Getting Off the Interstates - A Question?

[DeanCHS1980]

Originally Posted by USN Jerry

Hi Dean
I am amazed that you have had such good advise from the fellow casita-ites I'll give you some that have worked for our years of going where we ain't went before. we drive along as we want and as we come into a small town we look for two parking places and park.. get a cup of coffee at the local café and make friends.. ask questions.. follow the advise to find a place to park for the night. unhook go explore.
if you believe those sayings about thinking positive..
just believe your going to find room to turn around when you need to or several parking spots in a row so you can be across from the dinner.. you'll be pleased at how often you get what you want in life.
Good sailing..
Jerry

Jerry,

Love it! Great advice and attitude.

Thank you,

Dean

[DeanCHS1980]

Originally Posted by rgrugg

My trucker brother in law gave me some excellent advice: take it slow and don't be afraid to pull forward to straighten out and try again when backing.

Hi Bob,

Hey, I am good a pulling forward to straighten it out!!! Sometime better than trying to overcorrect a crooked trailer.

Take care,

Dean

[DeanCHS1980]

Originally Posted by Gerry

Dean, As Mike said in the 2nd post, don't be rushed by others.
Stay calm! Easier said then done sometimes.
Last summer I got off or Rt 1 in Maine to go and try to find a spot that was posted with a sign, Tidal Falls, on the east side of the highway.
After about going 2 miles east, toward the ocean, I came to a "T" with no sign...take a right thinking like most of these ocean drives go around in a big loop and your back on the highway....
I found my self in a very efluent neighborhood with million $$$ homes and the road just about 1 and half cars wide,,,Gated driveways...
GO Foward was the only option when I came to a dead end where a new house was being built.
There was all kinds of construction workers vehicles all over the road but thank God there was a place where Dump trucks had to turn around too.
I did the BACK UP-JACK KNIFE manover and with 2 more moves was on the road back to the high way.
Lesson learned..if the signs disapear...turn around then.

Hey Gerry,

Great story and advice!!!

Thx,

Dean

[DeanCHS1980]

Originally Posted by ZachO

Any amount of backing, turning and maneuvering is less stressful to me than driving down a 4 lane interstate (4 lanes one way) with semis and all sorts of people in a serious hurry, flying by me on both sides. Now that usually is only for a while when I'm passing by a city, but still...

I'm fairly inexperienced with backing and pulling a trailer in general. But I have confidence in my abilities to take my time, think critically, and assess a situation and get myself out of trouble safely. I have no control over or confidence in drivers on an interstate who seem perfectly willing to risk their life and others around them to shave 20 minutes off their trip. I have terrible stories from my first long trip with my trailer, and a whole new respect for the kind of crap semi drivers have deal with, as far as people trying to get past them at any cost.

Getting stuck like this offroad is much less stressful to me than driving down I-15 through the Salt Lake area. Brigham City to Spanish Fork literally feels like running a gauntlet. I'll take this sort of stuff over that...


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Zach,

Love that little motorhome. Definitely stuck. I once got my dad's 1969 Jeep J10 pickup truck stuck with three wheels off the ground. I was about 16. But, that is a story for another day!

Take care,

Dean

[DeanCHS1980]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Bottomed out and lost traction. I did that when I was a teenager, disking a field with our tractor. I never believed I could get a big John Deere 4230 stuck like that. My dad said, this is why I told you not to drive across there!

Mike,

LOL, similar experience with a Jeep J10 pickup. See my other post.

Take care,

Dean

[DeanCHS1980]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

While we have been as careful as we possibly can be not to head into a situation from which we may never escape...three times last year we got stuck.


At those points, we ended up relying on the kindness of strangers.


It's amazing how people will come forward to direct and help when they see us, the baffled idiots with a trailer and a dream of freedom.


But maybe we just have the right helpless look. Then again, many are drawn to the weird thing we're pulling and want a closer look anyway.




May you never become totally stuck, wedged like Pooh, in too tight a space!


