Simple way to back your motorhome into your garage safely

[Gerryl]

I have to back into my driveway and put it into a certain place, while being careful not to hit the house roof. I have to sort of curl it around to get it there. Usually, it is late in the day when I get home and unfortunately, I have to back into the late day sun. Seeing through the mirrors is not an option. My wife is handicapped, and can’t get out and guide me to back up.


Here is a foolproof way to solve that problem. I put a white hose (about 2” diameter) that I had, in the receiver hitch, so it sticks out about a foot and I can see it on the screen. Once I got the Motorhome exactly where I wanted it, I pulled forward and put markers (black and white duct tape) on the concrete (right under the hose every few feet) and used white spray paint when I got to the asphalt. I had to stop every few feet, get out and make my mark.
This way, I just have to watch the rearview camera, and hit my marks with the hose the whole way back. This allows me to back it up and swing the front over so I am in the perfect spot. I am building a pole barn garage soon and will do the same there.


You could use a wood 2X2 instead of the hose, I just had the hose in a junk box. The hose works nice though because I drilled a hole in it and stick a rod through the pin hole before I leave for home.
While I am on the highway, I’m betting people are wondering what the heck that thing is.


I apologize for the pictures being turned sideways. my assistant in the office (who is very computer savvy) worked for an hour and a half to correct them. Very frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But at least I hope you get the jest.

[dm.akafun]

Good ole ingenuity. You found a way to make it happen with the tools available.
Nice.

[Patti Brown]

Oh, what a great idea! Because we have the room to do it, I drive around behind the RV port and pull through because I am nervous about backing into it. I can use your approach to mark the drive as I pull out and have a guide for backing in, which would be even better. Thanks!

[FIRE UP]

Gerryl,
Well, you knew you had problem. And, based on variable conditions, it can get worse, at times. So, you figured a way to handle it, no matter what conditions prevail. Nice work. Here's a long story, only the short version. I've backed Fire trucks into fire stations for my entire career, just over 35 years. NEVER had one backing accident. Flawless backing.

I've been backing our various motor homes, into a semi-tight, double curve parking spot at our previous home, for around 19 years, without incident. And, it was tight at multiple points all at the same time. Well, one day, the DW is out at the back ON ONE SIDE and, I'm using the mirrors etc. for the other.

CRUNCH:banghead : I Knew, INSTANTANEOUSLY what happened. I'd crunched the corner of the roof/gutter and the upper right section of the rear cap. It's a good thing I didn't have my 9MM near by, otherwise you would not be reading this. It was a dumb, stupid, idiotic, air-head mistake.

Enough of the story. I knew better, I'd acquired flawless backing experience for decades and, guess what, IT HAPPENS! In the following pictures, you see the damage. You see how it was repaired, and, you see the end result. Very valuable and, EXPENSIVE lesson. You have a good plan!

Scott

[ga80486]

Wow!! Sorry about your bad luck, but what a fabulous ending. I had no idea the end cap would come off like that. And the last picture looks perfect.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by ga80486

Wow!! Sorry about your bad luck, but what a fabulous ending. I had no idea the end cap would come off like that. And the last picture looks perfect.

ga,
Yep, sure learned an expensive lesson that day. You're looking at, right at $9,000 in damages. But, those boys where I had it repaired, are by far, some of the most talented body repair folks I've ever come in contact with. They not only matched the paint, graphics etc. flawlessly, the overall surface is nicer then when purchased the coach.
Scott

[Kiwi]

Notice the duct work on the photo of the rear with the cap off. I had an Itasca, that is from the basement air. Air was working punk so I had to investigate. That duct is made with ductboard, not metal. The seams are taped, in humid conditions tape can release and blow your cold air (or most of it) up in the cavity... I hate basement air and will never own it again.

I have a Newmar now with roof air.

[Dupdyke]

Long ago when I worked I painted yellow lines on floors on both sides of fire trucks. We ran in all weather conditions and sometime were out for 8 10 hours and needed coffee very bad when we were putting trucks back in. Not all were drive thru bays. We also put a 90 degree red line where the center of front tire was supposed to end up so you stopped where you were supposed to. Yours is worse since you have to make a corner. Good idea.

[Eaglesview]

My technique is to let the wife drive and I give directions from outside as required. She gets a lot of attention i.e., compliments, from others for doing this and no damage to the motorhome. Win win.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by Dupdyke

Long ago when I worked I painted yellow lines on floors on both sides of fire trucks. We ran in all weather conditions and sometime were out for 8 10 hours and needed coffee very bad when we were putting trucks back in. Not all were drive thru bays. We also put a 90 degree red line where the center of front tire was supposed to end up so you stopped where you were supposed to. Yours is worse since you have to make a corner. Good idea.

Hey Don,
You mean yellow lines like these? Painted a few dozen of those lines in stations too. As for these. When we were about two weeks out from move-in, in our new home, me and the contractor/real estate agent, authorized for those brand new garage floors to be professionally epoxy coated. It was nice since there had NEVER been even one car in the two-car garage and, no motor homes in the RV garage.

Once the two color coats were applied, I gave them the specs on just exactly where I wanted the two yellow stripes. Once those were installed, then two coats of clear epoxy finish coats were applied. The whole process took right at a week. That motor home is backed into the same EXACT SPOT each and every time, within 1/2". Normally you don't need two, just one for the drivers side. But, I had them put two in there just in case I wanted to DRIVE STRAIGHT in and not back in.
Scott


P.S. You'll have to excuse the mess, that was our move-in day. There is now NOTHING on the floor anywhere and, everything has it's place in cabinets etc.

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by Gerryl

I have to back into my driveway and put it into a certain place, while being careful not to hit the house roof. I have to sort of curl it around to get it there. Usually, it is late in the day when I get home and unfortunately, I have to back into the late day sun. Seeing through the mirrors is not an option. My wife is handicapped, and can’t get out and guide me to back up.


Here is a foolproof way to solve that problem. I put a white hose (about 2” diameter) that I had, in the receiver hitch, so it sticks out about a foot and I can see it on the screen. Once I got the Motorhome exactly where I wanted it, I pulled forward and put markers (black and white duct tape) on the concrete (right under the hose every few feet) and used white spray paint when I got to the asphalt. I had to stop every few feet, get out and make my mark.
This way, I just have to watch the rearview camera, and hit my marks with the hose the whole way back. This allows me to back it up and swing the front over so I am in the perfect spot. I am building a pole barn garage soon and will do the same there.


You could use a wood 2X2 instead of the hose, I just had the hose in a junk box. The hose works nice though because I drilled a hole in it and stick a rod through the pin hole before I leave for home.
While I am on the highway, I’m betting people are wondering what the heck that thing is.


I apologize for the pictures being turned sideways. my assistant in the office (who is very computer savvy) worked for an hour and a half to correct them. Very frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But at least I hope you get the jest.

Ingenious! Thanks for sharing.

[JeffAZ]

That's a good idea Gerry, sounds like it will work great. I think you should attach a bunch of fluorescent red, orange and yellow streamers to the end of the interior of the pipe, so when you are going down the hiway it will look like flames shooting out the pipe. This will keep the tailgaters off your rig.

[Ray,IN]

You might consider another addition, landing-er-guidance lights/ LED lights in the paint strips.
Seriously, that looks good and is a great idea.

[Gerryl]

Jeff post #12), I like your idea about the streamers. I will have to work on that.

Scott (post # 4), I wish that I had posted this two years ago when I first did it, maybe it would have saved you from hearing that crunch and the $9,000 repair job.

Maybe this should be a "STICKY". It might help the newbees.