good idea or crazy

[caseydog]

No I can't drive it to the top and then turn it around, but if I did winch it to the top I did plan to turn it around by hand then hitch up and drive down.

Most people can lift the tongue off the ball and walk around pulling a tear by hand, whch was what Corwin was suggesting as far as turning it around after towing it up the driveway (don't try pulling it up the drive by hand)

That's what I do, but he may not have enough flat space to do that with the TV in front of the TD.

Kicker, can you pull your TV into the garage and have your TD sitting on flat ground?

CD

[Miriam C.]

Install a front receiver hitch on your tow vehicle and push it up the hill.

Mike

Good idea but you may still need practice keeping the TD on the straight and narrow.

[angib]

Kicker may find the same thing to be true. He could back it up the driveway, but may be able to winch it up a lot quicker and with less profanity.

I say that Kicker should practice reversing the teardrop up the slope - his neighbourhood will benefit from that free entertainment and it will really pull people together when they're all verbally abusing him...

Andrew

[caseydog]

Kicker may find the same thing to be true. He could back it up the driveway, but may be able to winch it up a lot quicker and with less profanity.

I say that Kicker should practice reversing the teardrop up the slope - his neighbourhood will benefit from that free entertainment and it will really pull people together when they're all verbally abusing him...

Andrew

A different side of Andrew?

I would have expected CAD drawings of a power winch design for incline driveways.

XS

[John T. Hodgen]

Hey All,
Once awhile back I came across a threadabout backing a trailer. The way they describe the position of the hands on the steering wheel made it easy as falling off a log. Don't remember all of it but for the novice it was dead on. I learned to back a boat trailer at an early age. Maybe someone else on here has that thread link and can share it.
Til later by the fire--John T. & Linda

[kaiser715]

Hey All,
Once awhile back I came across a threadabout backing a trailer. The way they describe the position of the hands on the steering wheel made it easy as falling off a log. Don't remember all of it but for the novice it was dead on

The way I teach folks is this, and probably what you are thinking: Hold the steering wheel with ONE hand, at the bottom of the wheel. If you want the trailer to go to your left, move your hand to the left. Trailer to the right, move your hand to the right. Helps keep people from getting confused.


I second the front receiver if possible...a local welder can set you up. I have several larger trailers, and can get them into pretty tight places around my shop by pushing them...can turn sharper, too since steering axle is closer to the trailer.

Of course, like others said, learn to do it...you'll be a pro when you get to a campground and need to back a ways.

[Cliffmeister2000]

I learned to back up a trailer at a very early age. It came in very handy, as i had a friend who couldn't do it. That friend had a ski boat! I got a lot of skiing in, 'cause I could get his boat in the water for him!

[John T. Hodgen]

Hey Kaiser,
Yep---that's it!!! So simple!! Thanks for chimeing in!
Til later by the fire--John T & Linda

[RichAFix]

I used to be in a boat club, one guy had a ball on the front of his truck, it made getting all the boats in and out way more simple especially when there was a tricky boat launch. With a short trailer what you are looking to do will be a challenge to even a skilled trailer driver. It is way easier to back up a semi than it is a short utility trailer. Your idea of a winch is the easiest but I would do a little research on what winch you get. As a guy that did a fair share of winching my boat you will find that they aren't all geared the same. With the winch I have it would take about 12 hours and you would turn the crank about 6-8 million times to move 25 feet. An electric winch may be worth the money for this application.

[2bits]

Sounds like going from the driveway description, a winch would be just fine, and a time saver. Even thought it is slow, it is sure. It will work the same in any kind of weather. Think about trying to park it in the rain at night, etc.

You definitely want to learn how to back in anyway because you will back in to all the campsites and you don't want to attract attention like I do with repeat attempts haha!

[razorback]

maybe this will work for you.
larry
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=91781
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=96455
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=93202

you could attach the mounting channel to an extra receiver and then mount the winch.
good luck

[Oasis Maker]

Here's a little added inspiration to learn this small challenge of backing your tear up. It's fun first of all, but most importantly it's empowering because you will forever be able to tow ANYTHING afterwards with confidence. And because a tear is so small, it will actually swing around on you much faster than a larger trailer. So if you ever have to tow a larger trailer in the future for hauling or whatever, in many ways it will be "even" easier to back up than your teardrop.

Scott G.

Scott, you have a short wheelbase TV and a long tongue on your TD. My boat trailers were long, and a piece of cake to back up. If you have a long TV and a short TD, it is a PITA to keep the trailer straight and change directions in a narrow space. That's what I have with my TD/TV combination. In the time it takes me to back it up my driveway, I can do it my other way six times.

Kicker may find the same thing to be true. He could back it up the driveway, but may be able to winch it up a lot quicker and with less profanity.

CD

We make the same point with the challenge of keeping a teardrop straight while backing up because it's so short. But you raise a very good point in addition to that with how your tow vehicles length also influences backing up a teardrop.

But all of this still falls into the big bucket of camping preparation with me. I do the same type of "real world" rehearsal with every piece of camping equipment I own. I practice setting up and breaking down tents etc. and I imagine how I would do it in the dark or rain too.

Priority is learning your rig. You must (or at least should) learn backing up because you will certainly face this down the road. THEN if you choose to use a mechanism like a winch at home - let it be out of convenience and not necessity.

Scott G.

[Arne]

backing up is not that hard to do, but does take practice. key is watch the trailer and make minor corrections. don't let the t/d get to the point where you need a major correction. If the trailer gets a bit out of whack. STOP, pull forward a bit, and continue.

If you have a fence to worry about, have someone else watch the tow vehicle and they can let you know if you should stop. Concentrate on the t/d.

[bobhenry]

In a post on here a year or so ago a fellow reinforced the back wall of his garage to attach a winch for just this reason. If it is centered directly in the center of the drive it will pull up there straight and true and you could direct it and still control the winch with a remote control once it gets close. Beats the devil out of scratching up tow vehicle or trailer in my opinion. I bet with a little ingenuity a remote control could be fabricated with an old garage door opener controller.

[Cliffmeister2000]

They are harder to find, and probably more expensive, but I'm betting a 120v winch would be better than a 12v winch. Might have to call it a hoist?