BEST
Kai

Hi Kai,

I appreciate your experiences and your support!!!

Thx,

Dean

[rdickens]

Dean,

If push comes to shove, I always consider the option of dropping the trailer and using the wheel on the nose jack to spin the trailer around in place. Then pull the tow vehicle around to the other side, hook up the trailer, and leave.

I have also dropped the trailer and just pushed it back into a camp site in a heavily wooded camp site up near Mackinac Island. In order to get the trailer to move like I wanted, I was having trouble keeping the front fenders of the car from smacking into nearby trees. [emoji20]

A wheel on the nose jack can sometimes be your friend! [emoji6]

Ray

[Jm Rintel]

Every response I've read has merit backed with experience. I have used trailers all my life, different sizes, shapes, and configurations. From 48' fifth wheels to farm wagons (the most difficult). Here is a list of some of the things I've learned the hard way. Bear in mind the best campsites we have ever been in were off the beaten track. We now own a 19' Scamp fifth wheel. One of the easiest trailers to back (in my opinion).
I suffer from a common illness typical of most males.... (Ha I can do that! -itis-) which has got me into more trouble than I care to remember ��

First of all knowledge is paramount. Knowing your equipment and what it is capable of doing and not doing is first. Second is using the best tools available; a GPS, a map, local gas station, insight etc. Practice honing your skills. There are lots of areas to practice; parking lots, side streets, driveways, small ditches, places where it is easy to get out of trouble once you get in (and you will get in ��) Or you're not learning. These places keep the stress levels down a whole bunch better then at a dead end gravel road,on a grade, with no place to go except back. Learn to use your mirrors!! Watch not only the back of your trailer but the rear trailer wheels. They are your pivot point. If you are lucky enough to have an assistant, Comunícate! " I'm going to try and put the trailer tire at X, please watch my front fenders because my focus will be watching the back of the trailer"
My wife and I have realized it is easier on us both if she gets behind the steering wheel in tight backing maneuvers because she has a gentle touch and I know where and how both the truck and trailer will respond.
I hope this info will help a little. We love exploring and I'm sure we will end up in a bind at the end of a cow trail again. But who knows it could be the best camp site ever

[Kai in Seattle]

Originally Posted by DeanCHS1980

Hi Kai,

I appreciate your experiences and your support!!!

Thx,

Dean

Hi, Dean--was re-reading this thread and spotted where someone said you can always depend on strangers if you've blocked them! So I've re-considered our experiences. Yes, we were a colossal blockage every time we got strange help...so my kindly thoughts have taken a turn for the other. 8)

We, of course, would have just kept backing and turning, backing and turning until we got out, and the suggestions here about unhooking and turning the trailer manually are good ones. It might be worth buying one of those "manual" trailer mule things with two big wheels and a long handle that you can use to help leverage a hand-turn by hooking the trailer to it...a trailer dolly? Kinda big to haul with you all the time, but our amerigo is a bit heavy to roll very far by hand. Still, our new tongue jack with a big wheel on it is a HUGE improvement over our first one with no wheel!

A good topic and lots to think about.

Wishing you always good travels and no permanent trailer wedgies!

BEST
Kai

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

While we have been as careful as we possibly can be not to head into a situation from which we may never escape...three times last year we got stuck.

At those points, we ended up relying on the kindness of strangers.

It's amazing how people will come forward to direct and help when they see us, the baffled idiots with a trailer and a dream of freedom.

But maybe we just have the right helpless look. Then again, many are drawn to the weird thing we're pulling and want a closer look anyway.

I have often noticed there are a lot of folks with large trucks who seem to delight in assisting people who get stuck in our occasional Western Washington snow and ice. They seem to form a veritable "corps of recovery", equipped with tow ropes and just about every necessity but fresh coffee.

So, I'd say that by getting stuck, you might consider that you are actually doing them a favor. They go home and tell the spouse, "Oh yeah, I had to stop and help a bunch of green-horns today, mutter, mutter." But, the fact is, I think they like doing it!

