What hitch would you recommend that we upgrade to? JOIN US! enjoythejourney.life/join Click "SHOW MORE" for links to our favorite RV resources, gadgets, gear, & FREE stuff! RV CRUSHES TRUCK FULL SERIES: enjoythejourney.life/crush Quick Start Guide: How to Make Money & RV & FREE RV Campsite Setup & Breakdown Checklist(s) enjoythejourney.life/newsletter Video music enjoythejourney.life/music The travel rewards credit card we use: capital.one/2rSpebe Save $55 on an Airbnb getaway! enjoythejourney.life/airbnb SAVE 5% & Fast, Free Delivery on your RV furniture orders with this link: enjoythejourney.life/furniture Cheri's official BEACH TRIBE apparel! Join now! teespring.com/beach-tribe Tom's official MOUNTAIN TRIBE apparel! Join now! teespring.com/mountain-tribe SHOP OUR AMAZON STORE www.amazon.com/shop/enjoythejourney.life ********** SOCIAL: Follow us & share with your friends ********** Join the 'Journey Tribe' - enjoythejourney.life/join Subscribe to our UA-cam channel: enjoythejourney.life/UA-cam Subscribe to our newsletter for updates: enjoythejourney.life/newsletter Join our Facebook Group: enjoythejourney.life/group Facebook Page: facebook.com/EnjoyTheJourney.Life Instagram: instagram.com/enjoythejourney.life Website: enjoythejourney.life/ ********** OUR FAVORITE RV RESOURCES ********** FAVORITE RV PARKING FINDERS! Get $100 off a Thousand Trails camping pass! mbsy.co/sPrcV (mention Tom Kenemore if you call in) Low Bridges & Find Every Camp Spot - enjoythejourney.life/allstays FREE RV parking: geni.us/boondockers RV FREE at wineries, breweries, golf courses & more: geni.us/winedock Save 50% on 1000’s of campsites! enjoythejourney.life/HalfOffCamping ********** OUR FAVORITE RV GADGETS & GEAR ********** It takes a lot of gear to make RV living comfortable and more efficient. Check out our favorite gear (and fun stuff) that we use to enjoy the RV life - www.amazon.com/shop/enjoythejourney.life ********** CHERI'S FAVORITE RV KITCHEN GADGETS ********** Cheri loves to cook healthy food, which is sometimes a challenge in an RV. Check out her favorite RV kitchen gadgets that help get the job done - www.amazon.com/shop/enjoythejourney.life ********** OUR WORK/VIDEO GEAR ********** Want to know what equipment we are using to make videos like this one while traveling full time - www.amazon.com/shop/enjoythejourney.life FREE UA-cam Channel success tools we use - enjoythejourney.life/UA-camSuccess ********** LEARN FROM US ********** BOOKS: Get Tom's best-selling book FREE on Audible! geni.us/fansonfireaudio or Kindle and Paperback geni.us/order ONLINE COURSES: How To Pick The Right Business to Start for You! geni.us/startup Entrepreneurs Guide To Finance Your Business or Startup In 2018 geni.us/finance Google, Facebook, Yelp Review Marketing Entrepreneurs 2018 geni.us/marketing Thank you so much for using our links! Tom & Cheri’ :) ********** CONTACT US ********** Email: tomandcheri@enjoythejourney.life Mail Bag: Lake Effect Media 14870 Granada Avenue #1037 Apple Valley, MN 55124 Tom & Cheri, Full-time RV travelers sharing our adventures (and challenges), advice and more from the road. Inspiring others to do it now and live life on their terms, a life of freedom and adventure. 😍 Enjoy The Journey . Life, All Rights Reserved Our channel is for entertainment purposes only. We are not RV or travel experts. We share our opinions and what has worked for us in the past. Before taking any action or making a purchase decision, you should do your own research. Some of our links are affiliate links. We may make a small commission if you use our links which helps support our channel. Thank you! #rvliving #rvlivingfulltime #RV
EnjoyTheJourney.Life I missed. ¿ why did you switch hitches?... in the first place? I’m not fifth wheeler knowledgeable.... are there differences amongst what hitches can be used for fifth wheels?
