# Ford is trying to dumb down Americans even more. A Mini Reversed Steering Wheel



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

If someone can't figure out how to back up a trailer they have no business pulling a trailer. I'd like to see what percentage of the population can back a wagon into a shed.

2016 Ford F-150 Has Mini Reversed Steering Wheel For Driving Backwards

http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/2016-ford-f-150-has-mini-reversed-steering-wheel-for-dr-1706027578


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I agree, but it'll sell like hot cakes.


----------



## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

I agree too, if you can't back it up you shouldn't be pulling it.

I'd like to see that Ford backup thingy work if you have something like an anhydrous tank hooked up. I don't have near enough practice backing them up. had a hell of a time trying to back one into the neighbors shed with my pickup.


----------



## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

That's fer them city slickers that can't drive. Forward or backwards for that matter.


----------



## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

They'll be using their fancy knob and screen when the corner of their trailer clips something back there when they could've easily seen the obstacle if looking at their mirrors. But, but, I didn't see it. It wasn't in my screen. Now they're taking an incompetent steering wheel holder and making them more incompetent. Maybe use the knob and your mirrors? And Ford uses a boat trailer as an example. How bout using that screen to back a 16' (F150 you know) stock trailer to an alley.


----------



## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

maybe they should just put a video game controller in there, it might help the younger generation


----------



## bbos2 (Mar 20, 2015)

As u can see from the start the guy in the ad is backing a boat. I doubt you'll see this used around the farm. More for guys that buy trucks only for boats, snowmobiles or 8' lawnmower trailer


----------



## Bishop (Apr 6, 2015)

My father-in-law was unsure about me 20 years ago when I started dating my future wife until I backed one of his wagons into the shed in one shot. After that I was golden.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I'd rather see Ford make more improvements under the hood.


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I will never forget the time a guy came from NJ to buy a couple steers from me. He claimed to have a couple farms yada yada yada. He couldn't back a suburban and 20 ft livestock trailer to save his life. Took about 10 minutes to back up to the chute. I was in a hurry and pulling my hair out....We ran three steers in. I asked if he wanted to swing the center gate and lock them in the front half of the trailer. He looked at me dumb and said. "No lets give them room"...I bet he had fun when all three 1000 lb animals went to the back of the trailer during his 2 hour drive....


----------



## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I have a hard enough time trying to use a reverse camera instead of mirrors. Mirrors I can usually snag a trailer ball in 2 shots, backup camera takes me 4-5 tries.


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

After years of backing bumper pull trailers and farm equipment, I often find that I cannot back up without something behind me.

Ralph


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> I have a hard enough time trying to use a reverse camera instead of mirrors. Mirrors I can usually snag a trailer ball in 2 shots, backup camera takes me 4-5 tries.


I don't even like to use the reverse mirror in parking lots to back up. Never mind with a trailer.


----------



## NebTrac (Aug 12, 2014)

I do know one thing. When you're backing a piece of equipment into the shed and your wife is helping watch. Do not use the words. "Tell me when I hit something".

Troy


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

If it helps someone, who cares?


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I was talking yesterday to a cousin who drives vehicles around for the local Ford Dealer. He said the new F150s shut down at stop lights and such then when you take your foot off the brake they start up fast and go. He says it was just like what the hybrids do. But very disconcerting the first time he transported one. He thought it stalled. I'm just not sure if its good for a truck to start every time you stop.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

8350HiTech said:


> If it helps someone, who cares?


That's true. Maybe next time that haybuyer comes and where he would have spend 20 minutes backing his trailer up it will only take 10.


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I don't think its a BAD thing, its just amazing that new inventions come out just to eliminate something that anyone can do with some practice. Next it will be a shoe tying machine...Its also interesting that instead of learning to back a trailer people will be willing to work extra hours to earn the money to buy the option....

In my days of Saturday night dirt track racing it was a real pain to go from backing a wagon in the morning to backing a trailer at night...every sat night I would start backing the trailer like a wagon. Then I would stop pull forward and correct, then I was fine...


----------



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Teslan said:


> I was talking yesterday to a cousin who drives vehicles around for the local Ford Dealer. He said the new F150s shut down at stop lights and such then when you take your foot off the brake they start up fast and go. He says it was just like what the hybrids do. But very disconcerting the first time he transported one. He thought it stalled. I'm just not sure if its good for a truck to start every time you stop.


