Hitch Pin Pulled as a Joke! - Montana Owners Club

cdaniels · 07-28-2010, 08:50 AM

We have a scooter on the back of the Monty and during our recent travel someone pulled the pin out. Not sure if it was at the campground or when we stopped for dinner. We where really lucky we have a bracket to stop the wobble and it held the hitch in place for the whole ride home. 682 miles. I think someone wanted to see the scooter flying across the interstate! Thank goodness we where lucky. We have sense put a locked pin on it. And now will check whenever we start to pull out or stop for dinner.

Art-n-Marge · 07-28-2010, 09:05 AM

Some folks have a sick mind when it comes to jokes. That's not very funny to me at all. I often check my rig at stops, but to make sure things are still in place, but not every time. I guess I'll have to make it 100% even to make sure any locks are still in place and so are the respective pins and safety clips.

Thanks for the heads up.

cdaniels · 07-28-2010, 09:29 AM

yes, we where sick when we found it out. It could have been ugly and caused someone from behind to be injured or crashed. Not to mention the damage to the scooter. We feel very lucky and much more wiser. Who would think??

NCFischers · 07-28-2010, 09:41 AM

We always do a complete walk around of the truck and trailer every time we stop just in case. It also gives me a chance to check the inside of the tires for bulges.

8.1al · 07-28-2010, 09:56 AM

We had someone flip the safety latch on our hitch, trailer disconnected itself, hitch has a padlock on it now

jjackflash · 07-28-2010, 10:13 AM

I also Padded lock the 5th wheel hitch,I also lock any pins that can be pulled out from the hitch.
I learn this from driving big rigs. I've seen a couple of times in the rest stops 53' trailers hit the ground because someone pulled the pin from the hitch.
Jack

bullroc3 · 07-28-2010, 10:49 AM

YIKES!!!! Glad that it rode home OK. Amazing!!

Jolu · 07-28-2010, 11:34 AM

Someone may have been trying to take the scooter and the rack you have it on. If you have one of those brackets to stop the wobble like I do, they would have had to undo a bolt to loosen it up to remove all of it. They may not have had time or a wrench to loosen the bolt.
All of this just a thought.

JimF · 07-28-2010, 12:43 PM

Your rig must have a very smooth ride, and the pin pull was not as a "joke". Glad you made it home safely.

cdaniels · 07-28-2010, 04:38 PM

Yes I think Joe & Lucy is right. After much thought we have decided it was not a prank but they where going to steal our wineguard that was chained to the hitch and leg of the Montana. That bracket saved us. I can not remember what we paid for it, I am thinking under $20.00 but it was worth it's weight in gold at this point. It secured our hitch for many many miles. Before we left for the trip the hubby welded a bead around the bolt thinking that would help hold the bolt and make it more secure. We feel very fortunate.

HamRad · 07-28-2010, 05:42 PM

I will usually do a walk around to check on tires, hubs, doors and the pins. Problem is I don't do it each time. Guess I'd better get locks and or simply do the check EVERY time I get ready to tow the rig.

Sorry you had this scare but glad everything worked out as well as it did. And thanks for the "heads up". One of the nice things about the Forum is this very kind of thing.
Dennis and Mary Kay

helmick · 07-28-2010, 06:00 PM

We padlock the hitch and remove the handle anytime we travel, to many nuts around.

CamillaMichael · 07-28-2010, 07:57 PM

We have also been locking our hitch...agree, a lot of nuts out there.

Illini Trekker · 07-29-2010, 03:24 PM

I also use a lock with numbers to
Open it the spare is also locked in it's rack. It takes all kinds to make the world go round?

richfaa · 07-30-2010, 02:50 AM

I always considered that a urban legend sort of thing as we hear of it all the time but we have never actually known of it happening to anyone... I guess not I guess we will get some locks...

cdaniels · 07-30-2010, 05:21 AM

This was the first time we ever had someone try to take something. It started out that my mirror from my bike was missing. Cost $24.00. We knew it did not drop off traveling down the road because we carry the bike on the bed in the Monty. I knew it was there when we took it out. But you do not think the worse and decide it must have came off and I just did not hear or notice it. That was day 2 of our trip. Then the missing pin which now we feel was an attempt to take the Wineguard Portable. Geez.... to think we where at a camping rally! We definitely camped around a thief, maybe not a good one because a real thief would have cut the lock and snatched it. But still a thief! We where lucky and makes you smarter and more attentive. It drives you nuts to have to put locks and cables on everything you own and as said, a lock does not stop a real thief. You do all you can do and you've done your best.

I do not know why I am surprised. The week before we left my brother in law had his lawn mower and the trailer stolen from his driveway. The next am they where taking it to thier beach house. He had it locked but they just cut the lock and away they went. He lives in a really good area and development, his neighbors are really close by as most neighborhoods. Who would think someone would back in your driveway and steal the trailer and lawn mower? The bad new is it was his friends trailer. With this economy some people seem to be stealing for a living and it increases all our insurance rates.

jjackflash · 07-30-2010, 08:08 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by cdaniels

This was the first time we ever had someone try to take something. It started out that my mirror from my bike was missing. Cost $24.00. We knew it did not drop off traveling down the road because we carry the bike on the bed in the Monty. I knew it was there when we took it out. But you do not think the worse and decide it must have came off and I just did not hear or notice it. That was day 2 of our trip. Then the missing pin which now we feel was an attempt to take the Wineguard Portable. Geez.... to think we where at a camping rally! We definitely camped around a thief, maybe not a good one because a real thief would have cut the lock and snatched it. But still a thief! We where lucky and makes you smarter and more attentive. It drives you nuts to have to put locks and cables on everything you own and as said, a lock does not stop a real thief. You do all you can do and you've done your best.

I do not know why I am surprised. The week before we left my brother in law had his lawn mower and the trailer stolen from his driveway. The next am they where taking it to thier beach house. He had it locked but they just cut the lock and away they went. He lives in a really good area and development, his neighbors are really close by as most neighborhoods. Who would think someone would back in your driveway and steal the trailer and lawn mower? The bad new is it was his friends trailer. With this economy some people seem to be stealing for a living and it increases all our insurance rates.

Thieves usually don't go into depressed neighborhoods to steal,they go into the upscaled ones!

Fire1 · 07-31-2010, 03:16 PM

I am curious about the scoot you carry and the mount. I have a 09 2955 and the hitch is a joke but its there.
I want to mount my wifes vespa on the back of the 5th but after watching the biles I had on there get shaken to bits I am not sure I would trust the mount I have. Any suggestions? Oh yes I have had things taken off my truck while camping so I know the feeling ya want to shoot everyone that comes near your unit.
Thanks for any information oon the carrier and the brace.
Doug

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