Reversing
Comments
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Exactly, Tracy, and that's why it's essential to perfect the art. As I said earlier, a motor mover is no help at all if you need to reverse when on the road. Keep trying and you'll get there. Pay attention to your mirrors so you spot the early signs of
something going awry and make gentle corrections. Good luck.0 -
I learnt on one of the club caravan courses (worth doing by the way) and was taught by a chap who trains HGV drivers.
He told me a dead simple way to reverse a caravan.
Use your mirrors.
Which ever mirror the caravan begins to appear in, steer towards that mirror to make it go away.
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I learnt on one of the club caravan courses (worth doing by the way) and was taught by a chap who trains HGV drivers.
He told me a dead simple way to reverse a caravan.
Use your mirrors.
Which ever mirror the caravan begins to appear in, steer towards that mirror to make it go away.
Fine for straight line reversing 'Fysh' but a lot of people have problems reversing 90 degrees onto a pitch.. It's knowing how far to pull forward, where to place the towcar in the road for that initial steering lock and not to over compensate while still
keeping your line. Afraid mirrors aren't as much use in some circumstances of pitching.I'm still young and agile enough to be able to turn my head and look behind me
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Tracy, as a general rule, to reverse at an angle on to a pitch first pull as far forward as you think is necessary then go a bit further. With a right hand drive car it is best to reverse to a pitch on your right if possible as you can then see what is happening
through the driver's side window as the van turns.It's not often necessary to reverse in a straight line and, if you look far enough ahead on narrow roads, it is normally possible to stop in a position where vehicles can pass. If it is necessary, as happens sometimes on the narrow roads in our area, you've
got good advice from Dave and others regarding use of mirrors.0 -
i have done the course £300 for me and husbund and still carnt get it right
Write your comments here...practice makes perfect im a hgv driver so dont have a problem reversing most people rush it panic put to much lock on .take your time its not a race
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Before reversing onto a pitch I always get out and check how far from where I need to be I am. It is very easy to stop short and you do need to get the starting point right.
I agree that reversing onto a pitch on your right is easiest but unfortunately this is not always possible.
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Wow, you surprise me.
All you can do then is practice. A large supermarket car park on a Sunday afternoon might be of some use..
Don't know about your area, but our's are alway packed with shopper's cars on a Sunday.
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We have been practicing reversing in a local business park on a Sunday when it's quite. I can reverse in a straight line now and what I found was if I used the car mirrors and not the towing ones I got on a lot better.......... I hope this post doesn't start
another row.
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Why should it? You found a method that works for you. That's good.
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I recently did the CC Practical Caravanning course. I got on OK doing the straight line reversing but, without the instructor telling me what to do, found the curved reverse difficult (too many different things to get my head round). Last week I had my
first proper experience of towing and parking the caravan in our storage site in an offside space. We were taught to pull forward past a pitch, then reverse in a straight line until the back of the caravan is level with where you want to park. When you get
to this point, stop and turn the steering wheel onto a full left hand down lock. Reverse into the pitch, looking out of the driver's window at the caravan wheel. Stop when the wheel stops moving, then change to full right hand down lock and reverse allowing
the car to follow the caravan. The caravan will start to move round too far, but don't be tempted to change the lock until the rear of the car & caravan are almost touching. At this point, stop and straighten the steering wheel so it's straight, then pull
forward. This will correct the position of the caravan on the pitch. You then only have to reverse straight as far as you need to go. This technique worked first time for me. Admittedly reversing into a nearside space is not as easy, but having a banksman
(or is that a banksperson?) should help. My husband grudgingly agreed I'd done well.
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That sounds OK if you have enough room for your car and van to be in a straight line whilst still a few feet from the back of the pitch. This is seldom the case. In the real world it usually involves having to have the rig at a bit of an angle to avoid the
pitches opposite.0 -
Wow, you surprise me.
All you can do then is practice. A large supermarket car park on a Sunday afternoon might be of some use..
Don't know about your area, but our's are alway packed with shopper's cars on a Sunday.
Which is why I suggested Sunday afternoon because they close at 16.00
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Why should it? You found a method that works for you. That's good.
Please see wink.
I did but suspected others might not.
Hence the elaboration and the cool
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Did anyone else learn the basics as a child with toy cars, trailers and articulated lorries with working steering? The principles are identical, even if road conditions aren't.
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Ps that's not to downplay the benefit of courses, which teach much more than reversing
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Did anyone else learn the basics as a child with toy cars, trailers and articulated lorries with working steering? The principles are identical, even if road conditions aren't.
Yup, I did.
I also used to have a little trailor for my car, but long car & short trailor = impossible to reverse in a straight line (especially when I could only see the trailor in the mirrors once it was well off course).
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I learned to reverse on the farm. However with a tractor and trailer you can see all four wheels of the tractor and both sides of the trailer. I remember having to reverse into a cow shed with about two inches to spare either side, felt really good when
I did but the euphoria was demolished when I heard a loud engine noise I'd been concentrating on the trailer and forgot about the silencer on the top of the tractor which I'd managed to bend and break on the doorway lintel0 -
Practice will make perfect, but as a reminder tie a handkie or a bit of cloth to the bottom of the steering wheel, nearest to your knees. Now which ever way the cloth goes that is where the van will go. It allows you to concentrate on watching the van and
not thinking about steeering the opposite way. Works for me.0 -
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As said practice makes perfect, my twin axle reverses like a dream where my 6x4 trailer doesn't as I cant see it until it starts to turn, ignore any posts about only using a motor mover as if you ever need to reverse on the way to the site (eg.wrong way
in a one way street, road too narrow, weak bridge, accident in front etc.) you wouldn't want tounhitch & use the mover when you know how to reverse, keep practicing it will come like learning to drive did0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxr83Vkrh00
