So the new house has a driveway that is uphill, that incline makes driving a straight path up and into my side of the garage challenging. I bought a couple of those poles with the reflector end to give myself a nice target, looked this one up on YT, no tips for addressing the incline. I have been going by myself so I have no helpers on this. Ideas?
Pics would be helpful. I assume you have to turn and can’t see both sides. I always pick a landmark on the inside turn of the trailer to line up off of.
I have to turn my trailer almost 90 degrees to park it into our driveway off of the alley. I have a line I pick to get it started and then as I crank the trailer I know where the rear corner on the boat needs to be at as I look in the mirror.
Maybe mark the driveway in chalk the first few times you try. Might help you get the line.
If your tow vehicle is a 4×4 put it in low. More control with speed while putting more attention on steering.
Backing uphill sucks but practice and banging the side of the garage a time or two will make you a expert.
The reflectors will be good but only if you can see them. You may want something tall that you can see over the back of the boat.
But honestly it comes down to practice.
The incline is what it is. Once you get your line you can stay on the power more consistently. That will be what helps.
Chalk lines were a good suggestion
Purchase a front receiver hitch from Etrailer if your using a truck as a tow vehicle. They come in pretty handy when you cant see backing up….
I use tape on the floor since I have a REALLY tight fit, uphill, and needs to be perfectly angled. I use a trailer valet, wouldn’t do this without.
Practice.
I snake up a hill into a tight garage on a busy street with neighbors who like to park so it makes it all the more interesting.
When uncomfortable…Stop & get out, look, and adjust.
Eventually you’ll find the way.
Got a lawn tractor?
Lots of great tips for me to look into-keep them comming.
Purchase a front receiver hitch from Etrailer if your using a truck as a tow vehicle. They come in pretty handy when you cant see backing up….
The #1 answer IMO. I can put my boat almost anywhere with the front hitch. Trailer turning is immediate and visibility is unmatched.
I would agree with other posts so far. I have 2 different boats that I back up the driveway into two different garage stalls and I just use two different landmarks, one for each boat, to get them in the garage. After a while I don’t even use the marks and it just becomes a routine thing. I also just put a front receiver hitch on my truck as I will soon have a storage shed in my backyard that I need to get the boat between two houses to get the boat in and out of. Mine was about $100 for my Chevy truck and had to buy another bracket for about $25 to mount the front license plat to. Took me about 2 hours to see install.
If your tow vehicle is a 4×4 put it in low. More control with speed while putting more attention on steering.
This is what you want to do if your tow vehicle has 4 wheel drive.
Could always instal a winch of some kind at the “parking” spot of the trailer and just crank it up the incline. Just like one does when loading up a boat onto a trailer after a day on the water. Just pull the entire trailer where you want it. You could even use a capable brushless drill to do all of the hard work for you.
I suppose that would all depend on the size of the payload though.
I’m trying to work this out in my head, but wouldn’t a trailer react faster when backing up vs hitched to the front of a vehicle?
If that is the case, then hitch in the front of vehicle creates a less maneuverable trailer?
Honest question because it would seem counterproductive in my head but i do melt a lot of lead.
Also make sure your trailer brakes are fully locked if you have them. I used to hate backing up my driveway until I realized I was unintentionally engaging the brakes again when adjusting.
I’m trying to work this out in my head, but wouldn’t a trailer react faster when backing up vs hitched to the front of a vehicle?
If that is the case, then hitch in the front of vehicle creates a less maneuverable trailer?
Honest question because it would seem counterproductive in my head but i do melt a lot of lead.
Andy, I haven’t used my front receiver hitch yet but kind of agree with you, I think the swing would be slower but small adjustment would be faster and you get to see it right in front of you, and that can be a big help without another set of eyes to help out. I only plan to use mine once or twice a year getting into a tight spot in a new backyard garage. I don’t think I would care to have to switch the receiver around every outing as I would just take an extra minute or two backing up and still be ahead on time of switching. The added benefit of having it and needing it in another tight situation down the road and the cost was reasonably low.
I’m trying to work this out in my head, but wouldn’t a trailer react faster when backing up vs hitched to the front of a vehicle?
If that is the case, then hitch in the front of vehicle creates a less maneuverable trailer?
Honest question because it would seem counterproductive in my head but i do melt a lot of lead.
YIKES!
It’s much faster to switch directions with a front hitch than with a rear. Plus you can see better.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:</div>
I’m trying to work this out in my head, but wouldn’t a trailer react faster when backing up vs hitched to the front of a vehicle?If that is the case, then hitch in the front of vehicle creates a less maneuverable trailer?
