How to Back Up a Utility Trailer Attached to a Vehicle
It may be easy to steer a trailer going forward, but that is because it was designed to go forward. Backing up the trailer is a different story. It will become immediately apparent once you start backing the trailer that steering a utility trailer in reverse is a task that requires patience and skill. The reason it is so hard is leverage: There is no steering on the trailer; instead, your vehicle pushing the trailer without only a little bit of control over where it goes. That little bit of control is up to you to amplify.
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Instructions
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Get out of the tow vehicle and inspect the area where you will be backing the trailer. Get a sense of the distance to the backup point, and of your angle of approach. Clear any obstructions in your path.
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Have a friend stand at the midpoint of the backup target with a pair of red flags to wave you into place. Check both mirrors and be sure you can see your friend in each one just by turning your head from side to side. If not, adjust the mirrors until you are able to see the helper clearly.
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Use your side mirror to sight your trailer and watch your friend's directions as you back up the trailer. Move only a few feet at a time in reverse at a speed that is slower than you can walk. Until you've mastered reversing with a trailer, slowness is your best friend.
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Turn the steering wheel in the direction opposite that which you wish the trailer to go. Keep the steering straight if you're backing the trailer straight back. Remember to go absolutely slow. Make slight adjustments of the steering wheel, and gradually straighten up the wheels when the trailer is about halfway to the direction you want to aim it. If the trailer begins to track too far to one side, pull the vehicle forward until the trailer and your vehicle are in a perfect straight line. Then put your vehicle in reverse again and continue to back up the trailer.
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Make small adjustments only as you back up the trailer, turning the wheel less than a quarter turn, and always turn the steering wheel back to center in order to keep the vehicle and trailer in as straight a line as possible. Practice is the only way to get good at steering a trailer in reverse.
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References
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- Photo Credit camping,trailer image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
