PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-561
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 561
AUGUST 1999
The most important help you need is a ground guide, someone to tell you
what’s going on behind you as you back up. When you’re backing toward your
“blind” (right) side, you can’t see enough in your right-side mirror. And it’s hard
to judge how much your trailer is turning—a setup for jackknifing.
Heading Back
Before backing, get out of the vehicle
and check the area to the sides, rear, un-
derneath and overhead for obstructions.
Back slowly, turning the steering wheel
clockwise to move the trailer to the left
and turning the wheel counterclockwise to
move the trailer to the right. Remember,
the trailer turns in the opposite direction
from the truck.
A good learning technique is to repeat-
edly turn the steering wheel in the proper
direction and then straighten it as the trailer
responds to the action of the vehicle.
Two errors to avoid are turning the steer-
ing wheel too much and holding it in the
turned position too long. Turning the wheel
too much causes the trailer to turn more
than necessary—which then requires
greater correction, and often a botched job.
Holding the wheel too long can cause the
trailer and vehicle to jackknife.
Whenever you back into a position where a turn
is required, try to back so that the trailer turns
toward the left (driver’s) side of your vehicle, so
you can look over your left shoulder.
This is much easier than backing from the oppo-
site direction, where the trailer turns toward the
right side (blind side) of your truck. Where possible, go around the block or
come in from the opposite direction.
Some people can back a trailer almost perfectly by using outside mirrors.
Others find that mirrors do not show the action of the trailer. You may find it
useful to stick your head out the window to see.
PS 561
3
PS 561
2
AUG 99
acking a trailer is really hard to do—until you’ve practiced enough. Even
practiced drivers try to avoid backing. Most of ’em will go around the block to
avoid it.
But you still have to learn how, and
you’re asking for big trouble if you put
off learning until you get a hurry-up
mission.
For practice, you need a big space,
someplace where nothing’s in your way
and where you won’t be in someone
else’s way. You can find good tips on
training layouts in these training
circulars (TCs):
For info on backing semitrailers, see
FM 21-305,
Manual for the Wheeled
Vehicle Driver
. But you need more than that info to get a good handle on backing
small, lunette-type trailers.
Trucks and
Trailers . . .
Too sharp or too fast—or both!
With hand on
BOTTOM
of steering whee
l...
...to
back
trailer
to left
... to
back
trailer
to right
TC 21-305-1, HEMTTs
TC 21-305-3, M939-series trucks
TC 21-305-4, HMMWVs
TC 21-305-5, Equipment Transporters
(Heavy, Medium and Light)
TC 21-305-6, Tractor and Semitrailer
(M915/M931/M932)
TC 21-305-7, Light Vehicles
TC 21-305-8, Medium Vehicles
TC 21-305-9, Heavy Equipment
Transporter System
TC 21-305-10, Palletized Loading System
uh, oh!
hey,
harold
!
can you
say "
ground
guide
"?
...turn left .
..
...turn right .
..
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