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Old 03-18-2016, 02:32 PM   #1
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Backing up from front of tug

Hi everybody: I currently own a scamp 5ver and a Toyota Tundra. I will be picking up an Escape 21 Oct 28 in Chillawack BC. I will be visiting a brother in Arcata Ca who has a long (1/2 mile) curvy and very steep driveway. Has anyone connected a tag along to the front of their vehicle and driven in looking at the trailer through the windshield? I already have a receiver on the front of the Toyota and am looking at an extension to connect the brakes. any thoughts or actual experience would be appreciated. By the way the Escape will also have a backup camera
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Old 03-18-2016, 02:58 PM   #2
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Stand about eight feet in front of a wall. A white one is best.
What do you see?
If you use your extension mirrors, you will see down the side of the trailer.
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Old 03-18-2016, 03:57 PM   #3
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I'm unclear what advantage you see in doing this. Please explain. Raz
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Old 03-18-2016, 04:50 PM   #4
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You will need the brakes connetted should you decide to drive backword on the highway.
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Old 03-18-2016, 04:53 PM   #5
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Floyd, I believe the OP is switching to an Escape 21, so I assume that means a bumper pull. Otherwise the part about pushing it up using a receiver on the front of the truck doesn't make sense.

Half a mile up a steep curving hill? Paved or gravel? How wide? Overhanging obstructions? With a brand-new 21' trailer? Have you done it before with the Scamp 5er? A half-mile driveway and there isn't enough space at the end to turn around?

Not I! Forward or backward.
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Old 03-18-2016, 05:00 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
Floyd, I believe the OP is switching to an Escape 21, so I assume that means a bumper pull. Otherwise the part about pushing it up using a receiver on the front of the truck doesn't make sense.

Half a mile up a steep curving hill? Paved or gravel? How wide? Overhanging obstructions? With a brand-new 21' trailer? Have you done it before with the Scamp 5er? A half-mile driveway and there isn't enough space at the end to turn around?

Not I! Forward or backward.
Thanks, Guess I wasn't "listening"!
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Old 03-18-2016, 05:40 PM   #7
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If you grew up on a farm you just might know the benefits of moving a trailer from the front of your vehicle. Very easy to do.

Many have installed a Ball on their front bucket of a tractor so they can move their 5th Wheel goose neck trailers around.
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Old 03-19-2016, 05:26 AM   #8
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Hi Guys: Perhaps I should clarify myself. The long curvy driveway is paved. The direction I will be backing is down the hill. The hill is extremely steep. I have seen technicians at the RV dealer near me maneuver trailers around with a ball on the front of a forklift. It seems to make sense to me that backing a trailer looking at it the way I described should be easier. I do intend on practicing and purchasing and extension for the trailer brakes
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Old 03-19-2016, 06:20 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by laird allen View Post
Hi Guys: Perhaps I should clarify myself. The long curvy driveway is paved. The direction I will be backing is down the hill. The hill is extremely steep. I have seen technicians at the RV dealer near me maneuver trailers around with a ball on the front of a forklift. It seems to make sense to me that backing a trailer looking at it the way I described should be easier. I do intend on practicing and purchasing and extension for the trailer brakes
So turning around must be the issue. I think I would prefer the standard orientation to have use of the mirrors.
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Old 03-19-2016, 06:48 AM   #10
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My driveway is 500' downhill with nowhere to properly turn around, the first time I drove the 23.5' trailer down it (while having one of those $600 1000lb tongue dollys on order for maneuvering trailers around) it came in so I tried to turn the trailer around and found out those things are useless and returned it. While I did finally get the trailer turned around, with the truck, it was NOT easy and I ended up trashing a bit of my lawn. I immediately remembered seeing a truck and wondering why it had a hitch receiver on the front and then there was the epiphany, ordered it on Amazon, installed it in about an hour, worth all 13,500 pennies it cost.

If you have ever had a tight spot, tricky area or have had to make more than a couple adjustments of the wheel while positioning, then it is worth having directional wheels directly in control of the trailer wheels.

Do get/build the extension cable for the brake control, about $35 on Amazon and go slow, mine drops about 500-600 lbs onto the front end of the truck and going downhill can be odd feeling at first.

Youtube search front hitch and you will find some examples of how it behaves

Oh, and if you have bikes or something that needs a hitch, you can carry it on the front during travels...
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Old 03-19-2016, 11:20 AM   #11
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I remember way back when the only 4WE vehicles were a few jeeps or mil surplus pickups. A hitch ball on the front bumper allowed a 2WD vehicle to put a boat trlr in the water and keep the rear drive wheels on dry land. Worked pretty well. Maybe it was local to the Ozarks?

John
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Old 03-19-2016, 12:32 PM   #12
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Hi John (Borders) - That practice isn't local to the Ozarks - Several locals on this side of the 'Border' are also appreciative of having the 'rear wheels on dry land' when launching their water cruiser down the wilderness ramp into the lake. But, the common vehicles up our way are generally 4X4 anyway. John's earlier post did remind me of the many miles I've carried a Honda 50cc trail-bike mounted on the front bumper of my pick-up with the slide-in camper in the box. But, that's back in the 'olden days' when bumpers (front and rear) were made of real steel !
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Old 03-19-2016, 01:55 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by laird allen View Post
Hi everybody: I currently own a scamp 5ver and a Toyota Tundra. I will be picking up an Escape 21 Oct 28 in Chillawack BC. I will be visiting a brother in Arcata Ca who has a long (1/2 mile) curvy and very steep driveway. Has anyone connected a tag along to the front of their vehicle and driven in looking at the trailer through the windshield? I already have a receiver on the front of the Toyota and am looking at an extension to connect the brakes. any thoughts or actual experience would be appreciated. By the way the Escape will also have a backup camera
Yes, it is easier to maneuver a trailer with a front hitch on the TV.
Be sure to have one or two spotters to guide you around the curves and tight spots. Walkie Talkies are a big help. As long as you go slow, you may not need the trailer brakes.
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Old 03-20-2016, 06:25 AM   #14
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hitch

Go for it Much easier to drive then backing up a 1/2 mile . The 21 weighs about 4000lb you might not need the trailer brakes if you go SLOW . Moving boats or trailers are almost always moved around driving them instead of backing them at marinas or RV dealers with little tugs
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Old 03-21-2016, 09:26 PM   #15
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Lots of folks here in the South have box hitches on the front of their pickups, primarily for putting their fishing boat in the lake or river at "primitive" (dirt) boat ramps. It keeps the rear wheels on dry(er) dirt (especially if it's red clay that gets super slick when wet). Everything they need to see is right there in front of them (granted, it's easier to look over the top of a bass boat than a camper). And it's much more maneuverable (very responsive to minor steering corrections). If I'm not mistaken, isn't that how those little "Tug" things at the airport push big commercial airplanes out away from the terminal far enough that the plane can then use its own power to thrust forward from there? If a front-mounted hitch is good enough for maneuvering a 250' long 747, then it ought to be good enough for a 21' Escape. (Also used as a front mount for a portable winch for pulling yourself or someone else out of trouble.)
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Old 03-22-2016, 07:24 AM   #16
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Or your could just get a new TV that does it all

https://youtu.be/lAA929-djIU
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Old 04-26-2016, 09:23 AM   #17
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My Dad had a hitch on the front of his 32' Pace Arrow motorhome to back his boat down ramps. Worked really well.

For the trip up the driveway, you could mount somebody's phone on the back of the trailer and connect with it via Facetime or Skype. Planning to try this next time we hitch up our trailer. My wife's backing up signals are less than fluent.
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