Broke down and tried the 3-second rule for backing up a trailer

I've always been awful at backing up a boat trailer. Would spend 20 minutes at the ramp in Minnesota looking like an idiot. My buddy told me to just look in the mirror for 3 seconds, then get out and check. I thought he was full of it but tried it last weekend. First time I got it lined up in two tries instead of ten. Has anyone else found a weird trick that actually makes driving easier?

2 comments

2 Comments

reeselewis12d ago

Did you ever try the "steer with your thumb" method? I heard a guy at a gas station swear by it where you just put your thumb on the bottom of the steering wheel and turn it the way you want the trailer to go. Sounds too simple to work but I tried it once with my old camper and it actually helped a little. Not as good as your buddy's trick though. For me the big thing was learning to use the mirrors differently instead of craning my neck around like a goof. That's a solid tip with the 3 second rule though.

lunashah11d ago

That 3-second rule works great until you forget which way is left and right, then it's just organized chaos.