I have done some stupid things in my time, made some serious mistakes, but this one is really a major screw up on my part.Went to grab the TT from storage, the gate broke, I couldn't get in, called the owner, they came in and got the gate open. said they would wait and make sure I could get out. Now I am in a hurry to hitch up and get out of there. Grabbed the TT and away I go. Got home, usual pre-trip loading etc and the next morning we are off for a few days at a lake. Cool! :C230K, 143 miles of highway later we get to our destination. I got out, walked by by hitch and saw this:My heart nearly stopped dead, I literally broke out in a panic sweat when I realized that I DID NOT put the pin in the hitch.How could I have done such an idiotic thing? Where was my head? I have a process, a method I follow for this and I failed, big time.Unbelievable that I drove that far, towing about 7500 - 8000 pounds and the thing didn't fall out of the receiver. I am astounded beyond words at my stupidity and the fact it stayed there all the way.Wow, just wow. I know we all do some dumb things, but this takes the cake for me.

Just the other day I mentioned to a friend that we all make mistakes but we hope the mistake doesn't kill us. Apparently, friction is your friend.P.S. Our pin locks once installed so no one can remove it without the key.

We all make mistakes, and now you know you will never make that one again. Somebody was definitely watching over you. May I suggest you go buy a lottery ticket or two?

DH and I have a handwritten list we keep in our RV. It contains all the steps for setting up and breaking down. Every single step is on there because at one time we forgot to do it! Add this one to yours and be grateful the only negative impact was to your self-image! You'll never forget the pin again!

I second - WOW ! ! and also agree that the RUST was your savior that day for sure ! !I am AMAZED that it stayed.... If it were ME, I would have payed the lottery that day hoping the luck stayed a bit.

Bonehead Blunder, I'm an idiot! | Good Sam Community

BenK
Explorer
Jun 21, 2021
Agree with buying Lottery tickets !!!

My shank/receiver pin is also a locking one and keep it locked in the shank. That way, can NOT use the shank without removing that locking pin.

Great idea of a check list…as hurry will have me forget one or more of the ‘routine’ things I do mentally
rlw999
Explorer
Jun 21, 2021
At least you had the safety chains on!

But if that small cable is your breakway brake cable, it looks like it's got too much slack... It's supposed to yank the pin before the chains reach their max length, but it looks like it's longer than the chains.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jun 21, 2021
Hey Bob,

Little melted butter and that hitch will slide easier.... LOL

Stuff like this is reason we 'double check' each other
AND never in a 'hurry' when hitching
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jun 21, 2021
riltri wrote:
Do you have the pin? Are you certain that no one pulled the cotter pin while you stopped somewhere. I was pulling a U-haul trailer to move my daughter from college. Towed 200 miles to her new apartment the first day. The next day, I checked everything twice before leaving to head home. I stopped for lunch at a Taco Bell. Some A-hole pulled the cotter pin while I was eating. About 50 miles later, the trailer took off down thru a field. No injuries or damage but people do that type of thing for "laughs".

I use locks on everything. There are A-HOLES out there.
joshuajim
Explorer II
Jun 21, 2021
BenK wrote:
Agree with buying Lottery tickets !!!

That would be a waste. He used up ALL his luck!
richclover
Explorer
Jun 21, 2021
BobsYourUncle wrote:
I have done some stupid things in my time, made some serious mistakes, but this one is really a major screw up on my part.

Went to grab the TT from storage, the gate broke, I couldn't get in, called the owner, they came in and got the gate open. said they would wait and make sure I could get out.

Now I am in a hurry to hitch up and get out of there.

Grabbed the TT and away I go. Got home, usual pre-trip loading etc and the next morning we are off for a few days at a lake. Cool! :C

230K, 143 miles of highway later we get to our destination. I got out, walked by by hitch and saw this:

My heart nearly stopped dead, I literally broke out in a panic sweat when I realized that I DID NOT put the pin in the hitch.

How could I have done such an idiotic thing? Where was my head? I have a process, a method I follow for this and I failed, big time.

Unbelievable that I drove that far, towing about 7500 - 8000 pounds and the thing didn't fall out of the receiver. I am astounded beyond words at my stupidity and the fact it stayed there all the way.

Wow, just wow.

I know we all do some dumb things, but this takes the cake for me.

Yes, you were lucky!

You’re not the only one who’s done the same thing. There was a lady hooking up her camper at my storage lot last summer. She was done and pulled out shortly before I left. A half-mile later I found her rig blocking one lane of a 4-lane city street. Trailer hitch on the ground and trailer held by safety chains from rolling backwards downhill. Another driver and I got the trailer chocked and the hitch jacked up so she could reconnect. A city police officer happened by, parked his truck behind us with lights on, and helped with the “rescue”.

The lady reached into the pickup, retrieved the hitch pin and placed it properly. She just got in a hurry and forgot.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Jun 21, 2021
It's all because you are a good citizen and had your covid vaccinations.
Super_Dave
Explorer
Jun 21, 2021
Last weekend I unhitched everything, or so I thought, and proceeded to rip the emergency brake cable off.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jun 21, 2021
That is more than lucky if the hitch (apparently) wasn't rusted in.

Wow!
Glad it turned out the way it did for you.

(Heading out to sand off the fresh paint I sprayed the trailer receiver with....)
philh
Explorer II
Jun 21, 2021
Something I learned from flying, always use a checklist and ALWAYS do activities in the same order. If something gets out of order, START OVER and do it again. Even that's not perfect. Friend was a 747 check pilot and watched an experienced crew got things out of order, and they missed a major check item, landing gear down and locked. He told them to run the checklist again, and sat there in amazement when they "mouthed" the words and missed it again. They went back for recurrent training.

I've tried to maintain the same walk around discipline, what am I supposed to be checking here, and actually touch the item to confirm it's correct.

I've never done complete mental walk around when stopped for a short period of time, but given the example above that someone took the clip off, maybe I should change that up.