Backing up a trailer: Grounds for divorce?

Bet its tuff getting those cinder blocks to stay in line.

 

We have a bunch of trailers of varying sizes and I can back them all up, but the lawn tractor with the dump cart is ridiculously difficult, orders of magnitude harder than a big trailer. In fact you can't even push the thing backwards by hand without it weaving all over and trying to jackknife, so that probably isn't a good barometer. As others have said, have her go to a big empty parking lot with painted parking spaces and try backing the trailer into various spaces. IMO, you should hand her the simple tips someone else posted earlier (hand at bottom of steering wheel, etc.) and let her go by herself and try it. On her own she is likely to either figure out HOW to do it or figure out she doesn't WANT to do it, either way you come out ahead. Go with her and you will probably just make her tense and self conscious and end up in an argument.

 

Just let her take it. Its only a trailer. They'll make more.

 

Let her have a beer first.

 

And ... you get to toss out some righteous indignation over her making you buy a new one.

 

If you do go to teach her. call her, and put it on speakerphone. Set the phone on the console. That way she doesn't have to see you, or guess what you mean. If you say, "stop, you're about to hit something" she should understand.

 

Smartphone on speaker is a good idea.

Now, granted, I have to back into some weird places, but at least once I've taken a picture of stuff behind me and used that for reference while I was backing. It helps.

 

Ask her to check the reverse lights

 

My dad likes to talk about insurance stats.

Women get into more accidents than men ...but typically at much lower speeds, and thus lower cost.

I would like to think that a group of women would be cautious enough not to hit anything, but i wouldn’t be as optimistic that they have an easy time getting the trailer where they intended.

 

Yeah, they're pretty rock solid. LOL

 

If you drill a small hole in the deck of the trailer, right at the back edge, you can stick in one of those orange driveway markers for when it snows. They usually have reflective tape on them, so your reverse lights make them pretty visible.

I have a BITCH of a time backing my empty 4x8 into my driveway without a bike loaded on it. My wife has stood on the empty trailer so that I can see where it's pointing, but that's not a great option... I usually just un-hitch and strain my back moving it by hand.

 

https://www.iballhitchcam.com/

When we got the first Class C, I enrolled Anna in an RV specific driving course. I was pretty sure she could drive the thing but she lacked confidence.
After she drove it, with the 22' car hauler trailer, through downtown Atlanta noon traffic, I considered it $350.00 well spent.

 

^ not having to be the person teaching your wife is worth $350 for just about everything.

My wife dropped my bike when I showed her how to operate it. I have no idea how many times she dropped the MSF bike, but she came home smiling, and I didn't notice any new scuffs on the old 2-piece suit I made her wear.

 

I have

I have a single PWC trailer. When empty, I can't see it at all. I added some PVC posts to the rear corners, makes a huge difference.

 

I've tried teaching the wife how to drive stick, and ride a motorcycle. It's impossible. There's absolutely no way I'm attempting to teach her how to drive with a trailer. I know it's possible for people to LEARN how to do those things, but damned if I know how to teach them. It's always just been second nature to me.

 

Yep, exactly what I'd do. Give her the keys and say have fun.

And then if it comes home abused, you have hand.

 

Taught my wife to ski and MC...gave up on the trailer thing, too hard (on me).