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Old 06-15-2020, 05:41 PM   #1
Charlie 3931fb
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driving safety with 5th wheel trailer

Hey All,

Just would like to give you some tip's on what I do with my Montana when driving down the road. I am sure that everyone here is a safe driver. I would just like to give you tip's on how I do thing's from my truck driving days. I have logged over 1,500,000 miles on highways and byways with out any accident's. I just what I have learned over the year's and pass them on to you. So hope that you will take this thread for what it is. To teach you out of love and respect for all of you. So here it goes.


1 I go around the trailer looking at the slide outs, door's, window's ect. to make sure that they are all in and locked. This is before I hook the truck to the trailer. I then raise the level system in the back so full weight in on the tires. (That is the back 4 jacks). I then hit the tire with a good race car style air gauge and check all tire pressure's. I do this because if you have a low tire they will heat up and blow out with the excess heat from running down the road. I would do this even if you have tire reader's.

2 I then move to the truck and check the tire's looking at them and checking pressure's. By the way, on the truck and trailer I check by hand all of the lug nuts to make sure that I can not back them of by hand. A Loose lug nut with all the lug nuts on the wheel will have to be tighten and checked with a torque wrench. Both truck and trailer get a re-torque once a month or every 5000 mile's.
While still at the truck and before I start the motor, I check all fluid-ed looking at the ground to see if you are having any leak's. Engine and tran's fluid is most important. but I check and refill everything. I then go into the truck, start the motor with the hood still up to check for any leak's or bad noises coming from the engine.

3 While the engine is warming up, I then jump in the bed and check and grease the 5th wheel. I use white grease in a spray can a give a small spray too the jaw's of the hitch. I cycle the hitch lock 2 to 3 times. I check to see that all of the stay pin's are in place (that lock's my hitch to the bed) and also that everything in the bed of the truck is in place and not going to fly out the bed when your going down the highway. After I do all this I move too the hitch pin on the trailer.

4 At the trailer hitch pin I look at the pin and the pin plate (Pin is welded too the plate) I look for crack's in the pin , the pin plate, and anywhere there is a weld or hole for a bolt connection. I check the pigtail wire for cut's and breaks, and I pull out the emergency brake away pin so now the brakes are on full. Buy the way put the brake pin in the bed of the truck where it will not get lost or damaged. At this point I am ready to back up into the hitch pin of the trailer.

5 I pull into the hitch pin going real slow. I watch my locking arm and when I hear it click in, I put my truck in second gear and do a pull up. the trailer will not move with the gear down and the brakes on. I lock my 5th wheel hitch, plug in my lights. When I am back at the bed of the truck I take my flashlight and shine it into the jaw's making sure that they are closed. I recheck my hitch to making sure all is locked and good to go. I then raise my landing gear 1 to 2 inches off the ground. At this point the brake away emergency pin is still out of the switch. I go back in the truck and do another pull test (again second gear). When all is OK I raise the landing gear all the way, put the emergency break away pin back in. Make sure to connect that break away cable is a safe place.

6 At this point there in a walk around to do with the lights on both the trailer and the truck. If you are by yourself turn on your 4 way flasher. This will tell you the your brake light are working along with turn indicator's. I would still do left and right by them self.


I know that this might be a lot of information but doing this will insure that you will be in a safe vehicle while your going down the road. NOW::: Do you have to do it this way NO. I am only giving you 1,500,000 mile's of experience and teaching you maybe something's you didn't know. I am again only doing this to keep you safe, there is no other reason.

With all our love and safe travels,
 
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Old 06-15-2020, 05:54 PM   #2
Camp CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie 3931fb View Post
............I have logged over 1,500,000 miles on highways and byways with out any accident's............
Your checklist is a keeper for my user's manual and that's impressive mileage!!
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Old 06-15-2020, 06:57 PM   #3
Mikendebbie
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Charlie - thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
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Old 06-15-2020, 08:09 PM   #4
Ahdmeyer
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thanks for the list charlie, it should be a helpful reminder for everyone. At what point do you wake your wife and tel her it is time to leave? just kidding charlie lol
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Old 06-15-2020, 08:38 PM   #5
Charlie 3931fb
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thanks for the list charlie, it should be a helpful reminder for everyone. At what point do you wake your wife and tel her it is time to leave? just kidding charlie lol
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Either that or she is board watching me do my thing...LOL
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Old 06-15-2020, 08:51 PM   #6
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Good information from a man who knows his stuff! You can always tell the top notch drivers out there!
I did a lot of short haul early in my career in the oilfield. For certain pre trip checks have saved a lot of lives and roadside misery!
You didn't mention any actual driving tips but one thing I will suggest is learn to drive like a good truck driver (a good one not the hot rodders). Don't weave in and out of traffic with a big load, keep your distance in front of you and learn to drive with the flow of the traffic (that sometimes means driving a little faster than you might like if your not experienced). It's the idiots that drive too fast or too slow, constantly lane change or didn't take care of their rig/load that usually cause the accidents!!! Be like Charlie!
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Old 06-16-2020, 01:12 AM   #7
Charlie 3931fb
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Originally Posted by mtlakejim View Post
Good information from a man who knows his stuff! You can always tell the top notch drivers out there!
I did a lot of short haul early in my career in the oilfield. For certain pre trip checks have saved a lot of lives and roadside misery!
You didn't mention any actual driving tips but one thing I will suggest is learn to drive like a good truck driver (a good one not the hot rodders). Don't weave in and out of traffic with a big load, keep your distance in front of you and learn to drive with the flow of the traffic (that sometimes means driving a little faster than you might like if your not experienced). It's the idiots that drive too fast or too slow, constantly lane change or didn't take care of their rig/load that usually cause the accidents!!! Be like Charlie!
I will have a part 2 to this about what to do on the road, driving tip's, brake checks, cooling down your rig ect. Be coming in the next few day's
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Old 07-10-2020, 07:03 AM   #8
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As a new to the 5ver world great tips and one I will copy and have on hand. I had our 5ver towed here at a the park because I did not have my B&W hitch yet. So I have not pulled yet. Many years in a large class A. My plans are to ready the Montana for travel and go giving it a trial run before leaving the park in Oct. The process is all new to me and having your list handy as a guide will assist me in doing it the right way and building a safe habit. Thank you, looking forward to part two.
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