Community Forums

thirdwall · 12-06-2014, 09:55 AM

Made a wrong right hand turn in Casper Wyoming off interstate and realized I had a 12' motorhome looking at a 10' clearance RR bridge. It was AM rush hour and all kinds of cars were backed up behind me.

A young fellow right behind me climbed the MH ladder and jokingly asked if I would like to convert the MH to a convertible!

He then said this happens quite often so he started to back the traffic up so I could unhook the toad and back the MH down past the light and under the interstate bridge. I hooked up again and got the hell out of town asap!

Humiliating!

jmckinley · 12-06-2014, 10:00 AM

This will start a [ moderator edit ]storm, but what the heck, it's a rainy cold day and I'm bored.

If you just need to back the rig up in a mostly straight line to get out of a tight spot, you can pull the motor home backwards with your toad still hooked up. I've done it with my little bitty Tracker, no problem. You steer the MH, DW drives the Toad. Use walkie-talkies or two cell phones set on speaker phone.

Obviously, MH must be in neutral. This will not overload your hitch or your towbar since the force applied is limited by the Toad's traction. At 4,000 pounds, in two wheel drive, only one wheel is driving. So, maximum force is coefficient of friction (0.7) x weight on drive wheel (1,000) = 700 pounds before wheel spins. That won't hurt anything unless your setup is junk. Just be gentle and don't turn either vehicle.

777 Driver · 12-06-2014, 11:23 AM

My DW absolutely refuses to participate in that kind of activity.

At risk of starting another of the aforementioned storms, I'll not comment about DW's driving skills.

Take care,
Stu

jmckinley · 12-06-2014, 11:30 AM

I understand. It won't work for everyone.

I actually did it by myself once to get the MH partially out of the garage so I could get to the battery. Works fine as long as the steering wheel stays straight.

BFlinn181 · 12-06-2014, 11:34 AM

In a situation like described by 777 Driver, I'd gently back straight back, making sure the toad wouldn't turn, might even have my wife sit in the toad and keep the wheels aligned. We're only talking enough distance to allow room to pull out and around the stalled truck. No, you shouldn't back up a vehicle in tow, but I'm not talking trying a K-turn or complicated maneuver. You are putting far less strain on the tow bar and base plate than happens while in normal forward motion.

The main reason for the backing a toad prohibition is that in reverse the steer wheels of the toad will quickly go out of alignment with the direction of travel and can cause excessive forces and damage.

jmckinley · 12-06-2014, 11:36 AM

Another thing, all DW has to do is keep the toad steering straight, you can stop her with the MH brakes at any point. Even at full throttle, she won't be able to budge the MH.

777 Driver · 12-06-2014, 11:56 AM

You're not married to my DW. She has many wonderful qualities.

Too many to list.

Some of you understand, I'm sure.

Take care,
Stu

Bigd9 · 12-06-2014, 01:55 PM

Pulled into a Super America station picking a diesel pump that gave us plenty of room to pull forward and drive out. While I was pumping diesel a guy in a pickup truck parked in a "no parking/Fire Zone area blocking our path. I yelled at him but all I got in return was a one finger salute. After fueling I went into the station looking for the driver and the attendant said "Oh that guy? He always leaves his truck there and carpools to work. He won't be back for 8 hours at least" I said "but it is a No Parking/Fire Zone" and he replied "Yea, they made a mistake and they striped it that way when they paved the lot, but the Fire Department doesn't care and we don't either"!

So we unhooked, backed the car out and then held up traffic and backed the coach out and onto a very busy road. Drove to a grocery store parking lot nearby and rehooked the toad. I think I used my entire library of 4 letter words on that experience!

DuraFlap Mud Flaps · 12-07-2014, 10:07 PM

Watch out for the low tunnel in Kentucky near Cumberland Gap. Many years back while following a AAA map to a Coal Mine that they give tours thru, we found a 9' tunnel at the bottom of a larger hill. We stopped and quickly unhooked the toad so we could back the motor home up about 100' and backed into a parking lot on the side of the road.
When we were done getting out of the way we realized that all the cars on both sides of the tunnel just patiently waited while we performed this maneuver. The tunnel had several large scrapes above the opening. This had definitely happened before.