Honest question because it would seem counterproductive in my head but i do melt a lot of lead.Andy, I haven’t used my front receiver hitch yet but kind of agree with you, I think the swing would be slower but small adjustment would be faster and you get to see it right in front of you, and that can be a big help without another set of eyes to help out. I only plan to use mine once or twice a year getting into a tight spot in a new backyard garage. I don’t think I would care to have to switch the receiver around every outing as I would just take an extra minute or two backing up and still be ahead on time of switching. The added benefit of having it and needing it in another tight situation down the road and the cost was reasonably low.
The steering adjustment on the front is faster….you are closer to the steering so the rate at which you change directions is faster.
There’s some geometry term for this but I can’t remember high school.
It’s all about using your side mirrors when backing up uphill I’ve found. I use my passenger mirror to get the trailer going up the trailer and then switch to my driver side mirror to get the rest of the way into the stall.
Any tricks for knowing when you have backed up far enough?
Put a wheel chock or block of wood down where the tire stops.
Practice. The only way you get good at something is by doing it.
My boat goes in a garage up hill. The tire goes exactly an inch from the wall to give me maximum garage space.
Other suggestions that I’d try beyond practice is chalking a line that serves as some type of landmark while you practice. I’d discourage the 4wd low idea. When my F150 is in 4wd low the tires and you turn while barely moving, it will peel up blacktop, gravel, etc. It’d instantly mark up my concrete as well with rubber marks. Most vehicles will not turn as sharp in 4wd either.
Put a wheel chock or block of wood down where the tire stops.
That’s what I do. Works perfect.
No worries about backing in too far or hopping in and out three times to see if it’s in the right spot.
Aim for the chock and stop when you rock into it.
One thing that will greatly help a lot of guys is to have the trailer make your inside turn on the driver’s side (when feasible). You’ll have better visibility since it’s physically closer, as well as a regular mirror (not a closer-than-it-appears-mirror) like on the passenger side of a lot of a trucks.
It’s easier to describe with a picture than words, but you want the inside of your “jack-knife” (acute angle) to be driver to driver, not passenger to passenger.
Come in the long way or go around the block if you need to. It will make backing into any sharp angle that much easier.
No matter what, don’t forget G.O.A.L
If you have the slightest worry about hitting something: Get. Out. And. Look.
Don’t forget about the front swing of the truck. You are just as likely to swing a front fender into a tree or parked car as you are backing the boat into something.
Also learn to use your side mirrors 95% of the time. Leaning back over and facing backwards over the middle of the truck is a recipe for disaster. It’s fine for a quick “check” for a post or tree directly behind you, but don’t solely rely on it.
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I’m trying to work this out in my head, but wouldn’t a trailer react faster when backing up vs hitched to the front of a vehicle?
If that is the case, then hitch in the front of vehicle creates a less maneuverable trailer?
Honest question because it would seem counterproductive in my head but i do melt a lot of lead.
Think of it like basically shortening your trailer up, my little 5×8 utility trailer is a squirrelly little over reacting prick compared to my boat trailer, somewhat because you can barely see the d&mn thing back there but moreso due to the shorter distance back to the axle. In the reverse a semi trailer turns much slower, but easier to control since it’s a much greater distance. My dad has a hitch the front of one of his tractors that we use when packing his boat (and a bunch of other equipment) into the shed for winter, very handy. The years the Kab is deep enough to use the resorts launch when we go they have one on a Jeep for launching boat too.
I have a 2 car garage. The item that really helps me on the driver side is my wife’s vehicle sitting in there. I know how far away the trailer on that side should be from that vehicle when I back in. When her vehicle is gone, I am often not far enough over so I have to slightly reposition the trailer after backing in. In a perfect world, we would all have nice big 8 foot garage doors and a drive through tandem garage with mostly flat driveways that would allow us to just drive in and stop!
Thanks for the info.
The hundreds of different things I’ve backed up have always been hitched in the back. Never realized a need to do otherwise.
I back into my garage the way bman describes as the most difficult too… so I’ll just mirror what others have said… practice and it’s a breeze…. now I’ll smash my garage tonight for saying that 
X2 on front hitch. All boat dealers and boat storage guys have a least one truck with a front hitch..
I can see a front hitch being nice for small trailers and people that aren’t good at backing.
But moving a big hulled boat, camper or an enclosed trailer would a bad idea, it would block a lot of your visibility.
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