[Kai in Seattle]

Civilguy, Mike--thanks! Makes our travails seem like part of the cycle of life, helping others have a purpose in helping us. Fewer blushes, more self-congrats.


BEST
Kai

[ZachO]

Yes you've got to justify that big truck with a winch and recovery hooks and your tow rope and hi-lift jack somehow!

A lot of people who are into off-roading and have seriously modified trucks also volunteer for search and rescue, and aside from being people who want to help and give back, they certainly want an excuse to use their toys.

I got stuck badly twice in my old motorhome. That first time with the photos I posted, I got out myself. The second time I was buried to the axle in deep sand. No solid ground to even jack from. But before I could even dig the jack out to try, a guy in a full-size truck came by and pulled me out. Course we had to use my tow rope since he didn't have one. But I don't think I would have been able to get myself out of that one. So...be prepared, have the tools you need to get out, and hope some help also comes along

Once you get out of population centers, and get far down dirt roads, most people revert back to how they used to be. Rather than cautious, standoff-ish and uncaring, they're very willing to help. I've pulled a lot of people out of ditches, dozens of miles down dirt roads, and had people pull me out of snow several times. I've noticed that with non-local plates, you might not get a wave from the local ranchers when they pass you driving, but if they see you stuck or broken down or in need of any help, they'll be right there helping, "foreigner" or not.

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi All,

Gosh, I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread. I am so impressed with the experiences, attitudes, and determination to make the best of either unknown or bad situations. Impressive!

Thanks,

Dean

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

Originally Posted by ZachO

. The second time I was buried to the axle in deep sand.

I learned on the FL beaches here that some tire deflation will help you move out of deep sand- but then we had to find an open gas station to re-inflate the tires!
This may be a trick best sat on unless/until you're about in an "incompatible with human life scenario".
Which we thought we were in- two stupid college freshmen out after curfew!!

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Mitzi Agnew-Giles

I learned on the FL beaches here that some tire deflation will help you move out of deep sand- but then we had to find an open gas station to re-inflate the tires!...

A 12V air compressor lives in the under-floor storage compartment of my tow vehicle. I've used it for many things, mostly bicycles, but it will top off a tire when the dashboard warning light comes on far from a station. It is one of the most useful things I carry with me!

[DeanCHS1980]

Jon,

Agreed. During our first year of camping, I added a portable Viair air compressor to our gear. Great product. I don't go camping without it!

Take care,

Dean

[librarianocnj]

Mitzi. True. I drive on the beach all the time. The two things that help are LOW tire pressure (10 pounds) and stepping on the brake pedal and easing off just a bit letting the engine turn the wheels with enough resistance from the brakes so they don't spin.

[BARNEYCONE]

If at all possible back the unit to your left,soos you can see it!! Look for things on the right that could be a problem,before you start. Learn to "read" them mirrors.

[ZachO]

Yeah, airing down the tires works great any time you need more traction. Snow, loose gravel, sand. Wouldn't have done me any good in my scenario. Sunk too deep, too heavy of a vehicle with too narrow tires. And without the 12V compressor, I would have been...well a long way from the nearest gas station. If anyone has been to Goblin Valley state park, maybe you know the Little Wild Horse Canyon hike. I was another few miles down the road from the trailhead. That's a long, long drive from town...

[slowpat]

Originally Posted by gordon2

About a month ago I saw one of those huge double tractor-trailer rigs come down a dead end road. The road just ends, with no widened area or any place to turn around other than small residential driveways. And its just past a very tight turn.. see photo.

It took the solo driver about an hour to get out of there so I didn't stick around to see how he did it. But he did.

Patience is a good thing. I camp at a place where I must back downhill and through a gate on one of those 2 track roads. I suck it up and realize I need to go slow and might have to pull ahead and start over. Slow is good. Note that your ability to back into tight places is affected by any people watching you. There should be a nice graph somewhere to show this. The more people watching--the more errors in backing.