Driving a Trailer...Hints and tricks

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=Crazy4aOTTB;7864191]
So I just bought my first horse trailer YAY!!
I think this will maybe make my friends and family realize this “Horse” thing is not a passing phase and I’m in it for the long haul.

However I have never driven a trailer. My trainer will be giving me driving lessons and we will be taking it out without the horses a few times before putting precious cargo in there. I have Googled all about horse trailers but what advice can you give me?

Two of my biggest concerns are:

1. backing up the truck to the hitch…I thought about getting some of the magnectic hitch sticks http://www.hitchsticks.com/hitchsticks-classic-3/

2)and how to back up.

Any other sugestions hints or tricks from you experienced trailer drivers? How long does it take to get over the nerves??? I’ll have indentions in the steering wheel the first time I oull my horse![/QUOTE]

1. Hitch sticks should work if you don’t have a reverse camera or backup sensor. I did it for a number of years with no aids at all - it just involved hopping out and checking much more than I’d prefer.

2. There are several schools of thought. I have a good neck and I’m visual so I turn around and watch what I’m doing through the back window. Others use only their mirrors. Whatever technique you choose to master, you need to use the same method all the time to develop some skill. And always go slower to minimize “re-” maneuvers where practical. Practice where you can do it without an audience or risk of problems. And go slowly - it’s better to take a little more time to back in than it is to hurry a bit and make mistakes.

Take time to cross the emergency chains and learn how the breakaway needs to be set to pop if things go awry. Get to know the hitch and how to confirm it’s completely locked over the ball. Put anti-corrosion connector grease on the trailer plug and keep that in excellent repair. Check the air in the truck and tires more often than your car and keep a tire gauge or two. Get a US Rider membership. Realize that many people trailer often and have no concept of actual regulations, so it’s up to you to obey local, state, etc laws.

Nerves reduce after some practice but you should never lose your alertness. Trailering is not an ordinary drive, so don’t become complacent.

[Fergs]

1. Always go slower than you think you should.

and when backing up:

@cheerio280;7864261

2. Turn the bottom of the steering wheel in the direction you want your trailer to go.

[asterix]

All great advice!
When approaching a traffic light, look at the intersection and pick a mental place beyond which you will not stop - this will depend on the speed you are going and whether the cross street has stopped cars (who will see you) or may have traffic approaching at speed as the light changes.
What you don’t want is to come to a light that changes and find yourself slamming on the brakes. The “I’m going through” point is further back in a trailer than in a car - IF cross traffic can see you.
You need to just think proactively about lights as you approach them.

Good luck!

[Crazy4aOTTB]

Such good Advice! Thanks all!

[c.harrison1]

Lots of good advice! 1. The walk around pre trip is a must (I know someone who forgot o close the back of he trailer eek!) 2. People have no clue how hard it is to stop a trailer (harder if you don’t want to fling poor horsey around). Drive accordingly, leave lots of room ahead of you. 3. The interstate is nothing to worry about. Lots of room to go a comfortable speed. Where you should pay extra attention are back roads. The kind that get smaller and smaller til you can’t turn around or maybe find a weight restricted bridge! Just take it easy and practice. Backing up comes with practice and patience. Good luck!

[Wonders12]

As others have said, just do it. The more you do it, the better you’ll feel. Nervousness is actually good, because you’ll be careful. It’s so much better than over confident.

I have to teach a lot of our staff how to back a trailer into a very small spot. There are two explanations I use, and one works for almost everyone. But choose one and stick to it.

1. Place your hand at the bottom of the wheel and move your hand in the direction you want your trailer to go. (This works for a lot of people, but not me, because it’s how I drive normally too much, so I go to #2.)

2. Place your hand at the top of the steering wheel and think about PUSHING the back end of the trailer away from you. So if you turn your hand to the right (clockwise) you are PUSHING the back of the trailer AWAY from your right hand (and to the left).

Good luck. You’ll be fine. And remember, forward is your eraser and it is your friend.

[Texarkana]

I’ve been driving a horse trailer since I got my license at 16 and STILL can’t back up worth a darn.

I do the hand-on-the-bottom of the wheel thing… but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned the absolute best method is let-the-husband-do-it. :lol:

The independent woman part of me is not proud of this method. But the woman who can’t back up a trailer to save her life part of me is quite okay with it.

When the husband isn’t around, I also employ the avoid-backing-up-at-all-costs method.

[AKB]

Never let anything interrupt you when you are attaching the truck and trailer. Close the coupler onto the ball as the first thing that you do. We know of several people who attached the chains and electrical but did not attach the coupler because something distracted them. One trailer popped off the hitch, detached from the truck, and rolled backwards into a telephone pole. Fortunately, it was at slow speed and the horse was ok. The trailer was totaled. Unfortunately, the chains will not always hold the trailer if it pops off the hitch.

