That went as expected-Part Deux

[beelbill]

After my first failure to get the 5th wheel backed into the site. I got a friend of mine to help guide me this time and I ignored my wife(after 25 years of marriage that part is getting easier). Put the 5th wheel in position with one try. Felt real proud. Then I went to unhitch it. I cranked the landing gear up to where I thought it should come free and I went to pull the handle but it would not release. So I cranked it up higher pulling the handle every little bit but nor release. I saw the back of the truck start to lift so I lowered it slowly pulling the handle every little bit. Still wouldn't release.

When the landing gear left the ground I figured I must not have gone high enough before. Maybe the truck was just lifting from the weight coming off of it. So I cranked it back up again pulling the handle every little bit. Still no release. Then the switch stopped working. I figured I had run the battery dead. So I hooked the power cord back up to the truck to charge it. Still now power. So I took the gas tank out of the 5th wheel and went to gas station to fill it up. Came back, hooked back up the quick release and went in to start the generator so I could have power to run the landing gear. Gas sprayed all over. I found out why it is called a quick release and not a quick connect. Could never get it to stop spraying gas.

Gave up on generator and searched inside fuse panel looking for blown fuse. No blown fuse. Traced power line for a short and found an inline fuse. Drove to auto store and got new fuse. Replaced the fuse and the landing gear worked again. Went back down and back up again. Stopped where I felt it had to come loose and got in the truck. Pulled forward slight amount, no release. Backed up slight amount and it released. Pulled out from under the 5th wheel and locked it up. I figure after I recover for a week or so, I will try to hook it up to water and electricity. Can't imagine anyone doing this for a weekend trip.

[SkiSmuggs]

I am about to start my 4th year of fifth wheeling and still have the occasional "Crap! Late last summer, I unhitched and SLOWLY started pulling away when I felt a bump. Immediately stopped and got out. I had forgotten to open my tail gate. I was going slow enough that no damage was done. I also pulled away and forgot to undo the umbilical cord from the truck another time, and finally had just left home and realized I had not disconnected land power from the trailer. Fortunately no damage, but I had to push the trailer power cord into the mouse hole or it would have dragged all the way to my destination.
Best advice: ALWAYS do a walk around before doing anything!
And, after hitching, but before your test pull (tailgate down), raise the landing gear one inch off the ground so you don't bend it, then use the manual trailer brake on your brake controller to hold the fiver in place for your test pull.
A lot to remember. No wonder we screw it up occasionally.

[Harvey_Mushman]

Reading your post is very entertaing just remember all of us have had much the same experances

[laknox]

beelbill wrote:

Allworth wrote:
Whoever sold you that trailer should be thrown in jail.

No, I don't think so. They were very nice and showed me a lot. From what I can tell from the responses, the problems I have had are pretty common. They are just nuances that I hadn't thought about. After 40 years of towing travel trailers, I did things automatically without thinking about them. Really, the same problems I have had now are the same ones I had when I began towing. They just present a little differently.

For example, when you go to unhitch a trailer, you often have to rock the hitch a little to get the latch on the trailer to lift up before you can crank the trailer up away from the ball. That is the same thing as what I had to do to release the pressure on the 5th wheel hitch. The only reason I assumed the handle would glide easily open is because it opened easy on the sales lot. That was because when it was shown to me how to hitch, we didn't actually move the 5th wheel so it never engaged fully. Now it makes sense.

I had to learn how to back a trailer but it was so long ago, I forgot how hard it was at first. I did it without thinking. Now I just have to learn a little different technique. I got it in the second time without a problem. Also, trying to back into a mud pit during the rainy season didn't help. Once I have backed it in a few times, I will pack the drive down and it will be easier. I think from now on it won't be that much different than the trailers. I am not new to RV's, just 5er's.

I am sure it has been done many times before, but I think I might start a thread for compare and contrast 5er's to TT's out in the general section. That might help me anticipate problems better.

