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Quote: Originally posted by tykey on 10/7/2008

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Quote: Originally posted by romany on 10/7/2008

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trick to getting rear end of van to go where you intend (lets see if i can explain this right) sit in car with hands on top of your steering wheel (12 oclock) look into your wing mirrors now which ever side of the van shows most in the mirror is the side you turn the top of the steering wheel towards while reversing slowly you will then see the back end of the van that side gradually disapear and start appearing in the other mirror to move that side back just turn top of steering wheel towards that once you have mastered this trick it then becomes easy to manipulate the van. One very important point to remember as well ITS OK TO GO FORWARDS AS WELL to re align your van and is probably just as important as the reversing bit

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You've explained it well if you want to reverse in almost a straight line. Reversing round 90deg with limited space is another matter altogether

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Yep Thats called practice. Thats what supermarket car parks were really made for

What did everyone do before movers???!!!!!

I manage to reverse my van up my drive off a narrow road, just swinging it in with 3" to spare on each side!!! its all about picturing in your head whats happening and where you want it to go, if it goes the wrong way just pull forward to correct it, go and practice on a quiet car park or get a kids car and trailer and practice with that!!

Don't worry on site, if your struggling just ask someone to help, were all usually a friendly bunch. Just shout " right, anyone for helping me or else do i start the demolition"!! I'm sure the owner of the shiny new unscratched outfit will jump to help!!

The other year a guy in cornwall spent 1/2hr nearly demolishing everything around him trying to reverse with his wife shouting at him, the poor guy was shaking like a leaf until a couple of us went to help, got rid of the wife and gave him some calm instructions whilst walking next to the him as he reversed, this sorted it out in no time.

Keep your mover money in your pocket, you'll need it soon to tax the car!!!

Above all don't be embarrassed, some people dont know how to drive a car forwards properly!!!

if it goes the wrong way just pull forward to correct it........

That's the problem though Sproz, there often isn't enough room to pull forward. We stayed at a site a month or so back. The access 'road' to it was winding and a 'one-way' system was in operation. We had to drive past our pitch and then reverse back to our nearside. Unfortunately, the roadway was only about 14ft wide (maximum) and people opposite our pitch had parked where the site suggested, across the front of their unit giving no leeway for turning. With our caravan backed in tight onto the pitch, there was not enough room for the tow car to be coupled and in-line with the caravan. (If that makes sense?). I had to use full lock to get the turn and the manouevre was complicated by the positioning of an ehu stand that meant that we had to turn in sooner than we wanted to in order to avoid hitting the ehu. This put the reversing line out and, with no opportunity to pull forward to straighten out the steering before applying full lock again, I had to have two attempts (Oh alright! 5 attempts then!) to get onto the pitch. So far, this has been the only time that I wished that we had a mover (or a front mounted tow-ball) fitted.

Over the past few years of caravanning the one thing i dreaded was reversing onto pitches and onto my drive at home. More worried about reversing at home as the drives are very narrow and joined to next door, so when on drive very close to there car and our house.  This was one thing that used to get on my nerves about caravnning.  We have just changed caravan and made sure we had some money left for a mover, which meant spending less on a van to buy mover, best thing we ever did.  Now all the worry has gone, we dont argue 'as much' anymore, just when putting awning up now.  Now when were on a site i still get jealous when i see people reversing onto pitches and make it look so easy, but i also get embarrassed when everyone watches me use the mover, but i dont care coz i'm stress free, apart from kids winding me up!!!!!

SP