# Reversing A 28rsds



## livetofish (Sep 5, 2008)

My previous pop-up was relatively easy to back in to a parking spot. I find that the 28 ft. rv is a whole different animal.

Can you suggest some exercises that would help me out with the parking in reverse or backing into a spot? I am near a community college with wide open parking lot for practice.


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## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

Place your hand at the bottom of the wheel and 
turn it they way you want the camper to go...
That simple.

Big parking lot! that is great for practice.
Get a feel for how it reacts to your 
movement of the wheel.

Let me tell you that it is WAY easier than a pop-up!

Good Luck!
MaeJae


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## Sean Woodruff (Dec 20, 2007)

MaeJae's got it...

Hand on the bottom of the steering wheel.

Use your mirrors and DON'T turn around in your seat.

Turn your hand to the mirror you want the rear end of the trailer to go to.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Also practice going in a straight line first then start practicing turns.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

I did the same thing...pop-up to a 28RSS.

Just learn to listen to the person helping you and pratice...pratice..pratice.

I can get mine into some pretty tight spots now...


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Its funny.. Ive backed up in my semi so many years, I open my drivers door and back in that way. I check the passnger side mirror from time to time, then shut my door as the vehicle is getting straight with the trailer and finish with both mirrors.

One night I made a wrong turn and had to back up about 3 miles as the road I was on dead ended into lake Michigan, I was around Kenosha, Wi.

Just practce and use the parking spaces for a target. Try to back from the drivers side, as backing from the passenger side is harder and more prone to an accident. You do need to get proficiant at both ways though.

When you can back all the way accross the parking lot without a pull up your getting pretty good.

One other point, always try to set yourself up for the spot you'd like to back into. Your tow vehicle should be 90* to the space and the trailer should be 45*. Then you are able to just follow it right in pretty easy.. If you always set the trailer up for backing it, it becomes pretty easy from there..

Have fun!
Carey


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## zachsmom (Aug 17, 2008)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> One other point, always try to set yourself up for the spot you'd like to back into. Your tow vehicle should be 90* to the space and the trailer should be 45*. Then you are able to just follow it right in pretty easy.. If you always set the trailer up for backing it, it becomes pretty easy from there..


I'll second that - set yourself up right and you'll have fewer problems. I love campground maps and the satellite pics on google maps...I can see how I have to get into where I want to be, and can think about it before we get there. I'm usually the ground guide so need to have some plan when my feet hit the site.

I have no idea where I put my hands on the wheel when I"m backing up, so if I have to think about keeping my hands at the bottom of the steering wheel I can't think about where the back of the trailer is going.









I have to sit and think hard for a minute about where I want the back end to go and what I need to do to get it there. Don't feel bad if it takes a few minutes of thinking out the angles before taking your foot off the brake - we've all done it at some point!

I'd also suggest that if you start drifting from where you want to be, stop and pull forward and start over rather than trying to recover your angle - you'll end up digging a deeper hole for yourself. Be sure you pull forward enough to again set yourself up well to get into where you want to be. I found that I wasn't pulling far enough forward the first few times , which just made it harder until I learned to go further forward and get a better angle before backing again.

We live across from a cul-de-sac and pull in there before backing into the driveway, so both the truck and OB are at maybe a 45* angle to where we want to go. IM(lazy)O, the straighter you start out, the easier it is to back in because you'll have less turning, but what Carey said about 90/45* angles is absolutely true.

Get a good ground guide/helper. Practice first with just the tow vehicle and only using the wing mirrors so the guide can practice staying where you both can see each other and so you can figure out your hand signal system.

I think that when I backed the popup, the location' I had in my head was the area just behind the tongue. With the OB I had to really adjust the way I backed up and move that 'location' in my head about 10-15 feet farther back. Okay, that sounds really weird but it might help someone...

If you don't have the little 3" stick-on mirrors, go get them. They are a cheep investment and will help you see in the blind spots, and you can see the ground right up to the driver's door. Like these but get the ones that don't move, they last longer. http://www.etrailer.com/pc-HSM~49202.htm?u...;utm_medium=ppc

Good luck!


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

When I know I will be camping by myself, I always try to choose a spot that will be on the driver's side of the truck. It's much easier to back in solo when the spot is on the left because you can always see the TT. It's much harder the other way.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

My personal favorite is to get out and plan the path you want the trailer tires to take and where you want them to stop. Look for any obstacles, and then, with a spotter watching for obstacles, back it up by paing attention to the path of the tires. Going from a pop up to a 28RSDS acutally improved my backing because the long wheelbase responds much more slowly and you can often correct without having to pull forward.


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## 'Ohana (May 20, 2007)

All of the above suggestions are great and I will also add that for me I find it easier to enter the campsite if I position the end of the TT about 3-4 feet past the entrance and by the time the TT starts to pivot it's generally heading in the right direction. I also carry along one of those collapsible orange cones that I'll sometimes use on the drivers side for a reference point.

Ed


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## mikenkristipa (May 11, 2008)

All good advice. I did much better after I started getting out and checking out the site. Visualize where you want to be and tell your partner where you want the back bumper to end up. The hand on the bottom of the wheel worked for my boat years ago but I can't get used to it for the TT for some odd reason.

When I back into the driveway at the house I do better on the passenger side because of the straight barrier wall. As long as I am straight with that I am good. Plus I've done it so many times I know where I am supposed to be. At the CG, I used to lose sleep thinking about the sites and positions I might get myself in, but I just take my time and try to come in from the driver's side. But if they take me in on the passenger side my experience with the home driveway helps. Pick a spot and go with it. That is where surveying the site helps.

Happy trails,

Mike


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Another tip. Buy a set of "marriage savers". These are otherwise known as "Motorola 2-way radios". DH with one backing the truck, DW with the other giving directions. Nobody is hoarse from yelling and emotions are kept on a much more even keel. My DW and I have actually been complimented by other campers along the lines of: "I thought for sure you two were going to fight but you used those radios and you backed it right in!".

Another tip along the same lines: develop a common language for backing instructions. For example, we found that one persons' "A little more left and keep coming back" needed to be communicated to the other as "4in. to the drivers' side, 3' back to the tongue". We practiced before we went on our first trip. I won't say that we get it right every time (we don't), but I feel good about how "Team Collins" works together to get the job done!

-CC


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## zachsmom (Aug 17, 2008)

That's where both of us being Army helps... we both learned to ground guide using hand signals in the military and that's what we use to back the TT.

No matter what type of communications you use, be sure to practice it a few times BEFORE getting to the campground!


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## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

If and when you have to pull forward to straighten out, instead of turning your wheels straight turn them in the opposite direction of when you were backing, so hard left backing, hard right to pull foreward. Instead of the 20' or so to get straight it's only 10' or less. The rest comes with practice.


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## walkerman (Nov 21, 2007)

I like to pull ahead of the site, get out and plan my approach. It's much easier to start the turn early, more gradual than it is to make major corrections. DW always stays on the "blind side" in mirror view using hand signals. Also, it's nice to have lights on the rear of camper for better view at night. (upcoming mod on mine)


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