Joined the "Dropped it Club" today - Page 3 - Montana Owners Club

ols1932 · 10-06-2008, 06:57 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by judyuk

Phil,
We have the Signature Reese Hitch and there's no bed saver available for it either. We had a hard time seeing whether the lock was engaged so my husband painted it white. It's MUCH easier now to see the lock. I don't know why the manufacturers don't paint it but guess the extra 50 cents is too hard on their budget

Judy

Judy,
I don't think we can criticize the manufacturers for something that we should personally, for our own peace of mind, take a good look at the jaws of the hitch. We have the TrailerSaver hitch which has a positive locking device just like the semi tractors have. But just like the semi drivers, we must take a peek at the jaws to make sure they are closed and the lever is in the right place. Even with the TrailerSaver hitch, rigs can be dropped, especially if one happens to not observe the lever position.

Orv

TAKPAK · 10-06-2008, 12:33 PM

Sorry to hear of the damage. The first scratch is always the hardest. We have a Reese 16K, and when we hook up, we raise the landing gear about an inch off the ground. Then, with chocks still in place, I pull forward against them, then back into them, then manually set the brakes on the Monty with the brake controller and pull into it again, just to make sure. You can do this with the button/control in the TV, or, and this is also a safety check, use the emergency breakaway switch by pulling the pin and having the brakes set that way, of course remembering to put the pin back in. You don't get very far if you don't......!!! This is actually recommended every time you hook up to check the operation of the breakaway emergency braking system. Then out for a visual, and finally raise the landing gear/remove the chocks. One other thing I do is to padlock the handle on the hitch. Normally it has a locking pin, but it is a bit loose. Also, and I can NOT authenticate this, but I have heard stories of owners who have pulled into a rest stop/truck stop/eating place, only to pull out and have it drop. Vandalism or pranksters had removed the pin and pulled the lever. So I now padlock mine. Then I KNOW it is set. I hope never to join the "dropped club", but Murphy's Law still is alive and well!

exav8tr · 10-06-2008, 12:37 PM

Orv, I think that was where I went wrong, I forgot to check that the handle was in the "locked position". I won't say for sure, but can only hope I never do that again. Complacency is a costly bed partner!!!

wild willy · 10-06-2008, 12:37 PM

Well Phil,hearing that crash before my first cup of coffee really woke me up! But everyone, Phil was the coolest guy at Kamp Keystone. You could see he was upset, but really kept his cool. You meet the nicest people in a Monty!

exav8tr · 10-06-2008, 12:41 PM

Thanks Willy, My wife, on the other hand ____________ (you fill in the blank)!

Terry and Patsy, I learn something everyday. I have never checked the break a way switch, go figure, being an 18 month newbie is eye opening. Thanks for posting your procedures, I will definitely check this in the future. I guess I just assumed it would stop...MY BAD.

If any one else has any ideas, I sure would like to hear them. This was a $1200 mistake......

ols1932 · 10-06-2008, 02:02 PM

Phil,
We've all been there. When I first got the TrailerSaver hitch, I had backed into a hard-to-get-into spot in a friends yard. In order to hook up when we got ready to leave, I had to back in at an angle. I felt that the hitch had locked, but when I went to pull ahead (the pull check) the 5er dropped on one side of the truck doing a little damage. From then on, I have been pretty careful and try to share what I've learned with others.

Orv

jjackflash · 10-06-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by judyuk

Phil,
We have the Signature Reese Hitch and there's no bed saver available for it either. We had a hard time seeing whether the lock was engaged so my husband painted it white. It's MUCH easier now to see the lock. I don't know why the manufacturers don't paint it but guess the extra 50 cents is too hard on their budget

Judy

Judy,check this out!
Jack
http://www.blueox.us/PDFS/BXR4105.pdf

Bill and Lisa · 10-08-2008, 07:38 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by catsR4me

Phil didn't mention that it was me behind the wheel. After attending the ladies driving class at the rally, I was excited about taking a turn at driving. He said everything was ready to go, I jumped in the driver's seat, put it in drive, and BAM! Well, guess who won't be driving unless it's a out-and-out dire emergency?!!!!!!!!

Cathy

Cathy, don't let that scare you or keep you a prisoner to fear. Phil will tell you that it would have happened just the same to him. I am so sorry to hear about your problems. I know things like this can delay plans and make the idea of food seem repulsive but there is a lot of worse things that can an do happen during the pursuit of our lifestyle.

