brahmergirl
Well-known member
You know, I was thinking the other day, I've come a long ways on backing the trailer. That was absolutely the biggest dreaded thing of the whole show animal thing. Now remember I grew up in the city and never lived on the farm. The most horrifying thing I had had to encounter in helping my son to start 4-H was the trailering of the animals. Now remember, my husband grew up in a non-4-H family meaning cows were for butchering and money and not pleasure was the attitude of the family that he came from so I had very little help. He told me if I wanted to take animals to the fair, there was the truck and there was the trailer, figure it out. Now remember also, that he is a Semi driver for" a large brown truck company" who can have no accidents and must be able to back two 50 ft. trailers within inches of obstacles.
So with tears streaming down my face, I headed out to figure out how to back up to the trailer hitch and 50 passes later and a few dents in the bumper, me and the 7 year old got it hooked up. Then off to the pasture we went, we backed by the fence, between t posts, next to trees, we were feeling pretty confident then. Then we went home and had to pull in the driveway, now keep in mind this was a single wide one horse trailer so pretty short turning radius and can jackknife very easily.
So three days before the first fair I began the praying ritual to the lord above "please dear lord, let me haul that poor little bucket calf to the fair, let everything be allright, do not let me run off the road going 60 mph and turn this sardine can on wheels over. Please have mercy on any small animals that should happen to run out in front of me and I won't be able to stop for them for fear of slamming the poor bucket calf into the front of the trailer. Please do not let some idiot park in front of me, too close beside me or tell me to move my trailer after I get it there. Please do not let me have any blowouts or any other equipment malfunctions and do not let me get pulled over by the highway patrol. And most of all, please oh, please let me find a nice parking spot where I can pull straight in and be able to pull straight back out without having to back between two trailers for fear of removing their fenders. "
So we load up that morning, get on the road, the whole way there, I am sweating profusely with my knuckles a nice white color on the steering wheel, just fearing that something terrible is going to happen in the whole 6 miles to the fair. We get there and YESSSS! Straight parking spot, able to pull in, no backing and will be able to pull straight forward out!! My lucky day! Thank you lord for answering the small prayers in life! Unload the bucket calf, the panels, the show box the feed get the little critter settled. Then one of the fair board guys comes up to me and says "is that your little blue trailer" I said "yes", he said those dreaded words. You'll have to move your trailer. I instantly got nauseated. I then tried to argue "why, what's wrong with where I parked, everyone else is there? I'm sure he saw the panic on my face, "because we're not letting trailers park there this year" Well, then where do they park? "down the hill by the river. You'll have to back in and you better hurry, the places are filling up fast. the big lump then developed in my throat, I thought I was going to cry. OK, I did cry but no one saw me. I went back to the truck, sat there for a bit, looked at the 25 ft wide area that they had left for me and told myself, "you can do it, You can do it" Just don't hit anything. Well, I backed it down that hill put it within 5 feet on both sides of the trailers next to me that got impatient from waiting for me to back in and backed in while I was trying to back in. Felt good about the whole thing and then I decided I should probably unhitch it. Drat! That's what I forgot! ???The concrete block to put it on!!!! Did I mention it was on a hill??? Well, I had no blocks for behind the wheel either so oh well, it will just have to work. Unhitched and left it, pulled my truck up and parked up by the barn. Then 30 minutes later, the same fair board member said, uh, do you need some help with your trailer. I put my chest out and loudly boasted "I do not!!! I backed it just fine!!!" He said yes, you did do a good job of backing it in there but you forgot to block it and it is hanging by one wheel over the cliff by a tree. Would you like some help?
Yes...
He found bricks and we saved the wide one horse from plunging to it's death on the side of the river bank.
Just had to share this story for all those first time 4-H moms who fear the backing of the trailer. You know you're out there, you just don't want to admit it.
Brahmer
So with tears streaming down my face, I headed out to figure out how to back up to the trailer hitch and 50 passes later and a few dents in the bumper, me and the 7 year old got it hooked up. Then off to the pasture we went, we backed by the fence, between t posts, next to trees, we were feeling pretty confident then. Then we went home and had to pull in the driveway, now keep in mind this was a single wide one horse trailer so pretty short turning radius and can jackknife very easily.
So three days before the first fair I began the praying ritual to the lord above "please dear lord, let me haul that poor little bucket calf to the fair, let everything be allright, do not let me run off the road going 60 mph and turn this sardine can on wheels over. Please have mercy on any small animals that should happen to run out in front of me and I won't be able to stop for them for fear of slamming the poor bucket calf into the front of the trailer. Please do not let some idiot park in front of me, too close beside me or tell me to move my trailer after I get it there. Please do not let me have any blowouts or any other equipment malfunctions and do not let me get pulled over by the highway patrol. And most of all, please oh, please let me find a nice parking spot where I can pull straight in and be able to pull straight back out without having to back between two trailers for fear of removing their fenders. "
So we load up that morning, get on the road, the whole way there, I am sweating profusely with my knuckles a nice white color on the steering wheel, just fearing that something terrible is going to happen in the whole 6 miles to the fair. We get there and YESSSS! Straight parking spot, able to pull in, no backing and will be able to pull straight forward out!! My lucky day! Thank you lord for answering the small prayers in life! Unload the bucket calf, the panels, the show box the feed get the little critter settled. Then one of the fair board guys comes up to me and says "is that your little blue trailer" I said "yes", he said those dreaded words. You'll have to move your trailer. I instantly got nauseated. I then tried to argue "why, what's wrong with where I parked, everyone else is there? I'm sure he saw the panic on my face, "because we're not letting trailers park there this year" Well, then where do they park? "down the hill by the river. You'll have to back in and you better hurry, the places are filling up fast. the big lump then developed in my throat, I thought I was going to cry. OK, I did cry but no one saw me. I went back to the truck, sat there for a bit, looked at the 25 ft wide area that they had left for me and told myself, "you can do it, You can do it" Just don't hit anything. Well, I backed it down that hill put it within 5 feet on both sides of the trailers next to me that got impatient from waiting for me to back in and backed in while I was trying to back in. Felt good about the whole thing and then I decided I should probably unhitch it. Drat! That's what I forgot! ???The concrete block to put it on!!!! Did I mention it was on a hill??? Well, I had no blocks for behind the wheel either so oh well, it will just have to work. Unhitched and left it, pulled my truck up and parked up by the barn. Then 30 minutes later, the same fair board member said, uh, do you need some help with your trailer. I put my chest out and loudly boasted "I do not!!! I backed it just fine!!!" He said yes, you did do a good job of backing it in there but you forgot to block it and it is hanging by one wheel over the cliff by a tree. Would you like some help?
Yes...
He found bricks and we saved the wide one horse from plunging to it's death on the side of the river bank.
Just had to share this story for all those first time 4-H moms who fear the backing of the trailer. You know you're out there, you just don't want to admit it.
Brahmer
