by Grahame Pilgrim | Sep 9, 2022 | Reverse Mate News
Get someone to guide you or use a Reverse Mate the Back Up Buddy
Are you new to reversing a camper trailer or caravan? Or maybe you’ve been doing it a while but still get anxiety at the thought of reversing in a crowded campground with an audience. Either way, keep reading because we have some tips to share with you on how to smash it (in a good way) at reversing your caravan or trailer.
Line up your caravan or trailer before you start reversing
Reversing your caravan or trailer around corners or on an angle is a lot harder than reversing straight back. Aim to get your caravan or trailer as straight as possible before reversing. Of course, this is easier said than done in a crowded caravan park but if you have the space to drive forward so that you can position yourself perfectly to reverse straight backwards, this will make things a lot easier.
If you have someone to guide you, enlist their help by getting them to stand at the rear corner of your caravan. Make sure they give both verbal and hand directions and try not to lose your cool when they start making circles with their arms and you have no idea what they mean. It helps to talk about what the signals mean before you start.
Get someone to guide you or use a Reverse Mate
If you have someone to guide you, enlist their help by getting them to stand at the rear corner of your caravan. Make sure they give both verbal and hand directions and try not to lose your cool when they start making circles with their arms and you have no idea what they mean. It helps to talk about what the signals mean before you start.
If you’re travelling solo or you can’t deal with your partner’s guiding technique (it’s a common problem), grab yourself a Reverse Mate. It’s basically a system of high-vis markers that makes it much easier to see where your caravan or trailer needs to go when reversing. Here’s what the Reverse Mate looks like:
Reverse Mate
The Reverse Mate high-vis marker system comes with:
- 2 x Reverse Mate markers
- Measuring tape
- Carry bag
- Easy to follow instructions
The markers feature reflector strips for night visibility, foldable base plates, built-in LED lights and collapsible poles.
Practice reversing your trailer or caravan without an audience
Yes, practice really does make perfect and it’s incredibly helpful to set aside time to practice without the pressure of an audience. Remember, the opposite rule applies when it comes to reversing a trailer or caravan. If the trailer needs to go right, you will turn your steering wheel to the left and vice-versa. The best thing to do is find a big open area like a paddock or empty parking lot and just give it a go. This allows you to get the feel of which way to turn the wheel and work out what works best for you.
by Grahame Pilgrim | Aug 25, 2022 | Reverse Mate News
We are PROUD to say we are manufacturing the All-In-One Clothesline with Reversible Brackets and our new range of Terra-Pegs Aust in Brisbane, Australia.
There has been a lot of time designing and testing prior to manufacturing of our Clothesline.
All being well we are hoping to have the All-In-One Clothesline and our other New Products available for sale by the end of February.
Register Now in Our Shop to be updated when the Clothesline will be available.
We will also have online our new range of Terra-Pegs, these screw in pegs are made from Aluminum, plus other new Awning Tie-Down products.
International Patent Pending Number PCT/ AU2022/050423.
Australian Design Number 202210665
Australian Regd Design Number 202214690
TERRA-PEGS
Firma in the Ground
Manufactured in Brisbane, Australia
Australian Design Registration No 202213443
RV retail inquiries welcome. Contact us [email protected]
by Grahame Pilgrim | Aug 1, 2022 | Reverse Mate News, RV Caravan Accessories, RV Clotheslines, RV Rollout Awning Clotheslines
Written By Caravan Camping Sales Staff
28 Jul 2022
The makers of the innovative Reverse Mate caravan reversing aid have come up with another great all-Aussie invention designed to make life easier for caravanners on the road.
Due to go on sale shortly, the new Reverse Mate All-in-One Awning Clothesline is the brainchild of Queensland resident Grahame Pilgrim, an experienced RV traveller and serial inventor with a background in engineering and building.
Pilgrim says his latest invention takes up less storage space than an umbrella-type or fold-up clothesline. It also won’t blow over in the wind, and can dry many more items as well as larger items at the one time.
“The Reverse Mate All-In-One Clothesline can take full size sheets plus another line spare, (and) they fold up into a 250mm x 210mm x 150mm box,” he says.
