Buster_boy
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2015
- Messages
- 178
This was my first season of boating and have had a blast in all respects except when backing up my trailer. I cannot keep that darn thing straight for nothing when backing up either in the ramp or flat surface. I drive a Chevy Trailblazer and my trailer is a 25ft EZ-LOADER, single axel with no brakes, pontoon trailer so it's 2.5x the length of the vehicle.
Yesterday I spent some time at the ramp and the high school parking lot trying to figure this out. I understand the dynamics of backing - turn right to go left, left to go right. I was as straight as I could be in some parking spaces. I put it in reverse and slowly backed up, and kept the wheel as straight as possible. It started out good but after about 8-10ft or so it began to drift one way or the other. The further back I went the more extreme the arc became.
I did that for a while as well as practicing other backing techniques then went to the nearby ramp. The same thing happened there but as you know the ramp has less room for error. Every time I'm on a ramp this happens causing me to try 3, 4, 5 times before getting it right, thus pissing people off.
What's causing my trailer to have a mind of its own? Is it tire pressure (it's fine btw), bearings, uneven pavement, operator error? I don't see other guys with this problem.
Yesterday I spent some time at the ramp and the high school parking lot trying to figure this out. I understand the dynamics of backing - turn right to go left, left to go right. I was as straight as I could be in some parking spaces. I put it in reverse and slowly backed up, and kept the wheel as straight as possible. It started out good but after about 8-10ft or so it began to drift one way or the other. The further back I went the more extreme the arc became.
I did that for a while as well as practicing other backing techniques then went to the nearby ramp. The same thing happened there but as you know the ramp has less room for error. Every time I'm on a ramp this happens causing me to try 3, 4, 5 times before getting it right, thus pissing people off.
What's causing my trailer to have a mind of its own? Is it tire pressure (it's fine btw), bearings, uneven pavement, operator error? I don't see other guys with this problem.