So my 5th wheel came off the hitch... What happened?
02-15-2015, 10:30 AM
#11
Yep that is true, but I saw the look a on another horse owners face one day when he went to unhitch at a show and realized he towed the whole way there without the latch secured. God was watching out for him and his horses that day
02-15-2015, 01:06 PM
#12
Senior Member
Partner, I feel your pain.
My reese 5er hitch automatically locked when the jaws closed around the hitch pin. I also had a red flag on the end of the lock pin that would be visible if the lock pin did not engage.
I see in the pictures that there is a significant amount of rust on the fifth wheel deck. I assume that the pin and upper plate also were in like condition. Could that have contributed to the lock not engaging? I know greasing that plate and pin is messy. I had teflon plate that I used in between the hitch plates.
Well that's what insurance if for ... hope all works out.
My reese 5er hitch automatically locked when the jaws closed around the hitch pin. I also had a red flag on the end of the lock pin that would be visible if the lock pin did not engage.
I see in the pictures that there is a significant amount of rust on the fifth wheel deck. I assume that the pin and upper plate also were in like condition. Could that have contributed to the lock not engaging? I know greasing that plate and pin is messy. I had teflon plate that I used in between the hitch plates.
Well that's what insurance if for ... hope all works out.
02-15-2015, 07:51 PM
#13
Caffeine Addict
When hooking up, make sure you "stretch" your connection. After you back under your trailer, apply the trailers brakes with the brake controller, and while the landing gear on your trailer are still on the ground, gently try to drive away. If your pin is locked securely, your truck shouldn't go anywhere. Then check your fifth wheel jaws visually and raise your landing gear.
02-16-2015, 08:03 AM
#14
Senior Member/Vietnam Vet
Not sure if this is what happened here as other things were going on (safety latch, etc), but "high hitching" is the usual cause for this. The fiver is too high when connecting and ends up on top of the jaws instead of in them. You can actually pull away like that until you hit a bump.
The trailer should be about an inch below the top of the platform so it gets lifted during the hook up. Your pull test should be done with the landing gear raised just off the ground too, so you don't stress it during the pull test.
Given the rust, I am guess the jaws aren't lubricated either so they may not have fully closed. Without latching, you wouldn't know that was the case.
The trailer should be about an inch below the top of the platform so it gets lifted during the hook up. Your pull test should be done with the landing gear raised just off the ground too, so you don't stress it during the pull test.
Given the rust, I am guess the jaws aren't lubricated either so they may not have fully closed. Without latching, you wouldn't know that was the case.
Last edited by SkiSmuggs; 02-16-2015 at 08:06 AM.
02-16-2015, 10:46 PM
#15
Senior Member
Thread Starter
The rust basically transferred off of the trailer onto the hitch (the trailer hasn't moved in 5 years).
As far as the spring, I am pretty sure it is rusty because we have to manually move it to lock the jaws, but sometimes it will automatically do it.
As far as high hitching, we couldn't have done that because the pin has a lock lever, and the pic handle thing (sorry, not a tower here lol) has a grove in it for the lever to go into. To get it to Les-schwab we had to go down a pothole filled gravel drive way, up and down hills with plenty of bumps, had to jack knife it a coupe times, etc.
I wish we would have stayed, but my dad and uncle did that, I was selling some of my aunts stuff. We should have had the move it up front, that way it would have been on them. I always have whoever works on my truck move it before I get in it to move it.
All in all, the next morning we took it down to Tacoma (~60 mile drive) all went fine, the guy bought the trailer so it is done and gone.
As far as the truck, I know insurance will total it out. It's a 2000 F-250 V-10 with 108k miles so they will look at how much a new bed will be, how much it will be to paint it, etc. We are selling it, so there is no need to put a rebuilt title on it or spend massive amounts of money to fix it lol.
EDIT: the other thing we find odd is Les-schwab does a "pre-trip safety check" to make sure you are safe going on your next trip. We told them where we where going, the aired up all the tires and made that portion good, but maybe the wanted to see if we could make it to Tacoma without a pin holding the trailer on? Needless to say, we are no longer Les-schwab customers.
It is scary that those 2 little piece of metal hold that trailer on to go 60 mph down the road, hitting pot holes and such.
As far as the spring, I am pretty sure it is rusty because we have to manually move it to lock the jaws, but sometimes it will automatically do it.
As far as high hitching, we couldn't have done that because the pin has a lock lever, and the pic handle thing (sorry, not a tower here lol) has a grove in it for the lever to go into. To get it to Les-schwab we had to go down a pothole filled gravel drive way, up and down hills with plenty of bumps, had to jack knife it a coupe times, etc.
I wish we would have stayed, but my dad and uncle did that, I was selling some of my aunts stuff. We should have had the move it up front, that way it would have been on them. I always have whoever works on my truck move it before I get in it to move it.
All in all, the next morning we took it down to Tacoma (~60 mile drive) all went fine, the guy bought the trailer so it is done and gone.
As far as the truck, I know insurance will total it out. It's a 2000 F-250 V-10 with 108k miles so they will look at how much a new bed will be, how much it will be to paint it, etc. We are selling it, so there is no need to put a rebuilt title on it or spend massive amounts of money to fix it lol.
EDIT: the other thing we find odd is Les-schwab does a "pre-trip safety check" to make sure you are safe going on your next trip. We told them where we where going, the aired up all the tires and made that portion good, but maybe the wanted to see if we could make it to Tacoma without a pin holding the trailer on? Needless to say, we are no longer Les-schwab customers.
It is scary that those 2 little piece of metal hold that trailer on to go 60 mph down the road, hitting pot holes and such.
Last edited by Red-Ford; 02-16-2015 at 10:49 PM.
02-16-2015, 11:46 PM
#16
Your challenge is figuring out who did what. Did they jack the trailer in such a way as to disengage the hitch because you didn't have the safety latch flipped?
I think the main issue here is that you had a tire shop working on the trailer where you didn't stand there and watch them. I always do that, make sure they do what I expect them to do - usually I have to say something like "I said balance and rotate, not just rotate" (all was free), or "I want to rotate in this pattern, as indicated on the work order". I usually engage them in light banter and they never complain - and they get all my tire work. I never let them do the work without watching even though I think Discount Tire does good work.
In hindsight, checking all connections would have been a good idea. That's going to be one expensive fix.
I think the main issue here is that you had a tire shop working on the trailer where you didn't stand there and watch them. I always do that, make sure they do what I expect them to do - usually I have to say something like "I said balance and rotate, not just rotate" (all was free), or "I want to rotate in this pattern, as indicated on the work order". I usually engage them in light banter and they never complain - and they get all my tire work. I never let them do the work without watching even though I think Discount Tire does good work.
In hindsight, checking all connections would have been a good idea. That's going to be one expensive fix.