ARTWERKE · 12-08-2014, 08:54 PM

Last year we stopped for fuel in a small town in Alabama. Pulled into a gas station with Diesel on an outside island, very tall overhead and an exit into a walmart parking lot. Pulled up to the pump and saw the exit to Walmart had concrete barricades across it you couldn't see from the street. No major problem, while filling the tank, I unhook toad, DW will drive to Walmart lot, I'll meet her & reconnect. DW can only turn right leaving station.Makes another right, Freeway on ramp, not access frontage road like most of Texas. Next exit 7 miles down the road. DW left purse & cell phone in RV, just going to parking lot next door.One hour later I'm sitting in the Walmart lot wondering where she is, can't call her. I walked back to the gas station hoping she can find her way back here, she wasn't paying much attention how we got here, that's my job. Finally I spot her, start jumping up and down waving my arms and yelling like an idiot. She sees me & pulls over. I drive back to the Walmart, hook up the toad, and away we go. Got a good laugh about it. Cell phone, don't leave Motor home without it.

OB-One · 12-17-2014, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thirdwall

Made a wrong right hand turn in Casper Wyoming off interstate and realized I had a 12' motorhome looking at a 10' clearance RR bridge. It was AM rush hour and all kinds of cars were backed up behind me.

A young fellow right behind me climbed the MH ladder and jokingly asked if I would like to convert the MH to a convertible!

He then said this happens quite often so he started to back the traffic up so I could unhook the toad and back the MH down past the light and under the interstate bridge. I hooked up again and got the hell out of town asap!

Humiliating!

I pulled off at that same exit! Fortunately the business parking lot on the left side was empty we and pulled in there, lifted the tag and was able to do a U-turn. The real embarrassing part is that I used to live in Casper and should have known better

.

abarkl · 12-17-2014, 09:06 PM

By myself many years ago trying to find the turn into the Raleigh airport long-term parking lot to leave my coach and car and fly home for a week back to the west coast.
Tried a U-turn in a commercial park area and wound up blocking most of the road in both directions with no option but to disconnect and reorganize.
Then this guy comes out of a local business and said I do this all the time, you backup the coach and I will steer the car back. It worked but not my first choice.

gripper · 12-18-2014, 10:11 AM

On one of my trips we were traveling on along the highway (can't remember the town), when I spotted a Camping World, off to my right. Looked easy enough to get to, just make the next right turnoff and follow the road back to CW. However, that turned out to be a small road into a subdivision and I was pulling my car, on a dolly. I couldn't "go around the block", because each street I saw, ended at a driveway. So I stopped and took the car off the dolly and asked the DW, to drive ahead and see if there was a place to turn around. She came back and said "nope".

So I disconnected the dolly, and was able to turn the RV around. Re-attach the dolly and load the car. Now, the story should end here, but it doesn't!

I got back on the road and headed on, to find the way to CW. I looked at a map, and determined just where to turn off. However, as I was traveling to CW, I misjudged my turn into the parking lot and had to continue to a place I could turn around. Up ahead, I saw this trucking parking lot, that looked wide enough to turn around in. So I began my turn, only to find out I couldn't make it and would have to back up! Can't back up, so again, I had to take the car off and disconnect the dolly, etc., etc., etc.

When I got back on the road, I was so upset and tired, I just passed CW and went on down the road. Worst time I ever had, trying to get into CW!

Bigd9 · 12-18-2014, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gripper

.........When I got back on the road, I was so upset and tired, I just passed CW and went on down the road. Worst time I ever had, getting into CW!

You are better off bypassing the Camping World. Just think if you hadn't, you would have spent a lot of $ and that, on top of your experiences getting there would have made you even more gloomy!