Reversing a trailer - how to practise?

[KREW2]

One needs a good jockey wheel.

In order to get our 4 wheeled braked trailer loaded with a boat into the workshop we have to uncouple and move manually, as it requires a 90 degree turn with not enough room to swing it with a truck.
As you said a good jockey wheel is essential, not only for steering, but one that is high enough to slightly lift the front wheels off the ground.
Trying to push it round without any backward motion, and all four wheels in contact with the ground can push the tires off the rim.

 

[michael_w]

A tip I was given, if available, use the low ratio box. Everything happens slower and you won't burn the clutch out either.

 

[wipe_out]

You'd use the normal rear tow bar surely ?

In my situation I have to move the boat between two houses with about 2" ( 5 cm ) clearance each side at the pinch point.. Boat and trailer (without gear, water etc.) is about 2700kg so no chance it can be moved manually and very hard to change direction on the jockey wheel.. Using the front tow bar (forward or reverse) I can nudge the trailer left or right very precisely because the turning wheels are near the hitch.. Forward is fine because the back of the car will follow the front.. Backwards is not so straight forward, I still need the immediate and fine control on the trailer but the rear of the car is now not "following" and can move off centre before the trailer is clear of the house, so I have to do whatever the trailer needs and not worry where the car is going until either the trailer is clear or the car has nowhere to go (fence).. Also looking at the trailer wen it's very tight is a plus.. I can see one side clearly and if I get it really close I know the other side will be clear..

No way this would be as simple puling out with the rear tow bar.. Compensating for the initial movement due to the over hang on the rear so the trailer moves the wrong way a little first as the car changes direction and then squeezing it through would be no fun..

 

[wipe_out]

A tip I was given, if available, use the low ratio box. Everything happens slower and you won't burn the clutch out either.

I don't know about things happening more slowly because you will move as fast as you are comfortable but low range definitely makes it effortless to get moving.. We use a fairly steep slipway and in low range I easily get moving from dead out the water is second gear puling over 2700kg up the ramp using my 3L VW Touareg..

 

[lw395]

My Dad had one of those caravan mover things that was basically a powered jockey wheel with a big handle. Brilliant at least on the flat...

A friend of a friend is a driving instructor, who now teaches towing. Apparently some pupils are very hard to teach reversing with a trailer. His teaching aids include some sort of Tonka toy....

The key seems to be visualising where you are pushing the hitch.

 

[davidpbo]

One needs a good jockey wheel.

Would make little difference with 2300kgs of boat and 4 wheel trailer.

 

[davidpbo]

A tip I was given, if available, use the low ratio box. Everything happens slower and you won't burn the clutch out either.

Not a universal panacea. With the Trooper I had and the Pathfinder I have low ratio was still too high a gear maneuvering onto my drive which has a similar gradient to a reasonable slipway. Also on both, all the diffs locked and put a lot a strain on the drive train turning tightly on a hard surface.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Would make little difference with 2300kgs of boat and 4 wheel trailer.

Depends what you are trying to do. Four tons of boat is easy enough to push around a marina; swinging a couple of tons around on a trailer ain't impossible.

 

[davidpbo]

Depends what you are trying to do. Four tons of boat is easy enough to push around a marina; swinging a couple of tons around on a trailer ain't impossible.

The relative ease of moving a heavy boat in water is the reason we have a canal network.

I will move the trailer empty (450 Kgs) on flat ground a bit but nothing more. I can only move the tow hitch of the laden trailer an inch or two side to side to get it on the hitch.

 

[KREW2]

Would make little difference with 2300kgs of boat and 4 wheel trailer.

Not so, we regularly man handle a four wheel trailer, with a dolly and about 1500kgs of boat on it, obviously on the flat
Trying to do a tight 90 degree turn with trailer attached to the truck is not feasible if all four wheels are on the ground.
Forcing it to turn puts a lot of sideward pressure on the front two wheels of the trailer and it is easy to force a tyre off the rim.
A good strong jockey wheel acts like jack, lifting the front wheels. In effect turning it temporarily into a three wheel trailer which is quite easy to manoeuvre with 3/4 people.

 

[wipe_out]

Not so, we regularly man handle a four wheel trailer, with a dolly and about 1500kgs of boat on it, obviously on the flat
Trying to do a tight 90 degree turn with trailer attached to the truck is not feasible if all four wheels are on the ground.
Forcing it to turn puts a lot of sideward pressure on the front two wheels of the trailer and it is easy to force a tyre off the rim.
A good strong jockey wheel acts like jack, lifting the front wheels. In effect turning it temporarily into a three wheel trailer which is quite easy to manoeuvre with 3/4 people.

I tried to turn our 2700kg boat/trailer through 90 degrees once, even with the jockey jacked right up it still wanted to rip the tyres off the rims.. We were pulling it with a winch because it wouldn't move by hand.. Gave up in the end and did it another way..

 

[KREW2]

I tried to turn our 2700kg boat/trailer through 90 degrees once, even with the jockey jacked right up it still wanted to rip the tyres off the rims.. We were pulling it with a winch because it wouldn't move by hand.. Gave up in the end and did it another way..

Yes it is hard, maybe not enough height, unless you clear the front two wheels off the ground it is almost impossible to turn.
Our dolly's are impossible to turn as well having four wheels on a fixed axle. Once unloaded from the trailer the only way we can move the boats in the workshop is to use a trolley jack to lift the front wheels up.

 

[davidpbo]

Struggling with this boat. Do you think the trailer can take the weight? Actually I was struggling, to dry the kayak, seems to take forever.