Tom one thing you might. Want to do is attach your breakaway cable to truck bed instead of the hitch, if the hitch breaks off the cable wouldn’t pull out activating your trailer brakes. I use a caribiener and attach to hooks in bed of truck. I know a lot of people do it the way you do i use to do it that way. Enjoy watching your videos safe travels to you both.
I had seen not to long ago a fifth wheel hitch fail and his break away switch was attached to it. His fifth wheel went for a free ride in the median on the expressway. Lots of damage to both the truck and fifth wheel enough to make me nauseated. It could have been worse such as on a two lane highway and hitting on coming traffic. It was really a strange scenario the truck and fifth wheel were new and who ever mounted the fifth wheel hitch to the truck bolted it to its bed not the frame of the truck. The hitches bolts pulled right through the beds floor while the driver said he was doing about 72 mph. Ouch Cheers
I know you initially didn’t want to show this, but THANK YOU for doing so! Your adventures are entertaining, but you may never know how many people you may have helped. I have learned so much from the last three videos. Safe travels!
I am impressed with your self-assessment of the incident and sharing lessons learned. Everybody is a Monday morning armchair quarterback, and I admit to grimacing when I saw the extra white disk in your 1st video, which probably resulted in high-pinning. Add an insufficient pull test ... the rest is history. Kudos to you for sharing this painful lesson.
All most did the same thing But I did the tug test and sis not lift the legs up. But saw that coming because I bought the plastic disk and could not use it because it made it to high.
I would recommend the Anderson 24k hitch. it comes with an adapter block to convert from a kingpin to a ball & socket style. Super easy to hook up and unhook. I use it with my 2017 Montana 3950BR that i fulltime in. No problems whatsoever
Thank you, Tom!! You did a great job of explaining what happened, why it happened and how you remedied the issue. I don't have a 5th wheel, but I want to tell you that I appreciate so much your willingness to admit your mistakes and to share the resolutions with all of us. Never feel like something is too stupid to share. Some things happen more commonly than you think. I enjoy watching your videos and wish you and Cheri safe travels.
I use the Anderson hitch. Light weight, easy to put in and take out. Have not had any problems in 4 yrs. Rated at 24000# Went to Alaska, 7288 Miles and rough roads with no problems.
There is one other thing that I learned is that you two are a GREAT team. No one blamed each other. Even though you take responsibility for the original mistake, your wife was supportive no matter what. I think this was your most informative series so far!
I drove tractor trailer for 40 years when tugging to check pin do not bring legs on trailer all the way up. Just enough to put pressure on truck. So if pin is not locked you have back up where it lands on Jacks instead of truck. Don
Get a Reese Signature puck type mount hitch and get those silly rails out of your bed for life! If you want to use your entire bed on the road you can leave the hitch connected to trailer and just unhook the pucks and let the hitch hang off the king pin. Works great and having a clean bed is awesome.
I can't comment on the hitch; my trailer is not a 5th wheel. I just wanted to thank you for the video. You turned a bad experience into a good teaching video and I know it will help others.
Gotta love a good old guy willing to help you out. That would be my Dad in a heartbeat! It’s all good. Life happens. ❤️. I’m not sure how you ended up in my suggested list but I’m happy I’ve found you!
I commend you on not flipping out, you remained calm, looks like you and your wife listen to each other, i think your an awesome couple. All the best in the great journey of life.
My sister and I love the Anderson Ultimate hitch. My hubby isn't usually with us and I usually do the hitching by myself and I have had no problems with the Anderson. I use a small trick to mark where I need to stop the center of my tire on the ground. Takes very little time. We choose the Anderson because I was worried about trying to do the Kingpin type hitch by myself. I'm really glad we did. Something for you to look into anyway. Thanks for the great videos!