I can see that being ok with a Hybrid, we had one, because it first starts off with electric motor which has a lot torque and then once you're moving the engine will start pretty seamless, can't really hardly tell it's happening. But a gas engine only starting up from the get go, not sure I'd like that.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Grateful11 said:


> I can see that being ok with a Hybrid, we had one, because it first starts off with electric motor which has a lot torque and then once you're moving the engine will start pretty seamless, can't really hardly tell it's happening. But a gas engine only starting up from the get go, not sure I'd like that.


 Yes hybrids are proven in that regard.


----------



## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

PaMike said:


> I will never forget the time a guy came from NJ to buy a couple steers from me. He claimed to have a couple farms yada yada yada. He couldn't back a suburban and 20 ft livestock trailer to save his life. Took about 10 minutes to back up to the chute. I was in a hurry and pulling my hair out....We ran three steers in. I asked if he wanted to swing the center gate and lock them in the front half of the trailer. He looked at me dumb and said. "No lets give them room"...I bet he had fun when all three 1000 lb animals went to the back of the trailer during his 2 hour drive....


Isn't that the truth. Waiting on someone to back a trailer to a chute. Especially a CDL driver. Course, every driver i've met from PA has been spot on. Couple drivers from Honey Locust come to mind.


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

8350HiTech said:


> If it helps someone, who cares?


And pays attention!

Ralph


----------



## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

8350HiTech said:


> If it helps someone, who cares?


Because if they can't do it without it, they will be more dangerous with it.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Wasn't ford first with the "park assist" feature, too? You know, where the car parks itself?
At least Ford is being innovative, proactive and Not taking bailouts from taxpayers, then firing all the non Union employees and giving the union employees ownership of the company. 
I like Ford in that way. Once they get this 6.7L (their 4th diesel variant in the last 15 years) fixed up right, I think they'll be on the right track. Dodge is really looking good, too. Their 2500-3500/4500/5500 series in making Ford have to work a lot harder 
That way we all win.


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

deadmoose said:


> Because if they can't do it without it, they will be more dangerous with it.


I'd love to see that notion quantified somehow.


----------



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

I think what he's saying is that once someone gets used to having it and then they have to backup something without it they won't have a clue, hence more dangerous.

Backing a trailer has always required practice in my book.

Now I think backing a wagon is part practice and part luck sometimes everything goes perfect with a wagon and sometimes it's like getting a fart hung cross ways.


----------



## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

8350HiTech said:


> I'd love to see that notion quantified somehow.


That may not happen today. What is 10 % of 20,000? Easy, right? What if someone relied only on a calculator to answer that? They may give the correct answer, but have no idea how they arrivethe solution. Next time something changes slightly (for example a dumpster that Jon Doe is gonna hit with his front quarter panel).

Bottom line tools that make it easier for stupid people doesn't change the fact that said person is stupid.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

deadmoose said:


> That may not happen today. What is 10 % of 20,000? Easy, right? What if someone relied only on a calculator to answer that? They may give the correct answer, but have no idea how they arrivethe solution. Next time something changes slightly (for example a dumpster that Jon Doe is gonna hit with his front quarter panel).
> Bottom line tools that make it easier for stupid people doesn't change the fact that said person is stupid.


On that same note, and not to highjack, but I see where Virginia iirc.....doesn't make new drivers parallel park for drivers tests  .........


----------



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

I've been driving for longer than some of you have been alive and I didn't have to parallel park for the drivers test, I've never heard anyone ever say they had to in NC. Made me do a 3 point turn for some reason though.


----------



## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

So who's gonna pay when the first idiot jacknifes it into the side of the bed of their shiny new F-150? Or when they back that boat into my truck? Or clip my truck with the nose of theirs that's steering itself? Ford or the owner?

I am a Ford truck man but come on.... If you can't back a trailer, DONT PULL A TRAILER.


----------



## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

If someone can't take time to learn to back a trailer then don't pull it. Drivers should have to do a three point turn and parallel park to get their license. Made our kids (girl and boy) learn to back a trailer. Also won't let them use GPS when finding places fairly close to home, GPS another breeder of stupidity good when used in the right way but don't ever get dependent on a damn machine that can quit in the blink of an eye I know some teenage boys I don't think can find the men's room without the GPS on their Iphone this trailer backing device is just for them. Agree completely with Deadmoose Personally I like to see people who work to learn new things get ahead of people who depend on all of the latest technology or always take the easy way out.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

cornshucker said:


> If someone can't take time to learn to back a trailer then don't pull it. Drivers should have to do a three point turn and parallel park to get their license. Made our kids (girl and boy) learn to back a trailer. Also won't let them use GPS when finding places fairly close to home, GPS another breeder of stupidity good when used in the right way but don't ever get dependent on a damn machine that can quit in the blink of an eye I know some teenage boys I don't think can find the men's room without the GPS on their Iphone this trailer backing device is just for them. Agree completely with Deadmoose Personally I like to see people who work to learn new things get ahead of people who depend on all of the latest technology or always take the easy way out.


