Teaching my wife to reverse with the camper

[MarkVS]

I travel a bit which finds me frequently away on weekends. My wife would love to go out more with the camper and daughter but she is really uncomfortable reversing the car with the camper.
I have tried to teach her but it doesn't work...........It can't be me   

Any tips from anyone that I/she might be able to use for her to learn and get comfortable doing it on her own would be greatfully received.

MarkVS

[Burnsy]

If she gets confused about which way to turn just tell her to remember to turn into trouble.  Find a big gravel carpark or quarry and grab a few witches hats and pratice in low range, slow and steady is the go.

[Hdn96]

Turn the wheel to the mirror that you can see the camper in that will straiten the camper up

[UIZ733]

One very brave man. Give him a medal!

[Stozz]

My Dad taught me to reverse a trailer. He wouldn't let me tow anything by myself until I could confidently reverse a trailer around the block.

The best bits of advice he gave that echo in my head (which might help your wife) when reversing are -

1. Turn and follow, turn and follow (ie turn the camper a bit, then follow the line with the car, then turn more)
2. You cant correct a mistake (or jack-knife) from an angle, you need to straighten up first
3. The slower the better
4. (and as mentioned above) Turn the steering wheel towards the mirror where you can see the camper

and for you:

1. Patience
2. Calm voice
3. Deep breaths

My suggestion is to go to a new land subdivision (if there is one near you - otherwise a big empty carpark) where there are kerbs, roads and footpaths, but no houses, people or cars.  Let your wife watch (from outside the car), how the trailer moves when you turn it.  Understanding the "arc" is important.

Dont ever ever ever yell, criticise, pressure, shout 'no' or 'stop'.  It adds to the stress! When a reversing attempt starts to go pear-shaped, just ask her to slowly drive forward and straighten up and start again.  If your camper is difficult to see behind the car, you could consider hiring an enclosed, small-ish, furniture trailer for a few hours.  These are easy to see and so she can watch in the mirrors or over her shoulder how it reacts while reversing.

Remember, turn and follow...

I can reverse park our camper better than my husband  - and he knows it  - so I am always the one that does the reversing of camper into campsite or boat down the boat ramp 

[BigJules]

As Burnsy suggests, use low range, find some space and some markers and let her practice.

[dazzler]

Take her to a carpark.  A large carpark when no one is around.

Let her just experiment.  Tell her to use her mirrors only and to stop if the trailer is getting too acute an angle.  Park it so she can see what it looks like when its about to jack knife.

Then walk away and dont say another word UNLESS she ask you for advice.  Then advise and walk away again.

[Bird]

Its a shame your so far away

I'd grab the BBQ, and some beers and come and watch

[Bunyip]

I can reverse park our camper better than my husband 

From my experience this is not an unusual situation (as much as it urks me to admit it  ) We had a neighbour when i was growing up and the wife refused to drive with the boat attached, but she was the only one who could reverse it.

LB has not tried reversing yet, maybe now we have Mildred and you can see her in the mirrors or out the back window I may be able to convince her to give it a go.

Bunyip

[Beachman]

Sorry but revering trailers is something you either get or you don't. If someone falls into the 'Don't category' then it's going to take lots and lots of practice and then they have to keep doing through the year so they don't forget that they are doing.

Not being able to reverse a trailer isn't even a female thing as I know quite a few guys who either panic at the thought or reversing or won't even attempt as they know they can't do it.

All I can suggest is she picks places like Charlie Moreland to camp where you can drive until you find a suitable site, then just leave the trailer attached.

[krisandkev]

OMG Mark.  You are in the 'CAN NOT WIN' zone.    Best thing to do to save your marriage is to get a friend to do the teaching. 

Best of Luck.   kevin

[Stozz]

Best thing to do ... is to get a friend to do the teaching. 

There is absolute merit in this.

Depending on how your wife responds to coaching, this is a seriously good idea.

Keeps the emotion out of the lesson/s

[Bunyip]

I can reverse a trailer (reasonably well I think) but certainly would not dream of trying to teach someone else my bad habits.

I am seriously thinking of doing one of those towing courses (and taking LB with me). Let the experts do the teaching.

Bunyip

[meimarocu]

There is absolute merit in this.

Depending on how your wife responds to coaching, this is a seriously good idea.

Keeps the emotion out of the lesson/s

Agreed.

Also as a starter.if she holds the bottom of the steering wheel and then pushes it to
the direction she needs to go it helps,until shes used to the thinking backwards to turn.

Cheers Ian.

[McGirr]

This should be moved to the joke section 

Mark

[morcon]

Already been said but the main thing is use the mirrors only. Also, let her have a practice in a big open space without you saying anything (unless it's STOP). May also be a good idea to have some sort of pre nup drafted before the tuition begins.

[bobnrob]

Everything everyone's already said, especially Burnsy's tip for low...including the beer & barby   

Car parks or weekends in Industrial estates are great.
Slow & steady always wins.
Practising keeping the trailer straight(ish), using minimum steering is alway the 1st to master. As soon as she sees the trailer in whichever mirror, small turn of the steering towards that mirror till just before it straightens again

Good luck, she needs to know how!

[Garry H]

turn the bottom of the steering wheel the direction you want the camper to go.

[fishfinder]

use the mirrors !!!!  aren't they what they use to help put make up on ?

[macca]

To stop jack knifing some instructors back the trailer around until just before it starts to jack knife then they put a bit of tape on the front of the trailer inline with the rear edge of the car, that way  she starts a turn she can go until she sees the tape in her mirror then holds and follows

But the best advice is to book her into a towing course ,less painful

[Bird]

But the best advice is to book her into a towing course ,less painful

I'd agree.. for a few sheckles it will save everyone the hassle, and trainers usually have 10000 tips up their sleeves to make life easier.

[flamingo]

I could try to teach my wife to reverse the camper... But then ide have to teach her to drive a manual... And we've already tried that!!  FAIL!!!!!

[ewwreckers]

I told hubby last night he needs to teach me to reverse the camper when it's done....could be interesting with our tempers haha.  Last time I reversed a trailer I nearly sunk a mates boat and the car and Vic had to get the truck to pull us out lol  Probably not the smartest thing for mate to suggest considering I had only driven a manual half a dozen times, and the river was running a banker and there was a mad drop off lol

[oldmate]

It really is just practice. Best advice is get someone else to teach her. And yeah you either have it or you don't. I have a really narrow driveway with a dogleg in it. I can reverse the camper down it with the patrol. Most people can't even reverse their car down my drive without 15 goes at it


Sent from an overpriced, overengineered, outdated gadget that can make phone calls, sometimes.

[Pipeliner]

Start off practicing with a trailer which has the longest distance from towball to axle that you can beg or borrow (I left steal out deliberately!).  The longer this distance, the slower the trailer turns and the easier it is to control.

I'm fine reversing the Odyssey, but if I pick up a 6x4 from the trailer hire it takes ages to reverse it accurately.