Backing Up!!!

Irving was supposed to be the hardest one so good luck. I took mine in Cleburne, it was pretty easy. But you will probaly do just fine.

 

Backing is backing right? How different is it with a Semi? Other than sitting higher. Looks like it is easier. I just have to get out and look more I guess.

I've been towing with my 20' open, 34' box and 48' wedge trailer for years. I worked for a local race team for 2 years and towed their pre loaded 52' box to a lot of races including the 12 hours of Sebring and the Rolex 24hr race. so driving and backing a trailer is easy for me.

This thing was hard to turn in traffic, cause of the 10' of swing.

 

Yes indeed, that tail swing looks like a killer. Having never driven anything like that, I would be more comfortable in the semi.
Once, some years ago, I attempted to back my friends boat trailer down the ramp with a pick-up truck and totally embarrassed myself.
The shorter the rig, the more sensitive your movements are. He thought it was hilarious that I was having such a hard time with a pick-up after driving a semi for years.
When I was in the Army, I learned the trickiest thing there is, was the little short wheelbase Willys jeep and that little single axle trailer.

 

Premise is the same, but due to the articulation point and the length of the trailer it will react much slower. Often you will have very little forward room when backing a truck, so you will be doing some more extreme jacking then you do with a trailer like those in the photos, plus you will be dealing with more over-hang (movement of the nose of the trailer) and vertical height will also be an issue at times as well.

 

I am with you on the embarrased part. Someone asked me to pull a boat with my Dually. It too was a single axle.

Getting it down the ramp was another story. I could not see the boat or the trailer in the mirrors...

 

I can see your point. Thank you. I've been watching a lot of trucking manuvers on YouTube. I feel comfortable with what I already know, just adapting it into semi driving is the key now.

 

thats the longest trailer i ever seen that wasnt a semi trailer in my life

 

Thank-you for remembering that part for me. Plays a big part.

 

Backing would be the same as a semi, just take it slow because the trailer will react faster when it's shorter. Backing only changes when you have more pivot points. A truck and trailer has two, a set of doubles have three, and a set of triples have five. The more pivot points the harder it gets.

 

Wicked tailswing!