When I took my CDL test about 30 years ago, I was soaked with sweat. My instructor said "one trip over a white or yellow line costs you 5 points" (out of a possible 100) 80 was the minimum to pass. Had to pull over on busy highway and set up for a flat tire, state the text of every road sign and what it meant while driving. Both hands on wheel. 5 points everytime one hand on wheel except for shifting or signaling. Backing the trailer to the dock was about all I could handle back then. 
I have to admit, I would struggle with passing air brake test with 100% right now.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Yep, if you can't back it up, you have no business pulling it forwards either.

Dad has talked about replacing the old grain trucks with ones with automatics so it'd be easier to find help in the fall to drive em, I told him if they can't shift em they don't need to be driving a large truck.


----------



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

OT: On the GPS thing, we have one truck that has it built-in and it works better than any I've seen yet but I still don't trust it entirely. I know how to read a map. I was always the one in the front seat of the car in the middle as there was usually Mom and Dad and my brother and 2 sisters there too and I was the youngest. They always seemed to hand me the map or I would look at it while Mom was looking at it and Dad done all the driving. I also know how to track a runaway shot deer, my late Dad taught me how to do that, I found more than one after everyone else had given up. Never got lost in the woods. Amazes me at the number of people that once in a store or parking lot they lose all sense of direction.


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

I just don't understand the attitude here. It's basically "do it the way grandpao did or it's not right". Things change. Someone came up with an invention. Innovation isn't going to stop. The world isn't going to suddenly experience more trailer accidents.


----------



## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Teslan said:


> I was talking yesterday to a cousin who drives vehicles around for the local Ford Dealer. He said the new F150s shut down at stop lights and such then when you take your foot off the brake they start up fast and go. He says it was just like what the hybrids do. But very disconcerting the first time he transported one. He thought it stalled. I'm just not sure if its good for a truck to start every time you stop.


Last week I was in Denmark and I noticed that all of the diesel Mercedes Taxis did that. One of the drivers told me it was linked to the brakes. It shuts down after a stop and fires back up when you let your foot off. I was surprised how smooth it was, The guy told me that there was a significant fuel savings with it because of the stop and go traffic in Copenhagen. This week was the first week where I've had to go into my office all week during the Houston rush hour traffic in a number of years and it reduced my average by over 2 MPG.


----------



## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

8350HiTech said:


> I just don't understand the attitude here. It's basically "do it the way grandpao did or it's not right". Things change. Someone came up with an invention. The world isn't going to suddenly experience more trailer accidents.


Deal with the world like it is, not how you'd like it to be.....I love the new technology 'cause the older I get, the less flexible my joints are. I'm just too cheap to buy a new truck, but if someone came up with an automatic hookup for a trailer where I didn't have to get out of the truck......I'd buy it in a minute!


----------



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

8350HiTech said:


> I just don't understand the attitude here. It's basically "do it the way grandpao did or it's not right". Things change. Someone came up with an invention. Innovation isn't going to stop. The world isn't going to suddenly experience more trailer accidents.


8350, I understand what you're saying, there's nothing wrong with innovation if there was the world still be chiseling on stone tablets but I've been backing stuff up for over 40 years and my mindset is at the point where I don't think I could use that knob. Maybe it will be great for some people. We looked at truck prices recently and nearly fall to our knees at what they're asking for them, Ford was $3-5K higher than everyone else on a similarly equipped truck and now they want to add a $4000 knob to to it. We had planned on waiting until my wife started drawing her retirement in a few years but by that time a 1/2 truck would probably be well over $60K and decided to bite the bullet and get one now.

I remember my wife telling me about the time her Dad sold an old manure spreader back in the 60's and he had to go to town for something and told her to take care of it if the guy came to pick it up while he was gone. Well sure enough he showed up with a truck and trailer and her Dad was still gone and she didn't trust the guy to drive the tractor so she told him she would put it on the trailer and he kinda of snickered and made some sorta comment, she backed it on the trailer first try and he kept his mouth shut after that. I think she was 8 or 9 years old. She was already bringing silage wagons at that age to the blower on the silos with the 140 so backing a manure spreader onto a trailer was a piece of cake for her.


