backing trailers
brad
Join Date: Posts: 1 |
1999-11-22 10294
I have a 154 cub lo-boy with no power steering. Any trailer I try to back up is a real bear. The trailer wants to jacknife before any turning starts to take place. The trailers are automotive flatbeds with 3 to 5 ft tongues. Do trailers specifically for tractors have longer tongues? Are there any other tricks?
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backing trailers
bo
Join Date: Posts: 1 |
1999-11-22 10300
No power steering is a major headache when backing up a trailer but the real culprit is the lack of tongue length. The longer the tongue and the further the wheels from the tractor the easier it is to back up. Short trailers will jack knife in a flash. When I back up my garden cart with my 1650 Cub lawn tractor I have to make constant steering wheel adjusments and still upon occasion manage to jack knife. My boat trailer is backed up with my 870 JD and often it underresponds to the steering wheel that is, I have to crank the wheel to get the trailer to turn. Not so bad when there is space for a gradual turn and not so bad in a tight area cause the tractor can almost be perpendicular to the trailer not like a truck. Point being short means jack knife long means no problem. Ever wonder why the tractor trailer boys never seem to have a problem? ....
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backing trailers
Don
Join Date: Posts: 1 |
1999-11-22 10308
May I suggest that you lengthen the tractor drawbar as much as safely possible. This will provide a pivot point farther to the rear of the tractors rear axle, thus requiring less turns of the steering wheel to make the trailer respond.
Or- How about drilling a hole in the center of your loader bucket, mounting a trailer hitch ball there to eliminate backing altogether when spotting your boat or trailer in tight places. This also eliminates messing with trailer jacks. Just lift, latch, go, drop. ....
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