5th Wheel Crushes Truck Follow Up

Latch, pull, get out and look to make sure the pin is captured before you dolly up. You can high hitch, or worse submarine the pin, where the pin misses the slot, rides up and over, dropping in front of the fifth wheel. You can pass a pull test with this, in fact I had one driver make it 1/2 mile before he dropped a loaded tanker. The bright edge on the fifth wheel gives this away. I also use a flashlight.

I have also heard of jaws failing, but not seen it. Simple is best for safety, but a drawbar hitch has more slop.

When you hitch, do it the same way every time. Do not let anything interfere with your routine. Using a checklist is best.

JKJavelin wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
If the flange of the pin isn't under the jaws, they won't close.

Well, how do people "high-hitch" then? I assumed that the jaws were closed in that scenario.

Because those with 1/2" thick jawa allow for the pin box plate to be closer to the hitch plate making it less noticeable.

I've never heard of anyone "high hitching" a B&W hitch. You can drop a trailer with the B&W hitch if you lock the jaws open, but no way to have the jaws close unless the flange is below the jaws. If the flange were in the jaws they won't close, and you could see it in an instant because the arm wouldn't come forward, and you could easily see that the jaws weren't closed around the pin. If the flange were above the jaws, there would be about three inches of daylight between the hitch and the trailer. Pretty tough to miss that one.

From what I've read, a "high hitch" happens when the pin isn't completely trapped by the jaws/bar because it is too high, and not easily noticed. This simply can't happen with a B&W. I've not had that happen so I can't describe it exactly due to lack of experience, because I've always used a B&W hitch.

Yeah, I'm a member of the B&W hitch fanboy club. :)

fj12ryder wrote:
If the flange of the pin isn't under the jaws, they won't close.

Well, how do people "high-hitch" then? I assumed that the jaws were closed in that scenario.

JKJavelin wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
FTG you won’t need the flashlight unless it’s dark. The silver jaws are easy to see.

I also use a flashlight.... to make sure I can see that the flange of the pin is UNDER the jaws.
JK

If you had a B&W you could save a battery. ;)

ford truck guy wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
FTG you won’t need the flashlight unless it’s dark. The silver jaws are easy to see.

Habit....

I know but you are not an old dog.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
FTG you won’t need the flashlight unless it’s dark. The silver jaws are easy to see.

Habit....

I still use an old Reese 20K hitch. Painted the jaws white, makes it easy to see that they are locked. Never had a problem after 23 years

If the flange of the pin isn't under the jaws, they won't close.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
FTG you won’t need the flashlight unless it’s dark. The silver jaws are easy to see.

I also use a flashlight.... to make sure I can see that the flange of the pin is UNDER the jaws.
JK