BAD on ME - Montana Owners Club

Waynem · 04-11-2008, 12:41 PM

Got all ready to tow to the dealer today. Hooked up and ready. Let's go.
Or so I thought. Chocks in place. Tug test OK! (Good chocks) Everything is OK.

Started out the driveway and to the end of street, about 100 yards. I have the F-350 tow package with the built in break controller. I have learned that you give a little squeeze test on the controller to just heat the break fluid up a little and then everything works properly. I have been doing this for years with all trailer breaks.

Ok! Here we go. SQUEEZE - Nothing happened. SQUEEZE - Nothing happened. Time to stop at the stop sign. Hmmm! Something does not feel right.

I make the turn and start heading down the street to the stop light at the intersection. School zone so I'm going slow. SQUEEZE - nothing happened.

Hey dummy, look at the instrument cluster and see if you are connected. SQUEEZE - Instrument cluster said, dummy, "TRAILER DISCONNECTED." Hey, I know I connected it.

Stopped in a big parking lot and got out and checked. Yup - it's connected - UPSIDE DOWN

Dumb Ass!

Corrected and everything alright.

LESSON LEARNED: (Besides having it upside down)

In retrospect, I did not check everything. I had not checked the running lights tail lights, or turn signals on the Hanna. That would have caught the problem. Also check my instrument cluster when I did the tug test would have shown "Trailer Disconnected."

BAD ON ME!!!

Icehouse · 04-11-2008, 12:43 PM

Bad, bad, bad. Always, always check your lights. Will you do it again????
T

boylanag · 04-11-2008, 01:18 PM

Thanks, Wayne, for letting me know that I am not the only one with a short memory sometimes. Glad that all ended up well. - Jim

Waynem · 04-11-2008, 02:48 PM

Icehouse,
I will NEVER do that again. At least until the next time I forget!!!!

**Rondo** · 04-12-2008, 09:55 AM

WAYNE- Doesn't your cable have a square notch on it? Mine does and I can't put it in upside down! Have tried and blew a fuse when I did once, however!

Also had a message that came up "Trailer Break needs service" on my message panel about three weeks after that! Now tell me what service is needed on an electrical system? Took it to the dealer and come to find out I had blown a resistor (which is in the truck frame) and the fuse again but don't know how. They ordered a new set and put it in the other day! SO far not problems-- we'll wait and see now!

lwcdg · 04-12-2008, 10:08 AM

Wayne I've been trailering for over 40 yrs. Last fall I was in a hurry to pick up my 14k trailer from a buddies house. Ask my son if he changed my ball (2 5/16). He said no so since I hadn't changed it I knew it to be correct size. I went got the trailer flew home and a 1/2 milr before I got home I hit some large group pot holes! Trailer came off the hitch and proceeded to bump into the bumper and grind on the road (good thing I was doing less than 30mph). I went back to check trailer still hooked to truck via cables (i use cables instead of chains). I jacked the trailer back up and re hitched, it was then that I noticed the hitch was still locked and I had the 2" ball on and not the 2 5/16! Still put it on as I only had 1/2 back roads to go and crept home found 2 5/16 hitch and put it back into the truck. Still to this day no one has said how, when, or why the hitches were switched. I love the cables.

Mistakes only make you wiser. Enjoy all of the mistakes,
Chuck

Waynem · 04-12-2008, 03:43 PM

Rondo,
Yup! But I don't think I forced it on, just put it in and "thought" it was in correctly. When I corrected the mistake I took good notice of the square notch so as to the next time I will finger that connect on all smooth corners until that notch is upright.

Chuck,
Learning the hard way is not a good way, but the lesson seems to stay with you longer. I post here to alert others to my stupidity in hopes that it will save them some embarrassment. Since you came clean on your escapade, I assume you are of the same mind set in sharing what went wrong.

"Thought" - Do you know what thought did?
Nothing, just thought he did!

BB_TX · 04-12-2008, 03:47 PM

I have an '07 F350 with the built in brake controller and tow package. My 5er connector has a square boss on it and the connector on the truck has a square notch. The two must be lined up to plug it in. I spent a couple minutes 2 days ago trying to plug it in upside down before I figured out what I was doing wtong.

