OTish: Reversing a small trailer?

[A.Lee]

I've driven with trailers before for work, and never had any real problems when reversing - these were big trailers with a double axle and

13" wheels.

I've recently bought a 4'x3', 8" tyred trailer for behind my van. Can I reverse it? No way. Even in a straight line it wants to go one way or another. My mate says they are near impossible to reverse, as the axle is too close to the rear of the vehicle, and little wheels make it harder.

So, any tips to reverse such a trailer, or do I just carry on doing what I'm doing, by unhooking it, reversing the van, then re-attaching it? Thanks Alan.

[Andrew Mawson]

I have major problems reversing my simgle axle trailer behind my Discovery - mainly because I can't see it ! It's slightly narrower than the car and lower than can be seen through the rear window. My solution was to fix two 3 foot long vertical lengths of white 20mm plastic conduit to the rear corners of the trailer so no at least I can see when it starts to jacknife.

AWEM

[Broadback]

I have had my small trailer for a number of years, have4 not yet mastered reversing, a little better perhaps. The answer might be to go to an empty car park and practice, practice practice. No easy answer methinks.

[nightjar]

That's what I do with small trailers. I did once try fitting a couple of vertical indicators, as suggested by Andrew, but found that, even though it let me see the trailer was going off course, it didn't help me correct it. They simply react too quickly. I use a 1400kg double axle van trailer these days and that gives no such problems.

Colin Bignell

[David W.E. Roberts]

I can just about reverse a small trailer with my Volvo 740 - but that has a very good steering lock.

Small trailers will turn off line very quickly and once they are off line they are almost impossible to get straight again.

The only way I can manage is to go very slowly, swing the front of the car as far as possible as soon as possible, and be prepared to ease forward again if the trailer goes off line.

Long vehicles don't reverse short trailers well.

You would have a much better chance in a Mini, for instance, because it takes a lot less time (and distance) for the front wheels to move from being well right of the trailer to well left of the trailer.

Human beings have a very short wheelbase and so can move from side to side very quickly - this makes reversing a trailer much easier than using a car ;-)

The distance from the pushing point (towing hitch) to the pivot point (axle) makes a lot of difference - if you had a 6 foot extension between the tow ball and the hitch I think you would find it a lot easier to reverse in a straight line (but harder to turn).

Cheers

Dave R.

[Roger]

The message from Broadback contains these words:

You need to be able to see the trailer in order to control it. I haven't had a towing hitch for over 10 years (the trailer has been rotting quietly in the garden since) but when I had I found I could get at least a glimpse of it by opening the 5th door and that was enough if I took it really slowly. I think something like Andrews solution is essential if otherwise you can't see where it is. It is no good guessing because it will have jackknifed well before it is visible in the side mirrors.

[Mary Fisher]

It's a well known phenomenon!

Get someone to stand outside the car, wave his arms about and shout. It won't be any easier but you can blame him :-)

Mary.

[Richard]

Lovely!

May I show this to my wife as encouragement next time I try to persuade her that it would be useful if she could back our trailer ;-)

In actual fact she _should_ have no trouble with it as it 8' x 12' and thus reverses quite happily with none of that instantaneous jackknifing that afflicts toy trailers as discussed above.

Richard

[Mary Fisher]

There's no reason she _couldn't_ if it's 12' long. Whether she _wants_ to or even _should_ (why bother, when there's a man around?) is a different matter.

I can and occasionally do but I let him think he's superior at it, there has to be something .... :-)

Mary

[Richard]

Indeed there is no reason why should couldn't nor is there any reason why she should. I'm only trying to encourage her to acquire another skill that she may have to exercise when she doesn't have the time to practice. There are lots of things she does better than me, or so she tells me ;-)

Richard

[Mary Fisher]

There will be far too many to list.

She might even know the difference betrween practice and practise :-)

Mary

[dennis]

The size of the wheels is irrelevant. Its the distance between the tow hitch and the rear axle and the distance between the hitch and the trailer wheels that matters.

Practice, practice and more practice.

[Mary Fisher]

When you only use the trailer every few months it's not worth the time.

If you're using it frequently that gives you practice.

Mary

[Roger Mills]

Small trailers are much more difficult to reverse than long ones because, once they're out of line with the towcar by more than a few degrees, there's nothing you can do to stop them jack-knifing - other than going forwards again. If you can't actually *see* the trailer until it appears in your door mirror, you've *no* chance!

If you're interested in a technical explanation, I developed the maths a while ago, and posted it at

[Richard]

Probably as she is a professional word-smith AKA a solicitor!

Richard ;-)

[Mary Fisher]

So she does know something you don't :-)

Although, in my experience solicitors aren't always as good with the written word as they are with the oral.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

The first time I drove it was on a tractor, with a trailer, I was taught how to reverse. I was ten.

It was much later that I learned about short trailers. But it really isn't all that important if you don't tow them often. Reversing into our drive is done by unhitching and wheeling up manually. It's not a big deal. We reverse the caravan (12+towbar) with no problem.

Mary

[Richard]

Company-commercial specialist - not a litigator. So an expert drafter of contracts.

Richard ;-)

[Mary Fisher]

Good for her - and rather her than me!

Each to his own, keep reversing the trailer yourself :-)

Mary

[gymratz]

:¬)

I have an Ivor Williams 6' x 4' trailer with high sides which is a breeze to reverse behind my old discovery (providing as others have said you can actually reverse in the first place) however.... when I reverse onto our drive from the road, the drive is at a fairly steep angle which means as teh trailer stars to descend the axle comes closer to the ball hitch and the smallest adjustment in steering sends the trailer right off course.

I would suggest taking the smallest of steering movements followed by instant straightening of steering line even befoer the trailer has apparently started to deviate.

I would expect there to be a much greater amount of steering wheel movement compared to a slightly longer trailer.

Easier to unhitch. After all, the max weight you could load would never be un-manageable to move by hand.

Pete

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