Dropping 5th

[aintgotnun]

CJ8,

Welcome to FRF!

WOW, thanks for the write up. This story is proof that everyone needs a little training on their particular hitch and the proper procedure to hooking up a 5’er.

Question: in this sentence ”Finally I thought I heard it latch and I saw the handle move and I thought it was latched. I was on a very slight down hill with the tow on the low side so I knew it could not roll uphill and slide off.” When you had backed into the kingpin and heard the click and thought it was latched did you then raise up your landing gear? I am assuming that you did and that would have been your fatal mistake. You know now but NEVER un-chock the trailer and NEVER raise the landing gear until AFTER a successful and verified connection between the hitch and kingpin. And then raise just slightly (about a half inch or so) and “tug” on the trailer with the tow vehicle while the trailer is still chocked. Then after everything is verified snug the landing gear can be raised.

Hard lesson but thank you for sharing.

Again welcome.

greg

[CJ8]

Greg,
Yes I raised them most of the way up b4 I started to move the trailer. I have since learned from reading here to raise them just an inch or so, so that it will only fall an inch if it falls, then raise them all the way when you know it is secure. When it fell, they did make contact with the ground as I had removed the blocks which were 6X6's. When I went to put them back under while it was sitting on my truck, I could only raise them enough to get in a 2X6. The king pin was in between the slide rails of the superglide and the pin box was resting on the slide rails so they were carrying some of the weight.

[aintgotnun]

I'm happy for you that it wasn't a more expensive lesson.

got any pics of your fiberglass work?

again, thanks for sharing

greg

[CJ8]

Greg,
I am currently at work offshore for a week but will post b4 and after pics next week if I can. On inspecting the crack, it is obvious to me the PO has made a repair on that corner in the past. It was repaired well enough that I didn't even notice b4 I bought the unit. Hopefully I can make it as right as it was before.
Thanks for the welcome!
BTW I am also from Texas, born there, in the panhandle. Currently in Alaska and Arizona. Texas is a "whole nuther country" and I still love it, just not where I was from. Up in Alaska we are thinking about dividing it in half so that Texas will be the third largest state. But everything from the caprock south and east is beautiful.

We are going on a shake down camping trip next week. Originating from north central Arizona, mile high country. We don't know where yet but not too far. Maybe to Lake Havasue. This is a lot of trailer and I need practice backing it. I parked it next to my house with 3" clearance to the eve and 12" to a retaining wall on the other side by myself without a spotter. I got out and looked at least 20 times! Started over several times. It is a lot different than a bumper pull or a flatbed! Hopefully I can find a pull through camping spot so as not to embarass myself.

[aintgotnun]

Originally Posted by CJ8

This is a lot of trailer and I need practice backing it. I parked it next to my house with 3" clearance to the eve and 12" to a retaining wall on the other side by myself without a spotter. I got out and looked at least 20 times! Started over several times. It is a lot different than a bumper pull or a flatbed! Hopefully I can find a pull through camping spot so as not to embarass myself.

That's pretty dang good with no spotter!

In my opinion a 5'er is easier to back up than a bumper pull. They are not as quick to react to the whims of the stearing wheel.

[viper48]

I have seen what happens when one falls on to the truck bed and it is not a very pretty site. Last year at one of the campgrounds we were staying at a guy was backing in to a site and was unhooking and forget to lower his landing gear and wham right on to the bed. Luckily he did not pull all the way out from under it and was able to get it off of the truck bed with the landing gear. After I saw all of that happen every time that we stop I check the tires, hitch and all of the compartment doors and when we get to the CG the wife always helps me back in and we have a prodcure that we go through when hooking and unhooking. I haven't dropped mine yet and I hope that I never do after seeing it happen to someone else and all of the damage that it caused.

[tcarter04]

My husband has done it. He thought he had done every thing and this was the first 5th that we every had and the next things I show was the cat was laying on the back of the truck. Thank god it did hurt anything. The front legs caught all the weight.It's not a fun thing to see.

[GregBam]

I'd driven semi-truck for 20 years when I bought my first 5th wheel. I was so use to semi-trailers and spring brakes (until you put air to the trailer the brakes are locked up and cannot roll) without thinking unlocked jaws and trailer rolled out and dropped on bed rails of truck. Needless to say I now have a routine that assures that doesn't happen again.

[CamperFan]

Sometimes dropping a 5th wheel is caused by something called "high hitched". It's when the hitch pin isn't low enough to be fully locked in to the hitch. My RBW hitch has the locking bar instead of the locking jaws, and it is easy to see if the hitch pin is completely locked behind the bar.

[amxpress]

Here's an expert showing how to properly htich up a 5th wheel.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jLxkhV03iCo

I always keep the hitch head a little higher than the pin, making sure that the trailer is actually lifted a bit. This makes sure that the pin is properly positioned in the hitch and it's not high hitched.