----------



## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

8350HiTech said:


> I just don't understand the attitude here. It's basically "do it the way grandpao did or it's not right". Things change. Someone came up with an invention. Innovation isn't going to stop. The world isn't going to suddenly experience more trailer accidents.


There are some things granpda did right. No need to fix what is not broken.

This is also the kind of thing that basically becomes standard equipment. And then it gets pushed into the price whether you buy or not.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Mike120 said:


> Last week I was in Denmark and I noticed that all of the diesel Mercedes Taxis did that. One of the drivers told me it was linked to the brakes. It shuts down after a stop and fires back up when you let your foot off. I was surprised how smooth it was, The guy told me that there was a significant fuel savings with it because of the stop and go traffic in Copenhagen. This week was the first week where I've had to go into my office all week during the Houston rush hour traffic in a number of years and it reduced my average by over 2 MPG.


 I was wondering if the starting would be quick enough in stop and go traffic? Though maybe Houston traffic stopping is longer then it is in Denver. I can understand at stop lights. So I guess if they have been doing that in Europe for awhile I suppose it is fairly reliable. I guess it might just be a mindset to change for anyone maybe over 40 who grew up with vehicles that used more fuel just to start then idling.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Mike120 said:


> Deal with the world like it is, not how you'd like it to be.....I love the new technology 'cause the older I get, the less flexible my joints are. I'm just too cheap to buy a new truck, but if someone came up with an automatic hookup for a trailer where I didn't have to get out of the truck......I'd buy it in a minute!


 You would think someone would come up with trailer hitches based on something like train car hitches, but would have to account with up and down movement that trains don't have.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Mike120 said:


> Last week I was in Denmark and I noticed that all of the diesel Mercedes Taxis did that. One of the drivers told me it was linked to the brakes. It shuts down after a stop and fires back up when you let your foot off. I was surprised how smooth it was, The guy told me that there was a significant fuel savings with it because of the stop and go traffic in Copenhagen. This week was the first week where I've had to go into my office all week during the Houston rush hour traffic in a number of years and it reduced my average by over 2 MPG.


Cousin in Englands new Volvo does the same thing, drives him absolutely nuts, last I heard he was thinking about returning it.


----------



## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Grateful11 said:


> I've been driving for longer than some of you have been alive and I didn't have to parallel park for the drivers test, I've never heard anyone ever say they had to in NC. Made me do a 3 point turn for some reason though.


I had to parallel park a FRIGGIN SCHOOL BUS, in a blinding rain, when I took my driving test for my CDL... course I was still about a foot and a half away from the curb, but the test guy just waved me on... I think it was more for kicks than anything...

Still, I think it's a good thing to test... maybe not necessarily flunk you if you can't do it, but at least to show people their limitations... as Clint Eastwood said-- "A man's GOT to know his limitations!"

Later! OL JR


----------



## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

8350HiTech said:


> I just don't understand the attitude here. It's basically "do it the way grandpao did or it's not right". Things change. Someone came up with an invention. Innovation isn't going to stop. The world isn't going to suddenly experience more trailer accidents.


I think it's a solution in search of a problem myself...

I think a lot of folks are worried about the total idiots that will be relying on this thing. Machines fail, and the idiots running them fail more. Been my experience anyway.

New gadgets and stuff are cool and CAN *potentially* be a real help, but a lot of times new fangled stuff is rushed out without the bugs being worked out of it, and it gives a lot of morons too much confidence to do stuff they really have no business doing. In the end, you're right-- it's a wash-- not the end of the world nor the salvation of it, but just replacing one set of problems with another...

Guess what-- I make my ten year old daughter read the maps and choose the roads for us and alternative routes when we drive to Indiana (and other places), and give reasons for why she'd do it that way... EVERY kid should learn how to read a map, navigate by the stars, get a sense of direction, etc. I also put her behind the wheel of the farm truck with the trailer and make her back up with it, keep it straight, turn a little with it, etc. Put her on the riding mower and walked alongside while she ran it-- she's not quite comfortable with it but we'll work on it little by little til she is. That's how I learned-- riding mower, then the tractors.

