B&W fail or Operator Error?

thomas201 wrote:
No one has yet mentioned a flashlight. Drag your lazy carcass out of the cab and really look.

I painted the back side of the jaws white. If you couldn't see white all the way across the pin, it wasn't fully closed (yes, sometimes you still needed a flashlight)

Calling on the VP of B&W Marketing arm.

OP'er here. My buddy and I have discussed this over and over and even he says it had to be operator error. And what is really amazing to me is the estimate to repair the truck, over $5400!!!! Wow, just wow.

Fulltimer50 wrote:
I dont understand some peoples obsession with not using proper procedures or included safety features. The pin in the handles is there for a reason why not us it? Is it soooo hard to do a pull test?

I went to do a pull test with landing gear barely off the ground. And "experienced" 5th wheel RVer, was freaking out, stating I was going to damage my landing gear dragging it like that. I should have asked for more advice from him... to not follow!

Learjet wrote:
OMG!...that was a high hitch if I was a betting man or the handle was not fully to the rear of the truck.

IF the B&W is hitched properly...confirmed from visual inspection and the handle is pinned....NOOOOO way would that happen...period...physically impossible!

Let the haters hate :)

Your statement if the B&W was hitched correctly is true....but also true for any 5th wheel hitch type or brand.

I haven't heard anyone bash or hate the B&W hitch unlike A couple of B&W owners on this website bash other brands constantly...you know the type that thinks their equipment is biggest/best .....and brag the B&W can't be high hitched or drop a trailer......and brag you don't have to pull test or do a visual with the B&W brand hitch.

What happened to the owner in the picture can happen with any 5th wheel OTR or rv type hitch brand when hitch jaws aren't around the pin and latched properly.

GMH wrote:
I would say operator error also. One time I hitched up and forgot to close the front cargo hatch, so I had to unhitch. The handle on my BW would not stay open due to the pressure of the kingpin on the jaws, so I pinned it open. I pulled ahead, closed the hatch and re-connected. I raised the landing gear and pulled ahead a couple inches so that I could remove the wheel chocks. On my way back to the truck I was horrified to see the handle still pinned in the open position! I got away really lucky and won’t make that mistake ever again!

I had to pin the handle open on my B&W once to hold the jaws open in order to unhook as well.

With my previous hitch, I had the hitch pinned open while trying to hook up and could not figure out why it would not latch after a few tries. When I "reset" and looked over everything again I was shocked to see my mistake. Bad things can happen when in autopilot...

GMH wrote:

dieseltruckdriver wrote:

Your experience is exactly why I say no one does a proper pull test.

When I hook up, I do three separate visual checks.

I hope this never happens to me, but if it does, I know it will be operator error, not equipment error.

A proper pull test (with the landing gear slightly raised and the wheels chocked or brakes applied) would have saved my bacon. The second visual check DID save my bacon. I never do a proper pull test, only a brake test. If I had done my usual brake test before the 2nd visual, I would have dropped the trailer and it would have been 100% my fault.

I should have added that I don't move until the visual checks are done.

dieseltruckdriver wrote:

Your experience is exactly why I say no one does a proper pull test.

When I hook up, I do three separate visual checks.

I hope this never happens to me, but if it does, I know it will be operator error, not equipment error.

A proper pull test (with the landing gear slightly raised and the wheels chocked or brakes applied) would have saved my bacon. The second visual check DID save my bacon. I never do a proper pull test, only a brake test. If I had done my usual brake test before the 2nd visual, I would have dropped the trailer and it would have been 100% my fault.

GMH wrote:
I would say operator error also. One time I hitched up and forgot to close the front cargo hatch, so I had to unhitch. The handle on my BW would not stay open due to the pressure of the kingpin on the jaws, so I pinned it open. I pulled ahead, closed the hatch and re-connected. I raised the landing gear and pulled ahead a couple inches so that I could remove the wheel chocks. On my way back to the truck I was horrified to see the handle still pinned in the open position! I got away really lucky and won’t make that mistake ever again!

Your experience is exactly why I say no one does a proper pull test. It is also why I never do one. If you don't know how much throttle you need to use to pull out when your hitch is open you are not doing a proper pull test.

Before anyone jumps on me, I drove semi's for 17 years weighing 120,000 lbs. I have never dropped a trailer. When I got my B&W, I did an actual proper pull test. I hooked up, pinned the jaws open and raised the legs a 1/4" off the blocks then pulled out from under it and let the trailer drop. You would be shocked how much throttle it took to pull away with only the trailer weight holding things together. That is the only way to know if your pull test is good or just a feel good exercise.

When I hook up, I do three separate visual checks. That way even if I get distracted I know I did a visual check. I painted the bottom part of the pin yellow so my wife can see that it is below the jaws and the jaws are closed. She checks me every time before we move.

I hope this never happens to me, but if it does, I know it will be operator error, not equipment error.

Unless there is twisted and ripped metal that failed.... operator error. If the hitch works fine after with no repair.... that confirms no hitch issue.
Best to assume human error unless proven the equipment was defective and needs repair.
Plenty of RV equipment can be damaged by user oversight error.