Don’t drive anywhere that involves backing up until you feel you are ready. Backing up is stressful. We used to go to pony club events where the fathers who did parking would ask if you backed up. If you said no, you were given a spot that did not involve backing, or the father who was assigned to backing trailers would get in and back your rig.

Go very slowly on turns. Many horses fall when inexperienced drivers make sharp turns at a rapid speed.

[King_s_Ransom]

My favorite tip from an experienced trailering horsewoman when I asked about backing up. “Well, honey,” she said, "it’s very easy if you remember one thing.

Always Be Going Forward."

:lol:

[heronponie]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;7865313]
I’ve been driving a horse trailer since I got my license at 16 and STILL can’t back up worth a darn.

I do the hand-on-the-bottom of the wheel thing… but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned the absolute best method is let-the-husband-do-it. :lol:

The independent woman part of me is not proud of this method. But the woman who can’t back up a trailer to save her life part of me is quite okay with it.

When the husband isn’t around, I also employ the avoid-backing-up-at-all-costs method.[/QUOTE]

:lol: this is my method as well. I mean, I can back it up, but it’ll take me at least 3 tries and DH always gets it the first time.

My tip is to always have a buddy when you’re starting out. It’s awesome if you’ve got someone experienced, but even just a supportive friend can make all the difference.

Thanks to the aforementioned terrible backing skill, I often park, unload the horse and get friend to hand-graze for a while… while I weasel my way in and out of the spot 15 times trying to back straight

[merrygoround]

Find an empty parking lot. The HS, a shopping center, supermarket in off hours, and practice. There’s a lot of yellow lines to follow, and lots of room. B/P are harder to back than GN’s. also take a little different awareness.

Hitchng will always be a matter of practice.

Always, always check tire pressure, and lights before loading.

[flypony74]

There is absolutely no substitute for experience. Take your trailer out empty several times and as you get more confident, drive through different areas so you can experience heavy traffic, interstate speeds, and getting in and out of tight spots (gas stations, etc). Before pony is on the trailer. You can never predict when you may get into those situations (even if you “plan” not to) so it is best to get out and get confident before you load your pony. And once you start hauling, haul regularly…go to a friend’s farm to ride, lessons whatever. If you haul twice a year you will struggle with proficiency, but if you haul often you will develop your skills and it will become second nature, plus you will establish a hooking/loading/etc routine.

Most basic driving tips are pretty obvious and have already been mentioned…easy start/stops/turns, allow plenty of stopping distance to allow for easy stops (but you will learn quickly that other drivers see that as an invitation to merge in front of you), anticipate stale green lights, etc. Your most difficult hazard is usually the other drivers around you.

Hooking up? Every trailer is different and I have always come up with a “system” that works for each rig I’ve had, but have never spent money on any of hook up assistance gadgets. My first trailer I could easily line up with the bed rails on the truck, my current trailer (GN) I am able to aim the coupler in the center of the middle rear headrest and typically nail it (have to hop in and out a few times to gauge distance to the ball, can’t see it from the driver seat due to crew cab). Like anything else with a trailer, it just takes practice, but hooking up is noooooooo big deal, seriously. The more you do it the better you will be at it.

Most of all, know your rig. Pull it enough so that you know when something doesn’t feel right back there and trust your instincts in that regard. Minimize issues on the road by keeping your trailer shod with high quality tires (not cheap, and stay away from China-made), replace tires every five years no matter what (trailer tires almost never wear out, tread-wise, but after a period of time they will be compromised due to dry rot and sitting), check your tire pressure before each haul, have your trailer serviced annually (bearings packed, brakes inspected, electrical system checked, etc), and do a “pre-flight” walk-around each time before you pull out. I usually do one after I hook up and again when the horse is loaded, and anytime I have been parked somewhere and have been out of sight of the trailer even for a minute (gas station, etc). I do not trust that some screwed-up person wouldn’t mess with my hitch, a kid try to open the back door, etc…so I always always always do this quick check before I pull off. Takes 30 seconds and worth it for the safety of my horses.

Enjoy the freedom of being able to go when you want! I remember that awesome feeling when I got my first trailer. Just be smart, use common sense, and develop a routine that provides for a safe situation…have fun!

[walkinthewalk]

I was in my early 20’s when we bought a 4-horse stock trailer.

My son’s father helped in his family’s oil business by driving a gasoline tanker part time, so was quite experienced in what to do with trailers.

His sage Pearls of Wisdom, before smirking and getting out of my truck were:

1. Left is right and right is left.

2. Never ram on the brakes unless you want to lock up the trailer and send it places it was never meant to go.

End Quote:eek:

As far as backing to the trailer, I apologize for not reading all the replies but, I’m sure there are fancy new mirrors to help guide the truck back.

