Rule of thumb for space to manoeuvre?

[donkmeister]

I've had my trailer out a few times and each time I am a little better at reversing.

Today, I tried to reverse through a gate at 90 degrees to a minor road, and no matter what I did, I couldn't find enough room to push the nose of the trailer round AND then have enough room to swing the nose of the car round. I just couldn't get the trailer nose past the point where it would get the trailer heading through the gate instead of back down the road, without putting the car where it could no longer be able to follow the trailer. In the end I had to unhitch and push.

So, is there a rule for the minimum space required for various manoeuvres with a trailer?

Edited by donkmeister on Saturday 17th May 18:17

[KTMsm]

Yes, generally you need more than you have

With a small trailer, it's frequently easier to just remove it, do the manoeuvre and re attach it

With a large trailer, you simply have to look before you go somewhere as generally, it's easier to reverse into it, then try to reverse out of it

[donkmeister]

KTMsm said:

Yes, generally you need more than you have

Ha, ain't that the truth!

Fortunately my first public reversing was completed successfully and made me look like I knew how to handle a trailer... Because it was in a decently large loading bay.

It was the second one, where I was trying to get through a gate where I looked like a muppet