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Old 03-19-2020, 02:29 PM   #41
jmb98
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I so agree with your wife learning to tow your rig! Hubby (former CDL) had been gradually letting me take the wheel of our F350 DRW (41' 5er) on our travels, but I prefer to take pics since I'm the only one who can.

Last June, we were at a park in Redmond, OR & he was having me back into our space over & over again. My stomach churned as I wondered if something was going to happen & that maybe I needed to do this. Sure enough, while visiting family in Northern California, hubby had a stroke in August, just after his birthday. During the month of hospital & rehab, I moved the trailer 3 times between parks & spaces, and once he was out of the facilities, drove home from San Jose to our park in Mesa, AZ.

Hubby was cleared to drive last week, so we're sharing the driving duties & arrived yesterday in Oregon for my son's wedding. That doesn't mean he's not correcting me or giving advice constantly (he is), but we know my helping him is a necessity & one we were prepared for, to some extent.

Your wife should learning *everything* about your job setting up & taking down, including hooking & unhooking -- which is my job, post-stroke. It's our new normal, yet if we want to continue fulltiming, we do what we have to do.
 
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Old 03-19-2020, 05:49 PM   #42
florencesak@aol.com
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Wife driving.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie 3931fb View Post
Dont know what thread to put this under. My wife wants to help me with the towing of the Montana. Does anyone know of a school that might help train here in towing. She is a good driver but when we are in tow she scares me to death. I think if there was a class that she might learn how to tow. Thanks for all your help in this matter.

Charlie
It just makes sense to have her at least handle the rig on an open road. You never know when you could become ill or hurt and someone has to get that baby either off the road or to your destination. I was lucky, before I married, my wife showed horses and dragged around a six horse trailer.
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Old 03-19-2020, 10:54 PM   #43
JustEd
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Quote:
Originally Posted by McRod View Post
Horrible advice and examples.

If your friend had a medical emergency at his house she'd be doing the same thing. When an emergency happens, you don't need to worry about the RV. Just focus on the emergency. People who have formal training know this already.

If it were to happen while driving down the road, there is no amount of training that is going teach a person to jump into the driver's seat while occupied by a driver and continue driving down the road. No need for fear mongering examples.

Driving is more than turning a steering wheel and pressing the gas pedal.

I learned how to drive heavy equipment in the Army. Feel free to pick up a rifle if you want to follow that path.
I couldn't disagree more with your opinion and horrible advice and example.

The best advice I've read here is from those that advise seeking a driving school, or someone that has not only the experience ....but who knows how to teach.

I also learned how to drive 5th wheel type vehicles all over Europe, and England while serving there. Hauling everything from bombs, bullets to medical supplies.

I will agree with you on point though. "Driving is more than turning a steering wheel and pressing the gas pedal".

I spent 10 years as a Truck Driving School instructor and director. I have the awards to show for it, and the hundreds of drivers safely driving out on the nation's highways.

I have turned away would-be instructors from my school because they didn't know how to teach, what they knew. Granted they were great drivers but lacked the teaching skills necessary to pass along their driving skills. Being a great driver is not good enough alone, to teach others how.

Smart husbands know to turn the teaching over to someone else.

I'm retired now, but still, get called to teach others how to handle the intricacies of not only 5th wheels but travel trailers as well.

Those that tell others that driving and backing trailers, is simple and easy, usually are only speaking from their own experience. Not everyone is suited to the task, and it's a 'teacher' that will focus, 'not on what you as a driver know, but what the student is having difficulty grasping.

Ask yourself this one question. 'How many ways are there to teach someone to back a 5th wheel trailer' ?... If you answered with any number other than, infinite, then you probably shouldn't be trying to teach.

For those that would contemplate a school, talk with and question your instructor. Ask him/her questions that you might already know the answer to. See how they answer, and/or explain their answer. Not all driving school instructors know how to teach. It's important, so that you get the training you want, and don't waste money if you are paying.

As a teacher/instructor with hundreds of students gone through my classes, I told every student this: If you can't grasp the subject, it is not your fault...it is mine.

In 10 years of training students, I only had 2 that didn't obtain a license.
One that had narcolepsy and fell asleep during his drive test.
The other completed the class but was too eager to join her boyfriend in his truck, that she skipped the DMV test. She even had the nerve to call me and ask me how to illegally run more than one log.

Nuff said.
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Old 03-20-2020, 05:40 AM   #44
Woodyswanch
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Hi. I'm a wife so thought I'd put in my 2 cents. I think both spouses should know how to drive if even just for an emergency. I am 68. I can hook up and drive our 42ft 3791RD. I do ALL the backing up! I learned on a 34ft living quarters horse trailer all by myself (in my 50s). It's not that hard. It's not rocket science. Practice makes perfect. I can back around a tree in a campsite if needed. Let her practice in a huge warehouse parking lot. She should definitely know how to maneuver corners, not just straight roads. She doesn't have to backup but it would be good just to get that feel in an open lot. I have never scratched our 40' or 42' Montanas (whereas my husband has scratched/ gouged both of ours on trees while turning). Remember to have her look UP at the top of the trailer when turning if in a city etc to clear those light posts or signs on edge of road. It's not always only if the wheels are clear. Good luck. At least she wants to learn. You had to learn at one point also. Women have great spacial awareness.
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Old 03-20-2020, 07:31 AM   #45
JustEd
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodyswanch View Post
Hi. I'm a wife so thought I'd put in my 2 cents. I think both spouses should know how to drive if even just for an emergency. I am 68. I can hook up and drive our 42ft 3791RD. I do ALL the backing up! I learned on a 34ft living quarters horse trailer all by myself (in my 50s). It's not that hard. It's not rocket science. Practice makes perfect. I can back around a tree in a campsite if needed. Let her practice in a huge warehouse parking lot. She should definitely know how to maneuver corners, not just straight roads. She doesn't have to backup but it would be good just to get that feel in an open lot. I have never scratched our 40' or 42' Montanas (whereas my husband has scratched/ gouged both of ours on trees while turning). Remember to have her look UP at the top of the trailer when turning if in a city etc to clear those light posts or signs on edge of road. It's not always only if the wheels are clear. Good luck. At least she wants to learn. You had to learn at one point also. Women have great spacial awareness.
Super, and very appropriate comments. Good for you.
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Old 03-20-2020, 09:15 AM   #46
McRod
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JustEd View Post
I couldn't disagree more with your opinion and horrible advice and example.

