BedSaver 5th Wheel Hitch

[jimmy2]

has any one have one of these on there rig "BedSaver 5th Wheel Hitch" after reading a post from one of the moc talking about the worst rv trip ever i started looking in to this has any one ever had there hitch just give out or is it more like they forgot to close the jaws. i also found this place http://www.butchsservices.com/5201.html and for $50.00 his does the same thing but it still has one big flaw in the hole setup and that is the human factor. i guess that is why the blue ox bedsaver is there at $300.00 with shipping / tax's ant thought on this Jim

[DQDick]

I have Butch's on mine as do several others, but you'll find a lot of Blue Ox folks on here also. Human factor isn't really an issue, at least not on my hitch. Once I hook up there's a lever to flip down before I pull away, that's when Butch's bar goes across. It's been said that if things go bad the bar will get bent and I'll have to get a new one. That can happen 6 times before I'm out any money. Whatever you decide I recommend you get one. I dropped a Jayco on my new truck last year on the way to the Rally (doing a favor for my sister and trusting someone else). Luckily it wasn't my Montana and the damage was to the trailer (owned by the guy who caused the problem), not my truck. I tried to get a Blue Ox, but they and I had problems because of my unusual hitch (20K Reese head on a 15K Reese slider) so I went with Butch's option and it works for us.

[NCFischers]

We have the Blue Ox. Either one is cheap insurance.

[1retired06]

We have had one since 2003, which we ordered on line. Not a hitch, a bedsaver that bolts onto the hitch, and you order specific model for specific hitch, (our hitch is for a Reese). Ran around $180.00 and I dont remember the brand. What I do remember is that I have dropped the fifthwheel twice now over the years, and both times the bedsaver did it's job!

[CORattler]

That was money well spent!

quote:Originally posted by 1retired06

We have had one since 2003, which we ordered on line. Not a hitch, a bedsaver that bolts onto the hitch, and you order specific model for specific hitch, (our hitch is for a Reese). Ran around $180.00 and I dont remember the brand. What I do remember is that I have dropped the fifthwheel twice now over the years, and both times the bedsaver did it's job!

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

We have the Blue Ox and consider it cheap insurance against human error. Unfortunately, the bedsaver doesn't save tailgates. We now have a nice horizontal slit about 8" wide in ours. Don't ask how I know or who was backing up when that happened.

Carolyn

[Rondo]

The Bedsaver by Blue Ox is made here in Nebraska and I've had one for about 5 years now. I've tested it but never really had to use it! The Kelpes from here in Omaha have used theirs and it saved them about $3000 again after they had a mishap without the Bedsaver and then another with the Bedsaver. As several have said here, it is the best insurance you can have on dropping your rig by accident or a malfunction. One can always say they check everything before towing but all it takes is once and it is costly. We've had Blue Ox at our Central Plains Rally the last two years but this year they had other Rallies to go to so could not make it. They not only make the Bedsaver but other items for RVing. We had them at the Fall Rally last year and I think Dick is trying to get them back this year. Keep us informed on which one you pick!

[deadeye]

I got mine a Blue Ox at the Central Plains Rally last year. The first year of the rally (3 years ago) I was a little skeptical, but they finally convinced me to buy the cheap insurance. You know mens ego. It also makes you think a little more about what you are doing and have done when hooking up. You say to yourself.... SELF -- What have I forgot to do???? Never have had a problem and don't want to....JB

[WeBeFulltime]

I have the Butch and feel it will do the job.

[richfaa]

Blue Ox bedsave here Had it for over 6 years,.

[Art-n-Marge]

No one has tried to answer your question about the causes of this problem so I'll give it a stab when I've read others' stories. I think everyone has either not said the reason or the reason was admittedly forgetting to ensure the pin was engaged correctly and the rig slipped. I don't recall a specific instance of hitch head failure. I'm thinking this is good thing and I'm guessing this is rare but don't know. Can anyone provide better stats on this?

No doubt one of these is a benefit, but I don't have one or pull very often so my chances have been fewer to "mess up". It's cheap insurance if you buy the bar style, and not-as-cheap insurance if you get the Blue Ox style, but WAY cheaper than any mishap without one. The MOC has sure made me think of this possibility every time I hitch up and I hope I never become complacent. I see too many truck beds or gates that are evidence of this benefit and this doesn't count the trucks that have been repaired.

You almost wonder why 5er hitch companies don't come up with a cheap option to include this feature. It shouldn't be too expensive doing this at the factory and they can market it in a way that it's not a hitch problem but a use problem. It would be another "safety" option just like trailer chains for a bumper tow. For now it's an expensive addon.

[Ishler]

Butch's here, since the lever is next to the hitch handle it's easy to see when I check the handle and insert the safety pin.

[DQDick]

Ok here's how I managed to drop one. My sister's neighbor came running over and ask me to move his 5er. Construction folks had showed up and he needed it moved now. It was an older Jayco that he wasn't very familiar with, but he didn't tell me that. We were also in a hurry (going out to breakfast before we hooked up and went to the Rally). I hooked it up and moved it to the other side of the barn. He chocked the wheels with the chocks on the wrong side of the tires and then extended the landing gear (he may or may not have done that correctly). I saw the landing gear down and he said the chocks were in place. I pulled the pin on my hitch, the trailer started rolling backward fast enough to roll over the chocks and the landing gear collapsed and the rig dropped on my rails. Lucky for me the Jayco was no Montana and all the damage, except for some white marks on my rails, was confined to the trailer. Had to use my hydraulic jack to raise the trailer off my truck and block it up so they could decide what to do next.

[deadeye]

To answer the part of the question about dropping a trailer.......... Yes I have dropped an 18 wheeler with a load of Liquid Oxygen on it. Better know as nitro if mixed with carbohydrates used on liquid propelled missles when I was in the Air Force. It was not because of human error. Never dropped a camper wagon though. It was a new at the time air operated latching system we were trying out for the manufacturer. It failed to latch in the winter on a frosty night at Schilling AFB in Salina , Kansas. I had given it a test jerk with the brakes set and it appeared to be latched. After hooking up the air hoses and cranking up the landing gear, I took off and that is when the air hoses of the trailer came through the rear window of the tractor. Didn't need a bedsaver at the time. Needed a window saver and body saver from flying glass. That was in 1964, just a short time ago before Butch's and Blue OX were in business. That's my story and I'm sticking with it....JB

[jimmy2]

well this sound good i thank you all for the info and for the one I'm going with I'm leaning more toward butch.it is a lot smaller and does not take up so much room. with that said it sound like the drop is more human error and the butch sound like it will do the job.

[snfexpress]

We had the Blue Ox but left it in front of a dumpster 5 years ago. Here's why: the very first trip we high hitched and dropped our trailer on our truck...the Blue Ox dId not catch it, literally.

I put red nail polish on the hitch to show me if it was engaged properly. We kept it for a few months but then realized that the nail polish was a better solution.

Your mileage may vary...

[Hooker]

I've never had a bed saver and never needed one. To me, a bed saver is like a pilot who always flys with the wheels down because if he retracts them he's afraid he might forget to lower them at landing.

[bigskyjimmy]

I like that Hooker ! I second that!

[DQDick]

Well I guess I fly with the landing gear down since I've already dropped on on my rails.

[bigskyjimmy]

Not saying I have not done some boneheaded things,just not that one .........YET!! OOPPSSS ME thinks I just Jinksed myself!