Finally Did it! Dropped Fiver!

[Jack Mayer]

25 minutes ago, runaway parents said:

I have yet to see a person at a camp ground with a clip board in there hand going threw there check list not that it is a bad idea but I have never seen it done .Something else DO NOT padlock your fifth wheel. If your trailer was to catch on fire you would want to dump it quickly to save the tractor. Had this happen to me wile pulling a snowmobile trailer tire caught on fire. 

8

We have a checklist on our phones. We use that to verify everything "happened". 

As to padlocking the hitch....I agree, I never do it, and I don't; recommend it. There are too many situations where you need to get it off fast. If you don't believe these can happen to you, then you likely do not have insurance, either. 

 

[RandyA]

It would be hard, but not impossible, to put a "Bed Saver" on a TrailerSaver hitch.  Lucky for me, I put a Blue Ox Bed Saver on the Reese hitch we started with on our GMC3500.  When we switched to the Volvo I reworked the Reese hitch so that it worked on the back of the Volvo and included the Bed Saver.  It saved damage to the truck and trailer multiple times when I messed up hitching.  I would feel more comfortable if I still had it installed.

[chief916]

10 hours ago, runaway parents said:

Dennis I commend you for admitting to your mistake. Like I said before I am not perfect. I cant stand people that think this cant happen  to them .Check list or no check list fatigue distractions .  Sometimes the weather can effect the order in which we do things. Seems like there is always something that has gotten over looked minor stuff like water pump left on vent left open a side door not secured sewage cap left off its all part of the adventure . I have yet to see a person at a camp ground with a clip board in there hand going threw there check list not that it is a bad idea but I have never seen it done .Something else DO NOT padlock your fifth wheel. If your trailer was to catch on fire you would want to dump it quickly to save the tractor. Had this happen to me wile pulling a snowmobile trailer tire caught on fire. If you think you are going to leave it in a unsecure area lock it up but don't travel down the road with it locked you wont have time to find your keys .

Runaway..... excellent point on unlocking the hitch.  I would always put a lock on mine when we were traveling but often times thought about what would I do if I had to unass the trailer fast.  After reading all these comments here and being an old crewchief on heavy haulers I'm going to revamp my preflight and thruflight procedures.  Thanks for bringing it up.

[Hot Rod]

I guess I'll have to agree to disagree with the rest of y'all on the padlock.  All of my padlocks at home, office, gates, and all trailer hitches and doors are the same keyed alike master locks, and every vehicle key ring has a padlock key on it, so there is no hunting for keys.  The extra 5 seconds or less it will take me to unlock a padlock worries me far less than the absolute disaster of a trailer coming unhooked while rolling.  But everyone should definitely use the procedure they feel is safest for their own situation.

[rdickinson]

Charlie has an aluminum block he puts behind the jaws to prevent them from opening. He, Randy and I were looking at my broken hitch a couple of years ago.  My concern was there was very little material or bearing surface to prevent the pin from sliding out.   The aluminum block would act as a safety.

If Charlie would please take a pics and provide specs, I will get a couple made, 1 to use and 1 for a spare.

To go off topic for   moment, If there are some specs or procedures to put grease fittings in the Trailersaver  hitch to lube the main pin, I'd appreciate them as well.  This is to prevent the round hole from turning into an oval.

When I last spoke to Hensley, they had no intention of jigging up to do this modification.  

Frankly, I don't care, if the mod works, I'll go ahead and get it done.

Thanks

 

 

[runaway parents]

7 hours ago, Hot Rod said:

I guess I'll have to agree to disagree with the rest of y'all on the padlock.  All of my padlocks at home, office, gates, and all trailer hitches and doors are the same keyed alike master locks, and every vehicle key ring has a padlock key on it, so there is no hunting for keys.  The extra 5 seconds or less it will take me to unlock a padlock worries me far less than the absolute disaster of a trailer coming unhooked while rolling.  But everyone should definitely use the procedure they feel is safest for their own situation.

Here is a scenario your traveling down the road  you noticed smoke rolling off your trailer tires. You stop, run back and realize you need your fire extinguisher, run back to the cab to get it, go back to the fire, empty the extinguisher you realize the trailer is  lost. And you decide to dump it,  you run back to the cab the key is on your key chain which is in the ignition yet  another decision,  do you shut down the truck  to get the key? Or do you try to get it off the key ring ? See where I am going  with this .keep in mind  you have 300 gallons of feul on board your truck Dw is panicking  .Trust me it is going to take more than 5 seconds to find that key.

