What happens when you are distracted

[JumboJet]

Before:



After (when you have a friend that can "Buff that right out"!😞

[FlatBroke]

Very first time I pulled a fifth wheel went to the mountains, was on a slight incline. Yacking bystanders. Forgot to do my chocks. Rolled off the blocks and but a Whoopie in my tail gate that I forgot to put down first with hitch. Not a hitch problem. Idiot problem. Anyone comes and starts yapping I stop, take a deep breath and start over.

[fj12ryder]

It's a pretty good example of Murphy's Law. "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong."

[ependydad]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
This is the second B&W I have ever heard of have a trailer drop. The other had the arm pinned open also.

Note to self NEVER PIN THE ARM OPEN !!!!!!!!!

I don't think pinning the arm had anything to do with it in this case since the OP said the guy was unhitching. Pin it or not, the dude opened the handle and the fiver moved.

The couple of things that surprise me is:
1) No wheel chocks
2) It seems like the landing gear was fully retracted (in order for the camper to crash down) -- OR, they catastrophically failed due to the lack of wheel chocks

[Cummins12V98]

Lantley wrote:

CumminsDriver wrote:

larry barnhart wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
But if you'll notice: it looks like the hitch arm is pinned open. Doing that almost guarantees that you'll drop the 5th wheel at some point.

This is the second B&W I have ever heard of have a trailer drop. The other had the arm pinned open also.

Note to self NEVER PIN THE ARM OPEN !!!!!!!!!

the reason for a pull test ya think!!!!

chevman

Didn't you guys read JumboJets explanation? The guy was unhitching his trailer, pulled the release arm before lowering the front jacks, and the trailer rolled backwards.

Funny how people read the post and get out of it only what they want to. A B&W hitch has a drop ...and they stop reading.
Clearly this episode, like most drops was operator error.
That is wear a bedsaver comes in. A bedsaver can save you from yourself. It saves your bed from operator error

Anything can happen. If I drop my 5er I will post a pic and tell what happened get the truck fixed and carry on with life. I will never install a bed saver. It has nothing to do with B&W it has to do with making my self accountable and double checking everything. If anyone cones to talk to me while I am unhooking or hooking up I politely say I will talk after I am done.

Learned my lesson long ago about chit chatting. I was talking to bro in law and forgot to unplug power cord. Pulled away and heard a nasty sound. Pulled the power pedestal over and water was attached to it and water was boiling out of the ground. Maybe I should have had a "cord saver" so the cord would have separated easily causing no damage????????

I screwed up but leaned a good lesson that I have used for 20 years since then. NO DISTRACTIONS!!!

[Lantley]

CumminsDriver wrote:

larry barnhart wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
But if you'll notice: it looks like the hitch arm is pinned open. Doing that almost guarantees that you'll drop the 5th wheel at some point.

This is the second B&W I have ever heard of have a trailer drop. The other had the arm pinned open also.

Note to self NEVER PIN THE ARM OPEN !!!!!!!!!

the reason for a pull test ya think!!!!

chevman

Didn't you guys read JumboJets explanation? The guy was unhitching his trailer, pulled the release arm before lowering the front jacks, and the trailer rolled backwards.

Funny how people read the post and get out of it only what they want to. A B&W hitch has a drop ...and they stop reading.
Clearly this episode, like most drops was operator error.
That is wear a bedsaver comes in. A bedsaver can save you from yourself. It saves your bed from operator error

[JumboJet]

Specularius wrote:
Jumbo, was that a Solitude that was dropped?

Yes. Nice and heavy.

[cummins2014]

fj12ryder wrote:

up2nogood wrote:
Boy !! I could hear all you B&W cheerleaders holding your breath, but no worries all is well in the world of the fan club. :B

When you got something good you want people to know it. When you don't have anything good you bash the people who do. 🙂

No bashing here just stating the obvious, you should realize that by now with your fan club . I mean really how could anyone possibly drop a fifth wheel with a B&W . I hope you caught your breath on that one , that was a close until we heard the facts. 🙂

[fj12ryder]

up2nogood wrote:
Boy !! I could hear all you B&W cheerleaders holding your breath, but no worries all is well in the world of the fan club. :B

When you got something good you want people to know it. When you don't have anything good you bash the people who do. 🙂

[Cummins12V98]

larry barnhart wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
But if you'll notice: it looks like the hitch arm is pinned open. Doing that almost guarantees that you'll drop the 5th wheel at some point.

This is the second B&W I have ever heard of have a trailer drop. The other had the arm pinned open also.

Note to self NEVER PIN THE ARM OPEN !!!!!!!!!

the reason for a pull test ya think!!!!

chevman

Don't pin the arm open and ya don't need to do a pull test. I have eyes, I do a visual test.

[Rich1961]

larry barnhart wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
But if you'll notice: it looks like the hitch arm is pinned open. Doing that almost guarantees that you'll drop the 5th wheel at some point.

This is the second B&W I have ever heard of have a trailer drop. The other had the arm pinned open also.

Note to self NEVER PIN THE ARM OPEN !!!!!!!!!

the reason for a pull test ya think!!!!

chevman

Didn't you guys read JumboJets explanation? The guy was unhitching his trailer, pulled the release arm before lowering the front jacks, and the trailer rolled backwards.

[larry_barnhart]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
But if you'll notice: it looks like the hitch arm is pinned open. Doing that almost guarantees that you'll drop the 5th wheel at some point.

This is the second B&W I have ever heard of have a trailer drop. The other had the arm pinned open also.

Note to self NEVER PIN THE ARM OPEN !!!!!!!!!

the reason for a pull test ya think!!!!

chevman

[Jim4929]

But if you'll notice: it looks like the hitch arm is pinned open. Doing that almost guarantees that you'll drop the 5th wheel at some point.

I have the same hitch. Checking to see that the arm is back in the locked position, breakaway cable and the pin is in the slot is item 15 on our departure check list. I also put strips of bright orange tape on the jaws so I can see at a glance they are in the locked position....oh item 18 on the list is a pull test.

[Cummins12V98]

TomHaycraft wrote:
That could have so easily been me last weekend!

New (to me!) truck with a long bed. I pinned the Reese Sidewinder required for my prior SWB truck (and removed the wedge) and tried to use a lube plate. Seemed to hitch fine, jaws closed, button on front of Reese R16 hitch pushed out, maybe not quite as far as before, hitch handle swung (mostly) into the lock position. Two red flags I didn't fully investigate.

Pull test was fine. I got it out from under the covered parking and on to level ground. Stopping to check level and give it another look-over. This time I saw that the arm of this hitch wasn't all the way into the locked position. Feeling under the hitch head, I found how little was caught and up in the correct position.

The thickness of the lube plate caused the king pin to ride a bit high. I unhitched, remomved lube plate, got out my grease, hitched back up.

I was lucky.

There is something about your type of hitch that has so many dropped RV's.

NO I AM NOT BASHING!!!!!!!

[Cummins12V98]

fj12ryder wrote:
But if you'll notice: it looks like the hitch arm is pinned open. Doing that almost guarantees that you'll drop the 5th wheel at some point.

This is the second B&W I have ever heard of have a trailer drop. The other had the arm pinned open also.

Note to self NEVER PIN THE ARM OPEN !!!!!!!!!