mr. cob

Howdy All, I just want to express my sincere gratitude to all who have gave well wishes and to those who have offered to help move my trailer. The cause of this problem can be laid on the all expenses paid, government sponsored tour, of South East Asia 52 years ago. My unit had just finished a two week operation in an area know as "The Iron Triangle" as we were leaving from this area the friendly natives whom we were supposed to "win the hearts and minds" of decided to throw a going away party for us in the terms of well laid out and deadly ambush. At the time I was the track commander of an M113 modified as an ACAV ( Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle ) our track B32 hit a mine and took two RPG rounds at the same time, my driver was killed, both of my gunners were wounded one badly, I was blown clear of the track and into the air. It is so weird how a person remembers such things, at the time I was being thrown into the air because of the explosions I couldn't help but feeling like I was flying, I was not hurt, just going up, it was when I stopped going up and that moment when your just hanging before starting to fall is when I remember thinking this is going to HURT. I have no idea how far up I was thrown, I am guessing at least 15 feet maybe 20 above the ground when I hit the ground I landed on the back of my head, and right shoulder, my back twisted, it knocked me out. Since then I have had back problems, the nerves in my neck, right shoulder and arm sometimes go numb and that arm is very weak when that happens. As the years passed my back has gotten worse with each episode culminating is what the Nero Surgeon diagnosed as Spinal Stenosis, so when it happens they are going to cut into my back and auger out the calcium build ups from my lower vertebrates which should relive pressure on Sciatic Nerve, that is causing all this pain. The lesson being just because you were once young, tough, and seemingly invincible, doesn't mean your going to be that way forever, getting old sure ain't for sissy's but then again I never thought I would be around as long as I have been, so I am doing the best I can to keep on keepin on. With luck this will all be DONE so I can recover and go south again this coming winter, I am so looking forward to spending more quality time with my HTD friends in and around Quartszite. B32, before it was knocked out. This is the full crew, I am sitting on the left side of the 50 caliber machine gun shield, one of my gunners James, is sitting on the right side of the gun shield, my other gunner Johnson, is sitting to the left below me, my driver Stretch, is sitting on top of the drivers hatch to the lower right Here's a photo of the full track, I am sitting behind the 50 cal, my gunner James, is manning his M60 machine gun to the rear right. We were in the 3rd Platoon of B Trp, 1st Sqd, 4th Cavalry, 1st. Infantry Div. Our platoon was known as the "Third Herd" thus the horse head on the side of the track, naming our tracks and guns was common practice at the time of the Vietnam war, I don't know if such things are still allowed. Johnson and James, named the track itself "Bit O Soul". Me sitting in the burned and blown out hull of B32, after the ambush, it having been recovered after the battle. Dave

Howdy Dan, THANK YOU. I will be in touch to work out the details when I get the word that the trailer is ready to be picked up. Dave

Howdy All, I am so screwed up right now that I can't drive can barely walk. My trailer is now up at the PoulsboRV dealer just off of I-5 south of Mt. Vernon, they have been repairing the slide. I am expecting a call any day saying the trailer is finished and to come pick it up. As I said I can't drive, if you have time and are interested could you pick my trailer up, and park it in my yard. You can use my truck, its a three pedal Auto-Shift, just use the clutch leaving from or coming to a full stop. Or I will pay for your fuel if you use your truck. My driveway is about 15 feet wide, trees on both sides, the trailer has to be backed, there is a slight grade to back up the first 100 feet, there is a slight curve to be made to get the trailer off to the side of the driveway to leave passage way on the driveway for the neighbor who lives behind me and shares the driveway. Total distance the trailer must be backed is about 100 yards. From my home to the dealer and back is about 80 miles. I hate to ask for this kind of help but I really don't have a choice, the VA is working to schedule me for back surgery but I have no idea when that will happen but I know it will be long after the trailer has to be moved. Call me at 360-333-2888 if you want to talk about this. Thanks Dave

