Ridecamp: RE: [RC] New Rig

Amber,
IMO, The biggest thing to remember when transitioning from bumperpull to
gooseneck is turning radius, but not in the way that you might think.
Goosenecks can turn far more sharply than bumperpulls (a good thing), but
due their greater length, turn more SLOWLY (from an angle of the curve
perspective).

Shortly after getting my first gooseneck, I saw a beautiful and obviously
brand new all aluminum gooseneck rig at a ride but it had a huge gash in the
wheelwell of the trailer.  I asked what happened and was told that he'd
pulled into a gas station but missed seeing the vertical concrete pillar
that protects the gas pump island...his truck went past it fine but the slow
turning of the trailer clipped it good.  That was all I needed to see to
permanently burn that rule in my brain.

My suggestion is to practice turning going forward, placing cones on the
ground to navigate around and get a feel for how wide you have to swing your
truck to allow your trailer to clear the cone.  You WILL get it very
quickly - it's not rocket science at all.  It is all about the turning
radius of your truck and the length of your trailer (from hitch to wheels) -
the longer, the "slower" the back end of the trailer aligns back up with the
front of the truck.  In one hour, you'll have enough feel to drive there.

Also remember that on curvy and narrow mountain roads, you may need to hug
the center line to avoid having your trailer tires go off the pavement on
the right side.  I always have really good right side mirrors that allow me
to see the trailer tires from the driver seat.

You can always get someone to help you turn your rig around at an event, but
they can't help you driving home, so since your training time is nil, that's
what I'd focus on for your particular situation.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
I am scared to death! After a little bumper pull 13ft. stock trailer that I
wrecked by trying to back it on a straightaway, how am I ever going to
handle this???

Can anyone give me some words of encouragement or tips on driving this
without smashing it or some innocent victim?

amber



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