According to Pilgrim, the two supplied clothesline brackets fit easily over the awning tube, and everything else you need is supplied in the kit including two awning tiedown clips, a centre line support bracket, 15 metres of 4mm plastic coated wire with a 165kg breaking strain, and two plastic strainer clips to tension the wire.
“There are no other brackets on the market that can be used externally or under the awning with built-in tiedown clips, plus no drilling (is) needed to install the clothesline,” he says.
Pilgrim has just finished prototype testing and the final retail versions will be manufactured in Australia.
‘You can install the clothesline either under your awning and still have your privacy screen down, plus (it) can be installed externally if you have an annexe,” he says.
There’s no pricing listed yet on the Reverse Mate website, and Pilgrim says first stock is due to arrive in January 2023. For enquiries email [email protected]
International Patent Pending No PCT/ AU2022/050423.
Australian Design No 202210665
Australian “regd design pending” No 202214690
RV retail inquiries welcome. Contact us [email protected]
by Grahame Pilgrim | Jul 12, 2022 | Caravan Reversing, Reverse Mate News, RV Caravan Accessories
Words: Max Taylor :
Managing Editor / Director
Do you struggle to reverse your caravan? Here’s a product that is sure to help. Reversing a caravan safely and accurately is an art as much as it is a learned skill. After years of caravanning, I like to think I can thread almost any needle when backing up. But, in truth, there have still been times when I’ve messed it up to the amusement of onlookers. If this sounds like you, why not try the ReverseMate? I gave it a go recently and was surprised by the difference it made. For people travelling solo, and who therefore don’t have a guide, it would be of particular benefit. HOW IT WORKS The ReverseMate consists of two lightweight, high-vis aluminium marker posts that are clearly well made. These posts are used to mark the desired offside position of the van once in its final position. Here’s the system works… Place the rear marker 2.8m away from your site’s concrete slab (or general awning area) in line with where you’d like the rear of your van to end up. Then, measure the length of your van and place the forward marker that distance away from the rear marker, also 2.8m from the slab. The idea is for the markers to provide a highly visible reference point and, when used correctly, ensure that the van finishes perfectly in line with the slab, with about 100mm of clearance between the van’s nearside wheel(s) and the concrete. The system requires you to back onto your site from the right-hand-side, i.e., you’ll have the markers in the driver’s rearview mirror. It’s very important to be aware of your surroundings and potential pedestrians and obstacles, but by using the leading marker as your main reference point, and swinging the van in with about 300mm of clearance from both markers, your van will line up perfectly. I did discover, however, that the system works best when you’re approaching on a reasonably shallow angle. It seems that a lot of thought has gone into the ReverseMate markers. First, the 600mm-high posts fold into the base, making it a highly portable system. Second, the base of each marker contains an inbuilt tape measure, so it’s very easy to determine 2.8m out from the slab; however, you can step the distance out if you prefer – it’s not always necessary to be precise. Finally, each marker contains its own LED light: an amber light for the rear marker and a white light, which can double as a work light, for the leading marker. This will make it much easier to perfectly reverse your caravan at night. Once folded up, the ReverseMate posts can be stored in the supplied carry bag and stowed in the boot of the van, or wherever there’s a spare nook or cranny. After a couple of trial runs at a caravan park, I backed the caravan accurately onto site with the aid of the ReverseMate. Climbing out of the vehicle, I was pleased to see precisely 100mm of clearance between the van’s nearside wheel and slab. The high-vis markers provided excellent, bright reference points, which I could clearly see in my driver’s-side mirror at all times. If you’re travelling solo, or are just after a product that will make backing onto site easier, have a look at the ReverseMate. It’s surprisingly simple to use but it makes a big difference. Further, it takes only a moment or two to set up.
by Grahame Pilgrim | May 9, 2022 | Reverse Mate News, RV Caravan Accessories, RV Clotheslines, RV Renovations, RV Rollout Awning Clotheslines
The ReverseMate All-In-One Awning Clothesline with built in Tiedown Clips makes drying clothes easier for RV Travellers.
We are proud to say our All-In-One Clothesline is being manufactured in Australia.