Howdy Darryl, Your right, "any sharp eyed kid" should be able to see that this was not an instant failure but again in my opinion that is not the way it was originally depicted. Having been involved in just about every form of metal manufacturing and fabrication, having been a certified welder, journeyman machinist, and holding a degree in Manufacturing Technology, I feel well qualified to have and express a valid OPINION on matters such as this. What I can say that no reasonable person would ever dispute is simply this, if it can be made, it can be broken, there is no 100% guarantee that every man made product is without fault, any reasonable person when using ANY man made product has to use COMMON SENSE when using that product. If a person simply relies on the products they buy to be ALWAYS without fault and doesn't bother to monitor the product especially one that in its use is subject to extreme stress they have to share in the blame when and if something terrible happens. That is why things like this have to be talked about and shared with others so that WE can all LEARN what to look out for, if we have a problem with a product and can identify it and take action BEFORE it has catastrophic consequences, we and everyone else on the road is safer. And that, SAFETY is the bottom line. I can't speak for others but after hooking up, I check and make darned sure my hitch is fully latched, when I do quick walk around EVERY TIME I stop be if for the night or at the rest stop, one of the things I check is that the hitch is latched and all other things, tires, wheel bearings heat, etc are OK. This really doesn't take much time and would go a long way toward preventing things like this total while in use hitch failure. Because of the manufacturing fault the hitch would as it did eventual FAIL, that the end damage to the truck and possible devastating wreck to include injury or death to others could have been prevented by simply being aware of the signs given by the impending failure, NOISE, SEEING the unusual wear, and the feeling felt during driving the truck extreme CHUCKING, should have alerted the owner to STOP and check this out LONG before total failure. You will never convince me otherwise. Dave

Howdy All, Do you remember when you were a little kid and you had a secret how you knew you weren't supposed to tell anyone but it was busting to get out. Well I received a phone call yesterday from what I consider an impeccable source VERY CLOSE to this hitch failure situation and was given the FULL STORY, of why this happened and how it was resolved. Two things that I have mentioned in this thread were confirmed, ONE there was a manufacturing defect, TWO the defect did not cause an instant failure. As "I" am not the first source of this information I can't disclose it and claim absolute full non partial unmistakable information, so I will keep my mouth SHUT but I URGE the person who can testify to this information to be forthcoming in providing it, that person being the owner of the truck who had the problem or the builder of the hitch. What I can say with certainty can be proven by the photos that have been posted, look at the very first photo that was posted, it clearly shows that the failure was NOT something that happened instantly, it took a LONG time after the initial failure before this hitch finally gave way. Looking at the photo you can see what looks like polished surfaces in an oblong hole, it is ONLY at the bottom of that hole that is looks like it was torn. The reason for the oblong polished side of the hole is because the hitch was sliding up and down for God only knows how many miles AFTER the manufacturing fault gave way. It is MY OPINION that the owner/driver of the truck-hitch should have realized LONG before the hitch finally failed that there was a problem. When the part of the hitch that failed happened, the only thing that the cross bolt that the head pivots on had for a bearing surface was the plates that formed the front and back of the mount, these parts were not designed to have that force and resulting friction placed directly on to them, thus the eventual wearing through and subsequent total failure. Before this hitch totally failed it is reasonable to think that a normal person with decent hearing and or eyesight should have been able to see the unusual wear, hear the clanging/banging that had to have been going on and more importantly FEEL when driving the truck whilst towing the trailer that something was WRONG every time the truck pulled away from a stop, every time the truck came to a stop, probably when the transmission shifted the whole weight of the trailer would be slamming the worn parts of the hitch against and away from each other, can you say CHUCKING. "I" think that the person who started this whole thing SHOULD post up the whole story, don't just post up a photo of a failed hitch and leave it there, tell the whole story, tell how that person was made whole over and above what would normally be considered good customer service. "I" don't really have a dog in this hunt, I have lost nothing, I have nothing to gain one way or the other but it damned sure pi$$es me off when people post stuff on the internet causing all kinds of chaos and then just let it ride possibly costing peoples livelihood and reputations to be trashed with out good reason. Dave

Howdy rpsinc, I am setup to weld and have some small machine tools, worked in the trade for over 30 years so I could do it but to ME it just wasn't worth the effort. For most folks who don't have the skills or tools to do the job, replacement is the only economically viable solution to the Binkly problem as it is now designed, again just MY opinion. Dave

