Help fifth wheel hitch

[jim rotman]

When hooking up today noticed that the space between the fiber glass cap and the hitch shrinks by about an inch and I suspect I have a problem with a weld broke or something. In Alaska and 4000 miles from home. Do I need to remove the front cap to look at it? Any help or ideas. Nothing open today so just trying to see what it is that's wrong. Thanks!

 

[danemayer]

Hi Jim,

An inch is quite a large displacement and may be due to something having broken in the front frame structure. This is sometimes referred to as Frame Flex. I've heard that roads on Alaska trips can be pretty rough, so you may have had a small problem prior to the trip that has become much worse.

From what others have posted about Frame Flex repair, it may be necessary to cut the side walls up front to make repairs in addition to removing the cap. You may not want to try all that in Alaska. This type of repair is usually done by Heartland, in Elkhart, IN.

I'd suggest you take some pictures. Ideally, set your camera on a tripod or other fixed object and take pictures from the side showing the rig sitting on the landing gear, and then sitting on the hitch. A ruler taped on the side will help document the size of the problem.

Then, with pictures ready to go, call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN number at hand.

 

[jim rotman]

The driver side is worse than the door side and I am worried about pulling it that far to get it home. Yes we had some rough roads.

 

[danemayer]

I understand your concern over the distance. One thing to keep in mind is that force is a function of mass and speed. You can't control the mass, but the slower you go over rough roads, the less force applied to the rig.

Heartland can tell you whether local repair is advisable. There are body shops all over the place that work on large buses, fire engines, and the like to repair body damage. There may be one somewhere nearby.