Whether it's a big trailer or a small on on a quad it's a pain in the ass ! No matter which way you try to turn it's always wrong 
Is it just me that hates trying to reverse trailers ?
- Thread starter Jamouk
- Start date
Rake Aboot
Well-Known Member
Small trailers are a nightmare.
My mahoosive twin axle caravan is easier to reverse than a small quad trailer.
My mahoosive twin axle caravan is easier to reverse than a small quad trailer.
small trailers are harder but practice makes perfect. Go learn on a farm 
. I live down a single track road which gets lots of leisure drivers that cant reverse a car let alone a trailer. On many occasion I have reversed trailers to let a car past because they were hopeless drivers
. I live down a single track road which gets lots of leisure drivers that cant reverse a car let alone a trailer. On many occasion I have reversed trailers to let a car past because they were hopeless driversI was shocking - like proper shocking
I once took a trailer to my house up a little cul de sac on a boiling hoy day
By the time i had been trying for half hour to turn it round all the elderly neighbours were looking out of their windows wondering what was going on !
In the end i somehow goy super human strength and sweat to lift it off - spin it round and re hook up
I once took a trailer to my house up a little cul de sac on a boiling hoy day
By the time i had been trying for half hour to turn it round all the elderly neighbours were looking out of their windows wondering what was going on !
In the end i somehow goy super human strength and sweat to lift it off - spin it round and re hook up
No issues from me, but then reversing up my drive is a complete barsteward, so had plenty of practice to get decent at it, and it has got somewhat easier as I have a reversing camera now so I can see which way the damn trailer is going.
HonestJohn
Well-Known Member
Be a reversing criminal! do the opposite of what seems right 
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
I used to hate it, but now I can reverse a trailer just about anywhere, it’s just practice and more practice.
Jimboblincs2
Well-Known Member
Personally I think the tow balls proximity to the axle makes direction changes difficult, even harder without power steering.
Reversing a trailer really isn't difficult.
Don't take any notice of anyone who says "just turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction to the way you want to go". That is dull advice, and the reason why people get in a muddle.
Watch any little child playing with toy vehicles and they can do it instinctively. Adults overthink it and it all goes wrong.
Just remember this:
Push the trailer in the direction you want it to go, and then follow it with the vehicle.
It's not much harder than going forwards, to be honest.
Don't take any notice of anyone who says "just turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction to the way you want to go". That is dull advice, and the reason why people get in a muddle.
Watch any little child playing with toy vehicles and they can do it instinctively. Adults overthink it and it all goes wrong.
Just remember this:
Push the trailer in the direction you want it to go, and then follow it with the vehicle.
It's not much harder than going forwards, to be honest.
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Put a tow ball set up on the front and steer it in, sited lots of very long holiday homes with the Land Rover using a front draw bar set up.Whether it's a big trailer or a small on on a quad it's a pain in the ass ! No matter which way you try to turn it's always wrong
Easy as you are looking fwd not in the mirrors watching someone who "Previously" worked on a racecourse as a bookie lol
I had to re learn to deal with this combo pretty quick one early morning, when the regular driver pulled up the quilt, one of these,
hitched to one of these, then it was a weighbridge split weigh, and a split pump unload at Llandyrnog
hitched to one of these, then it was a weighbridge split weigh, and a split pump unload at Llandyrnog
+1 for a front lowball..... used this method loads in the army.
Reversing should be more rigorously tested in the driving test. The number that cannot reverse a car is ridiculous and you should not be allowed to tow unless you can reverse it!
was driving an 18 ton rigid couple of years back down a country road where the mirrors were touching vegetation both sides... had a digger and two cars behind me and an older lady driver was oncoming and refused to reverse the 50 yards back and expected all of us to reverse 400 yards so she could get past...... after 15 mins drinking my coffee, she changed her mind and took nearly 5 minutes to navigate the 50 yards to the passing place!!!!
Reversing should be more rigorously tested in the driving test. The number that cannot reverse a car is ridiculous and you should not be allowed to tow unless you can reverse it!
was driving an 18 ton rigid couple of years back down a country road where the mirrors were touching vegetation both sides... had a digger and two cars behind me and an older lady driver was oncoming and refused to reverse the 50 yards back and expected all of us to reverse 400 yards so she could get past...... after 15 mins drinking my coffee, she changed her mind and took nearly 5 minutes to navigate the 50 yards to the passing place!!!!
Yes, my welding trailer I built had a long "A hitch" so I had room to get over and open the Shogun back door, LWB wagon and single axle trailer sorted out your reversing skill level lol.
I did some welding for the "export" lads and one asked me "why do you reverse in?"
If it catches light I can drive off
I reckon I meet you, or your colleague, every shoot morning during the season! Similar area to Llandyrnog, however it is always me (naturally) that gives away and reverses back down the lanes near Henllan. My good friend is (now) a retired HGV driver, I remember one week when he’d dropped steel off at a farm in an artic down a 3 mile access track. Nowhere to turn at all so spent hours reversing it out. Finally he got to the end and was able to turn and go forwards. 15 mins later he met an oncoming older lady driver in a Micra and so stopped and waited for her to reverse. She stopped and waited too. He got out and explained she’ll need to reverse, and the day he’d had. She explained that she didn’t know how to reverse. So he had to hop into her driver’s seat and reverse the Micra back into a gateway so he could pass. He is such a nice guy, never lost his cool.I had to re learn to deal with this combo pretty quick one early morning, when the regular driver pulled up the quilt, one of these,View attachment 472228
View attachment 472228 hitched to one of these, then it was a weighbridge split weigh, and a split pump unload at Llandyrnog
Tell me about it! The number of people, local and visitors, who seem totally unable to cope with the lane into the village is amazing. Both men and women bounce from side to side, come forward and repeat the manoeuvre several times, which is both amazing and extremely annoying!
My first job out of college involved moving display trailer units around different parts of the country using a 110 Hicap LR &/or a Talbot box van, I became quite proficient after a while. Put me in good stead for the rest of my life as Mrs DB has hay burners so quite often have a trailer in tow with one of them in - usually going to the vetYes, my welding trailer I built had a long "A hitch" so I had room to get over and open the Shogun back door, LWB wagon and single axle trailer sorted out your reversing skill level lol.
I did some welding for the "export" lads and one asked me "why do you reverse in?"
If it catches light I can drive off
I have never understood why people make small trailers with such short draw bars on them, it just makes the whole process so much harder. When I lived in NZ pretty much everyone who lived in an environment similar to that which most of us do had one like this. Additional material costs in manufacture to make a longer draw bar would be minimal & the benefits to users so much greater.
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