of two metal rods (like an old car antenna). Can either epoxy the magnets to them, or screw them on if the magnet has a metal frame with a center hole).



2. Put one of them on the top of the ball, and the other on the top of the trailer hitch just above the center of the ball cup (make sure they are as perpendicular as you can put them on).



3. Back the vehicle up aimming the two antennas to line up.



4. When the one on the ball falls over, you are are centered up and ready to hitch.

 

[Extreme1]

Originally posted by FDziurda

My wife hates it when I ask her to help me hook-up the trailer. It just seems that she can't quite get me "lined" up properly. Then she gets mad because I complain...

Why can't they just see that a straight line in the direction traveled will miss by 2"?



Thanks for the tips, I have to do something!

 

[Doc Tinker]

They can't see straight because you guys keep hitting them up the side of the head, for not getting it right the first time.



Doc

 

[Texas Diesel]

I like the routine of closing the arms to indicate how far I am from the ball and then, BANG, THEN she puts her hands together. Never fails.

 

[Fireman Dave]

LOL at all you guys! This is a good one.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I've just given up and do it myself - I usually have to get in and out of the truck about 10-12 times, but it's more reliable! I send her to the bathroom to change our daughters diaper or walk the dog or . . . . . GOD I hope my wife doesn't read this!!

 

[Partyat33]

At the risk of being thrown out of the TDR, I just let her drive and I direct. We use two way radios.



Or I can usaully do it myself with three or four trips to the rear.



Dennis

 

[B.G. Smith]

I don't use her to hook up but I do use her when backing into a parking spot. We use two of the little FRS radios. She forgets to push the send button when talking. I just try to keep her in view in my rear view mirror(thank goodness it is remote operated) and if she starts jumping up and down or doing funny hand signals, I know something is not right and I stop, get out and see what is wrong. bg

 

[merryman]

I'm sure happy to find I am not the only one who can do it better without the help??????? of the other half.

Vaughn

 

[Texas Diesel]

Funny hand signals... I forgot about those, worst part is when you ask what <> means and she explains it, YOU feel dumb for not being able to figure it out.

 

[DarrellB]

Try This One

The guy I do alot of hauling for sales vinal products like fencing, latice, and decking. I had to make a run for him up around Salem Indiana, but before I got to the home of the man that bought the fence it turned dark. I had to back the truck and a 26ft long gooseneck trailer up a 1/4 mile long freshly black topped driveway with 2 people waving flashlights in opposite directions. I eventualy got mad enough and told them to go back in the house and I would do it myself. Finally got to the house then had to unload all the fence by hand alone. The man had back trouble and couldn't help



I now have 2 KC daylighters mounted on the trailer. Looks like daytime now when I have to back up in the dark also makes it nice to load to.

 

[Dkevdog]

I've had much fun sitting at the launch ramps wathcing husband/wife teams back boats into the drink Better than HBO!! As for myself?? I have to litterally parrallel park my 5er (28'+) in about 32 feet of space. It takes the wife and I a few good shouting matches and usually three attempts to get it right, but we are getting better. There's no way I could back it myself. As it is now, it takes a two hitch/unhitches to get it in. Pain in the ass but it's free storage.



Kev

 

[Deezul1]

I mounted a truck mirror on a board and made it so I can hang it on the front of the TT aimed at the hitch so I can see it in the rear view mirror, after the hook up just remove it and store it. Great idea with the white towel on the ground for contrast.

 

[SnoKing]

Got a 5er? When you unhook, hang your break away brake cable down to the ground. I have my axles flipped so mine does not reach the ground, so I made a coathanger extension with a weight on the end of it. I set this so that it just touches the ground. When I am ready to reconnect the 5er I hang the weight of the cable and adjust the trailer back to where the weight just touches the ground, and guess what, the trailer is at the correct height to recouple the 5th wheel. I store the extension in the back of the pin box, where it is ready for the next setup. Snow King

 

[rich m]

"monback...monback....monback.BAM!...good!"

alignment's not a big problem, as much as depth perception... I always hitch up solo, and guage my distance by gravel on the ground, related to my running-board. (It's still off by an inch or 2) every time, requiring a short match of trailer-rasslin')



I think I'll try the magnet/rod trick----- 2 round ring-washer magnets and some allthread might be better...

Epoxy a nut right into the center of the ring, and then put the allthread into that... . should be nicely perpendicular

 

[JMorrow]

Left NO THE OTHER LEFT.

 

[JAnderson]

Two things I do. I use the screws in the middle of the tailgate to center on the trailer. Gets me within an inch or so of center. Before I remove trailer I use a stick or a tent spike (Whatever you can put in the ground) and I put it in the ground at the rear and outside of my rear tire. This gets me exactly to the right distance every time and it also helps with the centering part also. Cheap and easy

 

[Joe G.]

I've learned where to line up the joint in the back window with the trailer rock guard so I'm pretty close on alignment when I back up. When I get close I get out and set the trailer hitch so that I can feel it hit the ball and slide up. Then when it comes down I stop. Usually I can do that in one try. Sometimes I'll be off on alignment and have to try it again. NO more getting help(?) from the head of the house!! NO more funny hand signals! And NO more temper fits!!

 

[Eric_77]

Has anybody used one of the pivoting extending hitches that make it easy to hook up? I was thinking it would be nice for behind a 5ver to hook a boat up. It is a big pain with a normal hitch. the hitches drop hitch about 3-4 inches and also it looks a little weak like real weak actually and lots of movement.