A couple years ago we were parked next to a "permanent" spot in a campground. The current permanent was moving out and another permanent wanted the spot. First they were so excited about getting the new spot they pulled out of their old one before the new spot was vacant. Why did that matter? They blocked the road the one leaving needed to use to get out. I didn't get to watch that excitement but it took about half an hour before the old tenant could get out of the campground. This was only the beginning.
It was a tight spot, a 90 degree campsite off a narrow gravel road, with a cliff in back. They did a great job on starting into the campsite but somehow they didn't like it. I watched them pull back out and try again, not so good, repeat. Half an hour later they were finally in the spot, after changing drivers and having another friend help direct since the guy was too hyped up to do it. Jacks down and started setup when they realized they were crooked in the campsite and could not put out one of the slides. They put everything away, tried a few more times. Now they got smart and had a couple friends both direct and drive the truck. Finally they were in place, at least an hour and a half after starting a move of a couple hundred feet.
A while later they were outside drinking wine and commenting to their friends how much like newbies they looked. They knew they entertained many of us. It had been at least a year since the trailer had moved. They had started very confident, but then got stressed out and made all manner of mistakes. I was glad they kept enough wits about them to not hit our RV nor the neighbors on the other side.
Edit: Fixing my paragraphs and using a word that doesn't end up as astericks. (The last was wierd, but funny.) -- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 4th of July 2013 01:34:00 PM
-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 4th of July 2013 01:36:18 PM
-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 4th of July 2013 01:36:47 PM
grandpalarry said
06:21 PM Jul 4, 2013
Last night about midnight I was shutting down for the night when this 26 foot brandnew trailer pulled up in front of my rig.
Nosey me sat down and watched what was about to happen, out jumps mom and two sons and began to look for an empty space.
For about 45 min. they tried to back this rig between two class As, yelling instructions all the time,it appeared to be the Keystone Cops Unleashed.
I finaly wandered over and talked to the driver, this was his first TT, his first camping trip and his first time backing, they had bought the rig about two hours before.
His wife came around the back and yelled at me to leave him alone and let him do his job, so I disappeared back to my picnic table.
Another 30 mins went buy and the park manager showed up, night clothes and robe, he too was told to mind his own business, and the show went on until 2am.
I just went by to see what happened and the trailer is in the spot about 20 degrees off center, the sewer hose and water hose are just laying on the ground, no sign of life anywhere, the son is asleep in the SUV.
Such fun with newbees.
scrappy said
06:54 PM Jul 4, 2013
Yeah, its rampant here, but entertaining.
What I don't get is why someone who has never ever tried to park an RV of any kind, would not wait until daylight to attempt it!
We have a lot of newbies on one side of us it seems, and they are in........and out..........and back........and forth..........then they start over...........then there is yelling........and in......and out............
Good thing our dogs aren't barkers.....but ive been tempted to bark myself.
WestWardHo said
07:55 PM Jul 4, 2013
We were fortunate last evening to meet Grandpa Larry and Rita (thanks to this forum!) they are staying in the other RV Park in our little town and kindly asked us to join them for dinner and cards at their clubhouse.
I'm stunned at how rude folks can be with yelling, telling you to MYOB, keeping everyone up until 2 am but it is entertaining to those of us who don't have to get up in the morning!
I'd say come over to our friendly park but we're booked up solid! 😒
Scrappy you make me laugh!
Sherry
scrappy said
08:05 PM Jul 4, 2013
Oooh a meet up! Color me jealous! I belong to a horse forum and have met probably 75% of the members. Its so fun to meet people in person.
Yeah, since we are the only employed full timers here, we really love when we have the in and out, back and forths at 2 am on a weeknight....since he gets up at 4 and I (make an attempt) at getting up at 5.
We just realized somebody stole our rubber door mat that we had hanging over the tongue of the fifth wheel to get washed off in the rain. Really? You needed to steal our floormat?
If someone looked to be struggling and I went to offer help and was told to MYOB....rudely..........um...........
Soulsearcher said
09:38 PM Jul 4, 2013
You are describing to a tee, ME. Prior to buying my 35' Open Range TT, and had a little 13' Scamp. I dreaded.....DREADED having to back into any sites.....I got a pit in my stomach when I neared the "20 miles from home" mark.........I KNEW that it would take me until next June to back that little sucker into the spot. My neighbors would hear/see me coming down the street and out would come the lawn chairs, side tables, and beverages while they gathered to once again be entertained by my attempts to back it into my driveway.
