Crushed Rails

[432bartman]

This is what happens when you aren't locked into your 5th wheel hitch. You decide to drive off, without double checking and your only safety net (stabilizers) are already up. Expensive repair. Happened to a buddy at work. His beautiful F-250 Diesel needed a brand new bed. What's hysterical about this photo, it's from a Camping World service truck

[Charlie 3931fb]

That does not surprise me on a service truck from Camping World. The lot people are 18 to 23 years old and they get into a hurry and away they go. That's why I am the only one that hooks up to my trailers. Also, I don't let anyone help me. I do it myself and I have never lost a trailer or pulled out from underneath one.

[jimcol]

All most every dealership that handles a high volume of 5th wheels has a truck just like that.

[Charlie 3931fb]

Originally Posted by jimcol

All most every dealership that handles a high volume of 5th wheels has a truck just like that.

Notice that the tail gate is missing. I wounder what that looks like? LOL

[432bartman]

Originally Posted by Charlie 3931fb

Notice that the tail gate is missing. I wounder what that looks like? LOL

Yes, it probably was pushed into the cab of the truck

[DmaxDually]

Originally Posted by 432bartman

Yes, it probably was pushed into the cab of the truck

How? He was pulling away not backing up.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by jimcol

All most every dealership that handles a high volume of 5th wheels has a truck just like that.

I’ve never seen it at CW but have seen one at another chain and one at a big mom and pop lot. It happens when not paying attention to anyone

[jimcol]

They NEVER leave the tail gate on their yard truck!!

[mlh]

That is one thing that is nice about the new aluminum Ford trucks. My 2018 was broadsided and ruined the quarter panel. You take the rivets out paint a new quarter panel and put it back together. No welding or bondo required.
Lynwood

[JABURKHOLDER]

Unfortunately, for anyone towing a fifth wheel, this is not a matter of if, it’s when.

[Chasnracin]

Originally Posted by JABURKHOLDER

Unfortunately, for anyone towing a fifth wheel, this is not a matter of if, it’s when.

Which is why I put the Blue Ox Bed Saver on. Just in case

[1retired06]

Originally Posted by Chasnracin

Which is why I put the Blue Ox Bed Saver on. Just in case

Same here. Had one on the Reese and have one on our Curt. Believe Blue Ox quit making certain series two or three years ago, at least for the Curt, other brands out there.

[DQDick]

Kind of depends on the trailer. Had an idiot I was moving a rig for not lock his landing gear and drop an older Jayco on our old truck. Left white marks on the truck, but all damage was to the Jayco. Just another reason we don't own a Jayco.

[MaxwellD]

Originally Posted by JABURKHOLDER

Unfortunately, for anyone towing a fifth wheel, this is not a matter of if, it’s when.

I may be missing something here so help me understand. You hook up to your fiver, secure the latching jaws with safety pin, plug in your pigtail, close tailgate on truck and complete your walkaround. Jacks are up. Tug test with trailer brakes before leaving site. How does this happen with jaws on hitched closed and double checked?

[saber707]

Unfortunately, distraction is how it happens. It happens when one becomes distracted as in spouse hollers "come here quick" and you had not extended the jacks yet. When you return in a huff 20 min later, frustrated at whatever problem was bugging the spouse, you get in and pull away only to hear a very loud thud. That's just one scenario. I know that from experience.

[Moondragon]

Brand new 2014 RAM 2500, landing gear collapsed just as the pin touched the hitch. Finally got it fixed this year, $1000 per side (looked just like the pic above). Great local body shop, was able to straighten them instead of replacing them. And the RAM quarters can be replaced without doing the whole bed.

[firestation12]

Originally Posted by MaxwellD

I may be missing something here so help me understand. You hook up to your fiver, secure the latching jaws with safety pin, plug in your pigtail, close tailgate on truck and complete your walkaround. Jacks are up. Tug test with trailer brakes before leaving site. How does this happen with jaws on hitched closed and double checked?

I can tell you how...Start with a Pullrite slider hitch, secure it as you have explained, then at a fuel station stop, someone parks their minivan in front of the most convenient diesel pump and goes inside to eat, use bathroom, get a drink, ad finte nauseam, so you decide to do a 180 degree turn in the parking lot to use another pump. In the process of the turn, the emergency breakaway cable gets caught on something in the bed, pulls out the emergency breakaway pin and voila, the trailer brakes engage. As the turn is completed, the 40' trailer leverages the slider hitch and tears the jaws out of the hitch. What happens next you already know. Please don't ask how I know all of this. Today's diesel trucks develop so much torque, the resistance was barely noticeable and was mistaken for the drag of the slider hitch doing it's thing.

[CADman_KS]

Originally Posted by firestation12

I can tell you how...Start with a Pullrite slider hitch, secure it as you have explained,... In the process of the turn, the emergency breakaway cable gets caught on something in the bed, pulls out the emergency breakaway pin and voila, the trailer brakes engage. As the turn is completed, the 40' trailer leverages the slider hitch and tears the jaws out of the hitch. ...

I've only had PullRite hitches with all of the 5ers that we've had, and I'm very intimate with how the jaws work on those hitches.

I would really like to understand how the jaws could have separated or bent or moved or ripped away. I can't see how the action of locking up the brakes would cause the jaws to fail. That could happen at anytime, even driving straight, and potentially make the jaws fail. That concerns me a little bit, still having a PullRite hitch.

On a side note, I never pulled my breakaway cable off, but it did get caught in the slider, and got mangled. There is an easy fix for this for anyone that has a PullRite slider. Shorten your breakaway cable so that it attaches to the head unit of the hitch, and when attached, doesn't have enough slack to touch the sliding mechanism. The trailer and the head unit turn at the same rate, so it will never get in anything as you're turning...

[Donjamin]

The distraction comes when your significant other or children want something done immediately inside the trailer or house. That’s my excuse. LOL

[saber707]

Originally Posted by JABURKHOLDER

Unfortunately, for anyone towing a fifth wheel, this is not a matter of if, it’s when.

That is the gospel truth.....