Jetaholic
04-13-2007, 08:13 AM
Some people see a combination vehicle and they freak. Because the first thing they think is that you drive the truck and the trailer just follows you and does what it wants. Not so when you actually know how to tow. When towing, you're not driving the truck per se....you're driving the trailer.
The worst thing you can do when handling a trailer is overthink it. This is the problem with most people that try to pull a trailer.
The easiest analogy (uh..huh..huh...he said anal...huh..huh) I can think of is that it's just as easy as pulling a Radio Flyer wagon. Think of the front wheels and the handle of the wagon as the truck, while the rest of the wagon is the trailer. When driving forward, you just have to remember that the vehicle is a little longer. Left turns are easy...you almost don't have to do anything different to make a left turn. Once you have the front of the truck in the left hand lane that you're turning into, immedietly straighten out the truck, and the trailer will get pulled straight before it approaches the median. Remember, the rear end of the trailer will always follow the direction of the steering wheel when going forward.
Right turns...you drive straight until the wheels of the trailer are just past the curb....then make a sharp right turn...this will turn the truck only. Once you straighten back out in the lane, the trailer will get pulled through the turn...and since the wheels of the trailer are now past the curb, there's nothing to accidentally jump the trailer over.
Outside rear view (OSRV) mirrors are your best friend for towing.
Also when towing, remember that most trailers have a wheel track width (i.e. the width of the axle, or the width from the outside of one tire to the other) that is wider than most full size trucks, so you always have to check your OSRV mirrors to make sure that you're not hanging over the adjacent lane.
Backing one is easier than most people think.
To keep the rig straight while backing, just follow the trailer with the steering wheel. Keep the wheel straight for the most part. If the trailer starts to wander left, turn left. If the trailer starts to wander to the right, turn right. Make small corrections...the trailer can get away from you really quick if you overcorrect.
To straighten out the rig at anytime, turn the truck in the same direction as the trailer is turned. Now if the trailer is turned too much, you will have to pull forward to straighten back out and start over. This is known as a "jackknife".
To turn the trailer while backing, you have to get the tow vehicle on the side of the tongue you want to turn the trailer in the direction of. In other words, to turn it right, you have to get the tow vehicle on the right side of the tongue. When turning a trailer while backing, you are basically "pushing" the tongue of the trailer in the opposite direction of the turn. By this I mean that while the rear of the trailer is turning right, the front of it is turning left. This being said, you have to first turn the truck to the left get the truck onto the right side of the tongue, so that you can push the tongue to the left, which will push the rear of the trailer to the right.
To straighten the rig back out while backing the trailer through a turn, turn the truck sharply back in the direction that the rear of the trailer is turned. If the trailer is turned right, turn the truck to the right as well and this will straighten your rig back out. When the truck is turned SHARPLY in the direction of the trailer, this will minimize (not completely eliminate, but minimize) any trailer turning movement and allow you to straighten just the truck out. If the trailer is turned too sharply in respect to the truck (i.e. jackknifed), you'll have to pull forward a little to straighten back out. While backing, the sharper you turn the truck the less trailer turning movement you will have.
To summarize:
1) The trailer is always one step behind the truck
2) The sharper you turn, the less turning movement you get out of the trailer while turning
3) Drive the trailer, not the truck. In other words...pay more attention to where the trailer is going. About 60% trailer/40% truck
4) Don't overthink it
5) When backing the trailer straight, use small corrections to keep the rig straight
6) When backing, always turn with the trailer to straighten it, and against it to turn it
7) And again, don't overthink it!!!
I hope this tutorial sheds a little light on the subject of trailering. Hopefully it will help to disspell any misconceptions you may have and show you just how easy it really is.
The worst thing you can do when handling a trailer is overthink it. This is the problem with most people that try to pull a trailer.
The easiest analogy (uh..huh..huh...he said anal...huh..huh) I can think of is that it's just as easy as pulling a Radio Flyer wagon. Think of the front wheels and the handle of the wagon as the truck, while the rest of the wagon is the trailer. When driving forward, you just have to remember that the vehicle is a little longer. Left turns are easy...you almost don't have to do anything different to make a left turn. Once you have the front of the truck in the left hand lane that you're turning into, immedietly straighten out the truck, and the trailer will get pulled straight before it approaches the median. Remember, the rear end of the trailer will always follow the direction of the steering wheel when going forward.
Right turns...you drive straight until the wheels of the trailer are just past the curb....then make a sharp right turn...this will turn the truck only. Once you straighten back out in the lane, the trailer will get pulled through the turn...and since the wheels of the trailer are now past the curb, there's nothing to accidentally jump the trailer over.
Outside rear view (OSRV) mirrors are your best friend for towing.
Also when towing, remember that most trailers have a wheel track width (i.e. the width of the axle, or the width from the outside of one tire to the other) that is wider than most full size trucks, so you always have to check your OSRV mirrors to make sure that you're not hanging over the adjacent lane.
Backing one is easier than most people think.
To keep the rig straight while backing, just follow the trailer with the steering wheel. Keep the wheel straight for the most part. If the trailer starts to wander left, turn left. If the trailer starts to wander to the right, turn right. Make small corrections...the trailer can get away from you really quick if you overcorrect.
To straighten out the rig at anytime, turn the truck in the same direction as the trailer is turned. Now if the trailer is turned too much, you will have to pull forward to straighten back out and start over. This is known as a "jackknife".
To turn the trailer while backing, you have to get the tow vehicle on the side of the tongue you want to turn the trailer in the direction of. In other words, to turn it right, you have to get the tow vehicle on the right side of the tongue. When turning a trailer while backing, you are basically "pushing" the tongue of the trailer in the opposite direction of the turn. By this I mean that while the rear of the trailer is turning right, the front of it is turning left. This being said, you have to first turn the truck to the left get the truck onto the right side of the tongue, so that you can push the tongue to the left, which will push the rear of the trailer to the right.
To straighten the rig back out while backing the trailer through a turn, turn the truck sharply back in the direction that the rear of the trailer is turned. If the trailer is turned right, turn the truck to the right as well and this will straighten your rig back out. When the truck is turned SHARPLY in the direction of the trailer, this will minimize (not completely eliminate, but minimize) any trailer turning movement and allow you to straighten just the truck out. If the trailer is turned too sharply in respect to the truck (i.e. jackknifed), you'll have to pull forward a little to straighten back out. While backing, the sharper you turn the truck the less trailer turning movement you will have.
To summarize:
1) The trailer is always one step behind the truck
2) The sharper you turn, the less turning movement you get out of the trailer while turning
3) Drive the trailer, not the truck. In other words...pay more attention to where the trailer is going. About 60% trailer/40% truck
4) Don't overthink it
5) When backing the trailer straight, use small corrections to keep the rig straight
6) When backing, always turn with the trailer to straighten it, and against it to turn it
7) And again, don't overthink it!!!
I hope this tutorial sheds a little light on the subject of trailering. Hopefully it will help to disspell any misconceptions you may have and show you just how easy it really is.