We currently use an Anderson Hitch System - have been for 5 years, we came an average of 3-5 times a year now. But plan to camp more. I would like your thoughts on this hitch system: pros cons please. Thanks in advance for you comments.
I think user air on his part. always check kingpin lock and visually inspect that the jaw's are latched around the kingpin. we had to do that with being a semi driver and the equipment we hitched to. learn your equipment.
Wow... The lack of damage to the RV says a lot about that brand..how amazing. Not a 5th wheel person but dang what a great teaching moment. Thank you for sharing this and being so honest.
I had a husky slider up until this year when i purchased a new truck. Went to the Anderson Ultimate. Although the Anderson is not a Slider I feel that it is a better hitch. Over the years I only had a need to use the slide once or twice so going to a fixed position was not a big deal. Guess I've learned to never have to make extreme turns. Once I used the Anderson, I found the trailer actually rode better, (no chucking / clunking). the other bonus is that the hitch only weighs 35 lbs. So you can easily remove the hitch when not installing. Sliders weigh a ton and its usually a two person job to lift them in or out of your pickup bed when not in use.
I have used the B&W hitch and turn over ball system for about 5 years. With no issues. I still do the tug test when ever I hitch up. I believe after research and comparisons the B&W is the only way to go. My first hitch was a Reese it seemed to have much movement after locking in between the hitch and king pin
Great job guys! RVing isn’t perfect, we all make mistakes along the journey. Love how you asked for feed back and showed us the way you corrected the situation. We learn from each other everyday.
I drove an 18 wheeler for 30 years and I always did a tug test from day 1 to my last day.. It's reacurance that it's hooked up properly..also your emergency cable is wrong and should be connected to the bed of the truck
Get I’ve got a question. The other guy in the video said something to make the moron feel better. There’s two people in the world, people who’s heads are STUCK in their ass or women, or something like that. How many times in 30 years did you drop trailers onto the concrete? None? Point made.
I’m in the middle of searching for the right trailer for my Dodge Ram Hemi, this video is perfect for helping me with the decision on the type of trailer I should get because I’m getting divorced and it will be my home so I’ll be a solo. I’m so glad you were able to repair your truck and trailer. She is a beauty.
B&W 5th wheel hitch they have the best latching system and you never have a problem when releasing they release like butter when unhooking trailer most hitches you have to hockey truck forward or back to get handle to release I haul RVs for a living I have a B&W Patriot love it.
We use a Hensley BD3 and absolutely love it. It's pricey at about $2500 but it's built like a tank and has never given us any problems. If you want a hitch with airbags, it's hard to beat. Best wishes on all of your future adventures!
Just watched all three videos. Thank you for sharing. I got sick to my stomach watching this happen. Real learning experience for me. Sorry this happened. I know this happened a long time ago. Thanks again for sharing. Take good care. On a side note. You handled that way better than I would have!
My B&W has been flawless for thousands of miles. Also, I prefer to do my "safety tug" after removing the wheel chocks. By removing the wheel chocks and manually engaging the trailer brakes with the brake controller, I'm testing the trailer brakes as well as the hitch connection at the same time.
I feel for you because I did the same thing as you and dented both fenders on my new truck. Wish I had seen your video before going thing. I live in mine fulltime now so your videos are a great help. Thanks to both of you from Florida!
That is great advice.. don't Rush and don't do it tired... we have learned that lesson also. That's awesome to see the magic eraser work for the "Damage" to the rig. Bullet dodged. Thanks for sharing.
You need to remove that white plastic from your trailer hitch. The orange stuff that is on the hitch itself is all that is needed to lub the connection. With the white and orange that it too tall to make a proper connection for your rig. You can see that the jaws on trying to just go around the bottom part of your connection. That is called a "high hitch" connection will fail everytime............
I was driving trucks for ten yearsI've dropped a few trailers in my day, People can come around and pull your pin, I found over time to always put a little tension, to keep people from pulling your pin, But, I always did a tug test, you have convinced me to get a class A RV, I see this would bring me bad memories from the past!
