My new Scamps maiden voyage

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by CPW

But not if you have a 5er!

Does this count?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpwH9WeVEfU

Okay, okay… it's been reposted before, but it's still fun!

[Glenn Baglo]

Regarding the front hitch idea, how do you see around the trailer from the driver seat.
If you back up, using towing mirrors, you can see around the trailer so you know what you are about to hit.
Another issue, these days, is will that front hitch receiver defeat the crash technology built into the front of the vehicle?

[mary and bob]

My opinion is that if you have a trailer, you need to learn how to handle it, not look for ways around normal use. Last year at a rally I did a backing seminar using a golf cart and small trailer. Not the best thing to practice with being so small but it worked to explain the principle of backing. Only ones that tried were a few ladies, and they all later reported that they were now able to back their campers better. When we gave our daughter a pop-up camper I took her to a parking lot to practice and she learned quick. Now have to teach our son as he's taking our old pop-up in June.

[arthynne]

"My opinion is that if you have a trailer, you need to learn how to handle it, not look for ways around normal use"

"normal" according to whom?

[mary and bob]

In over 45 years of trailering and camping I have never ever seen a camper put into a site with a hitch on the front of a vehicle, so "normal" to me is to back in with the trailer hooked to the rear of the tow vehicle. For those that don't want to learn to back up, get a pull through site. I know a few people that just refuse to learn, so they either get out and let someone else park it, or do the pull through.

[ZachO]

I'd say if you can use your trailer safely, you're ok. Avoiding backing anytime possible is a good policy for anyone. The Michael Jordan of trailer backing still can't see what's right behind the trailer. It's a risky maneuver and if you can avoid it, do.

But that's no excuse to not know how. You definitely need to practice and get some basic level of competency backing. Because you know that sooner or later you're going to be in a situation that requires it, no matter how hard you try to avoid it.

But front hitch? Rear hitch? Don't matter to me. "Do it safe" is the only "right" way I'll judge by.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Does this count?

Okay, okay… it's been reposted before, but it's still fun!

It only counts if you own what is probably the only one in the world. And it is not really a 5er because it uses a custom hitch rather than a 5th wheel hitch!


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

I know a few people that just refuse to learn.

Wonder what they would do if they ended up at a dead end

[jaye580]

I can answer this... when I got my first trailer, a Casita in the earlier 90's I was bad bad bad at backing up and avoided it at all costs. It wasn't from lack of trying or lack of learning but lack of ability... On my first long trip across country with my mom and her Yorkie who never quit barking, we got a late start and I was grumpy... after a few hundred miles we decided to stay in a motel in Palestine Texas instead of going to a campground. I thought the driveway was circular, it was not. For the life of me I could not back the trailer out. There were cars parked on both sides of me, I could barely go forward and ended up with it jack knifed, in the pouring rain, in the middle of the night with a frantic mother and a barking dog.

After ,many attempts we ended up having to call a tow truck and the driver laughed at us and got in the car and backed the thing out easy peasy. Charged us $45 bucks and sent us on our way. My temper was flaring to the point where I just decided to drive on through the night and onto the next.

Moral of the story.... always have a wheel on your jack... if that Casita had had one I would have unhitched it, spun it around by hand and rehitched it to the car. I have insisted on one ever since. I am still not good at backing but I check to make sure I am never going into a dead end and I practice backing up all of the time. Some people get it, some don't.

[Paul O.]

Do or die. That's called on-the-job-training.