It's like autosteer... it's a handy thing to have, and a good tool on a long day and in a dark night, but I wouldn't trust anybody to run equipment for me that RELIED on it because they were incapable of running the machine properly otherwise. It's like planter monitors or automatic settings on combines for different crops... they're wonderful TOOLS, but they're the STARTING POINT, NOT the *end point*. IOW, there's NO substitute for actually getting out of the cab, getting down on one knee, and digging up some seed trenches behind the planter to see what's REALLY going on-- how the seed is spaced and placed, depth, closing, trench sidewall, etc. Same thing with combines... there's NO substitute for getting down out of the cab and looking under/behind the header to see header losses (to fine tune the adjustments to the snapping plate clearance, or the position or speed of the reel on platforms, sickle condition, operating height, etc.) and looking behind the combine to detect losses over the cleaning shoe, for threshing speed/clearance tweaking, chaffer, sieve, and cleaning air adjustments, throughput speed and volume checks (to make sure the machine isn't overloaded for the conditions, etc.

The point is, you can put a trained monkey in a modern combine with autosteer and auto-adjust everything, but you'll NEVER get as good a result as you will from a well-experienced OPERATOR that doesn't rely SOLELY on the gadgets, but instead knows how and why the machine is doing certain things and how to make it work BETTER...

I think that's the main point folks are making here... and yes, there's a certain PRIDE in having put in the time and effort to hone such skills, and a tendency (rightly so IMHO) to look down on "the usual idiots" who are too lazy or stupid or both to put in the time and effort to "go beyond the gadget"...

Like my BIL's nephew who's too lazy or stupid to even get a driver's license... 

All IMHO... Later! OL JR


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Personally I have a built in GPS in my Cummins from Kenwood, uses Garmin maps. Then I keep one in the hay truck and another in the wife's Jeep.

It'a nice to just get the buyers address after the sale, punch it in and drive right to their house without having to remember directions that are most often less than clear, especially since I don't live in that area.

The wife has literally no sense of direction so much easier to just punch the address in for her when I send her after parts.

After her cardiac incident incident in 2008 sometimes her memory is non existent, much less stressful on the wife to turn the GPS on and hit the "Go Home" button than to call me and try to tell me where she's at and get directions home.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I can't believe 4500/5500 series trucks don't have air brakes yet. You don't know brakes until you've driven them.


----------



## snowball (Feb 7, 2015)

PaMike said:


> I don't think its a BAD thing, its just amazing that new inventions come out just to eliminate something that anyone can do with some practice. Next it will be a shoe tying machine...Its also interesting that instead of learning to back a trailer people will be willing to work extra hours to earn the money to buy the option....


The retarded son in law is the reason for those worthless options All this means is now the idiot will think he is capable of pulling a trailer...... the reason ford use's a boat trailer in their adds is because that is the only thing they can pull...... is the trailer.. NO boat


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

PaMike said:


> Next it will be a shoe tying machine......


They already have that. Velcro straps.


----------



## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

When I got out of school (ancient history) I did trigonometry in the field with a slide rule and a Smoley's Combined Tables book. After a while, I could do a lot of the calculations in my head. I had also memorized lots of formulas. Now I do everything with computers and all of that old knowledge long forgotten. If the apocalypse occurred I might be able to remember some of it, but I suspect I'd be more concerned about food, water, and shelter than solving engineering problems. That knowledge is obsolete.

Also years past, the US Department of Education was playing around with the concept of "national skill standards" and I got volunteered to work with them. Pretty much a non-productive effort but I did learn a lot about the half-life of knowledge where, at a point, half of everything you know is obsolete. It's different in every industry and dependent on rates of innovation/adoption, complexity, etc. At issue though, was "What fundamental, foundational knowledge do you teach the youth to enable them to innovate in the future?" You'd be surprised how hard that question is to answer. Kids right now are not really learning quantum mathematics but it will likely be very important in the future. Jr. High algebra is a reasonable foundation but they won't be learning it at the same level of mathematical depth and sophistication......How much is really necessary?

Right now Mercedes and Freightliner have introduced semi-autonomous trucks and auto parallel parking has been available for cars for some time. So really, how many kids will really need to know how to backup a trailer??


----------



## ForemanTX (May 7, 2012)

The only time I have trouble with trailers and it takes me few attempts is getting my Baler backed into one the 8ft stalls in the barn when its hooked to the back of my 25ft GN. My backup camera works good backing up to bumper pull trailers,puts you right on it,the only time I seen that it was an issue is going from the sun to the shade inside barn you lose the drop hitch and cant see. 90% of my pulling thou is GN and wish they had put one in bed also. I can get it close alot of the times,I still need to jump back in and come back that little more.