It is a very sad thing that my poor neighbors had nothing better to do, isn't it? Jeesh!
Cut a gal some slack!
Carol
scrappy said
10:21 PM Jul 4, 2013
If it makes you feel any better, Carol, I cant back my Beetle into a parking spot.
Terry and Jo said
11:34 PM Jul 4, 2013
Well, having been a former 18-wheeler operator and working on farms and ranches, I've had my share of backing trailers. We started out with a 16-foot travel trailer, then a 21-foot travel trailer for RV's. After a number of years without one, we bought a 26-foot travel trailer. Then because I goofed up and Jo "really" wanted a fifth wheel to start with, we traded for a 26-foot fifth wheel.
I had forgotten how it was to back up semi-trailers and worried a bit as to how much trouble I would have with backing up a 38 1/2-foot fifth wheel into our yard and onto the RV pad. We were on a cul-de-sac and with the 26-footers, all I had to do was pull into the cul-de-sac and straighten out and back in. With 38 1/2-feet, I was afraid to do that, so I backed in off of the "main" street into our cul-de-sac with a 90-degree turn and then into our drive and back yard.
It was actually easier because one can adjust faster with a longer trailer because the rear of the trailer doesn't go off on a tangent so fast. Oh, and it didn't help on our cul-de-sac home because our driveway curved a bit instead of being straight. However, even with that, the 38-footer is easier on backing as long as one has the room.
In the photo below, you can see the layout of our home, related to the cul-de-sac and the street. The house with the "X" on the roof was ours and our 26 foot RV and pickup are on the RV pad inside the fence. However, will all things said above, this would still be an easier "parking job" than what many RV parks and campgrounds offer. We may get to find out in October. There is a chance we can pull our Mobile Suites to the Colorado Springs area for a two-week vacation then.
Terry
Future Fulltimers said
11:05 PM Jul 9, 2013
Well, if backing up into a tight spot is hard with an RV, see what this guy does with a huge ship!
Hope they had good insurance!!!! And can just about bet these people no longer work there!!!
This is a must see!!!
-- Edited by PIEERE on Wednesday 10th of July 2013 10:36:50 AM
The Bear II said
04:30 PM Jul 10, 2013
The park where we are staying recently had all of the roadways resurfaced with asphalt sealant.
It was easy to see which RVers had trouble parking their RVs. The couple behind us left at least 4 telltale trails of "S" patterns in the new sealant.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Wednesday 10th of July 2013 04:33:57 PM
cherylbrv said
11:12 PM Jul 10, 2013
scrappy wrote:
If it makes you feel any better, Carol, I cant back my Beetle into a parking spot.
Wish there was a "like" button! That's so me as well. Dreading the day when I'm in the position to back up my 5'er or MH!
lindy said
11:42 PM Jul 10, 2013
Guilty of the comedy act myself, but luckily it was at home when I brought home our MH for the first time. Bear in mind that I drove tractor trailer for 20+ years. So here I am trying for 10 minutes to basically back almost straight in with the MH and trying to steer it like I'm backing up a trailer, doesn't work. Mind set of large windshield west coast mirrors large cab etc my mind said steer one direction when I needed to steer the other. After 1/2 a dozen times backing in now my mind is retrained to do it right.
Frac999 said
02:31 AM Jul 15, 2013
I am one of those people that have no patience and would rather just do it myself than watch someone else spend hours trying to back a fith wheel.
MarkS said
03:05 AM Jul 15, 2013
Backing a short trailer can be a real pain. But, Terry, even I could do that one drunk. The real key is to get as straight as possible to begin with. In RV parks that is difficult. The second rule is to always avoid blind side back in. Sometimes that isn't possible. But you guys with pickups don't really have blind sides anyway.
So god help you if you are having difficulty backing in and are keeping me awake. I'm old and cranky. I only say this because i can put a trailer wherever you want it, If you tell me to mind my own business and keep me from sleeping, you better like disco cause tomorrow night this old f****** is partying till the wee hours and I'm paying all my neighbors to participate.
Terry and Jo said
02:18 PM Jul 15, 2013
I'm going to take this opportunity to "expound" on Mark's comment. With regard to those still considering the choices of RV's and tow vehicles, I want to mention that Mark has a Class 8 (semi-truck tractor) and I have an F450 pickup for tow vehicles. The nature of many Class 8 trucks is that they don't have useable windows in the "rear" on either the sides or the back. With a pickup, one has windows all the way around, so blind spots when backing or driving are limited.