The best advice I've read here is from those that advise seeking a driving school, or someone that has not only the experience ....but who knows how to teach.

I also learned how to drive 5th wheel type vehicles all over Europe, and England while serving there. Hauling everything from bombs, bullets to medical supplies.

I will agree with you on point though. "Driving is more than turning a steering wheel and pressing the gas pedal".

I spent 10 years as a Truck Driving School instructor and director. I have the awards to show for it, and the hundreds of drivers safely driving out on the nation's highways.

I have turned away would-be instructors from my school because they didn't know how to teach, what they knew. Granted they were great drivers but lacked the teaching skills necessary to pass along their driving skills. Being a great driver is not good enough alone, to teach others how.

Smart husbands know to turn the teaching over to someone else.

I'm retired now, but still, get called to teach others how to handle the intricacies of not only 5th wheels but travel trailers as well.

Those that tell others that driving and backing trailers, is simple and easy, usually are only speaking from their own experience. Not everyone is suited to the task, and it's a 'teacher' that will focus, 'not on what you as a driver know, but what the student is having difficulty grasping.

Ask yourself this one question. 'How many ways are there to teach someone to back a 5th wheel trailer' ?... If you answered with any number other than, infinite, then you probably shouldn't be trying to teach.

For those that would contemplate a school, talk with and question your instructor. Ask him/her questions that you might already know the answer to. See how they answer, and/or explain their answer. Not all driving school instructors know how to teach. It's important, so that you get the training you want, and don't waste money if you are paying.

As a teacher/instructor with hundreds of students gone through my classes, I told every student this: If you can't grasp the subject, it is not your fault...it is mine.

In 10 years of training students, I only had 2 that didn't obtain a license.
One that had narcolepsy and fell asleep during his drive test.
The other completed the class but was too eager to join her boyfriend in his truck, that she skipped the DMV test. She even had the nerve to call me and ask me how to illegally run more than one log.

Nuff said.
You basically AGREED with everything I said. Thanks for your reply.

My only real point was that people (regardless of sex) need to WANT to be in the driver's seat. They do that by showing INITIATIVE to obtain the correct training. They should not be coerced into that position by their spouse.

Many have taken this as some sort of man vs women thread. It's pretty sad we've been conditioned to respond that way.
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Old 03-20-2020, 05:53 PM   #47
Caniel
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffba View Post
https://www.rvschool.com/school-locations/

haven't used them, but it is a place top start looking at.

Just remember, once she goes to school she will be able to tell you all that you are doing wrong.
My wife and I used them while we were in Flordia visiting the kids before leaving for Alaska. Take a look at their website. They have instructors scattered about the country.

I grew up on a dairy and cattle farm, my wife a strict city kid who never even drove a pickup before we got our Mountaineer.

We purchased the 2 six-hour days of training. Joe had a basic syllabus but was willing to alter it to focus on our specific needs. We used our own truck and trailer and spent a good six hours each day working on practical application driving. We hooked up in the morning and backed-in to our campsite and unhooked at the end of the day. He had us driving forward and backing up through a series of cones. We practiced a low-speed panic stop to demonstrate what that feels like. Under his guidance, my wife made legal U-Turns in places I would never have tried. One exercise had my wife drive through a community with narrow roads. There were two contractors illegally parked on the street with enough clearance for us to pass between. I won't forget the sight of two grown men doing a double-take Then dropping their tools and sprinting for their cars when they saw a woman behind the wheel.

While I signed up primarily for her to learn, I also learned things as well.
Before the training, she would drive on the Interstate from one rest stop to the next. After the training, she could drive the rig through a narrow lane road construction area and even a big box store parking lot with all of those traffic control dividers.

For us, it was worth the price of the training. Recently, we sold our Mountaineer and truck and switched to a Class A. We'll schedule driving training for her and me the next time we visit the kids in Flordia with our motor home.

Don't short change her. She is far more capable if given the chance.
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Old 03-20-2020, 07:07 PM   #48
Sdgood1
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My wife could drive and setup our 40’ eagle bus with the toad! No problem with our 35’ Montana, she found that it bending in the middle actually made it easier. Parking lots at nite are a good place to practice. Of course driving her 3 horse trailer around helped with the transition to the bigger unit.
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Old 03-22-2020, 08:38 PM   #49
joe lamel
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RV Driving School is definitely, a good way to go
We took the 2 driver 2 day course and both learned a lot. Our instructor was an excellent teacher, and was well worth the expense.
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Old 03-27-2020, 04:06 PM   #50
Blackshadow
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Wife here. Take the rally driving class!!!!!
As an experienced farm gal used to driving everything from a garden tractor to a combine, backing up was my fear. I took the driving class , and with instructors tips, I backed it in the first time. Best class ever!!!
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Old 03-27-2020, 06:33 PM   #51
Daryles
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2019 Fall Rally Ladies Driving School Graduate, DW, navigator, and now expert co-driver.
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