I am having trouble with the 90 degree "banana dock"

Are you trying to back in between cones? If so, start backing the trailer with a slight drift. Then start taking it back out. You want to get the trailer going at about a 45 degree angle towards the cones with both tractor and trailer in line with each other. Once you get about 20 feet out and 10 feet over from the first cone closest to you cut the wheel all the way right to jack the trailer left then go ahead and turn it all the way back left. The trailer with come back around and start squaring up with the hole. Once it does that start getting the tractor back under the trailer. You should be able to almost follow it in. May have to use one or two pull ups but they should allow two anyway.

Hope this helps. Also what works for one person may not work for you. Find the best way for you and stick with it. It will come.

 

Practice, practice, practice. The alley dock seemed like the hardest to learn for me. It just took time to get it down. GOAL helps alot. I found it easier to not jack it as hard as it seems easier to get the trailer to jack more than recover from a trailer headed to the sight side (left) Just be paitient and keep working on it and youll get it in no time.

 

There are two guys in my class that can arc that thing right in the hole without any pull ups. I watched them and tried it. Never could get it to work for me so I went back to what was working for me and kept perfecting it. And still am. Practice practice practice. Only thing that will help you get better. And GOAL for goodness sakes even if it is only cones. You can be gigged for encroachment.

 

That two was my weak point. It clicked when my instructor (for lack of a better term!) used a toy truck and pulled it backwards into the spot so I could visualize how it needed to arc and move...then once in the truck, I kept my head looking forward using the mirrors primarily and only looking back over my left shoulder occasionally. That kept me aware of where the truck was in relation to the trailer and where I needed to be and I nailed it. Every time I just looked back through the window I would wind up all kinds of sideways!

Point the trailer where you want it and follow it in, not push it in.

 

watch the trailer axle(s) as much as the trailer. that will be the pivot point when jacking...

 

A little wheel goes a long way when backing.
Stopping then correcting allows for corrections in much less distance.
Practice makes perfect they say, will let you know when I get to the point that it works perfectly and the same for me everytime
Keep at it, you'll be fine.

 

Stopping to correct and also assess the situation helped me a lot back when I took my road test. You only get so many pullups but there's not restriction on how many times you can stop on the way. Take your time, stop and see what is going on, then decide what to do.

 

Go slow...I mean idle back.....watch your trailer wheels........vision where your putting your trailer......be the boss and steer! Watch your back wheels, they determine where your trailer goes, dont watch back of trailer, watch your back tires. Don't be afraid to steer either, or pull up.