Trailer Maneuvering Basics
In This Article, You Will Learn:
Glossary Terms Used in This Article:
Written by Travis Mai
May 1st, 2008 5:00am, it is the Wisconsin fishing opener on beautiful Lake Wissota, Wisconsin. The anticipation of filling the live-well with Walleye is barely tolerable. As true of most fishing openers, there is a line of people trying to get their boats in the water. I am third in line and should be jigging in less than a half hour. When the time came for the person ahead of me to launch his boat, it looked like Charlie Brown and the football. No matter how many times he'd pull his truck ahead to straighten the trailer out, he just could not get it in the water. Even though I was getting angry and impatient, I felt terrible for this guy. I wanted to just back the trailer in for him, but there is a reason some guys don't ask for directions. Swallowing one's pride can be difficult, and nothing beats the satisfaction doing it yourself. After a full 25 minutes of frustration fueled embarrassment and a few quiet heckles from the fisherman in line, he was finally able to launch his boat. The pain of patience quickly subsided and the fishing was great!
Every time that you use a new trailer you should take the time to get familiar with it. Read the owner's manual. If you purchased the trailer used, it is likely that you may not have one. (Click here to view a great article on trailer maintenance.) Keep an eye on tire wear, lighting functionality, and safety equipment. Make sure you can see as much of the trailer in side-view and rear-view mirrors as possible. It may be a good idea to purchase a mirror extension or a convex blind spot mirror. It is very important to be constantly conscious of the trailer behind you when towing. You do not want run someone off the road when making a lane change.
As any trailer experienced person knows - each trailer is different. Though maneuvering in reverse may come easier to some, it is something that can only be perfected through practice. The earlier a person starts that practice the better. I remember being 4yrs old with my toy tractor and trailers backing up in every nook and cranny of our living room. Typically the longer a trailer is, the easier it is to back-up. Anyone who has tried to back up a snowmobile trailer can attest to that.
Learning to maneuver a trailer in reverse takes patience - and we're talking saintly patience here. Here are some tips and tricks to help you along the way. Begin with the tow vehicle and trailer in a straight line and all tires parallel with each other. Put the vehicle in reverse, and with your left hand in the six o'clock position slowly back up while moving your hand in the direction of where you would like the trailer to go. (Some find it easier to put your hand at the twelve o'clock position and steer opposite of the intended direction.) It is crucial that all turns that you make with the steering wheel are small. 
If you do not make small turns your trailer will easily jackknife and you will have to start all over again. (It is very difficult to counter-act overaggressive turns.) Once your trailer is pointing in the right direction you will need to steer in the opposite direction until your vehicle and trailer are once again linear, thus allowing you to back your trailer where you need it in a nice straight line. When trying to back into an area that requires a 90° turn such as your driveway, you should pull past the entry point half the distance of the trailer to give you enough clearance.
The ability to back up a trailer can be very rewarding. It ranks right up there with the ability to drive a manual transmission and parallel parking. Everyone with a driver's license should be able to do all three. Sadly this is not true of many Americans. So if you want to be one of the few that can maneuver a trailer in any direction, just make sure that the first time you try is not at the crowded boat launch.
Watch Videos: Boat Launch Etiquette & Launching A Boat Into The Water
Also see Chapter 9 - "Hooking Up" of Hitches and Towing 101 
