I cant back up my trailer! Well, without the help of my 18 wheeler driving husband. Sometimes I have no problem, but if I have to back around a curve like our driveway into the trailers spot, I'm a dummy and it takes me 100 times to even get in the right position.  I feel so stupid when that happens, I legit want to cry! My hubby can do it with his eyes closed and hes patient with me but he absolutely makes no sense lol!! I am going to start working on backing it up into our drive by myself when hes not home so I can friggen learn on my own and maybe surprise him one day. Is there any tricks,tips or ANYTHING that can help this poor unskilled gal out?? :-(  I've got a 3 horse LQ. I use to be able to back up our old junker gooseneck stock trailer easily and I can back up a bumper pull pretty confidently. But something about this trailer kills me and my backing confidence 

I can't pull a trailer. That's embarrassing enough.

My dad has taught me to pull and backup a trailer. That being said...I can back a trailer WAY better without his help...no pressure and he isn't trying to direct. When he directs I get so confused and so flustered. But this is a bumper pull not a gooseneck.

What I use as my guide is turn the steering wheel the opposite direction of the way you want the trailer to go. That's what I remember and what helps me the most. However, backing around a curve would be difficult, no advice there. 

...and any respectable truck driver will tell you to use your mirrors.The abilities of truck drivers to back huge rigs into tight places never ceases to amaze me.

Me

Don't fret....it's all relative to the distance b/t the pin (hitch) and the axles.  Look at the length and compare b/t the two goosenecks.  Remember to slow down, breath and yes use your mirrors.  I bet any truck driver would agree about the difference in pin to axle ratio making the difference.  Or my other advice.....go fast it'll fit haha!!

Put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and if you want the trailer to go to the right, move your hand to the right...use your mirrors! AND, my husband finally told me the real secret...when you have it going your way, follow it around!

That should help on the curve!

Good luck and yes, practice when he isn't home!

I have a CDL.  Backing is a whole other beast!  There is a video on YouTube I watched that made so much sense to me & really dumbed it down.  The guys would try to explain things to me but it was so easy to them they couldn’t make it simple enough for me!  Wish I could remember that video! Before my test I set up barrels in a large pasture with no one around & practiced my butt off.  The first few times I set up the course really big then gained confidence moved barrels closer.  Just takes time & practice!  Try to look up some videos you may find one that makes perfect sense to you.  Good luck!!

I was laughing about my inability to back using the mirrors. The truck driving school instructor made a comment that was very helpful.  Let’s say you are backing straight. To straighten up turn your wheels in the direction you are drifting. If you practice this backing straight then you can apply it to other situations when you learn how the trailer reacts. I can back great if I turn around and look at the trailer but sometimes you need mirrors

He encourages me to use the mirrors alot. He also always says, now get back under the trailer .. whatever that means lol! I'm just tired of being intimidated by this! For instance, we were headed to the trainers once hauling the trailer and we were going down a winding road, there had been a wreck and they had the road blocked, officer was having everyone turn around... well there was 1 tiny, narrow driveway to back into to turn around on a curve... my hubby happen to be driving, praise the Lord! I told him had i been alone and driving i would have straight up had a panic attack and begged the officer to either let me thru or he would need to get in my truck and back it for me! Lol! I dont want to feel like that anymore!! I'm going to try a few of these tricks and practice every day i can! 

I'm terrible at backing too. I will purposely get to a race earlier to avoid backing bc I get all flustered if I have to back into a tight spot and people are around. And I can never get it perfectly straightagain. .

I do much better with our 4h lq that is 30’ long then I do with our 20’ stock trailer. I have found that the shorter trailer is less forgiving if I steer in the wrong way.

also, I do much better when hubby is not watching, he does the same thing yours does, give directions that I don’t understand....

the biggest thing that made it easier is when someone told me the trick that has been mentioned already. Put your hand on the bottom of the wheel and if you need to go left, move your hand to the left, go right if you need to go right.

I’ve also found it much much easier to back it in from the left (I can see the left tires on the trailer).

but the main thing is to just practice a lot.

and when I get flustered I just stop everything and just sit there for a minute to settle down. 

Good luck!

I feel for you. In my past, I have pulled and backed goosenecks all over the Midwest and never had a problem. We sold our GN a couple of years ago and got a 16' bumper stock .... it took me 30 minutes to back it into a spot in our VERY large yard..... LOL 

I think must people make the mistake of watching the back end of the trailer instead of watching the axles when backing. If you watch the back end of the trailer you will over steer everytime.