"I made some mistakes..." So many people refuse to say those words, much less put a mistake on UA-cam for all to see. I have so much respect for you two, not just for admitting your mistake and educating us but also for having the nerve to remove yourselves from normal society and go traveling the world at a young age. Thanks for leading us all the way thru this issue. Have happy and safe travels in 2020!
if you look at part 1 video you can see at 19:24 that its high pinned and the handle is not locked in. the lock pin is below the grove on the pin and you can see the gap between the trailer and the hitch. then compare it to 17:24 on part 3 you can see the difference.
i have a Andersen hitch and it works great, converts it to more of a gooseneck type hitch. eliminates a lot or the headache that comes with a slide hitch. thanks for all the great content
The Demco auto slide was the easiest to couple and know you were locked in. It was very heavy duty and gave lots of room for maneuvering. It however is the heaviest hitch of all time, 400 pounds. I went to a Andersen Ultimate hitch that has worked get. It weighs 35 pounds and I can pull it out when I need my bed space. It tows my Bighorn 3870 (16,000pounds) without any problems. And never buy used...
Another vote for the B&W hitch. I’ve probably installed and setup nearly a hundred over the years with zero complaints or problems with them. The Husky hitches are very cheap in quality compared to B&W.
We are contemplating RVing but are 2-3 years away. I am blown away by your attitude, countenance, ability to handle the pain and disappointment of that first drop. I think I was more stressed than you were. What a great example of staying cool, calm, and collected in the absolute worse of times. I would have been a basket case. The tips and learning curve lessons are invaluable and so well explained and thought out. I liked your videos before. These three in a row have now made me a fan! God bless your journey.
I loved my Anderson ultimate hitch, hitches and unhitched at just about any angle, no chucking.simple easy use. Ran it on my toyhualer for 3 yrs till we got our motor home
great video I'm an over the road truck driver and I've seen over a dozen commercial drivers have trailer separation because they didn't follow the proper hooking procedures. My only suggestion to what youre6already doing is use a flashlight when checking to see if the locking bar has full closed
Great 3 part series! I would have been in tears. Thanks for sharing the first scene in the 1st video where Tom shares he doesn’t want to post the footage. So far part one is your most popular video. 👍
I drove tractor trailer for a short career and what you did was correct by putting on the camper brakes and giving a tug with levelers just above the ground. That Chevy is looking good now, no harm to your camper, nobody hurt, a lesson learned and an eye opener for others. Good job!
Thank you for sharing. It takes a big person to show their mistakes and take responsibility for them. It is awsome that you posted theese videos to help others. I have been driving semis for 34 years, and it is so easy to become complacent, what I have found that helps me, is to have a routine and never ever vary from it! That way if you get distracted, or are tired, etc. You will develope "that nagging feeling" that you forgot to do something. LISTEN TO THAT FEELING. Double check everything, the extra 5-10 mins. Is worth it. Also, if you have trouble releasing the 5th wheel, back up the truck with the trailer brakes locked, just a little bit of backwards pressure to take the pressure off the jaws, this will make pulling the release easier. Have a great day, and stay safe.
@17:57 you say "lower the front jacks" when they're actually raising. This manual control makes sense to me, raising or lowering the trailer with the up and down buttons respectively. This is how it is on Dad's 5th wheel's toggle switch (nothing as fancy as your jack system). We've never dropped onto the truck but I have seen someone do it (to their grandpa's rig).
I used a Reese 16k for 12 years without one issue. I could easily remove the whole thing alone, east to put locking pins in etc. I don't see that happening with the B& W. I have a Reese Goosebox now and it won't come unhitch under any normal conditions.
