First towing impression, small utility trailer

[TSL]

I have a small utility trailer, single axle, 8x5. Weighs ~ 800 lbs empty and has a GVWR of ~ 2900 lbs. I've towed it a lot with my '07 Subaru Outback XT which handles it fine. Truth be told, a couple of times I've probably had more on it than I should have done with the Subaru towing it, especially since it doesn't have brakes. I've also towed it behind our '15 Toyota Highlander which manages it very well. Loads like 15 x 120lb hay bales, loads of firewood from out of the forest etc.
I've had my truck since late June ( my first truck ) and finally got around to getting a ball mount so I could tow the trailer. I got a B&W adjustable ball mount with 1" to 7" of drop. My measurements proved correct, and with the ball mounted at the 7" drop position the trailer looked nice and level behind my Rebel. I will admit it also looked a little silly behind the Rebel , being as small as it is. It did really look very small behind the truck.
The real point of my post here is that when I went to back up with the trailer....oh my goodness, I'm a newbie all over again ! I can back that trailer effortlessly behind my Subaru, because I can see it very well. I can back it reasonably well behind the Highlander where I can't see it quite so well, sometimes I get one of the kids to stand in the back corner so that I can see the back of the trailer in order to see better which way it is pointing. The Highlander does have a backup camera but it doesn't do me a whole lot of good I find when backing the trailer. It's too low to be useful. I am aware that short, single axle trailers are harder to reverse, but I'm just amazed at how totally different it handles behind the truck. Basically it jackknifes if you breath wrong ! Very small and frequent nudges left and right on the steering seem to be what's needed to keep it moving the right direction. The camera on the truck is more helpful, being higher up. Actually, the trailer being so small, assuming it's not loaded with a yard of crushed rock or 15 hay bales, taking it off and turning it by hand is probably easier !
One another point / question. So the truck seemed to know it had a trailer behind it. It's a 4-pin flat connector, no brakes as I mentioned, but obviously the truck is aware there's a connection made because a trailer icon lit up in the instrument cluster. However, when I went to back up I got a nice demonstration of the rear parking / obstacle detection. The truck decided the trailer was an obstacle i was about to back into and slammed on the brakes and stopped me. OK, so I now I know that feature works I said to myself, but....there's got to be some way for it to not do that when a trailer is connected ! I searched around through menus looking for a way to tell it there's a trailer there ( which as I said it seemed to know because the trailer icon was lit ), but couldn't see anything, so eventually I just flicked the rear park assist toggle switch off so I could actually back the thing up. Is that the only way to do it or am I missing something ?
In summary, maybe I need a bigger trailer now that will look better behind my truck and be easier to reverse ! Or I can just put the hay and the firewood in the bed of the truck I guess ! ( But it's so nice and clean back there, seems a shame to chuck firewood in it

 

[Idahoktm]

I just bought a 5'x8' trailer and you're right, it is a beotch to back up. I'm sure with time it will get easier. When it's empty or lightly loaded, I just disconnect it and move it around with a trailer dolly.

The rear ParkSense system will automatically disable when the system detects that a trailer with trailer brakes has been connected. Basically, a 7 pin plug.

I don't think the trailer looks disproportionate hooked up to my truck, but I never had it connected to a tiny car.

 

[Sportznut]

I have a 5 x 10.

You don't need a new trailer. Do you have a ramp tailgate on the trailer? Is it tall so you can see it when backing? If not maybe you can just put a length of plastic pipe standing on end in each corner so you have some visual aids?

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[Threesuns1]

A longer wheelbase truck backing a shorter wheelbase trailer takes a lot of practice.

 

[TSL]

A longer wheelbase truck backing a shorter wheelbase trailer takes a lot of practice.

I took it out to an empty parking lot at a lake near me and spent 20 to 30 mins working on backing it. I think I'm making some headway. Was able to back it in a straight line a decent distance. I didn't measure, but must have been 50+ yds. I found very light touch on the steering was what it needed, and a combination of using the mirrors and the backup camera. I found if I can see much of the trailer at all in the mirror then I'm starting to veer left or right and need a slight nudge on the wheel in the opposite direction to bring it back. This works for me because the trailer is relatively small behind the truck, if I'm backing dead straight I shouldn't see much other than the edge of the wheels it turns out. Obviously if I need to turn while backing then I expect to see it coming into view in the mirror. Turning takes very subtle movements, can get it into a jackknife in the blink of an eye !
Picture of the setup below

 

[Idahoktm]

I took it out to an empty parking lot at a lake near me and spent 20 to 30 mins working on backing it. I think I'm making some headway. Was able to back it in a straight line a decent distance. I didn't measure, but must have been 50+ yds. I found very light touch on the steering was what it needed, and a combination of using the mirrors and the backup camera. I found if I can see much of the trailer at all in the mirror then I'm starting to veer left or right and need a slight nudge on the wheel in the opposite direction to bring it back. This works for me because the trailer is relatively small behind the truck, if I'm backing dead straight I shouldn't see much other than the edge of the wheels it turns out. Obviously if I need to turn while backing then I expect to see it coming into view in the mirror. Turning takes very subtle movements, can get it into a jackknife in the blink of an eye !
Picture of the setup below

Yeah, it would be much more difficult backing your trailer. Mine has a really tall ramp/gate that makes it very easy to see.

 

[TSL]

Yeah, it would be much more difficult backing your trailer. Mine has a really tall ramp/gate that makes it very easy to see.

View attachment 137404

I think I need to add a little PVC tube on both back corners that I can drop a flag into to help with backing. Sometimes I have one of the kids on hand to fullfill that role, but not always !

