RV Stored for winter hitch rebuilt LineX Resprayed

[CUMMINZ]

Well while on our late winter break we removed our custom Hitch Crafter hitch at their shop for new airbags and compressor and rebuilding and new powder coating. We then took the truck to local LineX shop for some warranty repairs and they ended up removing All LineX and re-sprayed. Picked up hitch yesterday and it all looks great. Ready for another ten years. They also designed and bolted on a bed saver.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Why would you need a bed saver??? I NEVER do a pull teas since I can SEE just like you if I am hitched or not.

Also wondering why such a hitch would need to be rebuilt?

 

[CUMMINZ]

12V I am glad you asked and this will take a long response.
First off my air bags were beginning to get a little dry cracking. I also had a very small air leak which I knew would be fixed when rebuilt. In order to replace the bags I have to completely remove the hitch. The hitch was still tight after 8-9 years of use. I wanted the hitch to be taken apart for repainting so why not replace all bolts , pins and bags.

The bed saver.

My wife and I both have been very careful when hitching up and have never had a bad experience until last year while in NY. We have always chocked our tires while on un-level ground. The site we pulled into was completely and at the end of the site the entire truck stopped on an in-level slope pointing upwards. Knowing the RV would not roll back with front jacks down we unlatched and pulled forward. NO problem. We stayed there 3-4 days. When we were ready to go: shut slides and raised back 4 jacks and moved front jacks to a point we thought would be easy to get under. NO problem. When I starting to move truck toward hitch remember my truck was on an incline with my front high. As the hitch came close to the flat plate above kingpin my wife like always was standing at the side of the tailgate working the buttons for jacks. The hitch plate front was maybe 1/2" higher than rear of hitch. The front of kingpin plate made perfect contact with about center of hitch plate. As my truck inched back very slowly the hitch and truck being slightly higher on the front must have lifted enough weight off the front of the RV that it moved the RV backward very easy and just enough for the front jacks to push back and made the 6x6 wooden blocks to roll over causing the RV to come down onto the ground. Luckily my RV rides 6.5" off the bed of the truck. Brought my wife to tears. She was right there under the front of the RV. If we had scotched the rear RV tires this would not have happened. Think about it: How often have we parked at truck stop and left our rig for an hour for supper. Anyone could meanfully unhitch the hitch and walk away. Hope we all check the hitch every we walk away.

 

[NIsaacs]

Please don't take this wrong....but don't let your wife stand between the tail gate and RV, that is a pinch point. As we get older and the truck gets older anything can happen. Clutch could fail, throttle get goosed if a bee bites you, one or both vehicles could roll for whatever reason, stay out of a pinch point, always.

Nick

 

[CUMMINZ]

Please don't take this wrong....but don't let your wife stand between the tail gate and RV, that is a pinch point. As we get older and the truck gets older anything can happen. Clutch could fail, throttle get goosed if a bee bites you, one or both vehicles could roll for whatever reason, stay out of a pinch point, always.

Nick

She actually was standing at the side of the tailgate and you are right it is a bad point to stand. Just after this happened we purchased a portable camera.

 

[Jim W]

Why would you need a bed saver??? I NEVER do a pull teas since I can SEE just like you if I am hitched or not.

Also wondering why such a hitch would need to be rebuilt?

I have a Bed Saver on my hitch also. Never have had to use the Bed saver but this is cheap insurance against buying a new bed. My wife is in charged of making sure that the king pin clears the bed saver and engages the jaws of the hitch. I than visually inspect the connection also. After All that I do a pull test to ensure that the king pin is captured and lock in the hitch. It nerve hurts to be safe and it only takes a minute to do the pull test.

 

[Cummins12V98]

OK, I have a similar style hitch but I can LOCK my latching handle to keep pranksters away. I would be more concerned with backing into the bottom edge of the kingpin with the so called "bed saver". I look into my rear view center up and back to where I am close to hitching and if needed I get out and adjust my pin height. Then I back til I feel the pin enter the jaws then get out and finish closing the handle if it is not already there and place my padlock into the handle hole. I then go to the back of the truck and give the kingpin a "visual test" to see the 1" jaws are closed around the pin. I then plug the RV into the trucks side bed connection and attach the break away cable. Pretty darn simple and NO "bed saver" needed as I do a Visual test.

It your handle is LOCKED and the jaws LOOK like this it can't fall. Oh sure there could be some sort of mechanical failure. THAT is the "Sky id Falling" thinking.

 

[CUMMINZ]

I have a Bed Saver on my hitch also. Never have had to use the Bed saver but this is cheap insurance against buying a new bed. My wife is in charged of making sure that the king pin clears the bed saver and engages the jaws of the hitch. I than visually inspect the connection also. After All that I do a pull test to ensure that the king pin is captured and lock in the hitch. It nerve hurts to be safe and it only takes a minute to do the pull test.

Jim, I did not get close to the pull test nor did the kin pin even get close to the jaws. With the front of my truck being 12"s higher than the rear bumper as my hitch and kin pin plate touched the camper rolled back off the front 6" blocks.

 

[CUMMINZ]

OK, I have a similar style hitch but I can LOCK my latching handle to keep pranksters away. I would be more concerned with backing into the bottom edge of the kingpin with the so called "bed saver". I look into my rear view center up and back to where I am close to hitching and if needed I get out and adjust my pin height. Then I back til I feel the pin enter the jaws then get out and finish closing the handle if it is not already there and place my padlock into the handle hole. I then go to the back of the truck and give the kingpin a "visual test" to see the 1" jaws are closed around the pin. I then plug the RV into the trucks side bed connection and attach the break away cable. Pretty darn simple and NO "bed saver" needed as I do a Visual test.

