Blue Ox Bedsaver: Installed Correctly?

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

We recently had a Blue Ox Bedsaver installed. While it definitely works (the installer tested it by accident), we have a new wrinkle in our hitching/unhitching process. Now, doing either process, we have to have the trailer high enough to clear the Bedsaver, and then stop immediately after we clear it so that we can lower the trailer/hitch-pin a couple of inches so that the hitch pin can hit the receiver correctly. In other words, we can't back up and hitch or pull out and unhitch without that extra stop to raise the rig up enough to clear the Bedsaver. The installer said he'd never installed one of the Bedsavers before, although he had heard about them.

I took some photos to try to show you the way the Bedsaver and receiver look. On the side view, you can see where the bolts are; we're wondering if the Bedsaver was installed too high and should be dropped so that we clear it without having to do all those adjustments. I don't remember anyone on the forum mentioning that a Bedsaver would change a hitching and unhitching procedure.

Take a look--I bet we get some answers pretty quickly!


Carolyn

[8.1al]

With ours it depends on the terrain. If the truck is downhill from the trailer we have to raise the pin higher, if it is level we are ok.

[Exnavydiver]

I had the same problem when I first installed my unit. I just set it one set of bolt holes lower. To answer your question, yes it is too high. When we set up at this CG we had to move back and forth a few times and I forgot where we were at in the process and off the rig came and right into the tray. SWEET!!... Dave

[Rondo]

Wayne and Carolyn-- From the pictures you have here, it looks like it is installed correctly! Just went out to the garage to check my hitch and Bedsaver in the TV!When I installed mine, I took a straight 2X2 and put it across the bedrails to see if it was to low! Just remember that the "Bedsaver" is just that! If it was lower, it would catch your pin but the Monte would be setting on the rails of your truck! It has to be just a little bit high to stop that monster from hitting your truck bed. I normally just back the TV up till I get just to the Bedsaver then either have the DW (if she is around- if not, I get out and do it)raise it just about an inch to go over the catch of the Bedsaver then I slowly finish the hookup! The pin is still low enough to catch the yoke and couple correctly! If you have any questions, just PM me and I'll give you a call and talk you through it! I normally have the front legs shorter with more blocks under them for height and more stability that way also, so, I don't have to raise the front of the Monte to much for hook up. If it is high when I unhook , I lower it just barely with the legs still shorter and more blocks to level. Does that makes sense??

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Dave, we loved the SWEET! at the end of your story. You had a great attitude about your "test run."

Rondo, we understood your process and, in fact, did use more blocks than normal when we unhitched this evening. Even if we hadn't done so because of the Bedsaver situation, we would have done it for the stability. I didn't think about checking the placement by putting a board across the bedrails of the truck--good idea.

8.1al, we had one of those serendipitous situations when we unhooked today, the 1-in-100 times where we were perfectly level. Still, we had to raise the hitch pin up quite a bit to clear the Bedsaver. When the tech hitched up at the dealership, the rig was parked right out of a service bay on a slanted drive. Again, the trailer had to come up quite a bit to clear the Bedsaver.

So far, including the PM responses with the ones posted here, there's a tie, with 3 "needs to be lowered" opinions, 3 "installed as it should be" opinions, and 3 "depends on where you're parked" opinions. I don't think this MOC site could be more diplomatic than that!
Carolyn

[richfaa]

The hitch pin should DROP smoothly into the bed saver. No more than a 1/4 inch or so. Figure the weight that is exerted on the bed saver on the drop of that heavy camper. We actually run the hitch pin OVER the bed saver, line it up with the jaws then lower it in. It is hard to tell from the pix's if it is bit to high.Just make sure the drop is minimal. If it is a bit high it may not drop into the bedsaver correctly. The best test is to slowly run it off the hitch and into the bedsaver..It must drop...

[NCFischers]

I installed the bedsaver as per their instructions and we have to move the pin a bit when hitching and unhitching. I would be afraid to lower the bedsaver too far for fear that the pin might miss the bedsaver if it came loose. It is one more step when hitching and unhitching but we'll live with it.
Looking at your middle photo, I would move the lower bolts to grab the bedsaver too.

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Rich, that "test" you described has already been done, by the service tech (accidentally). He sure was impressed with how that Bedsaver worked. Since we weren't in the service area to see the drop, we don't know exactly how far the drop was, but it couldn't have been much.

NCFishers, after looking at the way the hitch and Bedsaver would line up if we lowered the Bedsaver enough to grab the lower bolts, I can see that we'd have a longer drop for the pin to catch the Bedsaver, which might be worse than having to deal with the raising/lowering the pin. It's hard to tell. The installation papers showed the Bedsaver installed as ours is, but I'm sure those other holes are there for a reason, and maybe it's to secure the Bedsaver better. Yours is bolted as you suggested, right? That would make sense.

Carolyn

[Waynem]

Bed saver or no, I always did a tug test with the jacks a little off the ground, like 1 inch or less, trailer wheels blocked . If it didn't come off the hitch, it was hooked. Even with a bed saver I would still perform that test today with a 5er.

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Waynem, I bet you're enjoying not having to deal with "tug tests" these days, right?

Carolyn

[richfaa]

Still do the tug test and all the safety checks as with no bedsaver. The bedsaver is there for when we make a MISTAKE and from the number of damaged trucks we have seen an lot of folks make them.

[NCFischers]

Wayne & Carolyn,
Is it possible you could put a set of bolts in the holes to grab the bedsaver like the top bolts are doing? I would think that it would be stronger if you could.
Jim