Howdy rpsinc, A person could bore out the steel head pin openings and install a bushing, however as the bearing surface is so small only an 1/8 of an inch wide the bushing would soon wear out. When I had my Binkly head apart I looked at it and could see a way to fix the problem but it involved way more machine work and welding then "I" though it was worth. In MY opinion, the Binkly head, as it is currently designed is a CONSUMABLE part that will in time need to be replaced as any EASY repair other then just replacing the pins involves way more work and money then it would cost to buy a new one. Even when replacing the pins in time the head itself will wear to the point where to really repair it will cost more then a new head. At $100 LOW end to the average $150 per hour shop time it simply isn't cost effective to repair some products. Dave

Howdy SS, Comfort Ride, has easily replaceable if ever needed, synthetic no lube needed bushing at all wear points. I keep an eye on my Comfort Ride hitch and after two years of use have had no problems of any kind to include the need to lube or replace bushings. Dave

Howdy rpsinc, The problem really isn't the pin itself, its that the way the head is made there is no support given to the pin other then the four places it makes contact with the head, these four places are only about an 1/8 of an inch wide. that being the case oil or grease really has no place to stay in place it simply runs down the side of the four places where the pin makes contact. Its hard to put into words but if you ever see the underside of a Binkly head it is very obvious. Dave

Howdy All, My first HDT, came equipped with an "EZ-Floater hitch, nearly the same as Trailer Saver. It was setup with a Binkly head that unbeknownst to me at the time as I had no knowledge of such things had badly worn pins where the head pivots. After I became aware of this problem, "I" made new pins and installed them it was when taking the head apart I saw what "I" think was a major design fault in that there was NO WAY to effectively lubricate those pins. I have no idea how many miles the hitch was used before I used it, I used it for about 5,000 miles before I knew there was a serious problem. After I made and replaced the pins I towed with that hitch another 40,000 miles it was in fair shape when I sold the truck but it was only a matter of time before those pins would have to be replaced again. Dave

Howdy All, Come on fellows, we all have opinions that can be shared, lets try to be better then our damned politicians and do so in a respectful manner. Thanks. Dave

Howdy Chad, Thanks, the one photo that shows what I "ASSUME" to be the same hitch BEFORE it failed, to me gives a pretty clear indication that the welds at least the weld clearly shown that goes around the main pin support tube to be a bad weld and would allow a stress riser in the area of the hitch that broke. The bottom of that structure is the most stressed and should be one of the assemblies strongest pionts. Dave

Howdy All, I bought my Comfort Ride hitch from Rick, and had it installed along with doing the nessisary frame extension by a shop local to Rick that he recommended. two and a half years and 30,000 miles late towing a 22,000 pound trailer I have not had a problem. That said, ANYTHING, can break. I have kept a close eye on my hitch ever since the first reported failure, I haven't seen any photos of the first one so I can't make any arm chair evaluation of it. However I was sent four photos of this hitch, one of which shows what I am "ASSUMING" to be this hitch before it failed. In the photo showing the hitch BEFORE failure it looks to me that the weld going around the tube that surrounds the pivot bolt is BAD in that the weld starts and stops with a distinct gap directly below the bottom of the tube. As a person who once made my living as a certified welder I would guess that the failure was directly related to a bad weld and especially the stress riser that was caused by the incomplete weld at the bottom of the tube support. I can't figure out how to post the photos I was sent, "Chad", if your reading this thread and can post up the photos you sent me it sure would be appreciated. As a welder and fabricator before I bought the Comfort Ride hitch I gave it a darn good look over and it appeared well designed and made to me, but I have no idea what if any type of testing the hitch was subjected to before it was sold commercially. What we don't know is, was this hitch subjected to extreme forces caused by panic stops or jack rabbit starts, was it built by a competent person, again I point out the weld shown in one of the photos that I was sent, was the penetration of the weld good or was it just surface flash, was the metal used of the same quality-source as other hitches, lots of questions that need to be answered. I know that "I" will continue to monitor my hitch and if it shows ANY signs of stress I will pull it and do whatever is nessisary to return it to safe service. In closing, my thoughts are that this type of failure doesn't just happen, this was going on for some time, there had to be some warning that this was coming, this part of the hitch is a bit hard to see but it is EASY to simply reach in with your fingers and feel if there is any distortion or cracking. I still feel the major cause of this failure was BAD WELDS looking at the remaining part of the hitch after the tube was ripped from the main part of the hitch there is little to no weld showing, it appears that the tube was ripped out leaving no weld material behind, this should have never happened. Dave

