Reversing a trailer

By the end of this topic you can

• You can use the hand-at-the-bottom steering method to send the trailer where you want it.
• You can back a trailer in a straight line and correct drift early.
• You can back a trailer into a space on your left (driver's side).
• You can spot the start of a jackknife and recover by pulling forward.
• You can work with a spotter using agreed hand signals.

What you need to know and understand

• When backing, turning the steering wheel one way makes the trailer go the other way.
• With your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, the trailer goes the same way your hand moves.
• Short trailers react faster than long ones, so they need even smaller steering inputs.
• A jackknife happens when the angle between the vehicle and trailer gets too sharp; it can damage both.
• Pulling forward to straighten up is normal and is not a failure.
• Backing toward the driver's side is easier because you can see the trailer in your mirror and out of the window.

The steering trick that makes it click

Put one hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, at about the six o'clock position. Move your hand left and the back of the trailer moves left; move it right and the trailer moves right. This avoids having to think in reverse.

Make small movements, wait a second or two to see the result, then adjust. Most problems come from turning too much and then over-correcting.

Backing into a site on your left

1. Get out and look at the space first: posts, trees, hookups, slopes and overhead branches.
2. Agree hand signals with your spotter, and make sure you can always see them in a mirror. If you lose sight of the spotter, stop.
3. Pull forward past the space so the trailer's rear is just beyond the opening.
4. Back slowly and move your hand at the bottom of the wheel toward the space, so the trailer starts to swing in.
5. As the trailer begins to point into the space, steer the other way to follow it with the tow vehicle.
6. When vehicle and trailer are lined up, straighten the wheel and back in slowly.
7. If the angle gets too sharp or the trailer drifts, stop, pull forward to straighten, and try again.

Spotting and avoiding a jackknife

Watch the gap between the vehicle's corner and the trailer's front corner in your mirrors. When it starts closing quickly on one side, the angle is getting dangerous. Stop, then pull forward with the wheel turned toward the trailer to open the angle back up.

Backup cameras help, but they do not show the trailer's far corner or what is beside it. Use mirrors, look over your shoulder where you can, and get out and look whenever you are unsure.

• Do: go very slowly, use a spotter, stop when unsure
• Do: get out and look more than once on a tight site
• Do not: make big, fast steering movements
• Do not: let people stand directly behind the trailer

Common mistakes

• Turning the wheel too far. Use small hand movements and let the trailer respond.
• Backing too fast. Idle speed or just above is plenty.
• Trying to save a bad approach. Pulling forward to reset is quicker than fixing a jackknife.
• Relying on the backup camera alone. Check mirrors and get out and look.
• Using a spotter with no agreed signals. Agree on stop, left, right and distance signals before you start.

Test yourself: Reversing a trailer

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.