Backing up is not always easy with an RV, whether a big ol’ motorhome or a towable rig. How many of us have been entertained in a campground watching a new arrival struggle with backing into a campsite? Anyone who has been an RVer for very long has probably enjoyed this free entertainment.
But, the fact is, backing up does not always result in a good outcome. Many of us have sideswiped a tree or poked a hole in the siding from a tree branch that we somehow didn’t see. Or how about the times we’ve bumped into a tree stump or other object too low to the ground to see in our side mirrors?
So how about you? Have you ever struck something while backing up with your RV that caused damage that needed to be repaired?
Please feel free to leave a comment. And, remember, sometimes the poll loads kinda slow, so hang on. It may take a few moments to show up.
I ASKED the gas station attendant standing nearby to tell me if anything was behind me as I was preparing to back up. He said no. I slowly backed up and hit a portable sign. The RV bumper hooked the sign, and as I pulled forward, disfigured the sign. I said, “I thought you said there was nothing behind me.” He said, “Oh, I thought you meant a CAR!” Well, at least it wasn’t a car. The bumper lived with minor damage, they didn’t charge me for the sign, and that was that!
The first time, camping in Muskegon Michigan. I was trying to back into my site and I asked my son to spot for me because a tree was in my blind spot. With children and other campers watching, my son left his post and I backed into the tree. Minor damage to my tow vehicle. The second time, while backing into my driveway, I asked my wife to spot for me because I could not see our mailbox post. My wife watched while backed into the mailbox causing minor damage to the trailer’s lights. She was sorry but got distracted by a neighbor. That is why I wear a t-shirt that points out…”Sorry for what I said while backing up my RV.” The joys of backing up….
LMAO, made my morning. Enjoy your weekend!
Bent a bicycle but fixed it.
I never did hit anything while backing up. But I have learned long time ago two golden rules. The first is GOAL, Get Out And Look. The second is to follow the directions of One and only One spotter. Not two, not three, not four.
Maybe add “Not yet” to the nope, no problem answer.
Backing in once, a branch put a small tear in the roof. Wife now also looks up as I back in now.
No problems backing up (yet!) but did cut a corner a little tight and wrecked my slideout topper on a low hanging branch.
i backed into my own car the first time I parallel parked it in front of my house. There was no damage to the car, and the damage to the motorhome was minor enough that I never got it fixed, but I learned from that what my terrible camera is telling me.
We have not caused any damage to our 40′ Class A DP while backing up. However when parked in our large back to back RV spot at a well know Florida RV Resort, the RVer backing his coach into his RV spot decided his spot was not long enough and backed into our coach. $3000 damage to our coach which his insurance covered. There was obviously damage to his coach. Don’t see his story in the comments section.
Stay safe, Stay well.
Lol, rv? No. Truck yes. First trip with the 5er and while disconnecting the truck from the trailer I was distracted by the kids everywhere. Herded them away from the vehicle, closed the tailgate (last trailer was a TT) and drove off out of habit. The tailgate hit the 5er hitch assembly and folded into the shape of a taco. Not one of my better days.
Backing in at a State Park, I looked over the area carefully but didn’t look UP. Sure enough, a thick branch creased a bit of our rig.
I backed into a Rocky Mountain while turning around on a backroad in Colorado. Small damage to my rear bumper which my Mercedes dealer patched up but a constant reminder of the power of nature and the limitations of man, But after that my RV was officially broken in and I no longer fuss over it like it was a living being.
I will NEVER be allowed to forget the morning that I backed our Safari 25 under the five foot overhanging eve at the local tire dealership. This happened three weeks before we planned to leave for Alaska. God bless our Airstream dealer. He managed to get the repairs done in time for us to leave on schedule. He also said not to take it so hard. “I see this all the time,” he told me. “But it is rare that someone takes out all three rear panels!” he added. I’m happy to report that we had a great trip from Florida to AK where we spent a month touring on our $7000 set of Maxxis tires.
I was backing into a campsite by myself, walked the area noting any obstacles, specifically the 6” nub of a cut tree limb. I backed slowly, the site was at an angle, stopping to get out and check that tree nub every few feet so I wouldn’t hit it, all was going well, was starting to get out one last time and a camper was walking by as I was getting out and he said you’re good to go and continued walking. Against my own rules and better judgement of ensuring myself I was not going to hit it, I stupidly got back in and finished the parking of the fiver. I got out went to the passenger side looked up and saw that the right front top of my roof had a 3 foot gash along the top edge. Expensive lesson learned is do not rely on someone else’s judgement whom I don’t know. On the norm, my wife backs it in with myself providing directions.
I broke a marker light lens- easily replaced.
Yes, I damaged our RV while backing from our storage area, but the damage was all to the front. It was the third time ever that I drove our RV (30,000 miles ago) and the RV had sunk a bit and I was backing uphill. The bottom of the front cap got precariously close, and then even closer as I backed out of the site. The bottom of the front cap struck the ground and continued backing served to separate the bottom of the front cap. Additional damage to the front cap and electrical connections (as in headlights and fog lights) also occurred. 🙁 A few thousand dollars (and several months) later and we no longer sink. We also now pay much more attention to all aspects to the RV, not just the end leading the movement when the ground beneath is soft or inclined.
