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BIL with Superglide drops his trailer

Me_Again
Explorer II
Explorer II
Yesterday my BIL went to bring his trailer home from storage lot. Has trouble hooking up as he had left the battery switch on the last time in visited the trailer a few weeks earlier. Has the generator in the bed of the truck and gets the batteries going. Hooks up and makes several turns get out of the lot. Stops at the highway entrance and waits on traffic, gets a clear spot and takes off and the trailer drops off the truck completely, ripping off his 5th wheel tailgate.

Storage lot owner and a bunch of guys come to his aid. He has to use the generator again to charge batteries to be able to lift trailer back to hitching height and get hooked back up.

He does not know what he did wrong!

I am not familiar with the Superglide head and latch, but the day before he moving a trailer for a friend between sites at another park.

I have not looked at his rig yet, he however says damage was mostly to the 5th wheel tail gate.
2021 F150 2.7 Ecoboost - Summer Home 2017 Bighorn 3575el. Can Am Spyder RT-L Chrome, Kawasaki KRX1000. Retired and enjoying it! RIP DW 07-05-2021
29 REPLIES 29

johndeerefarmer
Explorer III
Explorer III
I had a SuperGlide a few years ago. First time out the latch mechanism got bent and had to be replaced. Half the time when unhitching I couldn't get it to turn loose. I sold that hitch 6 months after getting it
2020 Ford 350 6.7 PSD & 2017 F150 3.5 EB max tow
GD Reflection 29rs

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
blofgren wrote:
Etstorm wrote:
During the summer, I hooked with my Superglide, did a test pull, then pulled out of the park. I had to stop and start at the gate then at a red light. Drove 2 miles stopped and started again, then drove 43 miles to the exit I was taking when my fiver came loose landing in the bed of the truck.

I have not figured out what went wrong but I now have an Andersen


Wow, that's scary....


What? That he bought an Andersen. 😉
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

blofgren
Explorer
Explorer
Etstorm wrote:
During the summer, I hooked with my Superglide, did a test pull, then pulled out of the park. I had to stop and start at the gate then at a red light. Drove 2 miles stopped and started again, then drove 43 miles to the exit I was taking when my fiver came loose landing in the bed of the truck.

I have not figured out what went wrong but I now have an Andersen


Wow, that's scary....
2013 Ram 3500 Megacab DRW Laramie 4x4, 6.7L Cummins, G56, 3.73, Maximum Steel, black lthr, B&W RVK3670 hitch, Retrax, Linex, and a bunch of options incl. cargo camera
2008 Corsair Excella Platinum 34.5 CKTS fifth wheel with winter package & disc brakes

B_O__Plenty
Explorer II
Explorer II
thomas201 wrote:
X3 Get out, bend over and look with a flashlight. Check that the pin is captured by the fifth wheel. You may be high hitched, or maybe submarined the pin (pin rode up and over, dropped in front of the fifth wheel). Do it the same way every time. Don't let people or events distract you. Checklists are good, if you use them.
I agree 100% One of the first things you learn in a class A drivers training class is to get out and shine your flashlight at the pin and make sure it is properly latched. It is very easy to high hitch a Super Glide. Had one.
B.O.
Former Ram/Cummins owner
2015 Silverado 3500 D/A DRW
Yup I'm a fanboy!
2016 Cedar Creek 36CKTS

Etstorm
Explorer
Explorer
During the summer, I hooked with my Superglide, did a test pull, then pulled out of the park. I had to stop and start at the gate then at a red light. Drove 2 miles stopped and started again, then drove 43 miles to the exit I was taking when my fiver came loose landing in the bed of the truck.

I have not figured out what went wrong but I now have an Andersen

Me_Again
Explorer II
Explorer II
Bird Freak wrote:
Me Again wrote:
Bird Freak wrote:
I have also used a SG for years. When you hear it snap in its locked.
Thing that caught my attention was he said he moved a friends trailer before.
Did it have the SG plate on the pin box? It had better!


NOPE, just a king pin hanging down. Why would that matter? Just would not do the auto slide???
The SG is designed for the whole saddle plate to turn not have the pin box turn on the hitch. He could very easily have damaged the hitch with two pivot points. Pullrite makes it very clear not to hitch without the capture plate.