Ill tell ya..get a good quality set of stainless steel bed rail covers too. I dropped a trailer once and they literally saved my bed. Also think about a bedsaver hitch extra.. I put a bedsaver on my 16k reese and the $100 i paid for it is so minimal compared to the comfort i have knowing that IF my trailer should come unhooked for some reason such as your experience, the pin will drop into the pocket and not allow the trailer to drop onto the bed and tailgate. www.rvpartscountry.com/BedSaverFifthWheelSafetySystems
Thanks Tom, for sharing your valuable learning experience. After 50+ years of RV'n and multiple hitches, I recommend the B&W Companion...best most solid, but heavy, hitch I've ever used. Safe travels!
In my opinion it's a matter of making things simple so I recommend an Andersen hitch. They are very simple to use and light weight so if you need to remove it from the truck bed that's a simple task. Good luck and safe travels.
Love my Anderson hitch. Super easy to use and this type of problem would be impossible. They are light weight, heavy duty and they give you your truck bed back. Happy trails! ✌🏻🇺🇸
Been there, done that while unhitching. The pad I was on sloped to the rear enough that a baketball would start to roll if it was set down on the pad and was soft after a long hard rain. When I opened the hitch jaws whole rig moved back because the chocks and landing gear all slid back and sunk into what was basically slick rocky mud. The bedrails bent and the front of our rig under the cap apparently isn't as robust as yours as the bottom of the cap caved in somewhat. Took 3 months to get a new cap from the factory, installed, and the decals put on. Now I check the surface I'm on, and have been known to stake down chocks so they can't move if the ground is soft. As far as hitches go, our Ram truck has the puck system, and I opted for a B&W Companion, rated for 25,000 lbs, and made in Kansas.
As a 5er puller, thnx for having the guts to post this video. Lesson learned for sure. My B&W hitch has never failed me, I'm sure glad I didn't buy a used hitch,although I did entertain the possibility of saving a few bucks by doing so. Lesson learned huh? That used hitch in your video had me eye rollin from the get go.
BW hitch is the only way to fly. There’s BW and there’s the rest. Also you don’t use the white spacer at all if you have the orange pad on the hitch. You took up all it’s free space with that white pad.
I have a 34' 5th wheel with that same style hitch. I've pulled thousands of miles since I got the 5th wheel from the original owner. It works well for me. I have the slip disc white circle and it works great.I used to also drive semi and pull a 53' mobile classroom. I dropped and re-hooked sometimes 2 to 3 times a day. Your recap hit the major points . When I was on vacation the first time my fill in driver pulled it he dropped the trailer and did a bunch of damage. He never mentioned it and I found it when I did my next pre-trip. I always leave the rv low enough to make the truck squat. Thank you for sharing as a reminder for all of us and as a watch out for far all the new people learning.
Only one slick piece is required.I would recommend a curt Q20. I worked in Indiana for over a year shuttling fifth Wheels from the factorys to holding yards.Atleast 15-20 units per day. The curt has color codes and easy to see that it if fully locked in place. Also your brakeaway cable must be connected to its own point on the truck and not to the fifth wheel itself.This step is super important! Good luck
It is DOT regulation. If your fifth wheels fails it could fail with the head still attached to the trailer. If you have rails that your fifth wheel attaches to you can just use a separate carabiner thru one of the rail holes.
We have the B&W Companion Hitch and it is so much easier to use, no fighting the handle to get it engaged or disengaged. Our previous hitch was a Husky and We went through two of them before switching over to B&W. I always walk back behind the tail gate, and do a visual check on the King Pin Dog to see that it is engaged.
Thank you for allowing us to learn through your hard aches. I'm a newbie, but I like my demco recon. One time, after hitching, I went to put the the handles locking pin through the hole on the handle. The safety pin wouldn't go in because the hole didn't line up. This told me the rv pin was not properly locked into the 5th wheel. It was all in the handle.