I agree that the dealer did a lousy job of showing you the ropes. You should have, at minimum, about 2 hours of crawling over under and around any trailer (new or used), prior to signing the paperwork. There may be any number of small things, and (hopefully not) some larger things, that need to be fixed under warranty. I know that after years of reading here, a lot of people will simply tell the salesman to make themselves scarce for a while while they to a thorough physical inspection =before= the salesman comes in to demonstrate everything. Frankly, a good dealer will have propane and generator tanks full, and at least =some= water in the fresh tank, to demonstrate that everything works properly and there are no leaks. You sure as hell don't want to find out that you have a propane leak the hard way. On top of that, the dealer should adjust your hitch and brake controller for you on a test drive. An =excellent= dealer will have provisions for you to take an overnight "test camp" on their lot. Another thing that many people are doing on the PDI (that's PRE-delivery inspection) is videoing the entire thing. I know a couple people have caught the salesmen making, call them "errors" to be nice, in their PDI.

Lyle

[leeper]

Coach-man wrote:

leeper wrote:
I can not believe that no one noticed you said you lowered the jacks and then tried to pull the release handle. You CAN NOT pull the hitch jaws open when the jacks have raised the 5th wheel up, putting lots of pressure on the pin box. You can only open the hitch when there is NO pressure or force on the pin and pin box. If you are not careful, you can get killed trying to unhook. You need help from someone whom knows what they are doing. Until then, STOP and GET AWAY FROM IT!

OK, I will bite! How do you take pressure off the hitch without lowering the landing gear?

He didn't just put down the jacks, he lowered the jacks to the point he was lifting the truck by the hitch! How can you explain to him how do it correctly when he does not know what you are telling him? He needs someone to show him!

[broark01]

I enjoyed part one and part 2, made me chuckle which I don't do as much as I should. Thanks!

[gtsum]

OP - Sorry to hear of your issues, but I couldnt help but chuckle a bit. I just picked up my first fifth (39ft toy hauler) on Friday. My 90 degree park job into my driveway went fine (Sidewinder pin box has to help I think..as it was not much different than a trailer to me, except for being able to 90 degree it when necessary)...but then I had to thread it between my fence gates with 4 inches on either side (that took a few tries).

Hitching and unhitching went fine for me...until I started down my driveway today and somehow my breakaway cable got caught under the sidewinder turrent...naturally pulled it right out and applied the trailer brakes..so I had to muscle it back up the driveway to a level place and use the front landing gear to lift the pin up a bit to get the breakaway cable out. I did learn some things though..

1) I knew immediately when the breakaway cable came undone and a message flashed up on my truck screen

2) I think I likely saved myself $5,000 - $6,000 at least on the planned driveway extension...seems I would need to go about double the length I had thought (ie more money), and I dragged the rear a bit coming down (didnt realize it was that steep) when I backed up it. Not to mention it is a single drive entry that then widens to double up top...the rig didnt like being cut 90 degrees to get it in there, and then it was tilting a good bit as I had to go over about 12 inches of grass (which is at least 6 inches higher than the driveway).....I was thinking minor driveway alterations to have it there in the summer (cant store long term in my neighborhood), but it looks like major driveway work to do so...I can store it 8 miles away for $65 per month, and I think I can get electric run to it while in storage for a nominal fee...I am going that route!

Bottom line, sometimes negatives turn into positives! Keep at it..it will get better and easier!

[0rion]

Couple of tips that may save you some headache down the road.

what hitch do you have? You may have said and I missed it. I have a reese with double jaws. One of the first things I did was tape it off and paint the backs of the jaws bright yellow so I can easily see them and see that they've latched behind the pin.
When raising the fifth wheel watch the bottom of the pin box in relation to the top of your hitch. You'll see it lift up off the base of your hitch. I let it come up about a half inch. That's the point you have no weight on the actual hitch at all and will make pulling the release much easier.

I also taped off a stripe on the back of my hitch and another one directly above my pin on the pinbox and painted a yellow stripe on each. When backing under it I just line up the 2 stripes.

[spud1957]

leeper wrote:
I can not believe that no one noticed you said you lowered the jacks and then tried to pull the release handle. You CAN NOT pull the hitch jaws open when the jacks have raised the 5th wheel up, putting lots of pressure on the pin box. You can only open the hitch when there is NO pressure or force on the pin and pin box. If you are not careful, you can get killed trying to unhook. You need help from someone whom knows what they are doing. Until then, STOP and GET AWAY FROM IT!

