I recently bought a Ford F-450 and the dealer found and installed an adaptor plate for my Trailersaver BD3 fifthwheel hitch. The adaptor plate allows the hitch to work with the Ford rail-less system.
In my old truck, I installed locks on the retaining pins that held the hitch to the rails installed in the bed of the truck. When I went to the new adaptor I thought maybe I was being a little too paranoid and went with non-locking pins. The locking pins made it difficult to steal the hitch (slowed them down maybe) and kept pranksters from pulling the pins and allowing the hitch to come loose while towing.
By now you probably guessed it, during my walk around inspection before leaving the campground this morning I found one of four pins and safety clip had been removed where it held the hitch to the adaptor plate. If unnoticed I likely would have bent the hitch or lost the trailer completely on a sudden stop.
I am not sure what goes through people's minds when they do something like what I experienced. We had gone camping for the weekend to attend a cat show and sometime at the show yesterday someone must have pulled the pin. I was lucky that I always walk around and check that everything is stowed, closed, lowered, connected, and pinned.
I kept the old pins & locks and will be reinstalling them this afternoon. I guess a little paranoia is not such a bad thing.
In my old truck, I installed locks on the retaining pins that held the hitch to the rails installed in the bed of the truck. When I went to the new adaptor I thought maybe I was being a little too paranoid and went with non-locking pins. The locking pins made it difficult to steal the hitch (slowed them down maybe) and kept pranksters from pulling the pins and allowing the hitch to come loose while towing.
By now you probably guessed it, during my walk around inspection before leaving the campground this morning I found one of four pins and safety clip had been removed where it held the hitch to the adaptor plate. If unnoticed I likely would have bent the hitch or lost the trailer completely on a sudden stop.
I am not sure what goes through people's minds when they do something like what I experienced. We had gone camping for the weekend to attend a cat show and sometime at the show yesterday someone must have pulled the pin. I was lucky that I always walk around and check that everything is stowed, closed, lowered, connected, and pinned.
I kept the old pins & locks and will be reinstalling them this afternoon. I guess a little paranoia is not such a bad thing.