Practice with the longest trailer you have on the longest bed truck - the longer the rig the more foregiving, which is probably part of why semi’s make it look easy.  I can back our big LQ on our long bed dually pretty handily anymore (it was intimidating as heck at first, but I haul alone a lot, deep breaths and trial by fire).  If you put our 16’ dump trailer on our short bed truck, I’ll almost jackknife the sucker the first try because it responds so much faster.

Send the rear of the truck the opposite direction you want the rear of the trailer to go.  Slow and steady, the trailer takes a few feet to respond so most people will over crank the wheel and that’s when you jackknife it.

How I was taught is keep the drivers side trailer fender pointed in the path you want to go.  Use your mirrors, and always shoulder check to ensure you are not going to jacknife it and break your back window out

Find you a great big empty parking lot and drive your rig so it is straight on the left side with the parking lot stripes visible in your mirror. 

Place hands on bottom of steering wheel and backup keeping it straight with the parking space lines by turning slightly to the left and right to get the feel where the controllable  "sweet spot" is in your trailer and tow vehicle.  You will lose controll of your turns if you get out of the "sweet spot".. 

You will figure out to turn a little sooner to maintain your desired direction instead of waiting too long on correcting your truck. 

Get braver and back trailer over to the next parking space lines .. then 2 lines .. then 3 lines and straighten your rig up with the new lines each time while backing.  When you move to backing 90* .. it is ok to turn wheels and move forward a little to get "back under" your trailers "sweet spot" ...  the angle of truck to trailer is actually very small to keep trailer under control.

If you have a spotter helping .. make them point a finger/hand the direction they want the trailer to go and hands apart to show how further to back  ....  If they start making circles like a steering wheel with hand/finger go back and cut their hand off ... 

The longer the trailer and the tires being  closer to the end of trailer.. the easier it is to back.

Be aware of TAIL SWING .. most RV's tires are more centered than horse trailers and tail extends out behind and will swing out of place driving forward or backing up when in tight places.   At Love's the other day an RV rear end swung over and struck the steel bldg support and wiped out 6 ft of one side by turning to soon.  Key on where your trailer tires are and then make your turn. 

You can use wheel marks in pasture grass as your backup guides too.  Make you a big or short turn and back up by following your tracks... HAVE FUN .. 

Girl, I feel you on the directions. I'm actually better at backing trailers than my hubby (which isn't saying much) but boy when he tries to help guide me do I get messed up.  He uses these crazy construction site hand signals that look like someone throwing gang signs while having a siezure.  I never have any idea what he means and I get so busy watching him and trying to figure out what he means that I don't watch were I'm going.

I have to be honest, I kinda snorted snot when I read this

Thank you all for the tips and tricks, I'm definitely going to try these out.  I know of the perfect place to haul to practice ... huge parking lot at the expo .. plenty of room and tons of spots to practice in. 

This is the one most important trick to use.....go by the hand at the bottom of the steering wheel.  That, plus take a couple cones out to a big parking lot or field, and practice for a couple hours.

I have my CDL and this is what helped me the most..... google CDL college backing videos.  They are free on You Tube. Its a driving school in Colorado that have some really great videos with graphics (im a visual learner) and instruction.  Obviously their points to see will be different due to the difference in length and placement of axles than us with a horse trailer but the mechanics of it are the same.  Then just get out there and practice.  When i studied for my CDL i took cones to my local fairgrounds and practiced!  I aced my backing skills tests on the first try..  Good luck. 

Dont be embarrassed, I know more then a few that always had troubled backing any type of trailer, just practice and practice and the more you haul this trailer the better you will get..

I suck at it. My husband always tell me (the trailer will go opposite the way you turn the wheel) something that helps him, but that only confuses me. I searched Youtube for some tips and found one that said to keep your hand stationary on the BOTTOM of the steering wheel and the back end of the trailer will move the way your hand moves. It was easier for me to understand. I still kind of suck, but this has helped. It takes me a few tries to get it exactly where I want it to go.

Girl you ain't alone!! I suck at it too!! I have like an entire acre to park my trailer in and for whatever reason I can't get it backed into it's spot straight. But I'm learning. My biggest downfall is I panic and then lose control of the wheel (maybe let out a scream and cover my eyes) and and next thing you know I'm jack knifed. I'm learning that the slower I go the easier it is for me to think and then execute.

Somebody I follow on FB posted the tip about your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel!! It was years ago when my very patient and amazing husband was letting me learn at the boat ramp. LOL I'm surprised he never got dizzy waiting for me to get it right, all those circles out there waiting on me. Bless his heart! A horse trailer is much easier in my opinion that an empty boat trailer.