He moved a trailer within a park from one site to another. A block or two.
2021 F150 2.7 Ecoboost - Summer Home 2017 Bighorn 3575el. Can Am Spyder RT-L Chrome, Kawasaki KRX1000. Retired and enjoying it! RIP DW 07-05-2021

Cummins12V98 wrote:

REBEL


ONLY when I have to be ..:B
Me-Her-the kids
2020 Ford F350 SD 6.7
2020 Redwood 3991RD Garnet

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
ford truck guy wrote:
Me Again wrote:
Bird Freak wrote:
I have also used a SG for years. When you hear it snap in its locked.
Thing that caught my attention was he said he moved a friends trailer before.
Did it have the SG plate on the pin box? It had better!


NOPE, just a king pin hanging down. Why would that matter? Just would not do the auto slide???


Correct, A few have "locked out" their SuperGlides and removed the capture plate for different reasons with no issues.. Me being 1 of them


REBEL
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

Bird_Freak
Explorer II
Explorer II
Me Again wrote:
Bird Freak wrote:
I have also used a SG for years. When you hear it snap in its locked.
Thing that caught my attention was he said he moved a friends trailer before.
Did it have the SG plate on the pin box? It had better!


NOPE, just a king pin hanging down. Why would that matter? Just would not do the auto slide???
The SG is designed for the whole saddle plate to turn not have the pin box turn on the hitch. He could very easily have damaged the hitch with two pivot points. Pullrite makes it very clear not to hitch without the capture plate.
Eddie
03 Fleetwood Pride, 36-5L
04 Ford F-250 Superduty
15K Pullrite Superglide
Old coach 04 Pace Arrow 37C with brakes sometimes.
Owner- The Toy Shop-
Auto Restoration and Customs 32 years. Retired by a stroke!
We love 56 T-Birds

time2roll
Nomad
Nomad
Me Again wrote:
Bird Freak wrote:
I have also used a SG for years. When you hear it snap in its locked.
Thing that caught my attention was he said he moved a friends trailer before.
Did it have the SG plate on the pin box? It had better!


NOPE, just a king pin hanging down. Why would that matter? Just would not do the auto slide???
If the hitch head is allowed to rotate independent of the pin box it could slide uncontrollably and possibly be damaged.

Me Again wrote:
Bird Freak wrote:
I have also used a SG for years. When you hear it snap in its locked.
Thing that caught my attention was he said he moved a friends trailer before.
Did it have the SG plate on the pin box? It had better!


NOPE, just a king pin hanging down. Why would that matter? Just would not do the auto slide???


Correct, A few have "locked out" their SuperGlides and removed the capture plate for different reasons with no issues.. Me being 1 of them
Me-Her-the kids
2020 Ford F350 SD 6.7
2020 Redwood 3991RD Garnet

Me_Again
Explorer II
Explorer II
Bird Freak wrote:
I have also used a SG for years. When you hear it snap in its locked.
Thing that caught my attention was he said he moved a friends trailer before.
Did it have the SG plate on the pin box? It had better!


NOPE, just a king pin hanging down. Why would that matter? Just would not do the auto slide???
2021 F150 2.7 Ecoboost - Summer Home 2017 Bighorn 3575el. Can Am Spyder RT-L Chrome, Kawasaki KRX1000. Retired and enjoying it! RIP DW 07-05-2021

Me_Again
Explorer II
Explorer II
schlep1967 wrote:
Me Again wrote:
schlep1967 wrote:
Just a general reminder to all 5th wheel owners... If the battery in the trailer is dead, you most likely have a good one in the truck you are trying to hook up. Use jumper cables and raise the trailer to the height you need it. Leave it just a little low so the weight lifts off of the legs when you hook up. Then pull the pins and raise the legs for travel.
I have cables long enough to reach the trailer battery when hooked up so I could raise the legs after being hooked up.

Also, in the two times I have had to do something like this to unhook, both time I forgot to unhook the umbilical cord before pulling out from under the trailer. Especially after doing something unusual when hooking or unhooking, start over and walk through your normal steps before proceeding.


Jumpering off these new trucks with all their electronics is not a very wise thing to do, plus the chance of blowing alternator diodes.


Tell you what, compare the motor size on your landing gear to the starter on your truck. As long as I am intelligent enough to hook up the cables correctly, I have no fear of hurting a truck by jumping another 12 volt system.

Unless of course you can show me in the manual where it says you shouldn't do it.


Has nothing to do with the landing gear motor. It is the surge of current hooking the truck to the dead batteries in the trailer or another vehicle.
2021 F150 2.7 Ecoboost - Summer Home 2017 Bighorn 3575el. Can Am Spyder RT-L Chrome, Kawasaki KRX1000. Retired and enjoying it! RIP DW 07-05-2021

bobsallyh
Explorer II
Explorer II
Certainly did not do the jerk test!