----------



## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Been complimented twice on backing up trailer. The combination: Crew cab dually and 14 ft bumper pull trailer. Once in town one way street and cars parked both sides. That was tight. The other took friends snowmobile to shop and backed into shop. They said you can back up good. Just kind of look at them and tell them in not that hard. I don't think i could use that feature,would mess me up. It is frustrating watching hay customers back up trailers to get hay. Just want to ask them if they want me to do it. Some can't even back up a truck in general.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Well, one thing you can say is that it's better to see that FORD invented it than Toyota, BMW, etc. 
Ford, for all its faults, is a very innovative company.i


----------



## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Teslan said:


> I was talking yesterday to a cousin who drives vehicles around for the local Ford Dealer. He said the new F150s shut down at stop lights and such then when you take your foot off the brake they start up fast and go. He says it was just like what the hybrids do. But very disconcerting the first time he transported one. He thought it stalled. I'm just not sure if its good for a truck to start every time you stop.


I hope they have improved their starter motors.....


----------



## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Interesting thread, haven't been around much this year, too busy setting up my shooting range, getting rifles sighted in, working around the farm and enjoying retirement from my day job even though I still work part time.

I have to say that backing a hay wagon, or an an nurse tank or anything with a double pivot can be an experience in frustration. I can back a set of double trailers (with a stinger and second fifth wheel) easier than I can back a hay wagon. I back doubles all the time. Trick is getting them straight, holding the bottom of the steering wheel and not moving it much.

Most people today cannot back for up (trailer) for squat and I see some interesting lods of things going down the road everyday. I have to scratch my head in wonderment that it's not an accident waiting to happen........


----------



## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

luke strawwalker said:


> I had to parallel park a FRIGGIN SCHOOL BUS, in a blinding rain, when I took my driving test for my CDL... course I was still about a foot and a half away from the curb, but the test guy just waved me on... I think it was more for kicks than anything...
> 
> Still, I think it's a good thing to test... maybe not necessarily flunk you if you can't do it, but at least to show people their limitations... as Clint Eastwood said-- "A man's GOT to know his limitations!"
> 
> Later! OL JR


When I took my Federal examiners test, I had to parallel park a conventional semi tractor with a 48 foot dry box on the back and the parking spot was a measured 65 feet. I did it in one shot with no pull ups....even amazed myself. The worst part was the official grading me. It was a State cop. I had the tandems all the way back too.


----------



## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

mlappin said:


> Cousin in Englands new Volvo does the same thing, drives him absolutely nuts, last I heard he was thinking about returning it.


On the Mercedes there is a switch on the dash to turn it off. Probably one on the Volvo also. It would likely drive me nuts as well. I have to admit though, I didn't appreciate what stop and go driving did to your MPG until I spent a week in it.

Both my kids have been hauling trailers around since before they got drivers licenses. My daughter hauls a 7 horse trailer around and it's kind of funny how some of her student's fathers have testosterone-envy attacks when they see her and her rig puling up at a horse show to unload.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Well other than the stop and start engine it's also an automatic, something about the men over there they hate automatics. Personally in a pickup, suv, or car I prefer an automatic, I get enough shifting gears from the tractors, straight trucks and semi. Our cousins also had a hard time believing that some of our cars wit the 9 speed automatics get better mileage than a stick.


----------



## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

mlappin said:


> Well other than the stop and start engine it's also an automatic, something about the men over there they hate automatics. Personally in a pickup, suv, or car I prefer an automatic, I get enough shifting gears from the tractors, straight trucks and semi. Our cousins also had a hard time believing that some of our cars wit the 9 speed automatics get better mileage than a stick.


Depends on where you are, the winding roads are fun to drive with a stick. Their cars are also much more responsive than what are sold here (that is starting to change). Our traffic rules depend on stopping people with stop signs and lights everywhere. They use roundabouts to keep everything moving. It's actually a lot more fun to drive over there than it is here. Long, straight roads work here with our distances and winding roads work with their hills/mountains and old properties lines bordered by stone walls. My daughter had to learn to drive on the left and with a stick at the same time. She prefers a stick in a car, but after hauling with a friend's stick-shift Dodge, in traffic, she's glad I bought an automatic in the Ford.

My son has a '15 Porsche 911 Turbo with an 7-speed automatic that will shift considerably faster than a human with a stick-shift. It's fun here, but it would be a lot more fun over there.


----------

