Ok, Ok, I'll admit it. I can't back a trailer. At least not very well. Although this is not completely true. The trailers I can't back are the ones I can't see. The cattle trailer, for instance, is tall enough that I can see it above the back truck fenders. I can tell immediately when I've turned the truck wheel the wrong way. Yes, it takes me a couple million tries, BUT I finally get it pretty much where I want it. The real trick to backing a trailer is to sit there saying to yourself: turn the wheel exactly opposite of the way that you're thinking of turning it.
Yesterday it was the 16 ft flatbed trailer I couldn't back in the direction I wanted it. It sits so low behind the truck that if I can see it, I've already got the thing totally jackknived. It was raining hard and I had quite a few children with me fogging up the windows. The whole situation was doomed from the start as I start falling apart from all the stress.....rain, children, windows I couldn't see out of, traffic, and Blake exasperated at my inability.....
Blake's hand signals aren't the easiest to understand either. I contend that his jumping up and down waving his arms while yelling his head off isn't truly to be understood as directions I can actually follow.
Till it was all said and done I let Blake have my spot behind the wheel of the truck, and I opted to drive the loader at a snail's pace through the rain the couple miles home. It was worth it not to have to embarrass myself with that silly trailer anymore.
Perhaps I should knock off a few hours some afternoon and practice backing that trailer around until I've conquerred it. I feel like it. I like being capable of doing what I need to do when I need to do it!
~Colleen
