RandyA Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 This truck was blocking an exit for a NC rest stop today. I snapped the pics as I swung around him to get out. I could not tell if the problem was a shifted load, broken trailer pin or hitch failure. Maybe someone can tell? Quote Randy, Nancy and Oscar "The Great White" - 2004 Volvo VNL670, D12, 10-speed, converted to single axle pulling a Keystone Cambridge 5th wheel, 40', 4 slides and about 19,000# with empty tanks. ARS - WB4BZX, Electrical Engineer, Master Electrician, D.Ed., Professor Emeritus - Happily Retired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve from SoCal Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 Kinda looks like a sheared king pin or pin mount failure. A friend had his flat loose the king pin plate, it is more common than you might think. Steve Quote 2005 Peterbilt 387-112 Baby Cat 9 speed U-shift 1996/2016 remod Teton Royal Atlanta 1996 Kentucky 48 single drop stacker garage project Pulls like a train, sounds like a plane....faster than a Cheetah sniffin cocaine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindrift Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 I sincerely hope it's not more common than you think. Quote 2012 F350 KR CC DRW w/ some stuff 2019 Arctic Fox 32-5MCindy and Tom, Kasey and Maggie (our Newfie and Berner) Oh...I forgot the five kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve from SoCal Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 Well, At least with flat beds it is pretty common. They don't all fail to destruction but a lot of trailers have the plate replaced. Steve Quote 2005 Peterbilt 387-112 Baby Cat 9 speed U-shift 1996/2016 remod Teton Royal Atlanta 1996 Kentucky 48 single drop stacker garage project Pulls like a train, sounds like a plane....faster than a Cheetah sniffin cocaine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenandjon Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 Dirt and stuff get on top of the 5th wheel plate and it rusts from the top down. It happens on grain trailers too. You have to get up in the slopes and wash it out a couple times a year. Quote Farmer, Trucker, Equipment operator, Mechanic Quando omni flunkus moritati-When all else fails, play dead I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moresmoke Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 I would wager that he was high hooked. End of the pin was sitting on top of the jaws. Or some idiot pulled the latch while he was parked there just for the fun of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickeieio Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 (edited) It appears the sliding hitch base is raised up away from the frame rail. Upon further inspection, the fifth wheel plate isn't near the middle of the sliding plate, and it isn't hooked to the trailer either. Edited March 20, 2020 by rickeieio Quote KW T-680, POPEMOBILE Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer. contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cactus Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 7 hours ago, Moresmoke said: I would wager that he was high hooked. End of the pin was sitting on top of the jaws. Or some idiot pulled the latch while he was parked there just for the fun of it. X-2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyA Posted March 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 No matter what, the guy was in a lot of hurt. Think about it....... he was leaving a parking spot in a rest area. End slot so he had to make a sharp turn. BEFORE he pulled into the rest stop he was most likely booking up I-95 North at 70 mph. I hate to think of the mayhem he would have created if the trailer had come lose while traveling. Quote Randy, Nancy and Oscar "The Great White" - 2004 Volvo VNL670, D12, 10-speed, converted to single axle pulling a Keystone Cambridge 5th wheel, 40', 4 slides and about 19,000# with empty tanks. ARS - WB4BZX, Electrical Engineer, Master Electrician, D.Ed., Professor Emeritus - Happily Retired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dblr Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 You are so right Randy, bad it happened but good for where it happened. Quote 2017 River Stone Legacy 38MB 2001 T2000 Kenworth 2009 Smart Passion ET Junior hitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 Where he's at, drop the landing gear, get re-aligned, reconnect, move on. Probably took longer to get the flares out, than to get squared away. Blocking traffic like that will only bring unfriendly eyes. Quote I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasPSDX Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 I had someone pull the arm an unlock my fifth wheel once. I pulled out straight, trailer slide off fifth wheel. By a stroke of good luck, I happened to be looking back in mirrors and saw it happening and stopped short keeping the trailer on the truck frame. It was a bear cranking landing gear down and raising the trailer enough to get back under it. Never again did I leave anyplace I stopped without checking for locked fifth wheel. Even when towing our 35' fiver, I checked. Quote Ron 2020 Ram Longhorn 6.7 4D SB 1989 Avion 34V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moresmoke Posted March 21, 2020 Report Share Posted March 21, 2020 That one is kinda hard with the trailer all twisted over. If you can get both legs on the ground, the air suspension is your friend. Dump the bags, wedge the truck as far back as possible, inflate, crank down, repeat. I’ve had to pick a few up. Would get a few on mornings when it was -30/-35F out. The grease was stiff enough that it would fool the drivers when they did a tug test, but the hitch was not latched. The trailer would pull across the yard just fine, but when they made the turn onto the highway, the grease would break loose and the trailer would slide off. Thankfully we had a big old Cat that was capable of lifting a loaded trailer. But still not something you want to be doing in the middle of the state highway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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