We have a pull rite hitch . The best advice never get in a hurry. And don't let others side track your check list. Lessons we learned. We were moving out of our house into rv. The new owners showed up 2 days early wanting to put stuff into house. Needless to say stressful time. So we get to rv put stuff inside hook up did 3 bump tests. Just before we hit road we had trailer disconnect ( nice that our Ford was screaming at me trailer disconnected, lol) . Lessons learned about never being rushed. And getting out of our routine. If we get interrupted we go back to #1. Safe travels happy you got your truck fixed. Happy new year
Hey Tom, we use the Curt Q24 for hooking up our Momentum 395. Easy to use and did a search for an online coupon and got the hitch from E Trailer for $787. Shipping included.
Very informative. Big ups to Tom for being such a good sport. I would have been in full Hulk mode. So many of these VLOGS show the upside to RV'ing. It's nice to see a heavy dose of reality. Good for you guys. I have subscribed and continue to like these videos. Best of luck moving forward.
Lmao Scott I told my husband he would have handled it horrible in full blown peed off ready to break stuff livid mode .. cause he stays stressed till we are sited and chilling lol
Please look into the Andersen ultimate connection. I could go on and on about how awesome they are. When you get one, you’ll know. Good luck guys, I just found your channel, and subscribed.
I'm a retired truck driver and would also recommend u do an inspection or tug test whenever u are parked at truck stops, rest areas or anywhere u may be with ur tt hooked to ur truck, there are putting it nicely, butt holes that will pull ur 5th wheel pin for meanest.
Love your honesty and your openness to criticism. It takes way more courage to admit a fail than the combined courage of all the know-it-alls chiming in. All the best in your adventures.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "operator error". When Mark showed you how to use the hitch he said when you pull the handle straight out it was cocked ready to lock when you backed in to connect your rig, but you had the handle pulled out and rotated clockwise, to the rear which is the disconnect position. I think you hitch would be fine, I know I would not be in a hurry to replace it at the moment, just get familiar in its use. Maybe when you go to disconnect remove the safety pin and install the handle, pull it toward you and rotate clockwise to the disconnect position, then when you have moved forward and you are walking passed to close your tailgate, just lift the handle up to the connect position and your ready to go when you need to connect up again.
Hi, clad you got it figured out. Alot of truck stops tried sell those discs, their was alot truck's dropping trailers, they raised the pin to hight to lock right, causing the same problem. When you your jaws, make you see the ring on the pin below the jaws, and always tug test any trailer you pull before you roll.
I have a B&W Companion hitch and a 42 ft Solitude by GrandDesign. Pulling with a Ford F 350 Platinum Power-stroke dually with 8 ft bed with factory puck system. Works very well. Never a problem and I have the white nylon disk you took off installed. Happy RVing.
No matter the outcome of the mistake, a valuable lesson learned and shared with the community. This was probably a little hard to swallow, showing what was missed but I’m glad you all are tough and humble at the same time.
Thanks guys, great content and honesty. Disregard the nay sayers, not worth the time to read or get baited or respond to the Vlog trolls... Your content is helpful, technical, and honest. As RV’er we all make mistakes, and those that criticize are just not honest enough to admit or share. Thanks for your time and effort, it does not go unappreciated. BTW, been following you since near the beginning. Your Vlogging skills have gotten much better, along with your photography (cinematic skills). Your camera is putting out great quality as well. Again, thanks for your honesty, time, and effort. For the hitch, as of the time of this post, B&W prevails. I have the B&W Companion sliding hitch. The glide disk is optional, but suggested and the hitch is less complicated.
Mark Oliver how I do a pull tug test in a semi is I go backwards first to insure the jaw has closed then I hold the air/ electric break for a pull then I get up to about 3-5 mph and again lock the trailer breaks up.. that’s my two cents of knowledge
Glad no one was injured. Have never pulled a 5th wheel but have had a pull behind come off the hitch. Sometimes you get distracted or are tired. Enjoy your videos
DUDE! One of the best videos. Momma told me that the range was hot, I listened. Got it. Rare, but I gave you contributed. You saved my from future UGLINESS!
Hey Tom, we have the same model 381M 2020 but we took the hitch that came with it off and installed the 20K Goosebox from Reese just so that situation never happens and it's way more comfortable of a drive.... and we also have the same Chevy 3500DRW.