No problem in campsites but putting the MH in our shed last Nov. was a frustrating day. It requires backing & turning at the same time as the door faces the neighbor’s lot. It was muddy & it isn’t perfectly level so it takes a lot of GOALing. That time the mud won as the MH slid sideways pinning the awning against the door frame. With no way to just move the MH sideways, I chose to keep going backwards while turning away from the door frame. It pushed the whole awning 6″ forward bending the extension legs and tearing the awning. I left it that way all winter. This spring once I released the pressure on things it pretty much popped back into place. A little reassembly, new screws in the rear frame and hole repair tape was all it took.
Just stupid got in a hurry
Depending on what you call “minor”. I think I am getting the hang of it, but all the damage on my rig is in the back.
I nearly destroyed my new ladder on my last motorhome by backing into a post, and bent my rear bumper. Had to unbend both of them.
Backing between garage and fence with less than six inch clearance on either side, snagged an inside fence post with back awning leg. Couldn’t get close to survey damage and had to pull forward to see, loose leg on awning put three inch gash in side near rear of trailer. I had a 33 foot trailer moving it with a half ton Chevy van with extension mirrors.
I answered yes, because while backing into a site, I’d checked everything, I got out and did a walkaround even. I did not look up and missed a low hanging branch and cracked the case on the forward AC. Dumb mistake…
With the help of a friend I backed into his fence. $3,500 damage to the coach, $100 to his fence.
I answered No HOWEVER you should have an option for “No but did damage to something else.” On my first attempt to back into a space at a park I knocked down and broke the “hitching rail” that separated the back to back spaces. Cost me $30 to buy a new one.
Haven’t damaged the trailer, but have bent up the gutter on the house a bit over the driveway.
I did the exact same thing. I put a hole the size of a gutter spike/nail through the aluminum siding on our trailer. This was one of the first times I backed up our 33’ travel trailer after we purchased it.
I just put a new backup camera on my motor home & was backing out of the driveway into the front yard. My wife was guiding me but she finished while I was still backing. I backed right into a power pole in the front yard and smashed my new backup camera.
Years ago my wife knocked over a parking meter in a small town and reported it. However, nobody knew what to do about it.
i drive commercial. for now i run the yard goat three nights a week. must back up a good 100-200 times a shift (12+) hrs long.
not hit anything. but i have also been a class A driver for 40 years.
but backing up a rig is far and away different than a rv but all the workings are the same.
I was in Hatch, NM. I passed the driveway of the service station. I thought I’ll just back up a tad. Not used to the backup camera I didn’t look at it. It looked clear in my mirrors. So I proceeded to back my 43’ fifth wheel. Then I heard it…….THUG. It did a little scrape on the rear of my rig, hardly noticeable. The car I hit had a good size dent. The young lady either didn’t have a license or was scared because she said don’t worry about it. She just Wanted out of there. I felt bad but obliged.
Nope but then again 99 percent of the time I have a spotter. Oh. object is to put spotter just in behind so you can see their hand(s) that way if you are going to bump into something you have some cushion not to damaged the camper and usually when you re that close they are screaming. Only kidding. But a spotter can be a great help if you communicate well as a team.
Not yet
Not exactly a backing up problem but more of a hidden steel pipe low to the ground at a Tennessee State Park dump station. Making a tight turn into the dump station the right front found a hidden steel pipe. Just a slight bump, but still $2500 fix-it bill.
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First time in this long term rv resort ( a dump) an new to our 5th wheel, I sideswiped a post on the rv door. Got to look at it for the rest of our many years. was a constant reminder lol
I’ve done damage a couple times..both slight. Years ago while moving our Class C at a boondocking campsite to take advantage of the shade under a tree, a branch hooked the restroom crank up vent (which was up, as we’d already set up camp) while backing up and broke the plastic cover. Rather minor, except the cover for those vents are no longer available, and indeed a mystery to every RV parts store I’ve ever been to. The plastic cover snaps onto a metal frame underneath, and the whole vent is far tougher than the current flimsy excuses for vents they use today. I still don’t know what brand the old vents are..and was forced to modify slightly to install a cheap new flimsy vent. Second time was backing our new travel trailer into it’s spot in the yard..I misjudged and scraped the top rail of the chain link fence. A spot of black touch up paint fixed that.
Tapped our RV twice in the rear. Both time there was very minor damage. The first time was when I backed towards a brick wall. Only pushed the plastic bumper end cap in an inch. Being flexible plastic, once I straightened the metal bracket all was well. Not even a scratch.
The second time I did not even hear or feel the touch. The left rear cap extrusion got a line pressed in about 2” wide. Need to pull off that metal part and straighten it from behind, using a paint less dent technique.
1. My tow car assembly on the back of my motor home damaged a block wall while I was backing.
2. A tree jumped into the side of another motor home while backing. Little damage, except tree lost some bark
Lucky me, I learned from an old guy, ” walk your site, look up, down, sideways”. :”See if it is easier to back in going the other direction”. Take your time, go slow, put some sort of markers out there to line up with.”
While travelling cross country I stopped by the side of the road at an old road construction site. Needed to back up to complete a turn around when a traffic sign post jumped up right behind that I didn’t see in the camera. It hit almost dead center in the diesel exhaust extension and bent it and broke some fiberglass. Was able to fix the exhaust with some elbow grease and repair the fiberglass.