Jacknife

[Dray]

This past weekend I was getting ready to clean out the PU from a previous trip couple weeks ago.  I turned out of my drive to go to the end of the cul de sac (court) to do a u-turn and come back and park in front of my house.  Low and behold when I got to the bulb part of the cul de sac and started making my turn I ran out of room.  This is because there are a bunch of cars parked on the street which limits the turning radius.  So, I backed up a couple times and got out of it no problem.  But it made me wonder about jacknifing.  I wonder what happens if I turn the TV as sharp as I can one way and keep turning what will happen.  The same question for backing up.  If I start backing up and the PU all of a sudden is next to me what could potentially happen?  I imagine I could bend and break things if I'm not careful.  I don't quite know how far I can push the PU/TV in these kinds of situations.  I have a feeling I'm being overly cautious.  I guess I could practice these kinds of sticky situations in a parking lot.

Any advice?

[fallsrider]

Dray, I've never seen a TV/pup combination where you could turn sharp enough going forward to make contact between anything on the tongue of your pup and your bumper. It might be possible with a very short wheel base SUV, but I doubt it. Backing up is where you can do damage quickly.

If you want to see what your pup looks like in relation to your TV when close to the limits, have DW or a friend spot for you as you slowly back up in a parking lot until the tongue and bumper are close. Make sure you can trust your spotter to tell you quickly so you can stop! That will give you a feel for how far you can go. It is further than you think, but it can still happen pretty quickly when backing up. Our last TV had a ding in the plastic bumper where my DW tried to back up our jet ski.

[beacher]

.... I have a feeling I'm being overly cautious.  I guess I could practice these kinds of sticky situations in a parking lot.

Nah, you are just being careful.  Practice is a good idea, as well as intimately getting to know the turn limits of you rig, as stated above.

Years ago, pulling a 26' sailboat, I found myself all the way into a one way Denny's s-shaped parking lot when I discovered the turning/jack knife limits of my rig. :eyecrazy:  Although I made it out, eventually,  it would have been nice to practice ahead of time.



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[SpeakEasy]

I got myself into one of "those" situations with a u-haul trailer once. Pulled all the way into a single-entry parking lot. At the end I found that every parking spot had a car in it. I had no choice but to turn the rig around by small backing-up and going-forward turning chunks. I had to use the limits of almost jack-knifing, almost hitting cars on both ends. Since this was a rental rig, I wasn't familiar with how it would behave. I stationed the DW in back to tell me when to stop.

That's when things got interesting. After two pull-ahead-back-ups, and stopping when she told me to, I found that I wasn't making any progress at all. I stopped when she told me to, and I got out to take a look. Heck! She told me to stop too soon! There was at least 10" left to go before I would hit the car behind me!!! I looked her in the eye, summoned all my persuasive powers, and said, "Honey - I need every bit of space back here! Don't stop me until we're down to the last inch!" She still didn't trust me, but she did a lot better. I was able to get out eventually!

-Speak

[austinado16]

I got myself into one of "those" situations with a u-haul trailer once. Pulled all the way into a single-entry parking lot. At the end I found that every parking spot had a car in it. I had no choice but to turn the rig around by small backing-up and going-forward turning chunks. I had to use the limits of almost jack-knifing, almost hitting cars on both ends. Since this was a rental rig, I wasn't familiar with how it would behave. I stationed the DW in back to tell me when to stop.

That's when things got interesting. After two pull-ahead-back-ups, and stopping when she told me to, I found that I wasn't making any progress at all. I stopped when she told me to, and I got out to take a look. Heck! She told me to stop too soon! There was at least 10" left to go before I would hit the car behind me!!! I looked her in the eye, summoned all my persuasive powers, and said, "Honey - I need every bit of space back here! Don't stop me until we're down to the last inch!" She still didn't trust me, but she did a lot better. I was able to get out eventually!

-Speak

Oooh, I'll bet it was getting hot in the cab!

[mountainrev]

Yes, it is definitely possible to jacknife a popup.  Been there, done that.  I was trying to park my pup at a friend's property a couple of years ago.  I was attempting to back at a stupidly-impossible angle:  90 degree turn off a narrow driveway, up a hill, into a very tight spot.  I was being extra careful (so I thought), but then I heard/felt a sickening scraping sound.  Sure enough, I put a small (thankfully) crease in the driver's side rear fender of my nearly-new Durango.