However, blind spots are NOT eliminated. The very fact that one has a trailer behind their tow vehicle means that one is towing their blind spot. As soon as the angle between the truck and the towed trailer increase enough, the trailer will block a lot of the view. That is the primary reason for anyone backing in a trailer to have someone outside on the ground and providing some form of signaling that one's trailer is still safe to back.
Just as a personal view, in my past I have driven commercial vehicles, including 18-wheelers and bobtail trucks, as well as lots of farm trucks and trailers. My experience with the Class 8 trucks was what made me insist on either a pickup or a mini-freightliner MDT to tow our heavy Mobile Suites.
So, this is more to benefit those that may have just started the research and planning stage of choosing an RV. Hopefully, it helps you with a decision of some kind.
Oh, and to make a light joke about Mark's other comment, I really don't suggest anyone try backing in an RV while intoxicated.
A couple years ago we were parked next to a "permanent" spot in a campground. The current permanent was moving out and another permanent wanted the spot. First they were so excited about getting the new spot they pulled out of their old one before the new spot was vacant. Why did that matter? They blocked the road the one leaving needed to use to get out. I didn't get to watch that excitement but it took about half an hour before the old tenant could get out of the campground. This was only the beginning.
It was a tight spot, a 90 degree campsite off a narrow gravel road, with a cliff in back. They did a great job on starting into the campsite but somehow they didn't like it. I watched them pull back out and try again, not so good, repeat. Half an hour later they were finally in the spot, after changing drivers and having another friend help direct since the guy was too hyped up to do it. Jacks down and started setup when they realized they were crooked in the campsite and could not put out one of the slides. They put everything away, tried a few more times. Now they got smart and had a couple friends both direct and drive the truck. Finally they were in place, at least an hour and a half after starting a move of a couple hundred feet.
A while later they were outside drinking wine and commenting to their friends how much like newbies they looked. They knew they entertained many of us. It had been at least a year since the trailer had moved. They had started very confident, but then got stressed out and made all manner of mistakes. I was glad they kept enough wits about them to not hit our RV nor the neighbors on the other side.
Edit: Fixing my paragraphs and using a word that doesn't end up as astericks. (The last was wierd, but funny.)
-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 4th of July 2013 01:34:00 PM
-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 4th of July 2013 01:36:18 PM
-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 4th of July 2013 01:36:47 PM
Last night about midnight I was shutting down for the night when this 26 foot brandnew trailer pulled up in front of my rig.
Nosey me sat down and watched what was about to happen, out jumps mom and two sons and began to look for an empty space.
For about 45 min. they tried to back this rig between two class As, yelling instructions all the time,it appeared to be the Keystone Cops Unleashed.
I finaly wandered over and talked to the driver, this was his first TT, his first camping trip and his first time backing, they had bought the rig about two hours before.
His wife came around the back and yelled at me to leave him alone and let him do his job, so I disappeared back to my picnic table.
Another 30 mins went buy and the park manager showed up, night clothes and robe, he too was told to mind his own business, and the show went on until 2am.
I just went by to see what happened and the trailer is in the spot about 20 degrees off center, the sewer hose and water hose are just laying on the ground, no sign of life anywhere, the son is asleep in the SUV.
Such fun with newbees.
Yeah, its rampant here, but entertaining.
What I don't get is why someone who has never ever tried to park an RV of any kind, would not wait until daylight to attempt it!
We have a lot of newbies on one side of us it seems, and they are in........and out..........and back........and forth..........then they start over...........then there is yelling........and in......and out............
Good thing our dogs aren't barkers.....but ive been tempted to bark myself.
Oooh a meet up! Color me jealous! I belong to a horse forum and have met probably 75% of the members. Its so fun to meet people in person.
Yeah, since we are the only employed full timers here, we really love when we have the in and out, back and forths at 2 am on a weeknight....since he gets up at 4 and I (make an attempt) at getting up at 5.
We just realized somebody stole our rubber door mat that we had hanging over the tongue of the fifth wheel to get washed off in the rain. Really? You needed to steal our floormat?
If someone looked to be struggling and I went to offer help and was told to MYOB....rudely..........um...........