I did my research when we bought our first fifth wheel in 2003. The PullRite seemed to me to be the best bet, I’ve had one ever since. It has a single wraparound jaw, which makes for a very secure tow.
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Reese makes an air ride 5th wheel hitch that is amazing.
B &w patriot. It's the only way to go. 1000%
B&W makes nice stuff for pulling a gooseneck, not the best for an RV.
I have about 4K miles on my B&W Patriot hitch towing my 2004 37foot Raptor toyhauler and am very satisfied with it.
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I missed. ¿ why did you switch hitches?... in the first place?
I’m not fifth wheeler knowledgeable.... are there differences amongst what hitches can be used for fifth wheels?
Tom one thing you might. Want to do is attach your breakaway cable to truck bed instead of the hitch, if the hitch breaks off the cable wouldn’t pull out activating your trailer brakes. I use a caribiener and attach to hooks in bed of truck. I know a lot of people do it the way you do i use to do it that way. Enjoy watching your videos safe travels to you both.
I agree with Dan. It is definitely a safer practice to attach the breakaway cable to the safety chain hook of the truck. Good comment Dan.
Good Point, Dan!
This is what I do also.
I had seen not to long ago a fifth wheel hitch fail and his break away switch was attached to it. His fifth wheel went for a free ride in the median on the expressway. Lots of damage to both the truck and fifth wheel enough to make me nauseated. It could have been worse such as on a two lane highway and hitting on coming traffic. It was really a strange scenario the truck and fifth wheel were new and who ever mounted the fifth wheel hitch to the truck bolted it to its bed not the frame of the truck. The hitches bolts pulled right through the beds floor while the driver said he was doing about 72 mph. Ouch Cheers
I know you initially didn’t want to show this, but THANK YOU for doing so! Your adventures are entertaining, but you may never know how many people you may have helped. I have learned so much from the last three videos. Safe travels!
I am impressed with your self-assessment of the incident and sharing lessons learned. Everybody is a Monday morning armchair quarterback, and I admit to grimacing when I saw the extra white disk in your 1st video, which probably resulted in high-pinning. Add an insufficient pull test ... the rest is history. Kudos to you for sharing this painful lesson.
yes, this is a warning to us all....
Visual test not tug test.
All most did the same thing But I did the tug test and sis not lift the legs up. But saw that coming because I bought the plastic disk and could not use it because it made it to high.
I would recommend the Anderson 24k hitch. it comes with an adapter block to convert from a kingpin to a ball & socket style. Super easy to hook up and unhook. I use it with my 2017 Montana 3950BR that i fulltime in. No problems whatsoever
I use an Anderson 5th wheel hitch and love it. It's very light weight, extremely strong, and easy to remove if I want to use the bed of my truck.
Anderson Ultimate Hitch is what we use. Love it. Less noise, and it can never be "high pinned"
Thank you, Tom!! You did a great job of explaining what happened, why it happened and how you remedied the issue. I don't have a 5th wheel, but I want to tell you that I appreciate so much your willingness to admit your mistakes and to share the resolutions with all of us. Never feel like something is too stupid to share. Some things happen more commonly than you think. I enjoy watching your videos and wish you and Cheri safe travels.
I use the Anderson hitch. Light weight, easy to put in and take out. Have not had any problems in 4 yrs. Rated at 24000# Went to Alaska, 7288 Miles and rough roads with no problems.
There is one other thing that I learned is that you two are a GREAT team. No one blamed each other. Even though you take responsibility for the original mistake, your wife was supportive no matter what. I think this was your most informative series so far!
Thank you for being brave enough to share your mistakes! You have just saved quite a number of us from embarrassment and costly repairs.
