Narrow roads do not make for good parking situations with a fifth-wheel RV. They greatly limit our ability to maneuver the truck as needed on the far side of the road to get the trailer into position. When the space we’re trying to back into includes a ditch on either side, flanked by a tree, parking can be much more difficult. After multiple attempts to back from a narrow road into the driveway of our friends Jim and Jenny in Virginia, we decided to take a different tactic: driving front-first into the driveway and onto the yard to back into place from there. Finding a Way In It seemed like a good plan. Having just arrived from Georgia, we were unaware recent rain had softened the lawn. It didn’t help that the front yard sloped down, away from the driveway. Once on the lawn, we had to back the truck up an incline to push our 18,000-pound trailer into place, not an easy feat. Our truck is not equipped with four-wheel drive. Nor does it have Positraction (as mentioned in the movie “My Cousin Vinny”), which would allow us to engage both sets of dual tires at the same time. In essence, we were using only one side of the dually to push the heavy trailer up a grassy hill. Bob attempted to back up the incline, but Gulliver’s tires only spun out. After getting our truck and RV stuck one other time in our five seasons on the road, we purchased heavy-duty tire traction boards (paid link*), like the ones you see hanging off the backs and sides of Jeeps. Feeling prepared for this type of situation, we fetched the tracks from the trailer’s basement and placed them behind the rear truck tires. Bob once again tried to back up the incline. The tires continued spinning out on the traction boards. We never anticipated that would happen. It seemed we were truly stuck. Finding a Way Out We pay an annual fee to Coach-Net for RV roadside assistance. Not seeing an easy way out of our predicament (we couldn’t go forward due to trees), we consulted Coach-Net. The dispatcher put us in touch with a tow company. Although we felt out of place for about an hour, not wanting to go inside our home in its inclined state, we took solace in the fact that we had our friends’ home to wait in. A tow truck arrived from Mathews Towing and Recovery. After assessing the scene, the driver, Cody, determined the best way to correct the situation was to winch us out. He wrapped a winch cable around Tagalong’s rear bumper and gave Bob instructions to keep Gulliver’s transmission in neutral and to steer. Cody added tension to the cable and started the winch procedure. The trailer moved slowly but consistently up the incline toward the driveway. Once Cody thought the RV was close enough, he had Bob put the truck in park, disconnected the cable from the trailer, and moved the tow truck to provide room for Tagalong on the driveway. Mission Accomplished At this point, Cody gave Bob specific instructions on how to back the trailer the rest of the way out of the grass: slowly and steadily with even pressure on the gas pedal. And it worked! Bob was able to get Tagalong onto the driveway without hitting the garage. As I watched the tail of the trailer to make sure it cleared any obstacles, I managed to get a taste of what sinking sand must be like. My foot landed on what appeared to be hard ground, only to sink almost to the top of my shoe in Virginia mud. I’d have to deal with that later. Cody stuck around as Bob moved the truck and trailer forward and back to ensure we got parked where we wanted, helping with guidance all the way. Cody even stayed around after, sharing valuable tips and tricks to help us avoid a situation like this in the future. His biggest piece of advice: Get tire chains. “They’re not just for snow,” he said.
You might also like How a Flat Tire Helped Us Work Together. * As Amazon associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.
4 Comments
Becky
5/23/2024 07:13:47 am
That must've been scary! I'm glad Cody was able to help! 💪
Reply
Carole
5/27/2024 07:32:33 pm
That is incredible.. I can just imagine the frustration.. now I understand aposattraction... Wow! That must have been a challenge.. well I'm glad you're able to get help.. cuz that ain't no light thing to pull out....
Reply
Mom
6/2/2024 01:35:31 pm
Wow! That was quite a learning experience.
Reply
Betty Schoen
7/6/2024 12:35:55 pm
My response to that is "UFFDA!!!" What an experience, and glad it came out positively and you got some education from it! xoxo
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorThis is the travel blog of full-time RVers Bob and Lana Gates and our truck, Gulliver, and fifth wheel, Tagalong. Categories
All
Archives
October 2024
|