Oh yes you can!! The pin has 2" of surface for the 1/2" thick jaws to grab. With the wheels chocked, I raise the pin until the trailer plate is off the hitch plate, maybe 1/2", then pull the handle. Doing this, it takes all the pin weight off of the truck suspension. So when I pull away, the truck does not rise up.

s

[beelbill]

Allworth wrote:
Whoever sold you that trailer should be thrown in jail.

No, I don't think so. They were very nice and showed me a lot. From what I can tell from the responses, the problems I have had are pretty common. They are just nuances that I hadn't thought about. After 40 years of towing travel trailers, I did things automatically without thinking about them. Really, the same problems I have had now are the same ones I had when I began towing. They just present a little differently.

For example, when you go to unhitch a trailer, you often have to rock the hitch a little to get the latch on the trailer to lift up before you can crank the trailer up away from the ball. That is the same thing as what I had to do to release the pressure on the 5th wheel hitch. The only reason I assumed the handle would glide easily open is because it opened easy on the sales lot. That was because when it was shown to me how to hitch, we didn't actually move the 5th wheel so it never engaged fully. Now it makes sense.

I had to learn how to back a trailer but it was so long ago, I forgot how hard it was at first. I did it without thinking. Now I just have to learn a little different technique. I got it in the second time without a problem. Also, trying to back into a mud pit during the rainy season didn't help. Once I have backed it in a few times, I will pack the drive down and it will be easier. I think from now on it won't be that much different than the trailers. I am not new to RV's, just 5er's.

I am sure it has been done many times before, but I think I might start a thread for compare and contrast 5er's to TT's out in the general section. That might help me anticipate problems better.

[Allworth]

Whoever sold you that trailer should be thrown in jail.

[kohai]

beelbill wrote:

Brockinfla wrote:
How the hell did you get possession of this 5er from a dealer or private seller and what seems like you didn't even do a walk through? No offense but it's as if you weren't even shown the most basic functions of the equipment.

Very true. I was walked around the 5th wheel and shown where the switches were and how they worked. The guy backed the truck up to the trailer and hooked up. Then he unhooked without having moved the truck or rig and said for me to do it. I pulled forward and then backed up until it latched and he said: "That's all there is to it." My friend that helped me last night said it was like they handed me the keys to a 747 and said: "Have a nice flight."

I had a similar experience getting my first RV last year. There is a pretty steep learning curve to get into the RV camping/world if you've never been exposed to it before. Also, you don't know which questions to ask on the walk through and they sure aren't going to tell you -- they just want to get it done.

I suck at backing up my 5th wheel too. I can back smaller bumper pull trailers (horse, snowmobile), but I seem to have a mental block on 5th wheels for some reason.

[12thgenusa]

Coach-man wrote:

leeper wrote:
I can not believe that no one noticed you said you lowered the jacks and then tried to pull the release handle. You CAN NOT pull the hitch jaws open when the jacks have raised the 5th wheel up, putting lots of pressure on the pin box. You can only open the hitch when there is NO pressure or force on the pin and pin box. If you are not careful, you can get killed trying to unhook. You need help from someone whom knows what they are doing. Until then, STOP and GET AWAY FROM IT!

OK, I will bite! How do you take pressure off the hitch without lowering the landing gear?

I'd like to know that too.

[Coach-man]

leeper wrote:
I can not believe that no one noticed you said you lowered the jacks and then tried to pull the release handle. You CAN NOT pull the hitch jaws open when the jacks have raised the 5th wheel up, putting lots of pressure on the pin box. You can only open the hitch when there is NO pressure or force on the pin and pin box. If you are not careful, you can get killed trying to unhook. You need help from someone whom knows what they are doing. Until then, STOP and GET AWAY FROM IT!

OK, I will bite! How do you take pressure off the hitch without lowering the landing gear?

[leeper]

I can not believe that no one noticed you said you lowered the jacks and then tried to pull the release handle. You CAN NOT pull the hitch jaws open when the jacks have raised the 5th wheel up, putting lots of pressure on the pin box. You can only open the hitch when there is NO pressure or force on the pin and pin box. If you are not careful, you can get killed trying to unhook. You need help from someone whom knows what they are doing. Until then, STOP and GET AWAY FROM IT!