[RandyA]

Padlocks don't have to be locked.  You can leave the U-hasp open or even leave the key in it for quick removal in an emergency.  Latch or hitch pins like those used on farm tractor implements come as small as 1/4" in diameter and can easily be pulled in an emergency but still give a margin of safety from having a moving hitch latch arm that allows the jaws to open.  As a friend, I am asking why are you are running back to the tractor for a fire extinguisher?  There should be a fire extinguisher in both of the side compartments of your trailer, another near the rear of your truck, and another just inside your front camper door.  All locked?  Switch out to coded RV locks for fast opening without fumbling for keys.  Maybe this seems like overkill but after our trailer fire in February, all of these items have been implemented on our rig.  On the topic of fire extinguishers - buy them big and have plenty.  Would you believe we now have five inside, two in outside compartments, one next to the seat on either side of the Volvo and one in the toolbox on the back?

Several years ago we were behind a PU with a TT that "lost" their trailer.  They did have safety chains and a breakaway switch.  When the tongue came lose from the ball it dropped to the pavement because the safety chains were not crossed to catch the tongue.   The lanyard for the breakaway switch was too long and did not activate.  When the driver felt the jerk of the falling trailer he panicked and hit the vehicle brakes.  Even with trailer brakes still connected and working the thing came crashing into the back of their truck.  The rear crash caused them to lose control of the truck and the whole rig ended up going off the edge of the road, into a ditch and turning over on its side.   We stopped to help.  Fortunately, they were not seriously hurt.  My point is, fivers or TT's don't always come lose immediately if not properly hitched.  Sometimes they wait until you hit the wrong dip or bump out on the highway.  I am a firm believer in always locking the jaws closed, but that can be accomplished with something that is quickly and easily removed by the driver.

[noteven]

.....

[jenandjon]

Don't feel too bad. I have had a CDL for over 20 years. Last year I dropped a semi trailer for the first time. Visually inspected and tug tested. Luckily I was moving slow and dropped it on the drive tires. I only pulled the wires out of the pig tail.

[lockmup68]

I dropped mine for the first time in July. the hitch sits low in the well and cannot come all the way out. The pin was resting against the back of the well on the c-channel. I got 10 miles down the road, applied the brakes and felt a "clunk." Went and checked it out and then dropped the bigfoots and hooked back up. I swear I did the tug test and visually checked the jaws on the trailersaver. Need to put a pin in I guess. I will not do a lock for reasons stated. Bro-in-laws dodge caught fire just a few weeks ago. He didn't get his travel trailer unhooked with the weight distributing hitch on there. Thankfully, the trailer was fine. 

[HERO Maker]

Shannon, that's the 2nd time the back wall of that hitch has caught a fiver pin!  Not sure which way I would have it.  Dropping the trailer right there at tug test, or 10 miles down the road!  Ok, at tug test would suit me fine.

[NeverEasy]

HITCH DROP PREVENTER

I dropped my old 5th wheel in the yard once.  Got about 50 feet out of the barn so it fell onto the grass.  Buried both front feet in the dirt but that must have prevented any damage except the bottom feet plates looked like an arrow head.  Took both my front end loaders to pick it up and get it back on the truck.

So, I built this thing.  Cut a notch in a piece of thick wall angle and welded it back together so it formed a sort of wide "V".  Then cut two more pieces and welded them to the "V".  Removed the (I think 3/8 NF) bolts from the covers for the air unions to the air bags and bolted the rig with longer bolts.  You can tell it got tested one more time.  It is now all painted and pretty on my new hitch.

Click For Full-Size Image.

[Chad Heiser]

27 minutes ago, NeverEasy said:

HITCH DROP PREVENTER

I dropped my old 5th wheel in the yard once.  Got about 50 feet out of the barn so it fell onto the grass.  Buried both front feet in the dirt but that must have prevented any damage except the bottom feet plates looked like an arrow head.  Took both my front end loaders to pick it up and get it back on the truck.

So, I built this thing.  Cut a notch in a piece of thick wall angle and welded it back together so it formed a sort of wide "V".  Then cut two more pieces and welded them to the "V".  Removed the (I think 3/8 NF) bolts from the covers for the air unions to the air bags and bolted the rig with longer bolts.  You can tell it got tested one more time.  It is now all painted and pretty on my new hitch.