 

[greenlawnracing]

Same experience. Towed a 16 foot enclosed with my 01 F250 for 15 years. Towed a similar size trailer with my Ram and took it off to push it up my driveway after ten minutes of frustration, which was caused by lack of experience

 

[Bpebler]

I have roughly the same size trailer. Definitely takes some practice & getting used to. Dual axle trailers are so much easier to back up. Rams come with the option of the automatic rear steering trailer assist which is nice. You might be able to add it depending on the package you have.

 

[Rlaf75]

Short trailers are difficult to back up because the are short. They have the tendency to come around quickly even with small steering corrections plus they can be hard to see. I've seen people use those red or orange plastic poles like you see on some snowplows on the trailer to help them see it while backing up. I've been towing things most of my career whether it's with an actual tow truck or regular pickup and will say that the smaller the trailer the harder it is to back.

 

[Sportznut]

I think I need to add a little PVC tube on both back corners that I can drop a flag into to help with backing. Sometimes I have one of the kids on hand to fullfill that role, but not always !

Exactly!

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[Shots]

Yeah, it would be much more difficult backing your trailer. Mine has a really tall ramp/gate that makes it very easy to see.

View attachment 137404

That's the same way mine looks. The tall tailgate helps but it still sucks to back up. I bought the trailer for my Jeep. I can tow it with the Wrangler, and it's a lot more proportional. That makes reversing much easier. I can easily back down a S-curve driveway with no issues. I tried that in my Ram and go so frustrated that I was about to just say the heck with it and drive through the grass.

..... Or I can just put the hay and the firewood in the bed of the truck I guess ! ( But it's so nice and clean back there, seems a shame to chuck firewood in it

As for putting stuff in the bed. Yeah I do use the bed. I got the 6' bed for a reason, because that stupid 5' thing drove me nuts on my last truck. However, there's no reason to heft some big heavy object(s) into the bed when you can easily load it onto a trailer. A few bales I'd just throw in the truck, but a full load? Nah, I'll use the trailer. I tossed more than enough bales onto a wagon in my youth. Those things get heavy after enough of them. A couple is one thing but big loads go on the trailer.
FWIW, yes it's still a pain to reverse my wee little trailer behind this truck but I have gotten better at it. Still much easier behind the Jeep though.

 

[397STROKER]

Many years ago I had 90 Ram with 7" of lift and 35s on it. Had jetski and when I would back up I would drop the tailgate so I could see it. It was real tuff as those old Rams had no steering ratio at all. If the trailer got a little jacked you had to pull forward as there was no way you could come around with the steering ratio they had. Small trailers are tuff.

 

[CalvinC]

A longer wheelbase truck backing a shorter wheelbase trailer takes a lot of practice.

Unfortunately geometry is rearing its ugly head here.

Had a similar experience with my pop up and 7x10 utility trailers when I got my truck after pulling it for years with a Durango.

A shorter trailer is harder to back up than a longer one to start.

That’s why the combination of boat ramps and new jet ski owners provides endless entertainment.

Then couple that with the tow vehicle’s longer wheelbase and it only gets harder the greater the disparity between long vehicle and short trailer wheelbases.

And then notably also, the distance from the vehicle’s rear axle and the tow ball increases the leverage & moment of inertia to where smaller corrections at the steering wheel manifest as bigger swings of the trailer.

Then the longer wheelbase of the tow vehicle swings wider and therefore needs more room side to side to maneuver….

It’s a scene, man.

 

[LaxDfns15]

I have the exact same trailer as Idaho. @TSL like you mentioned, if it's loaded properly it's easier to move by hand. I had 2 yards of mulch loaded and basically centered right behind the axle and I could easily move it on my flat driveway. Like others have said, with the long wheelbase truck and short wheelbase trailer it definitely takes practice. I agree that adding a pole to each corner that you can see will help tremendously.

 

[834k3r]

I took it out to an empty parking lot at a lake near me and spent 20 to 30 mins working on backing it. I think I'm making some headway. Was able to back it in a straight line a decent distance. I didn't measure, but must have been 50+ yds. I found very light touch on the steering was what it needed, and a combination of using the mirrors and the backup camera. I found if I can see much of the trailer at all in the mirror then I'm starting to veer left or right and need a slight nudge on the wheel in the opposite direction to bring it back. This works for me because the trailer is relatively small behind the truck, if I'm backing dead straight I shouldn't see much other than the edge of the wheels it turns out. Obviously if I need to turn while backing then I expect to see it coming into view in the mirror. Turning takes very subtle movements, can get it into a jackknife in the blink of an eye !
Picture of the setup below

One of the most difficult things I had to do when I was in the Air Force was learn to back a water buffalo trailer with a 2 1/2 ton truck (Deuce and a Half). No power steering, manual transmission, no backing assist, and with the length of the truck combined with the short trailer, it would jack-knife at the slightest nudge. By comparison, backing anything else is easy.

 

[Bpebler]

I’d almost like to see a thread of Ram forum users here who also have Jeeps, especially built Jeeps, as I have an older 2000 Cherokee but am interested in seeing everyone else’s. Too much of a criss cross to start a new thread of pics of Ram owners with Jeeps?

 

[Shots]

No photos of them together yet, but talk about a wheel base difference. Trailer behind the Jeep, is easy. Trailer behind the truck is an exercise in patience and finesse.

 

[theblet]

Short trailers are harder to backup then longer ones. They turn really quickly with any input of the steering wheel. I do this with my work truck, ‘13 f150. It has a camper too and no backup camera. It’s a major PITA. You can’t see cr@p.

 

[Rick3478]

I tossed more than enough bales onto a wagon in my youth. Those things get heavy after enough of them.

We baled on a gloomy, misty day one time. By end of day could only stack 'em 5 layers high. We thought we were just getting tired ... until we weighed some of the bales!