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Old 05-13-2013, 02:54 PM   #1
Maxzd
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Watched a 5th Wheel Hitch Mishap..

Yikes, I have read about this many times but never had this happen to me or seen with my own eyes.

Campground in Anaheim watched a newbie reconnecting his 5th wheel. Took him a long time I was sitting outside just waiting for the family to get ready. I see him pull away about a half hour later one turn in the campground out of sight and hear BANG. I walk over and the trailer was off the hitch crushed the tailgate completely and punctured the truck bed. 5th wheel underside skirting was damaged but otherwise not horrible..

A bunch of help came over, raised the landing gear moved the truck. The tailgate was so crushed had to hammer it off to remove it. The guy said he heard it click so he thought it was good.. Unfortunate mistake, maybe he was in shock but he sure didn't seem to be all that with it. Maybe a mandatory RV test would have saved this guy an insurance claim (if he is insured that is..).

I can see how it could easily happen. Sure will make me triple check my hitch when we leave tomorrow!!!
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Old 05-13-2013, 03:13 PM   #2
labs4life
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Use the same process as hitching a tractor trailer and this will never happen. Back into hitch and hear the click, then pull gently forward before ever exiting the vehicle. This will insure you have a proper hitch and safe.
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Old 05-13-2013, 03:58 PM   #3
fla-gypsy
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The pull test is the best way to check for being hitched correctly.
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Old 05-13-2013, 04:03 PM   #4
SteveC7010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by labs4life View Post
Use the same process as hitching a tractor trailer and this will never happen. Back into hitch and hear the click, then pull gently forward before ever exiting the vehicle. This will insure you have a proper hitch and safe.
Fully agree. I also use a flashlight to make sure the jaws are properly clenching the pin and then check to make sure the release is freely in the closed position. Then I lock down the release handle, padlock it, and do the pull test.
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Old 05-13-2013, 07:11 PM   #5
turbopilot51
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Originally Posted by Maxzd View Post
Yikes, I have read about this many times but never had this happen to me or seen with my own eyes.

Campground in Anaheim watched a newbie reconnecting his 5th wheel. Took him a long time I was sitting outside just waiting for the family to get ready. I see him pull away about a half hour later one turn in the campground out of sight and hear BANG. I walk over and the trailer was off the hitch crushed the tailgate completely and punctured the truck bed. 5th wheel underside skirting was damaged but otherwise not horrible..

A bunch of help came over, raised the landing gear moved the truck. The tailgate was so crushed had to hammer it off to remove it. The guy said he heard it click so he thought it was good.. Unfortunate mistake, maybe he was in shock but he sure didn't seem to be all that with it. Maybe a mandatory RV test would have saved this guy an insurance claim (if he is insured that is..).

I can see how it could easily happen. Sure will make me triple check my hitch when we leave tomorrow!!!
I must admit something similar happened to me on our first trip of the season. Only I was setting up after we arrived at our camping spot and forgot to drop the landing gear. The drive was a nightmare due to bumper to bumper traffic and I was out of sequence with everything. Fortunately there was more damage to my ego than the tv or Alpine. A lesson that will forever be burned in my brain!
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Old 05-14-2013, 05:44 AM   #6
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I know of three incidents in the past year where members have told of their "mishap" with dropping the pin on their truck bed. It happens more than we'd think and "due diligence" is definitely warranted.

An old fifth wheel owner once told me that there's two types of fifth wheel drivers,, those that have dropped their pin and those who are going to drop it. I certainly hope he's not quite accurate with that statement, but I can honestly say that it's really easy to "high hitch" a fifth wheel if you're not paying attention to what you're doing.

Steve's idea of using a flashlight (yeah, it does seem dark under the pin on a bright sunny day) is a good idea. I've painted the flange of my pin orange and the locking bar on the hitch white. When I look at my connection, I should see white on top of orange. If I see orange on top, no orange or no white, something's wrong. For me, it works well to have the color as a quick reference. It also helps make the pin a bit more visible when I'm under the bedroom around the front storage.

What works for me may not be the best in your view, but whatever works for each of us is the "way to go". If you don't have a system to readily check that your hitch is locked on the pin, I'd urge you to find what works best for you and always ALWAYS do it that way. None of us wants to be the "NEXT ONE" !!!!!!
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Old 05-14-2013, 06:23 AM   #7
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Painting the hitch bar or jaws white and the pin flange another bright colour is an excellent idea and provides a great visual. It pretty much eliminates the need for a flashlight to see if you are connected. While listening for and hearing that "clunk" is good to hear, that sound in itself isn't sufficient evidence that you are securely hooked up. The "pull test" would be the final check.
If it sounds good, looks good and feels good then everything should be good to go.
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Old 05-14-2013, 03:59 PM   #8
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How does the pull test work? I'm visualizing the kingpin slipping out a couple of inches and then dropping.
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Old 05-14-2013, 04:09 PM   #9
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They do make a add on for your 5th wheel hitch. It's called a blue ox bed saver. It catches your hitch and saves you tailgate and bed. Check it out on YouTube.
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Old 05-14-2013, 04:49 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by f6bits View Post
How does the pull test work? I'm visualizing the kingpin slipping out a couple of inches and then dropping.
Leave the landing gear down after hitching, then pull gently against the "hitched" fifth wheel. If it is not hitched properly, it will come loose causing no damage because the landing gear is still down. If all is well, raise landing gear and drive safely!!
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Old 05-14-2013, 05:31 PM   #11
turbopilot51
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They do make a add on for your 5th wheel hitch. It's called a blue ox bed saver. It catches your hitch and saves you tailgate and bed. Check it out on YouTube.
I would love to find one that fits my Pullrite 16K hitch. I ordered one that was suppose to fit and it was not even close.
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Old 05-25-2013, 05:25 PM   #12
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I would love to find one that fits my Pullrite 16K hitch. I ordered one that was suppose to fit and it was not even close.
An update to my last post. I called Blue Ox and gave them my measurements for my Pullrite 16k hitch. They recommended a BXR4504 as the correct model that should fit. I found the best price on Amazon and with free shipping was delivered in a few days. I spent a few hours today between rain showers and installed the Bed Saver. It fit like a glove and looks great. Here's hoping I will never need it!
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Old 06-09-2013, 01:40 PM   #13
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We still haven't figured out how my friend's trailer came loose after a good pull test. It's a Pullrite Superglide hitch. Replacing the crushed tailgate is over $3k.
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