There are a lot of travellers on the road going from place to place these days and find themselves in need of a clothesline. The laundry facilities in most of the campgrounds have limited amount of electric dryers for your convenience but you can still wait a long time until one is available, and they cost you a lot of money. The down side is you do not know what has been previously dried in these dryers e.g. dog blankets. We have heard recently that some RV Parks are installing electric meters and this will be an additional cost to travellers if you use your own washer and dryer in your RV.
For occasions when using the dryer is neither feasible nor preferable for delicate or special care items, daily drying of dish cloths, bath towels, swimsuits, beach towels as well as finishing damp laundry that did not completely dry in the coin-operated machines this is where the ReverseMate All-In-One Clothesline will make life easier for travellers. As per the pictures below, you can install the clothesline either under your awning and still have your privacy screen down plus can be installed externally if you have an annexe.
Sometimes access to a permanently-placed clotheslines in an RV Park is not convenient or available. A number of travellers use an umbrella-type clothesline. Even though these fold up the clotheslines can be quite large when you do not have much space to store them. As many travellers would know this type of clothesline can blow over when the winds pick up and is limited to the amount of washing you can put on them. The ReverseMate All-In-One Clothesline can take full size sheets plus another line spare, they fold up into a 250mm x 210mm x 150mm box.
Description
Our RV Rollout Awning Clothesline brackets simply fit over the awning tube. There is no need to purchase any additional items to install our clothesline brackets.
There are no other brackets on the market that can be used externally or under the awning with built in tiedown clips plus no drilling needed to install the clothesline,
Warning make sure the All-In-One Clothesline is removed prior to retracting the awning.
Our New All-In-One RV & Caravan Clothesline includes:
- Two adjustable brackets that fit over the awning tube.
- The brackets have two awning tiedown clips, one to be used when the line is outside the awning and the other when installed under the awning.
- Centre line support bracket to minimise the sagging of the wire.
- 15 metres of 4mm plastic coated wire with 165 kg breaking strain, two plastic strainer clip to tension the wire..
- The Clothesline centre support.
The ReverseMate All-In-One Clothesline has a
International Patent Pending Number PCT/ AU2022/050423.
Australian Design Number 202210665
Australian Regd Design Number 202214690
Being a survivor of Melanomas, Reverse Mate Pty Ltd is now a proud Partner of the Australian Melanoma Research Foundation.
With each sale of the ReverseMates we make a donation to the Foundation.
We will have stock in January 2023, if you would any further information, please contact [email protected]
by Grahame Pilgrim | Jan 22, 2022 | Caravan Reversing, Reverse Mate News, RV Caravan Accessories
Grahame Pilgrim, Inventor and Owner of Reverse Mate Pty Ltd manufactures the ReverseMate Products to the highest QUALITY.
If you have a question regarding the ReverseMate please send an email to [email protected]
When we decided to manufacture the ReverseMate it was at the beginning of Covid19, so travelling to our manufacturer was totally out of the question, as a result we had twelve months of emails and drawings back and forth before we could get our first prototype manufactured.
Once we received the first sample of the ReverseMate we realised there had to be some changes for the better, such as putting end plates where the LED lights fold down into the angle. This was done to stop the LED lights from accidently being turned on when they were put into the carry bag. Another change was to replace the 3m tape with a 5m tape to give more flexibility when setting out the position of your Caravan or RV.
The ReverseMate are manufactured to the Highest Quality using aluminium, this is for lightness and strength. The angles and the marker poles are powder coated.
When completed we had two strips of reflective tapes placed around the tubes for extra visibility at night.
All the metal fittings used are manufactured from 316 Stainless Steel so will not rust.
We placed nylon washers between the tube and the angle so the tube will not scratch when putting the tube up and down. These fitting can be seen in the pictures below.
There are two LED lights, one LED is bright white and can be used as a work light and the other LED is amber.
When reversing at night place the white LED light at the front of your Caravan and the amber LED light at the rear.
We supply EASY to follow instructions and a carry bag.
Total Weight of the ReverseMate is 2.6 Kgs
Being a survivor of Melanomas, Reversemate Pty Ltd is now a proud Partner of the Australian Melanoma Research Foundation.
With each sale of the ReverseMates we make a donation to the Foundation.