Waynem · 04-12-2008, 04:31 PM

Bill,
I think (though did again) that I had just put the tip in and "thought" (there's that word again) I had connected it. It was being supported by the flip-up, but I think (there it is again) it was just pressure.

gkbutler · 04-13-2008, 01:56 AM

Did the same thing yesterday morning. We were at a CG in Evansville, IN. Got all hooked up and started down the hill. Braking didn't feel right. Ole Monte seemed to be pushing the truck down the hill instead of slowing the truck down. Looked at the brake controller and saw . . . NOTHING!!!!!!!!! Got out and the connector was not fully engaged. Won't do that again.

eeoski · 04-13-2008, 03:13 AM

I don't know if this is possible as I've not seen the hook-up "stuff" yet for our unit as we've not received it yet, but being visual person myself is it possible (in addition to paying attention to the shape of the plug and recepticle) to maybe mark the plug with a "this end up" kinda of visual (e.g., nail polish (Hey, we'd more likely have that in the rig than paint! LOL), bright colored paint or tape, etc.)? Just a thought...still have to remember to plug it in and make sure it is seated properly, but one more hit against ole Murphy taking over!

Robin

richfaa · 04-13-2008, 03:21 AM

That is called a mistake..we all make them in spite of how careful we are . We have also not fully engaged the plug, we always check for green on the controller..we do it everytime???...execpt that time..we made a mistake.. We have never been able to figure out, it spite of all the checklist, in spite of how careful we are..how not to ever make a mistake when hooking up the campers. I have just accepted that I will make a mistake hooking up..maybe it is just me because other folks never make them.I am embarrassed to say we have a bed saver...I call it a mistake negator.

Waynem · 04-13-2008, 04:13 AM

Robin,
Good idea! White paint should do it. Mask the area except for the top and paint it white. Now all I'll have to do is remember "White side up!"

Rich,
No mistaken it. We all make those itsy-bitsy misteaks (sp). It's not nice to see others have made the same ones (YES IT IS) and posting helps us to remember those little things we sometimes overlook. I like Robin's idea to mark the connector. Hey, they even make white nail polish! Oh! Oh! I'd have to go buy some and then I can just hear the wife say, "WHOSE WHITE NAIL POLISH IS THAT???!!!"

Guess I better stick with paint.

**Rondo** · 04-13-2008, 05:24 AM

Rich-- Has your bedsaver worked for you are is it just for safety reasons? I'm heading up near Pender, NE where Blue Ox Products are made and thought I'd stop in there and possibly pick one up this next weekend. I think the fingernail polish on the power cord and the receptical is a good idea. Think I'll try it when I go out and move the Monte back to it's homebase parking spot. Just have to remember to make sure it is plugged in all the way!!

eeoski · 04-13-2008, 10:32 AM

Glad the idea might be of some help.

Another thing that I've found to be helpful to me is the "yellow sticky note." I use them for a lot of different things...stick them on the steering wheel to: provide directions (to supplement the GPS...low tech sometimes is more reliable), remind me to do (or not do something), or to pick something up at the store...even used them to "train" me to remember to let the "glow plug" do its thing before turning the key all of the way over on one of our former diesels. Again this is because I am one of those "visual" kind of people and physical check lists work best for me.

Now I'm thinking about making some checklist cards (laminated) that I can put in the cab of the truck to use for pre and post "flight"....hmmmmmmm.

Robin

Waynem · 04-13-2008, 03:06 PM

They don't make enough stickies for me! And the steering wheel would be to small. Guess I could sticker the windshield and pull one off at a time as I complete the task.

Thanks.

(Tongue in cheek)

eeoski · 04-13-2008, 04:58 PM

As long as you left a "view port" on the driver's side of the windshield, I'm thinking you'd be okay! :-P

Robin

richfaa · 04-13-2008, 05:18 PM

We have never accidentally dropped the 3400 and hope that we never do. We did however deliberately run the camper out of the hitch and onto the bedsaver to see how it worked.It worked just fine.

skypilot · 04-14-2008, 03:03 PM

My way of testing the connection is to do the pull test using the trailer brakes -- have chocks moved about 2 or 3 inches and then hold the handled/manual switch on the brake controller while I do the initial pull test. If they don't work, I stop with the chocks, if they do work, and something else is loose, the trailer doesn't have far to fall because I still have the landing gear just off the ground. Same process I was taught years ago in pulling semi-tankers for airlines and then in the Army. Has served me well..

Bill-N-Donna · 05-08-2008, 09:41 AM

I always watch my lights. I discovered once that something was wrong because I couldn’t see my lights on anymore. It had come loose; I guess it didn’t have a good connection to begin with. I pulled in at a rest area re-connected it and now I always watch it close. That is one good reason to drive with your lights on.

I’m not ashamed of having the bed saver because I think it also gives peace of mind while driving down the road. Although I’ve never heard of a fifth wheel coming off while in transit I also wonder what if something broke in the mechanism while going down the road at 60+ MPH? Could something like that happen? I wondered about it nearly every time I’ve towed it. With the bed saver it adds a little sense of security for me.

You may also like: