Backing a Trailer behind a camper
 

Hi,

I want to go fishing/camping in my 1990 Nissan with a SMALL camper
(I think they're called "camperettes") on the back, towing my small boat
(12ft aluminum skiff, with some addons like a floor so I can't just heave
it on top).

The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck, and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?
Closed-cct tv? Surely there are others that do this...

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12

Lloyd Sumpter wrote:

Hi,

I want to go fishing/camping in my 1990 Nissan with a SMALL camper
(I think they're called "camperettes") on the back, towing my small boat
(12ft aluminum skiff, with some addons like a floor so I can't just heave
it on top).

The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck, and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?
Closed-cct tv? Surely there are others that do this...

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12

You don't need the mirrors when tooling down the highway -- get a set
that clamp on, and use them only when backing. A couple of pieces of
plastic pipe painted red, and stuck to the rear corners of your trailer
)or boat) will help also

Go with the mirrors.

And not just for backing.

How would you plan to make a safe lane change if you can't see what may be
alongside your rig?

You don't need the mirrors when tooling down the highway --

Yes you do.

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Go with the mirrors.

And not just for backing.

How would you plan to make a safe lane change if you can't see what may be
alongside your rig?



For the past several years I've had a full sized 2500 series pickup for my
primary vehicle. Both of the trucks were equipped with large mirrors with
smaller wide angle inserts.

I recently traded to a smaller vehicle (2004 Durango - yup, it has a hemi)
and felt lost without the ability to see what was behind me. There is
actually a blind spot where, if someone is passing, you cannot see them at
all in the mirrors.

A trip to Auto Zone and the purchase of a couple of stick-on wide angle
mirrors solved the problem.

Eisboch

Gould 0738 wrote:
You don't need the mirrors when tooling down the highway --


Yes you do.
You don't need the optional trailer towing mirrors -- the stock ones
will see the red flashing light as quick as the wide ones. the boat is
narrow -- that's why he needs wide mirrors/

Mirrors will definetly help but everyone I know that has ever done tandem
towing disconnects before backing (back only one unit at a time). You could
get by w/ doing it if your really good at backing, recognize the back item
will go the opposite way of the center item, and as long as you cannot see
it - it is lined up. When you can just start to see the back unit you need
to go the other way.

Tony

"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I want to go fishing/camping in my 1990 Nissan with a SMALL camper
(I think they're called "camperettes") on the back, towing my small boat
(12ft aluminum skiff, with some addons like a floor so I can't just heave
it on top).

The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck, and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?
Closed-cct tv? Surely there are others that do this...

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12

In article ,
Lloyd Sumpter wrote:


The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck, and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?

I would strongly recommend that you get mirrors that will allow you to
keep an eye on the boat when you are travelling as well as for backing
up. A few years ago I was following a camper towing an aluminum boat
when I noticed that the boat seemed to be bouncing on the trailer so I
backed off and fortunately was well back when the boat left the
trailer. I stopped long enough to slide the boat off to the side of
the road and then tried to catch up to the camper.

He was travelling at a pretty good rate so I drove about 10-12 miles
before I caught up to him again. Then it took a considerable amount of
horn blowing and pointing to the back of his camper before the guy
finally stopped. Then he got out of his vehicle and came up to my car
swearing and all ****ed off because I had caused him to stop. I
finally got a word in that his boat was missing from his trailer and
because he couldn't see it from where he was standing he wouldn't
believe me and said that couldn't possibly be the case. He finally
took a look and then was all apologetic and was very surprised when I
told him how far he would have to go back to get his boat. He did
mention that he could not see the boat from inside the camper so just
assumed that everything was fine. If he had caused an accident I
imagine that he would have been in big trouble with both the police
and his insurance company.

A proper set of trailering mirrors should not have any noticeable
effect on mileage compared to the bulk of a camper pushing against the
wind. In any event it's a very small cost to insure that things are
okay with your boat and trailer.

--
Don Dickson

"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I want to go fishing/camping in my 1990 Nissan with a SMALL camper
(I think they're called "camperettes") on the back, towing my small boat
(12ft aluminum skiff, with some addons like a floor so I can't just heave
it on top).

The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck, and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?
Closed-cct tv? Surely there are others that do this...

A friend of mine had that problem backing an empty boat trailer down the
ramp. I was out in boat and could see that the trailer dropped below the
line of vision when starting down the ramp. A guy finally offered to do it
for her, and he simply drove way down the wide ramp, turned, and pulled back
up the ramp until everything was straight. He then backed it straight down
into the water.
--
Jon
JPinOH

poke the "i" out to reply

Put a cheap bumper hitch on your front bumper and drive it down forward.
Gordon

"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I want to go fishing/camping in my 1990 Nissan with a SMALL camper
(I think they're called "camperettes") on the back, towing my small boat
(12ft aluminum skiff, with some addons like a floor so I can't just heave
it on top).

The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck, and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?
Closed-cct tv? Surely there are others that do this...

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12