Howdy Mark, I rarely use the resource guide nowadays, however 7 years ago when I was first thinking about and the getting into the HDT world it was a priceless resource that I used MANY MANY times. I think its well worth keeping it going and sure do appreciate all the work it took to establish it and to continue it. Dave

Howdy Exile, Over the last three years that I have been buying the occasional part that my Pete has needed I have found their prices to either be the same or cheaper then what I paid for Freightliner parts. Dave

Howdy Jim, You should run out and buy a lotto ticket, sounds like you really lucked out on this deal. Dave

Howdy rickei, Well I can't speak to you or Randy's sanity, as I only claim to be "Semi-Sane" I figure I am good for a while................. Dave

Howdy steamynachos, I have an older Garmin RV 7something GPS and like it. You can input into the GPS your setups lenght, weight and height, that will keep you off of most roads that could give you grief. A Truckers Atlas, along with any GPS is your best friend and NOTHING beats local knowledge if you really want to know what the road ahead holds in store. Dave

Howdy Exile, Go to any Peterbilt shop-store, give them the last 6 numbers of your VIN and they should be able to tell you everything about the build of your truck and have a list of the parts in it. With our older trucks some of those parts may no-longer be available but what your looking for should be kinda standard throughout the years and models. Dave

Howdy Friz, I had to call and speak to a lady who helped me get it downloaded, it now works but it isn't as good as the old app. The old app would let you make a route and show fuel prices along that route, the new one doesn't do that hopefully this will be updated as time goes on. Dave

Howdy Twotoes, I now have the new app working, but this version doesn't have the routing capability like the old one where you could ask for a route that showed the lowest prices on that route. Hopefully this is something will be added later. Dave

Howdy DesertMiner, Thanks, it took a while but talking to the lady with a HEAVY southern accent I finally goterdone. Dave

Howdy All, I got the email to sign up for the new app, but it won't accept my old email ( which hasn't changed in the last 20 years ) address as my user name, tried to re-register, won't let me do it, can't find a phone number to call, any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks. Dave

Howdy All, I spent a lot of time researching this issue today with representatives of the Hartford insurance company. After talking to my agent, a local agent and talking to the folks at the headquarters of the Hartford company I am satisfied that our home so long as it is our permanent and primary residence is insured so long as we return to it after our trip regardless of duration. If we have the house for sale and aren't living in it then it wouldn't be covered under the normal policy, or if we were to buy and live in a different house never intending to again live in the first house the regular policy would not be in affect. For these types of situations something other then a regular home policy is needed. With that, we are going boondocking this coming winter. Dave

Howdy All, This is off topic concerning HDT's but it may concern others who use HDT's or other RV's and are away from home for extended periods. I have heard that if you are away from your home for an extended period that your insurance company may consider your home abandoned, vacant or unoccupied, thereby voiding your home insurance coverage. I have heard that the period of your being away from home that will trigger this voiding of your home insurance can vary from 30-180 days. I have heard that a person can buy special insurance that will cover your home when you are away for an extended time. We have our home insured with the Hartford through AARP, today I called and asked about this situation and was told over the phone not to worry that as long as the home that was insured was our primary residence and that we returned to it after a trip regardless of duration within the insured YEAR the policy covered that our home was fully insured during our absents. I asked if I could receive in the mail on company letter head something stating what I had been told on the phone and was told that there was nothing in writing that could be sent, as it was part of the underwriting system. So my question to the group is this, what is YOUR experience when you leave from home for an extended period of time when it comes to home insurance coverage, do you have something in writing from your insurance company spelling out that your home is covered, do YOU have special insurance that covers your home while your gone? We want to spend about 4 months away this coming winter but I am concerned about home insurance and don't want to find out the hard way that we end up with a HUGE loss if something should happen while we are gone. Any information you can share will be most appreciated, thanks. Dave