Bill

Bill and Lisa · 10-08-2008, 07:53 AM

Phil,
Sorry to hear that the gremlins remained active in Kamp Keystone after we finally got out of there. I had a mini version of your sick feeling when we finally got home. I had emptied most everything out Saturday night but there were still some things Lisa wanted to pull out of the kitchen but she wasn't up for doing much Saturday night. I took a chance and closed up the unit and left it parked on the side of the house over night. Good news is no neighbor called the sherriff to issue me a ticket. Sunday when we went out I began extending the slides while talking with lisa.....well the freezer door had come unstuck from the suction cupped rods we use to hold the doors ajar, and the freezer door, due to the angle in the street, opened as far as it could behind the slide wall ----- out of sight. I am "normally" very careful about extending the LR slide and will stop part way out and visually look to make sure the doors are clear. I didn't this time and when the crunching and groaning started I was not as quick as I should have been to let go of the button and stop the slide. Luckily, the freezer door was not damaged and although the wood trim upright and corner cap were pulled out slightly from the rest of the slide wall, I was able to coax them both back into postion and it appears no lasting damage was done. But I still experienced that sick feeling in my stomach.

deerrahn · 10-08-2008, 08:05 AM

Sorry to hear about the "DROP". I had mine back in 2004. Really lucked out, only a small dent on top of the siderail (it's still there, a very good reminder to be careful and check and double check). After I get hooked up (the hitch locks and the release arm goes in) I put the latch down to lock the arm, put the emergency cable over the arm and padlock the latch and cable and hitch together. Hopefully I will never have this problem again.

Joyce H · 10-08-2008, 02:06 PM

Bill & Lisa...We can't believe the Gremlins were still after you when you finally made it safely home....
HOWEVER...When we got our new 3475 a few years ago, the very first time we opened the slides we did the same thing. The handle on the recliner caught the slide trim and pulled it loose. We were just sick, but were able to tap it back in place and have the dealer completely repair it a few weeks later. Needless to say I now do a constant visual check when opening the slides to make sure all is clear.

Miss you guys and Panda misses Ringo! Hope our paths soon cross again.

KathyandDave · 10-21-2008, 05:40 PM

Recently, we realized that we had towed the Monty for an hour and a half without the handle fully retracted. We have been in the habit of inspecting the connection to confirm that the pin is "grabbed" by the rotating mechanism of the Pull-Rite and it looked good, so off we went, despite some nagging doubts about the proper position for the handle, which is unmarked. Then, I saw the hitch displayed at a dealer and the handle was in further than ours, so that the "shark fin" is behind the plate. So, I took the hitch apart and generously lubed everything in the mechanism. Now, the handle retracts completely. It was scary to realize that we weren't fully engaged. I like the idea of painting the handle. Also, some kind of locking mechanism, like I see on the Husky hitch. Very simple - accepts a padlock. For the Pull-Rite, we'd have to get a tab welded on or maybe get the shark fin enlarged, and drilled for a padlock.

jjackflash · 10-21-2008, 06:51 PM

We have the Draw-Tite 18K. When I go to hook up I lower the trailer about two inches below the hitch,I don't at this time retracted the landing gear. I then back in and actually pick up the trailer which is now two inches off the ground ,at this time I do my pull test and if not hooked the trailer will only drop two inches.After the pull test I get out and visually check the pin and than drop in the padlock for the handle which won't drop thru if the pin isn't completely locked. I now remove the chocks.
By lowering the trailer and picking it up with the TV you keep from high hooking.
Jack

KathyandDave · 10-22-2008, 06:29 AM

Since exav8tr started this thread, we have carefully pull-tested every time. We pull against the chocks with the LG slightly retracted to clear the ground or pads. I'm not convinced that the trailer brakes necessarily provide enough holding power to properly test the hitch connection. jjackflash, I like your idea of picking up the trailer instead of retracting the LG.

Pete Hanson · 10-22-2008, 06:33 AM

I have a pullrite hitch and there is a distinctive sound when the hitch closes around the pin correctly. I then simply give a pull on the handle to make sure the "shark fin" is engaged. The pull test referenced above is always a good idea as well. We found that having the trailer on the low side (putting some weight on the hitch) when hitching with the pullrite helps the engagement process.

snfexpress · 10-22-2008, 07:05 AM

KathyandDave,

Quote:

quote:Also, some kind of locking mechanism

Per the PullRite Owners Manual:

To discourage theft or pranksters,
place a padlock through the obround
hole above the Release Handle, so it
can not be raised enough to clear the Handle Catch.

KathyandDave · 10-22-2008, 07:45 AM

"place a padlock through the obround
hole above the Release Handle"
Doh! Thanks for the pointer. Maybe I should read the manual more carefully...

snfexpress · 10-22-2008, 12:20 PM

Dave,

I couldn't figure how to lock it, either, until I started to read the manual. That's when I also learned about the lubrication requirements. You might want to chek it out for yourself.

swanny · 10-22-2008, 12:36 PM

KathyandDave, i use a lock pin. it's the type of pin one uses to place through a hitch with a ball. you can always find them in the boating section. it works great. also, i closed my pull-rite without the pin and made sure it was fully closed. i then painted a line "vertical" on the part that goes around the pin. this way i can see if the jaw is fully wrapped around the pin from the back of the truck. than i lock it.

kevin

KathyandDave · 10-26-2008, 01:46 PM

Thanks for the help and advice about the hitch. It's all working very nicely, now.

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