Under what circumstances does a trailer become disconnected?

[JeffandLori]

I've read a few threads lately on proper way to hook up safety chains, not having your emergency brake cable connected to your hitch "just in case", etc. There were a few stories of people who had seen an accidental disconnect and I'm trying to figure out what could cause that. I generally double and triple check because I am adequately terrified of an oversight.

• Any chance I put the hitch pin through without the hitch being in the receiver? No. I put it in to the rub marks, put the pin though and pulled on it.
• I use an old fashioned cotter pin to keep the hitch pin in as I've heard about the locking ones freezing up and not being removed. If it can get stuck on....can it fail the other way and the lock come apart down the road and vibrate out?
• Did I really get the trailer hooked onto the ball? Used the tongue jack to raise the back of the truck enough so the WD bars just swung on
• etc.

But I'd like to hear from those that experienced an "accidental disconnect" or saw it in real life. What happened? It's hard for me to believe the hitch came off the truck or the ball itself snapped. Nut come off the ball? Should that be checked?

Just curious.

[youroo]

Hey I have seen wrong size balls used,forked tongue lock on Top of ball,round bars falling out,you name it "It Happens"! Youroo!!

[rsdata]

once I dragged a utility trailer that bounced off the ball and onto the ground... I suspect that I did not latch it down with the hitch latch... for sure I did not use a pin either... from that point on I promised myself to always have a hitch pin engaged to prevent me from "forgetting" to close the latch...

I cannot imagine how a ball would become unhitched unless there were a mechanical issue with the latch.

[johnbryanpeters]

Last year I experienced a disconnect at under 25 MPH in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania after crossing some railroad tracks. The socket came off the ball. I finally determined that the latch was not properly adjusted - with the latch padlocked, I had 1/4 to 3/8" vertical play if I used a lever to try to lift the socket off the ball.

It freaked me out so much that I cut the trip short.

[DougW]

My brother had a ball break off just this fall. First one I ever heard of but probably not the only one to ever happen. He was fortunate as it broke as he was pulling away from a stop sign so he was only doing about 5 MPH.

[old40ford]

The owner of the RV dealership I worked for had it happen 2 times to him. The first one, I am sure was his fault. The second, he had purchased a one year old Bounder from an older couple and it included a Geo Tracker toad. He took it right away to Florida and called me on Christmas day, he was in the inside lane of 295 around Jacksonville, the toad had come off and was climbing the barrier between the north and south sides. Turns out the ball was loose on the old style tow bar and came off. The worse part of it was he was trapped by traffic and a state trooper was screaming at him to get off the road. I sent him repair parts and we laughed when he got home.

[mwdilday]

Draw bar pin not in, no pin clip in draw bar pin and pin moves out, draw bar not in far enough and missing the hole with the pin, hitch failure, ball nut coming loose, ball stud breaking off, coupler not completely on ball, failing to lock coupler, no pin in coupler and coupler releasing, trailer tongue failure or accident.For a fifth wheel king pin not properly in hitch, jaws not closed and locked, hitch failure. Probably more.

[JeffandLori]

Thanks for the replies so far. It seems to fall into two groups:
Those you should have caught- drawbar no in hitch, failure to install the pin on the coupler, etc. Which all seem like pretty straightforward.
and
Those you likely didn't have a chance on- ball stud breaking, sudden weld failure, etc.

I say "sudden weld failure" as every time I hook up, I'm looking at the welds for signs of rust, cracks, etc.

[UT_Grandpa]

In aviation there are times when the pilot in charge needs to run a checklist. The First Officer will observe but not make any remarks until the list is completed. Then if something was skipped or is not right - they make it right.

I do the same thing when hitching up. I don't allow anyone to help me or talk with me until I have run the procedure and double checked it. It is so easy to skip a step or get distracted. Some people actually say and touch what they are doing to add two more senses to the checklist.

[davel1971]

It could be equipment malfunction, but usually driver error, which includes periodically checking all equipment condition and making sure all hardware is tight.

[McRabbet]

I had a close call on my return trip from the FROG Rally in Goshen this year that I discovered on a Sunday morning as I was hitching up near Georgetown, KY. I backed in to my tongue and when I went back to drop the hitch onto the ball, I realized I was about two inches too deep and had bumped the steel hoop that holds the two safety chains to the hitch -- it bent enough to complete a crack from some prior bump and the chains were on the ground! The hoop was rusted where it had been cracked at an earlier time and was holding on with a slim amount of remaining metal. I banged it closed with the chains back in place and, because it was a Sunday and I knew I could not find a repair shop, I drove 280 miles back home relying on just the hitch ball. A few days after returning, I had a pair of new steel safety chain hoops welded on the tongue where they will be fully protected from any back-in damage.