You are describing to a tee, ME. Prior to buying my 35' Open Range TT, and had a little 13' Scamp. I dreaded.....DREADED having to back into any sites.....I got a pit in my stomach when I neared the "20 miles from home" mark.........I KNEW that it would take me until next June to back that little sucker into the spot. My neighbors would hear/see me coming down the street and out would come the lawn chairs, side tables, and beverages while they gathered to once again be entertained by my attempts to back it into my driveway.
It is a very sad thing that my poor neighbors had nothing better to do, isn't it?
Jeesh!
Cut a gal some slack!
Carol
If it makes you feel any better, Carol, I cant back my Beetle into a parking spot.
Well, having been a former 18-wheeler operator and working on farms and ranches, I've had my share of backing trailers. We started out with a 16-foot travel trailer, then a 21-foot travel trailer for RV's. After a number of years without one, we bought a 26-foot travel trailer. Then because I goofed up and Jo "really" wanted a fifth wheel to start with, we traded for a 26-foot fifth wheel.
I had forgotten how it was to back up semi-trailers and worried a bit as to how much trouble I would have with backing up a 38 1/2-foot fifth wheel into our yard and onto the RV pad. We were on a cul-de-sac and with the 26-footers, all I had to do was pull into the cul-de-sac and straighten out and back in. With 38 1/2-feet, I was afraid to do that, so I backed in off of the "main" street into our cul-de-sac with a 90-degree turn and then into our drive and back yard.
It was actually easier because one can adjust faster with a longer trailer because the rear of the trailer doesn't go off on a tangent so fast. Oh, and it didn't help on our cul-de-sac home because our driveway curved a bit instead of being straight. However, even with that, the 38-footer is easier on backing as long as one has the room.
In the photo below, you can see the layout of our home, related to the cul-de-sac and the street. The house with the "X" on the roof was ours and our 26 foot RV and pickup are on the RV pad inside the fence. However, will all things said above, this would still be an easier "parking job" than what many RV parks and campgrounds offer. We may get to find out in October. There is a chance we can pull our Mobile Suites to the Colorado Springs area for a two-week vacation then.
Terry
Well, if backing up into a tight spot is hard with an RV, see what this guy does with a huge ship!
http://screen.yahoo.com/massive-ship-crashes-boats-130339687.html
Sometimes might has the right!
Steve
This is a must see!!!
-- Edited by PIEERE on Wednesday 10th of July 2013 10:36:50 AM
The park where we are staying recently had all of the roadways resurfaced with asphalt sealant.
It was easy to see which RVers had trouble parking their RVs. The couple behind us left at least 4 telltale trails of "S" patterns in the new sealant.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Wednesday 10th of July 2013 04:33:57 PM
Wish there was a "like" button! That's so me as well. Dreading the day when I'm in the position to back up my 5'er or MH!
So god help you if you are having difficulty backing in and are keeping me awake. I'm old and cranky. I only say this because i can put a trailer wherever you want it, If you tell me to mind my own business and keep me from sleeping, you better like disco cause tomorrow night this old f****** is partying till the wee hours and I'm paying all my neighbors to participate.
I'm going to take this opportunity to "expound" on Mark's comment. With regard to those still considering the choices of RV's and tow vehicles, I want to mention that Mark has a Class 8 (semi-truck tractor) and I have an F450 pickup for tow vehicles. The nature of many Class 8 trucks is that they don't have useable windows in the "rear" on either the sides or the back. With a pickup, one has windows all the way around, so blind spots when backing or driving are limited.
However, blind spots are NOT eliminated. The very fact that one has a trailer behind their tow vehicle means that one is towing their blind spot. As soon as the angle between the truck and the towed trailer increase enough, the trailer will block a lot of the view. That is the primary reason for anyone backing in a trailer to have someone outside on the ground and providing some form of signaling that one's trailer is still safe to back.
Just as a personal view, in my past I have driven commercial vehicles, including 18-wheelers and bobtail trucks, as well as lots of farm trucks and trailers. My experience with the Class 8 trucks was what made me insist on either a pickup or a mini-freightliner MDT to tow our heavy Mobile Suites.
So, this is more to benefit those that may have just started the research and planning stage of choosing an RV. Hopefully, it helps you with a decision of some kind.
Oh, and to make a light joke about Mark's other comment, I really don't suggest anyone try backing in an RV while intoxicated.
Terry