Community Forums

shortone · 10-29-2016, 09:25 AM

Because of health issues I am having to learn what I took for granted my husband would do. We arrived at our winter home and was assisted in parking by a park employee. I managed that with no problem except that he parked me on the wrong side of our lot. I need to move over about 8 ft. I am in a 36 ft class a motorhome. Should I pull out and start from scratch or can I maneuver it over by just pulling up.

GrampaDennis · 10-29-2016, 09:46 AM

I am not sure what you mean by "just pulling up". I suspect you will have to pull forward out of the site and back in again. You definitely should get someone else to guide you from the outside. Make sure, before you start, that your helper fully understands where you want to place the coach. Take your time and back carefully. Don't be embarassed to stop, get out, and look the situation over if you have any doubts. I do that sometimes.

You CAN do it, with a little help.
Good luck!

dpinvidic · 10-29-2016, 09:54 AM

You would handle this the same way you would with your car...you just need more room.

I will assume your utilities are on the DS and you need to more your RV to the left (DS).

Pull forward and go left...just like a lane change, and stop when you are inline with your spot....but have moved over to the left. Then back up to where you want to be.

If you are still too far away, do the same thing again.
You can do it in one shot if you have enough room in the front of your spot so you can be straight when you stop and go into reverse.

Hope that helps....

Dan

MSHappyCampers · 10-29-2016, 10:01 AM

What Dan said, and I would get someone to guide you so you don't take out a power pedestal or water spigot! You can do it!

oatmeal · 10-29-2016, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shortone

Should I pull out and start from scratch or can I maneuver it over by just pulling up.

I suspect you don't have room to just pull a long way forward and then a long way back into where you want to be in one move. To move a 36' coach over 8 feet in one up-and-back will take a lot of room.

However, you might be able to pull forward as far as you can, and then back at an angle, and then forward again, and then back, and scooch your way to where you want to be. You'll get good practice on the swing of your coach every time you turn the wheel.

I enjoy doing this because it's a series of small moves that are easy to wrap my head around, with incremental results. You should definitely have a spotter, but not necessarily a guide unless you just don't want to learn how to do it yourself.

Or you can pull out and start all over again, presumably backing into the spot from a perpendicular street. That, too, will be good practice, and you'll definitely need a guide.

twogypsies · 10-29-2016, 11:28 AM

Since a park employee helped you park in the first place, I'd call upon him to re-park you.

mel s · 10-29-2016, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shortone

Because of health issues I am having to learn what I took for granted my husband would do. We arrived at our winter home and was assisted in parking by a park employee. I managed that with no problem except that he parked me on the wrong side of our lot. I need to move over about 8 ft. I am in a 36 ft class a motorhome. Should I pull out and start from scratch or can I maneuver it over by just pulling up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrampaDennis

I suspect you will have to pull forward out of the site and back in again.

shortone
What GrampaDennis said.

shortone · 10-30-2016, 11:19 AM

Thank you everyone for your response. I think I already knew what to do but needed some reassurance. Once I started unhooking to make the move my neighbors all came to offer help. The hardest part was knowing my husband will never be able to help me do these things again but with every new learning experience I gain confidence in my ability.

awol50 · 10-30-2016, 01:19 PM

If you are unsure of yourself have someone do it for you or get a spotter.
Assuming you are the new driver as it sounds like that is the case, maybe find a big lot and practice a little setting out a traffic cone or something. If you don't have the expertise to back up at leisure to park an RV in broad daylight then you probably might find yourself in trouble at some point in your travels down the road in tight spots, intersections, fueling, etc. Good luck.

Just For Fun · 10-30-2016, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shortone

Thank you everyone for your response. I think I already knew what to do but needed some reassurance. Once I started unhooking to make the move my neighbors all came to offer help. The hardest part was knowing my husband will never be able to help me do these things again but with every new learning experience I gain confidence in my ability.

shortone

Inspiration and skills come from unexpected places. But in most cases, it comes from within each of us.

You've probably watched your hubby do this 100's of times. But we were all beginners at some time.

For what it's worth: My advice is:
1. Be careful who you ask for advice
2. NEVER put your TOTAL trust in anyone you've no experience with. We have several dents to attest to that.
3. ALWAYS go slow. If someone is trying to pass you in the campground, stop and let them pass. There are a lot of jerks out there.
4. As an example: I've been doing this for some 17 years and usually only need one try to get positioned. BUT, BUT BUT I ALWAYS TAKE MY TIME!!!! I will pull in just so far as I am comfortable. Stop and get out to make sure I'm where I want to be. Get back in and go a bit further. Again, get out and check things out. NEVER FEEL EMBARRASSED!! Again, there are a lot of jerks out there. Pay them no mind.
5. This is all supposed to be a positive adventure. NOT a scary thing to imagine.
6. Most of all: Have fun with your new acquired responsibilities. Be thankful that you two can still travel and find new and positive adventures on the road "TOGETHER!!!!!"
7. And lastly: REMEMBER, you are now in charge he has to listed to you!!!!

phays · 10-30-2016, 05:53 PM

I'm single and park by myself every time, even if someone thinks they are helping me. As Just for Fun says, get out and look frequently. I've gotten out more than 7 times before. Yes, it takes time but I don't want to hit that low hanging branch or some obstruction on either side. I also know how far my slide extends and how much space I need for opening my bay doors.

I use the flat cones that soccer coaches use as markers. I place them along one side of the spot and along the entry path into the spot I'm going to park in and also at the back of the spot so I can see how far back I need to go. Six cones are as many as I need. I try to just barely run over the cones that I place for the entry path.

Good luck and remember GOAL (get out and look)

Eyephoto · 10-30-2016, 06:33 PM

If we come in at dusk or even dark, or if another in our group comes in late, I take my rope lights and make a runway style guide. Makes it so much easier to line up on a straight line.