Place your hand on the bottom of the steeering wheel, if you want the back of the trailer to go towards the drivers side, move your hand towards the drivers side - if you want the back of the trailer to go towards the passenger side, move your hand towards the passenger side. You got to keep your hand in the same spot on the wheel. I get in trouble when i naturally want to move my hand with the turn of the wheel, then i'm going the wrong way. Make small corrections and go slow. Practice, Practice, Practice! You'll be a pro in no time.  However, all trailers are not created equal and each one I hook on to seems to have a small learning curve.

Previously, I was always the one that got there early to guarantee I got a spot I could pull forward out of.

Good Luck!!  Once you take the more experienced backer out of the equation, things go much more smoothly!

Practice and more practice.  The best tip I have is when you get parked, jump out  and tell all the advise givers and arm wavers, "that is exactly where I meant to park!"  Also don't worry about how many times you have to pull up to get it right where you need to be.  We have to back into our driveway and it is very seldom that anyone gets backed in on the first try.

Thank yall so much! I actually feel a little less stupid now lol! Hubby made me drive all over town on our errands yesterday with the flatbed attached. I had to back up a few times but I swear that thing is so much easier probably because I can see thru it. I need to learn to just slow myself down and not get flustered, I totally agree though, with not having anyone outside the truck trying to direct me... it drives me nuts with all the "no, the other way" stuff haha!! I'm a better learner when I can just figure things out myself. I told my husband to just let me alone and I'll get it, hes always wanting to do everything for me and while I think its sweet and all, it doesnt help me learn things! I'm practicing this week. Hes gone Thursday night so I'm going to surprise him.and have the trailer moved back to its original spot.. we moved it for a party we had for parking. Right now, its sitting beside my house so I'll have to pull it out and make the curve to get it to the right spot! I can do it! (Even if it takes me an hour) lol! 

The more someone trys to direct me the worst I get trying to back into a spot, I do backing better if nobody is trying to help me, lol..

If there is one thing that will quite literally give me an anxiety attack, is having to back up in a 90 degree direction. Well, at least it used to, more anyway!

I should be more confident than I am, but seriously -- PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Just start doing it. It's also a matter of being familiar with your rig. I feel comfortable with my pickup and my 3-horse gooseneck (with large dressing room). And I feel like a newbie when I borrow my parent's long stock trailer from time to time. But, that's becauase I'm comfortable with my rig. I know how much room I need to turn around, to back up, etc etc. I've gotten pretty decent at backing up 90 degrees when the trailer end needs to go in the direction of the driver's side (simply because I can see where my trailer end is going) but I'm getting better at trying to trust my mirrors going the other way.

I've now been driving my current trailer now for 7 years, and our current pickup for almost 5 years. And I know finally feel pretty good about it. It just takes time.

And I take no shame in getting out and actually LOOKING. I would rather do that, than hit something!

And there is something to be said of someone else in the cab making you nervous, LOL. Or someone else on the grounds watching you. Just try to ignore the other person and pretend they are not there, and do your thing.

I learned how to back a trailer way back when I was little while hauling cattle.  We were taught to put the back corner of the trailer to the post ofthe gate ( or spot you want to park it) Easiest for me is to first get the truck and trailer in a posisition that I can see the spot in my mirror.  After that just back up at your pace, make small adjustments as you go.  I would much rather back up my 32 ft trailer vs my 16 ft.  The shorter the trailer the quicker it responds so you have to make really small steering wheel movements.

OMG I thought I was the only one! I've got such a bad rep at backing up when I pull into shows there's always someone there that volunteers backing my trailer. Usually its a 17 year old kid, but I'll take any help I can get.  I get so flustered, have major hot flashes, I pull forward, back, forward back, basically by the inch and still end up in the same spot. I do practice but I am so thankful for my friends that help me out!

Sometimes you might need to glance at both sides, but for the most part, I pick a track/path on one side of the trailer that I need to take and keep watching that path.  When I try to look from one side then the other, I lose my bearings and get off course.

I've drove a trailer since I was 13, but avoided backing up forever ha ha.

Some days I can back up and nail it one time, other days it seems to take forever, then I get ****ed and frustrated and it goes to hell LOL 

Go slow. until recently we've only had manual transmissions, put it in 4 low and it will help slow you down. 

I was always told go the wrong way to get the right way. I'm not sure why but it works, I angle off a little so I can see in my mirrors where I'm going. I'm awful at using my mirrors. the longer the trailer the easier it seems to be. 

You'll get it! Good luck! 

The shorter the trailer the faster it moves. Go SLOW.  Watch the trailer in your mirrors and don't think about your hands, just react accordingly.  I did learn something new reading this post about the hand on the bottom of the wheel.  I do just fine backing but I'm for sure going to try it to see what it feels like this weekend.  It may totally screw me up LOL. Also I agree, practice on your own. Husbands are the worst!  I'm too busy watching my trailer to watch someone try to direct me.