It your handle is LOCKED and the jaws LOOK like this it can't fall. Oh sure there could be some sort of mechanical failure. THAT is the "Sky id Falling" thinking.
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My hitch is more Sophisticated. I uncock it. Back under and it auto locks. You hear the lock while in the cab.

 

[Cummins12V98]

If it's so sophisticated why add a bed saver??? IMHO just another way to drop your RV.

 

[CUMMINZ]

If it's so sophisticated why add a bed saver??? IMHO just another way to drop your RV.

Cummins12V98, I would say that with all the plainly stated explanations I have made on this post you must either be ignorant or dense. But I can't say that here because it would raise a red flag to the admin folks. I plainly stated my hitch was not hooked up nor slipped loose. It was due to the grade of my truck and hitch and my RV being placed on a level site without rear wheel scotches. The moment my hitch touched the pin plate and lifted up slightly the RV rolled back of the 6" blocks under the front jacks. At the touch up point if I would have the bed saver it would have caught the pin and the RV would have been stopped from rolling back. And yes my hitch is superior to any B&W hitch.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Not trying to get you upset! The attachment system on our hitches is VERY similar. Hope that is a fair statement.

I do understand the fact you did not have your RV chocked, isn't that a way to keep the RV from dropping, yes it is.

If you bump your bed saver without it being chocked it may fall correct?

There some hitches I would NEVER own that if I had I would add the bed saver as they are very prone to failure in hitching.

BTW I don't see the need to call me "ignorant or dense" it's just a discussion.

 

[Jim W]

Not trying to get you upset! The attachment system on our hitches is VERY similar. Hope that is a fair statement.

I do understand the fact you did not have your RV chocked, isn't that a way to keep the RV from dropping, yes it is.

If you bump your bed saver without it being chocked it may fall correct?

There some hitches I would NEVER own that if I had I would add the bed saver as they are very prone to failure in hitching.

BTW I don't see the need to call me "ignorant or dense" it's just a discussion.

View attachment 101637

I have a Reese slider hitch and I also have the Bed Saver from Blue OX added to my hitch to protect the bed. With the Reese hitch it is very easy to High hitch and not even know that you have done this until you do a pull test! The bed could be damaged as the trailer falls away from the hitch not a lot but just like your bed damage on your truck.

My wife stands to the side of the trailer where the controls are for the Automatic leveling system. She will raise and lower the king pin to clear the Bed Saver and when the jaws engage the King Pin she will raise the legs up a little. I than exit the truck and make sure that the jaws are engaged correctly around the King Pin. I will than do my pull test. Wheels are always chocked until all of the legs are fully retracted and the locking level is locked in-place and the breakaway brake cable is attached along with the power cord is attached to the truck.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Jim W yes some of these hitches are prone to high hitching because they have thin jaws that are placed low to keep the pin box from pulling up and down off the hitch. Bottom of my jaws are the same distance to the bottom it's just that mine are 1" thick so if high hitching with mine you IMHO deserve to have your RV drop as if you can't see something so obvious you should not be RVing IMHO!

I will post on every Forum that I dropped my RV if I ever do. If my handle is locked and jaws are around the kingpin it can't fall. If its ever does well $100 deductible on Comprehensive will not hurt a bit.

Jim, honest question if you were in the market today what hitch would you buy and why.

 

[MK3500]

Cumminz, hope I am not offending by jumping in, I am very interested in the hitch you have installed, pricing is better than one other similar hitch I found on the web. My boat trailer is a 5th hitch set up 3 axle with boat loaded I sit at about 22,000 and with the axels far back, quite a bit of jerking goes on over bumps, so would like to solve this issue, your thought would that hitch work?

 

[CUMMINZ]

Cumminz, hope I am not offending by jumping in, I am very interested in the hitch you have installed, pricing is better than one other similar hitch I found on the web. My boat trailer is a 5th hitch set up 3 axle with boat loaded I sit at about 22,000 and with the axels far back, quite a bit of jerking goes on over bumps, so would like to solve this issue, your thought would that hitch work?View attachment 101650

MK in my opinion this hitch of mine is the best on the market. DO YOU HAVE a king pin hitch or ball in bed? Either way Hitch Crafter makes this hitch for kin pin fit up or air bags with a ball. Jason at Hitch Crafter is real good to work with. 336-859-3257 Denton, NC Pickup trucks hauling 4-5 autos on trailers LOVE his hitch. Kaufman Trailers is only a few miles from his shop.

 

[Jim W]

Jim, honest question if you were in the market today what hitch would you buy and why.

I need a slider hitch for my truck since it is a Mega Cab with the short bed. So, if I was looking for a new hitch, I would buy the pullrite hitch for my needs. Not that I don't mind getting out of the truck to work the sliding mechanism but it would be nice not to have to when it is raining.

I did look at the B&W campion hitches and I think they make a slider in their brand of hitches but I would need new rails to mount their hitch to my truck. Where as the pullrite hiych I think would fit the standard rails. But I am not looking to buy one now.

My Reese hitch is 10 years old but there is no sign of fatigue in the welds and the hitch works fine. So, I will keep this hitch for now.

 

[MK3500]

Cumminz, thanks for the fast reply, my trailer has a 5th plate pin, easier to hock up, hate the ball my stock trailer has one a bummer in the mud. As for the hitch found the web page and will get one before my trip to Prince Rupert, so thanks once more.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Jim thanks! I would too buy the PullRite if I wanted an auto slide.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Cumminz, thanks for the fast reply, my trailer has a 5th plate pin, easier to hock up, hate the ball my stock trailer has one a bummer in the mud. As for the hitch found the web page and will get one before my trip to Prince Rupert, so thanks once more.

What 5er hitch are you running now?