I’ll be the first to admit that when I started RVing I was absolutely clueless about how to back my 5th wheel. I remember very distinctly trying to put it on a site in the middle of a virtually empty campground. The sites were all grass, tons of space between them and no obstacles. It probably took me about 30 minutes before I finally gave up and decided to sleep in it ‘as is’ even though it was sitting cockeyed. Fast forward 12 years. I had to take the RV in for body work. Eddie’s Truck Center in Box Elder SD was able to schedule my work quickly and even sent someone out to the campground to check the damage before the work was done.

I took it in the next morning and asked if they wanted me to back it into a bay. They said they would move it in with a forklift and I could just unhitch in the middle of the lot. I did that and went out for breakfast. Halfway through the meal they called me back and said they couldn’t move it with their forklift. They wanted me to come back and put it in the bay.

12 years ago, I would’ve shown up and just handed them the keys to the truck. But with that much practice under my belt I felt pretty confident. FYI, the RV is 8.5 ft wide not counting the rolled up awnings and 40 ft long. The bay door was 12 ft wide. The open space in front of the bays was adequate and I managed to get it in place in less than 5 minutes. I was taking things very slowly since I didn’t want to cause any more damage. It’s not something I’d like to do on a frequent basis but it’s great to know I can.

I was able to pick it up the next day and the repairs look great. Now, for the awnings and topper replacement.