made it to Florida / major problem on our way

4ever · Jan 1, 2010

Well we made it to Florida arriving two days ago. The weather here is sure a lot better then back home. We did have a major problem on our way down. We put up the first night in Kentucky and everything was going fine. Hooked up the next morning and when we went to pull out our fiver dropped on the bed of the truck. Our fifth wheel was never locked in. Not sure what happened. I always double and triple check. Fortunately we had no damage to thee fiver except for a crack on the trim the goes around the opening for the Trail Air hitch. The truck is another matter. At first you can't see any damage however, the side walls of the bed do have a buckle in them. I was able to raise the trailer and get hooked-up and continue our trip. Still not sure what happened.

Lots of Heartland products here in the park. There are 3 Landmarks, 4 Bighorn, 1 Sundance and 1 Big Country.

Ted

TXBobcat · Jan 1, 2010

What hitch do you have installed in your truck? Give us some specs and photos. It helps a lot.

BC

4ever · Jan 1, 2010

I have a Curt 20K hitch on the truck. Raining hard here today will get some pics later or tomorrow.

Ted

Delaine and Lindy · Jan 1, 2010

Dropped 5er...

Ted, sorry to hear about you incident, but your not the first and want be the last. Don't know but if you haven't heard of the Bed-saver by Blue Ox, it will prevent the 5er from falling on the Truck bed. Also there is a place just North of Tampa Fla. that has stacks of pick-up Truck beds if I remember correctly its just North of the Fair Grounds. In some cases its cheaper to replaced the Truck bed that to repair the damaged one, most all of them at that facility were white. Good Luck. GBY....

porthole · Jan 1, 2010

Sorry to hear of your dilemma.

I have gotten in the habit of putting a large snap hook in the hole the pull handle goes through.
If the handle is not locked properly the hook will not go in.

Once the hook is in I cannot pull the handle out until I remove the snap hook.

And I also leave the jacks about 1/2" off the ground, chocks in place and full brake pressure applied to the controller.
I first back against the trailer then give it a good shot going forward.

2010augusta · Jan 1, 2010

Ditto Duane:

The Reese Select Plus Hitch, comes with the snap pin to ensure the the hitch is properly locked/engaged. It has saved us once or twice, the hitch looked like it was latch, but the pin would not go through. did the pull test and the truck pulled away from the trailer. Hitch up again and viola the pin when through all the holes and the pull test did not leave the trailer.

james thomas · Jan 1, 2010

Ted I,m sorry to here of you misforten I travel with a friend he talked me into a paddle lock for my handle, he said there are people who think it,s funny to pull the handle, when your parked. i highly recommend it for a piece mind. again sorry and glad damage is minor. Jim Thomas

4ever · Jan 1, 2010

Thanks for all your comments. My Curt 20K hitch also has a latch that has a pin and can only go in when properly hitched. I could swear that it was locked. I always check several times. I keep racking my brain trying to figure out what went wrong.

Anyway, I will be getting the bed saver and since this incident I check & check & check & ...... Also do the pull test & pull test & ......

Ted

lhetsler · Jan 1, 2010

5th wheel hitch

Maybe you did this, but I always put the truck in gear and yank on the fifth wheel to make sure it is locked in while still on the jacks. The dealer I bought from suggested this, I think he spoke from experience. Sorry to hear of your trouble.

dennis2188 · Jan 1, 2010

I can relate to this, after fifth wheeling for 25 years plus it happened to me. I double checked and a friend was there also and he also said I was hooked up and ready to go. Then bam, didn't hurt my sob trailer but put a couple dents in my truck. Decided to leave the dents which you can hardly see to remind me everytime I hook up to recheck again. My wife was more upset than me but I learned that no matter how many times you have done this right there is always that one time. Happy New Year!

JoelC · Jan 1, 2010

All the above are excellent ideas. I have a Reese 16K hitch and here is what I do when I hook up. Basically, as above.
1. After the pull arm goes in I close the lever and put a lock on it.
2. Be sure the break for the 5er is attached, so it won't roll if it comes out of the hitch.
3. Lower the jacks so that they are just off the ground. This way, if the push/pull test fails, then the 5er won't fall on the truck bed.
4. Do a push/Pull test. (Be sure the blocks for the wheels are removed)
5. If all is well, pull up the front jacks to the parking position.
6. Drive away and enjoy.
When I do the push/pull I accellerate just to get things moving and jam the breaks on. I do not know, if it would be better to do this with the trailer breaks connected or not. I leave the trailer breaks disconnected, so I get the maximum jerk on the RV from the truck breaks. Then I hook the RV breaks up, do a full walk around checking lights etc. and leave.

TXBobcat · Jan 1, 2010

Sorry for your problems.. I have read many comments about this problem. Fortunately I have not had the problem. My hitch is easy to check. All I have to do is look at it. I can't put a bed saver on my B&W hitch so I always check visually before moving the trailer.

BC

RoadJunkie · Jan 1, 2010

I was at Beaudry RV Resort in Tucson last week and I saw a white GMC truck with two symmetrical dents along the edges of the truck bed...another apparent hitch drop. So don't feel bad, these things happen.

Pizzaguy · Jan 1, 2010

They say there are those that this HAS happened to and those that it will.Thankfully it has not happened to me yet.We have the Curt 20k hitch also and I always put a padlock in the safety latch and do a pull test. For the extra peace of mind I just ordered the Blue Ox bed saver for our hitch tonight.

JohnDar · Jan 1, 2010

Since we've only had our rig for the past year and used it mostly on a seasonal site. I haven't hitched/unhitched frequently. But one thing I do is check the jaws with a flashlight (even in daylight, it's hard to see) to make sure they're closed around the pin. Also, if they're not closed, the lever will not retract far enough to allow the lock bracket to drop into its position (I padlock it when seated). We have a Reese 16K hitch. I guess it's something like running the tank flusher. If you get distracted or in a hurry, you're asking for trouble.

I've looked at the Bed-saver. Maybe if we eventually take our rig on the road, I'll get one...just to be safe.

jpajax · Jan 1, 2010

I have a 16k hitch made by RBW called little rocker it is old and have been wanting to up grade but I love the way it works. The hitch that I have when the arm goes in there is a solid peace of steal that slides behind the pen so I have panted it with florescent orange pant so if I don't see orange it is not latched. Want to up grade but I love the way this one works. It doesn't have a place were a lock can be put in but the handle has to be up to be able to pull it back but that sound like a good idea to put a lock in to make sure it does come open. Sorry to hear that it happened.

Tom of Ypsi · Jan 1, 2010

What I have done is paint the jaws of the hitch white. When the jaws are around the king pin it is easier to see then I put a lock on the hitch for security.

biggziff · Jan 1, 2010

I use a guillotine style hitch for just this reason. There is no doubt if it's locked in place and it cannot ever fail!

JohnDar · Jan 1, 2010

Tom of Ypsi said:
What I have done is paint the jaws of the hitch white. When the jaws are around the king pin it is easier to see then I put a lock on the hitch for security.

Boing! And the light goes on again. That's a good idea. Since my hitch is sitting on the garage floor at present, painting the jaws will be easy.

talley · Jan 1, 2010

I too use a padlock on the hitch; I do believe that there are fools out there who think it would be funny to tinker with the lever. Have not painted the jaws... but, it is a good idea and I will paint them. Thanks for sharing the idea.

made it to Florida / major problem on our way

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