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10:38 pm
August 15, 2011
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Eugene
| | Eugene, Ore. | |
| Member | posts 29 |
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First, I'd like to thank all of the regular posters to this forum who have helped me set up and become familiar with my first-ever travel trailer. I've been lurking for a couple of weeks, making tiered shopping lists (now, soon, later, lottery win).
I wish you could have taught me how to back it up without giving my wife a coronary. "LEFT! STOP! STRAIGHTEN OUT! STOP!" I was hilariously inept. You could smell my burning clutch throughout the neighborhood. That might need to go on my shopping list (marriage counseling, now; clutch, soon).
What a cool trailer, even if I can only make it go forward. I've been looking at small, lightweight trailers for several years (Scamps, Casitas, T@bs), mostly wistfully, but a serendipitous visit to George M. Sutton RV in Eugene a few weeks ago introduced me to the 14RB, which has as standard equipment things that are expensive options on almost all other small trailers. And it still weighs in within the upper limit of a Subaru Forester's towing capacity. We won't be highballing up the Going To The Sun Highway, but we'll get there when we get there, as my wife used to say (before I scared her speechless by almost backing into a tree).
Anyway, this forum is a wonderful resource, and even though you can't teach me how to back up, you've already helped me immeasurably in my introduction to this swell little RV. I've still got a ton to learn. Never emptied a holding tank. Never winterized. Never changed a trailer tire. I'm not going to be building any custom dinette mods or TV stands like some of the talented owners here have done. But I do appreciate the photos of great storage solutions and over-the-door organizers and, oh yeah, that cool backspash treatment that a couple of you have installed. Getting a couple of sheets of that stuff this weekend before the maiden voyage to Silver Falls State Park.
I may never post again; or I may become a regular. Actually, I'm certain to have lots of questions, at least initially. I barely got my car unhitched from the trailer last night. I was on a bad angle up an incline on my steep driveway and it took a persuasive nudge from my Wonder Bar to get the hitch lock to finally lift up and let go of the ball. It appeared to be a disaster in the making, filled with powerful profanity and moments of genuine terror. I was blocking the road with my car. Would I have to drive my trailer to work? But everything eventually worked out.
OK, that's all. Hello from cool, green and beautiful Eugene, Ore. Wish me luck learning to go backwards.
Jim
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2011 Sportsmen Classic 14RB pulled by a 2012 Toyota Tacoma V6 4WD, 6-speed manual
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3:25 am
August 16, 2011
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kayaknut
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| Member | posts 376 |
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Post edited 1:31 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut
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4:31 am
August 16, 2011
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mcmanawayp
| | Richland Center, WI | |
| Member | posts 37 |
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Welcome aboard! My wife, Jean, and I are into our second season with our 14RB and have grown to love the little thing. You won't believe how often you will be approached at gas stations and rest stops by folks who want to know all about your "baby trailer"! Have fun!
Paul McManaway
Richland Center, WI
2011 14RB
2006 Chrysler Town and Country, 3.8 V6, Factory Tow Package
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6:40 am
August 16, 2011
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Shomeyrwit
| | South East Texas | |
| Member | posts 55 |
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Congratulations and welcome to the forum.
A quick tip on unhooking a trailer on an incline, once you have backed the trailer where you want it chock the wheels and let the car ease foreward untill the trailer stops moving, then set your emergency brake and the trailer should be much easier to unhook.
The trick is that the hitch mechanism clamps on from the rear and when theres pressure on it it is very hard to unlatch.
if you get the chance take the trailer to a big empty parking lot and practice backing up into the painted lines, it will help immensly .
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7:08 am
August 16, 2011
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DougB
| | Charlotte, NC | |
| Member | posts 31 |
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Welcome to the club.
I'll 2nd the suggestion of finding a parking lot and back up following the lines. When I was first learning about an hour of that greatly improved my skills and maybe saved my marriage 
The other thing that helped me was the old suggestion of putting your hands on the bottom of the steering wheel and then turn the wheel in the direction that you want the trailer to go. Fore me it is a little more intuitive.