I always check the hitch ball, the chains, the receiver pin, the brake switch and my Equal-i-zer bars every time I hook up. I also hold my 7-pin coupler in place with a pair of bungee cords to insure that it does not loosen during a trip (having a rear camera that is powered off the clearance lights help me know the connection is working).

[Oaklevel]

Never came off but I have one 2 5/16" hitch that if you are not careful it will sit on top of the ball and latch just as if it were on correctly................. its hard to tell......................

Had a receiver nearly rust off of the truck frame.................

Try to be careful......... been towing trailers over 35 years currently have 6 toys (trailers) ..... two fifth wheel and 4 ball hitch type all different ...... never lost one yet....................................... but have seen other peoples come off..............

[JeffandLori]

Originally Posted by UT_Grandpa

In aviation there are times when the pilot in charge needs to run a checklist. The First Officer will observe but not make any remarks until the list is completed. Then if something was skipped or is not right - they make it right.

I do the same thing when hitching up. I don't allow anyone to help me or talk with me until I have run the procedure and double checked it. It is so easy to skip a step or get distracted. Some people actually say and touch what they are doing to add two more senses to the checklist.

This one is probably gold for me. Invariably, I'm getting asked questions from the DW about something or trying to do two things at once, etc. so what I have taken to is not starting any hitching procedures until everything else is done and slide outs are in. Then jacks come up, truck comes back etc. Multi-tasking is reserved for before or after. Hitching procedure ends with the torque wrench. Yeah, probably don't need to do that EVERY time, but it makes me feel good and it's one more trip around the camper to notice things like awnings not closed flat, tv antenna up, etc.

Saying something like "hitch pin locked" "coupler pin secure" is probably not a bad idea. I've been known to talk to myself about less important things.......

[russhd1997]

I had a pop up camper come off of the ball on me once. I had let my son hook the camper to the car. He was a teenager at the time and was eager to help out. Apparently the socket wasn't all of the way down on the ball before he latched it. When the trailer bounced off of the ball the hooks straightened on the safety chains and the camper headed for the ditch. We were able to get the camper hooked to the car and continued on our way with little damage.

I didn't scold my son for what had happened, he felt bad enough already. He learned a valuable lesson that day and has towed many trailers since with no problems. We have since both adopted the policy of not letting anyone help or do the hitching for us.

[prestonj12]

My boat bounced off the ball onetime. Didn't close the latch, when I went over a speed bump on the way to the ramp it bounced off. No harm done as I was going 2-3 mph max. Neglected to close the latch as I strayed from my normal routine. I had people helping me get set up and I didn't follow my normal hookup routine.

[Cougarfan]

Originally Posted by UT_Grandpa

I do the same thing when hitching up. I don't allow anyone to help me or talk with me until I have run the procedure and double checked it. It is so easy to skip a step or get distracted. Some people actually say and touch what they are doing to add two more senses to the checklist.

This^^^

I'm one of those that walks around touching everything talking to myself "hitch, brakes, chains, power plug, hitch pin, propane cover lid, storage door, water inlet, power plug....." I also try to hook up and unhook in the same order each time so there is less chance of missing a step. I also take my time even if it is pouring rain. Too much of a risk of missing something if you're in a hurry.

I haven't had anyone interrupt me in a long time. Most campers are very respectful when someone is hooking or unhooking. I used to get "do you need any help?" a lot but apparently, it appears that I know what I'm doing so don't get that much anymore. If someone does ask me, I just smile and politely say "I'm good but thank you for your offer to help".

Laura

[rockfordroo]

I was on the Washington DC Beltway one summer, middle of afternoon rush hour, stop and go traffic, 5 lanes across. I was in the 2nd lane from the left, a tractor trailer was to my right in the middle lane and we came to a stop. When traffic opened up, I saw him start to move and then I saw the front of his trailer drop to the ground. Came right out of the 5th wheel.

Boy, I was glad I was next to him and not behind him!

[Jmkjr72]

I have had the draw bar actually break on a cargo trailer I've seen ball break and I have also had a pin on a draw bar fail also

[CaptnJohn]

When I pulled a TT after hooking and pinning the hitch I cranked (until I bought an electric jack) the tongue up until it started to lift the truck then retracted before leaving. No guarantee but should eliminate a few hard to see problems.

I have a receiver locking pin in the garage. I would now eliminate the pin and use a lock. I use a lock on my 5er hitch. Have not heard about TTs but have heard some think it funny too release the hitch while stopped for food or fuel so when the truck pulls forward or farther down the road the trailer comes loose. Terrible on a TT, worse on a 5er as no chains.....

[TheWolfPaq82]

Years ago, my cousin had a failure of the welds on the A-frame and his 30' did an end over on the interstate. Total destruction of the trailer. Luckily...no one was injured and no crashes due to the accident.