If not, I solved that issue, years ago, by painting a black mark on the inside of the tail gate that would match a black mark on the trailer, to line up to the hitch.

My worst thing was my truck was standard shift – just try and get that stopped and emergency braked at just the right spot to pull that trailer onto the ball:o

Give yourself plenty of stopping room from the vehicle in front of you and ALWAYS be prepared for stupid people in cars and on motorcycles to pull right out in front of you, expecting you can stop on a dime for their “entitled” selves:no:

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=flypony74;7865987]
Minimize issues on the road by keeping your trailer shod with high quality tires (not cheap, and stay away from China-made), replace tires every five years no matter what (trailer tires almost never wear out, tread-wise, but after a period of time they will be compromised due to dry rot and sitting), check your tire pressure before each haul, have your trailer serviced annually (bea[/QUOTE]

Quoted for truth. You have to look hard sometimes to find anything other than junk tires. Many trailer centers seem to shrug and say “we agree but that’s how these things go” when you ask for a truly reputable trailer tire. Just don’t assume you have to pick from what they offer you.

David

[netg]

Lots of great advice! I bought my trailer at a distance, took a while to get it shipped here, and barely had my setup ready to be able to use it when I got laid off and had to bring the horses home. I had driven around my property forward and backwards for practice, but not on roads - so next drive was 46 miles to my trainer and 46 back with the horses.

What made me less white-knuckled and nervous was trailering musician friends and their equipment to a concert in downtown Los Angeles. Around 12 hours of driving/day, dealing with downtown city traffic, and backing in to a small ramp with access only on a curve in a tight spot, all served to make me much more comfortable with driving that I was before I left.

[sascha]

[QUOTE=Tom King;7864776]
Use the brakes as little as possible-as in when you know a stop is ahead, lift off the accelerator, and let the rig naturally decelerate as much as possible. Ideally, you want to come to that stop without having to use the brakes.[/QUOTE]

I have to disagree. I WANT the people behind me to see my brake lights. So a light touch all the way to the stop is a better approach than not touching that brake pedal at all.

Another safety tip about lights - get into the habit of driving with full lights on 24/7. If you’re hauling, use every opportunity to let people know you are there. Doing it every day in car/truck/truck with trailer makes it much less likely to find yourself driving on a foggy day with a trailer with no lights on at all save your daytime driving lights which don’t do shit to let people coming up behind you know that you’re on the road.

[Foxglove]

Something I don’t think anyone said or wants to think about, but what I taught my girls when they started pulling the horses with the trailer . . .hit it. Unless it’s a person, be prepared to hit it what ever is in the road, dead on, holding the wheel steady. Those horses behind you didn’t ask to go in the trailer. If you slam on the breaks or swerve sharply to avoid “it” in the road, you’ll take a chance on knocking down the horses and possibly hurting them seriously. Whatever is in the road, isn’t going to hurt the horses as much as you hitting a tree, another car, or jack knifing, or rolling the trailer into a ditch.

So be prepared in your mind to hit the deer, squirrel, chicken, dog or cat. If you can’t, don’t pull the trailer.

Of course if it is a person, you must do everything to avoid hitting a person.

We have only had one wreck in 40 years --DD did make a judgment call not to hit a helicopter in the middle of the road thinking the blade might go through the truck --instead she slammed on the brakes. Both horses did fall, but using the emergency releases (Equispirit trailers have them on the breast and but bars,) she was able to get both horses up without unloading. The helecopter had done some kind of emergency landing. Me? Unless there was a person in it, I probably would have hit it before I slammed on the brakes. But you have to make calls like that pretty quick. I wasn’t there. She was. She did what she thought was best.

Foxglove

[WasthatC]

One of my most serious trailering rules - if I start out late I have to accept that I’m going to arrive even later.

It’s not the horses’ (or anyone else’s) fault that I loaded up behind schedule or was slowed down by traffic. It is not fair or safe to drive faster or try to make up time. I accept that I am where I am timing wise and let people know I’ll be late.

Another good rule is to set cruise control on the freeway. My truck will easily pull my fully loaded trailer at 75-80mph and that is way too fast to haul horses so I use my cruise control to prevent my own tendency toward a lead foot.

I also put post-it notes on my rear view mirror for long hauls (w a GN your rear view mirror only reflects your trailer). My notes usually remind me to slow down and breathe.

[Tom_King]

One good practice for backing a trailer is to find a big empty part of a parking lot. Park the truck and trailer in a spot not near anything. Back it out of the parking space, around in a circle, and put it back into the same space facing the other way. When you can do this in both directions without having to stop and adjust angles, you can put it anywhere. Even trying to do this should improve your skill level.

e

[Stonewall]

I don’t see why pulling a trailer at 70-75 mph is a problem if the road is smooth as in a well-maintained interstate.

Does anyone have recommendations about stopping to let the horse rest in the trailer on a long trip?