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7:21 am
August 16, 2011
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kayaknut
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| Member | posts 376 |
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Post edited 1:31 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut
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8:09 am
August 16, 2011
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pfidahospud
| | Post Falls, Idaho | |
| Member | posts 107 |
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Euegene-
A belated welcome to you! Nice to see another semi-west-coaster to the forum. Another potential marriage saver is the use of FRS (think walkie-talkie) to help communication when backing up. Helps keep the screaming of directions down to a minimum 
Stephen
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Tow-er: 2010 RAV4 3.5L 269 hp V6 with Tow Pkg ~ Tow-ee: 2011 Sportsmen Classic 14RB ~ Director: The wife
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4:57 pm
August 16, 2011
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Mike Magee
| | near Tulsa OK | |
| Member | posts 204 |
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Post edited 12:01 am – August 17, 2011 by Mike Magee
Eugene, congrats. I'm sure you will enjoy the trailer and the trips.
Have you weighed your tongue yet? Mine is about 350 lbs. What's the rating on the Forester for tongue weight?
Like Julie I grew up in Michigan. Farm country, west of Standish. My first backing-up experience came when I was about, oh, 12 or 14. Dad had me get into the tractor cab with him and he took me, pulling a disk, a little ways down the dirt road to a spot where he'd backed a wagon into the ditch. The wagon's flat top was about level with the road at that spot. He told me to back the disk onto the wagon and to let him know when I was done… and he walked back to the house. GULP!
Well, I jockeyed that thing around, back and forth for a while, and after 3 or 4 false starts I got a feel for how to make that disk move. Using a tractor made it easier to learn since I could see everything right out the back window of the cab. You know, you can look just about straight down at the tongue and everything. So after about 10 minutes I had it on the wagon. Walked home and told him, and he came back to inspect… said the disk could have been parked a foot closer to the wagon's front, otherwise he seemed pleased (however being a contrary old coot he would not admit it out loud). We unhooked the tractor and took it home, and my brother in law came a day later to take the disk to his farm in the upper peninsula.
From that day on, I never had any fear or lack of confidence about backing up a trailer.
That doesn't mean I haven't had any adventures, however. First travel trailer we bought, in 2005, was a 23' Rockwood. Brought it home and backed into the front yard. As a precaution I asked my wife to stand back there with a 2 way radio to ensure I did not get too close to the house. Even with all that, I mucked up the end of the rain gutter… DW forgot to look UP! 
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2008 Toyota Highlander – 2011 Escape E14RB
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5:27 pm
August 16, 2011
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kayaknut
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| Member | posts 376 |
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Post edited 1:32 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut
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9:55 pm
August 16, 2011
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Eugene
| | Eugene, Ore. | |
| Member | posts 29 |
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Many thanks for the warm welcome and helpful advice, everyone. I will practice going backwards in a parking lot, and I will absolutely use the technique Shomeyrwit described for unhooking on an incline, which I'll be doing every time I park my trailer in my driveway. Found a perfect rectangular trailer dog bed today for my mutant Border Collie Ned (looks like a perfect Border Collie, only way bigger at 58 pounds). That's the other advantage of the 14RB for me over a 13-foot fiberglass egg: room for the dog.
Peace.
Jim
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2011 Sportsmen Classic 14RB pulled by a 2012 Toyota Tacoma V6 4WD, 6-speed manual
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2:42 pm
August 17, 2011
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ron_sue
| | Soddy Daisy Tennessee | |
| Member | posts 109 |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..LtfrBWzNCw Its a little silly, but it works and it helped me.
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2011 14RB /2006 dodge dakota 4×4 (giddy up 4.7l v8) (whoa prodigy p2) Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. John Muir
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4:05 pm
August 17, 2011
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bratgirl53
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After my hubby jack-knifed our camper, we began using the cell phone to communitcate back and forth. It does help alot. Of course we have been to a few places that don't have cell phone service so the walkie talkie idea sounds better. I also forgot to strap down the microwave and it slammed to the floor in pieces on our trip home.  But with all of the mishaps and our now "no longer new looking" camper, our marriage is stronger and the good times certainly out-weigh any of the problems we've had. So relax and enjoy! 
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4:33 pm
August 17, 2011
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kayaknut
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| Member | posts 376 |
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Post edited 1:32 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut
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