How to Back up a Trailer, Camper or Boat When There's no Man Around to do it For You
Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009
by Myla Madson
Myla Madson.com
Thank goodness for chocolate pudding! Okay, that line doesn't make a lot of sense when this article is about how to back up a trailer, camper or boat when there's no man around to do it for you. My mishap with the pudding did, however, lead me to the simple secret men have obviously kept to themselves concerning this most difficult of tasks.
Hopefully you have found this article to prevent your trailer from ending up somewhere you had not intended it to be and it's not now blocking a boat ramp while you try and figure out why it went left when you wanted it to turn right. If not, I'll get right to the point so all those angry fisherman you cut in front of, and who now refuse to help you out, will stop giving you those angry stares.
First things first. All those trucks you zoomed by, idling around the boat landing, were probably in line waiting their turn to launch or retrieve their boats. An unwritten rule among boaters is DO NOT CUT IN LINE, and you now stand no chance of any of them helping you out, no matter how cute you are.
Having said this, you must now try and pull your trailer back into a fairly straight line with your vehicle and make sure you can see it in your rear or side view mirror. Now, take your left hand and calmly place it on the bottom of the steering wheel in the six-o'clock position.
Look in your rear view mirror and start to slowly back up. If you want your boat or trailer or camper to go left, simply turn your hand (the one holding the steering wheel, of course) up to the left; want it to go right, turn your hand up towards the right.
Effectively backing up a trailer, camper or boat is just a series of small corrections. Go very slowly and make small adjustments until you get the trailer where you want it, simple as that.
So, where does the chocolate pudding come in? Well, I decided to take the kids on a camping trip awhile back and rented one of those pop-up campers for the weekend. This gal is not sleeping in a tent on the ground, that's for sure.
Anyway, the guy at the rental place hooked the camper up for me and we set out for our destination 100 miles or so away, in a beautiful wooded area with a lake and pool and all sorts of cool things for the kiddos.
Pulling a trailer was easy enough, but I had been told by the guy at the rental place that backing it up was going to be quite a challenge and was a skill generally not programmed into the average woman's DNA. I tend to ignore these types of warnings, especially from men who are not actually looking at my face while giving them. This sometimes gets me into trouble.
Thankfully, however, I had been multi-tasking on the way to the campground and had spilled some chocolate pudding all over the top of the steering wheel I had been using as a table of sorts while driving, talking on the cell phone, playing the "I-spy" game, and trying to figure out what the lady on the GPS had just informed me to do.
By the time we arrived to our destination, the top half of the steering wheel was a sticky mess and I was forced to hold on to the bottom half to navigate through the woods and over a river to the site we would call home for the next couple of days.
My Ex had also warned me that I was going to have trouble backing the camper into its spot, but I figured there would certainly be a man or two around to do it for me when we got there and it wouldn't be an issue. I had even worn a particularly flattering set of shorts and cute top to make certain I had a line of volunteers eagerly competing for this manly task.
Nope, just a couple of squirrels and my pack of children. Much to their disappointment, I was able to back the camper into its spot without much difficulty. Obviously having my hand on the bottom of the steering wheel instead of the top somehow made all this normally basackwards backing up make a lot more sense. Just turn the wheel in the direction you want the trailer to go and presto, there you are.
Okay, now that I am finished grunting.....and by the way, how did you know I was doing that? Ha! As usual, I am laughing, (after I was done grunting of course) and if found this piece to be an adventure all by itself!! Just for the record, I would have helped you out, even though you are quite capable to do this yourself now!! Geesh, is there anything sacred anymore? Women aren't supposed to know these things, that is what is keeping us men around. Hee..hee..hee.. why do you think we didn't tell anyone of our trade secrets....I'm still thinking about the choc. pudding tho? Oh, wait, you were eating it while you were driving, right? Lol, as usual, I found this both witty, entertaining, and full of laughs. I love your work, keep sharing!!!!! Your friend in pen, Gary, (the cowboy MAN)........GREAT JOB!!!!!Your much to kind with your comments and compliments, but don't stop of course. You never no what type of feed back you may get when you say something negative about a man, or men in general, even if you are just having a little fun and don't really mean it.Thanks for reading with an open mind and offering such kind words, it is truely appreciated!
Hi Myla.I too found this entertaining and I also found it enlightening. Such a simple solution to a tricky problem. Brilliant!DianneHi Dianne, thanks for the sweet comments and your welcome for the solution to a very tricky problem indeed! lol
Thank you very much it was very helpful.
another rule, have your boar ready to back in when you get on the ramp. THIS IS NOT THE TIME to locate fire extinguishers, coolers, etc.
Yup made perfect sense! And I'm one of the I suppose few men who have trouble remembering which way to turn the dang wheel. Thanks to chocolate pudding (I hate sticky), I think I may finally have it! Thanks err uh ma'am :)