Click For Full-Size Image.

I like this idea.  Can you post a more close up picture of it?

[NeverEasy]

Will do when it gets light outside.

 

[runaway parents]

Not sure if some body thought of this ,if so please  make sure to take credit for this idea . How about a sensor on the fifth wheel handle that can tell if it is engaged correctly it can be wired to a warning light on the dash . Or might even disable the ignition so the truck cant be started until it is secured. Just thought I would throw this out there.

[NeverEasy]

The idea grew teeth when a guy pulled into a CG that had just driven 300 miles on his first trip.  He was ready to back in to the site next to us so I walked out to watch and noticed his fifth wheel was not in the fifth wheel hitch, it was sitting on an aluminum plate directly behind the hitch.  The dropped trailer made a small dent in the aluminum.  The trailer rode the whole 300 miles on a dent and a weld.

 

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

I know people that had the pin drop and punch thru some thin aluminum diamond plate that was behind their hitch.  They drove several hundred miles in Florida this way.  Didn't realize it until they went to unhook and the pin was wedged in the hole.

 

[Broncohauler]

38 year truck driver 4.5 million safe miles. 

Nominated  for the truck driver haul of fame and I dropped mine twice!!!

 Compete yearly in a truck driver rodeo where I’ve never placed worst and third  

 I ALWAYS check the jaws, and did both times. But like others, forgot you have to release the pin behind the bar on Trailer savers. 

Lost it both times on a tug test. The first time I was training my son. 

Ya that went well. 

[NeverEasy]

Drop Hitch Preventer

Here it is.  So simple it ought to be an option when you buy the hitch. 

 

 

Click For Full-Size Image.

[jorddarb]

Been there got the t shirt and the bent tail gate. 🤦‍♂️

[Waterjosh]

This is what scares me to death being new to towing a 5'er with a brand new truck to boot, y'all are gonna give me nightmares... I have a Superglide hitch so can't even think of a way to rig a catch on that

[Lance A Lott]

5ers don't have safety chains because they never come off right? Seems there was a post a short time back on that.  I am editing,adding apology here as after reading the above sentences they sounded snide to me, this was not my intention. I do not have a fifth wheel but I have read this post with great interest and respect for all who have told there story to help others. I never herd of a tug test before and no one has told be any negatives of a fifth wheel only how much better they are than a gooseneck. As the next paragraph tells I am trying to figure a way to make the safety chains work better and as they have to be attached to the frame I am thinking of some way to add a second set.

I pull a gooseneck and with my hitch at the rear of the truck if it comes off it will hit the ground long before the chains comes tight. I plan on putting a second set of chains on that will prevent that. I thought about a catch but if it jumps up off the ball the catch would have to be very high in order to catch it.  At least it will still be attached to the truck and not headed into the other lane.

As far as dropping it in case of fire I will be too busy getting the horses out to worry about the truck. It would take several  minutes to drop, it anyway. The most likely place for a fire on my trailer is by the hitch, propaine tanks and jack controls so I will probably be out of luck anyway.  I will be adding more fire extinguishers after reading all the comments to,this post.

[runaway parents]

16 hours ago, Waterjosh said:

This is what scares me to death being new to towing a 5'er with a brand new truck to boot, y'all are gonna give me nightmares... I have a Superglide hitch so can't even think of a way to rig a catch on that

Didn't want to  give any body nightmares just trying to keep people safe .If you don't want to put a pad lock on your hitch put a linch pin in the place of the padlock or if you want to slow down a vandal take a 3/8 machine bolt drill a hole in it .  Install bolt where padlock would go put 3/8  nut on it finger tighten it install cotter key or hair clip in hole in bolt. which would prevent the nut from backing off.    I am thinking that if a vandal looked at this and figured it would be to much of a hassle to  mess with they would move on. Best to check pad lock hole  diameter to confirm bolt size.

[Waterjosh]

Just have to look at it more on a day off, see if I can't rig something, but the fact that my plate moves with the trailer instead of the trailer rotating on the plate makes things a bit different. 

[noteven]

I’ve been around commercial trucks for approx 30 year and learn something (or try to) almost daily...

I’ve not heard of a non rv industry fifth wheel that was coupled correctly, closed and locked, coming uncoupled....

high pin, worn out mechanisms, not checked by the pilot, is a different story...