I drove tractor trailer for 40 years when tugging to check pin do not bring legs on trailer all the way up. Just enough to put pressure on truck. So if pin is not locked you have back up where it lands on Jacks instead of truck. Don
Donald Fletcher visual test not a tug test. Do it right
@@michaelhiggins8250 do both
Get a Reese Signature puck type mount hitch and get those silly rails out of your bed for life! If you want to use your entire bed on the road you can leave the hitch connected to trailer and just unhook the pucks and let the hitch hang off the king pin. Works great and having a clean bed is awesome.
I can't comment on the hitch; my trailer is not a 5th wheel. I just wanted to thank you for the video. You turned a bad experience into a good teaching video and I know it will help others.
Gotta love a good old guy willing to help you out. That would be my Dad in a heartbeat! It’s all good. Life happens. ❤️. I’m not sure how you ended up in my suggested list but I’m happy I’ve found you!
I will recommend the B&W companion hitch, and thank you for sharing the costly video with good information for the rest of us to remember/learn from.
I commend you on not flipping out, you remained calm, looks like you and your wife listen to each other, i think your an awesome couple. All the best in the great journey of life.
My sister and I love the Anderson Ultimate hitch. My hubby isn't usually with us and I usually do the hitching by myself and I have had no problems with the Anderson. I use a small trick to mark where I need to stop the center of my tire on the ground. Takes very little time. We choose the Anderson because I was worried about trying to do the Kingpin type hitch by myself. I'm really glad we did. Something for you to look into anyway. Thanks for the great videos!
I recommend a Anderson hitch. It allows your 5th wheel float on it’s once and not on to the truck and beat you to death.
Sorry for that issue with your RV. Very useful to have share your problem.
We currently use an Anderson Hitch System - have been for 5 years, we came an average of 3-5 times a year now. But plan to camp more. I would like your thoughts on this hitch system: pros cons please. Thanks in advance for you comments.
I wouldn’t replace the hitch. Seems to work perfectly when used properly. Sorry about the troubles but you helped lots of people learn.
This, it was user error not too failure, at least he won't do it again now.
I think user air on his part. always check kingpin lock and visually inspect that the jaw's are latched around the kingpin. we had to do that with being a semi driver and the equipment we hitched to. learn your equipment.
Wow... The lack of damage to the RV says a lot about that brand..how amazing. Not a 5th wheel person but dang what a great teaching moment. Thank you for sharing this and being so honest.
I had a husky slider up until this year when i purchased a new truck. Went to the Anderson Ultimate. Although the Anderson is not a Slider I feel that it is a better hitch.
Over the years I only had a need to use the slide once or twice so going to a fixed position was not a big deal. Guess I've learned to never have to make extreme turns. Once I used the Anderson, I found the trailer actually rode better, (no chucking / clunking).
the other bonus is that the hitch only weighs 35 lbs. So you can easily remove the hitch when not installing. Sliders weigh a ton and its usually a two person job to lift them in or out of your pickup bed when not in use.
Yup, the chucking is not good, and fixed is just that, fixed. Simpler and less moving parts
I have used the B&W hitch and turn over ball system for about 5 years. With no issues. I still do the tug test when ever I hitch up. I believe after research and comparisons the B&W is the only way to go. My first hitch was a Reese it seemed to have much movement after locking in between the hitch and king pin
As I've heard said... "Good decisions come from experience. But Experience comes from bad decisions". Thank you for sharing your experience!!!
Great job guys! RVing isn’t perfect, we all make mistakes along the journey. Love how you asked for feed back and showed us the way you corrected the situation. We learn from each other everyday.
Thank you for being so honest and transparent
I drove an 18 wheeler for 30 years and I always did a tug test from day 1 to my last day.. It's reacurance that it's hooked up properly..also your emergency cable is wrong and should be connected to the bed of the truck
Get I’ve got a question. The other guy in the video said something to make the moron feel better. There’s two people in the world, people who’s heads are STUCK in their ass or women, or something like that.
How many times in 30 years did you drop trailers onto the concrete? None? Point made.
As a fellow trucker, I did too. But in slippery conditions, visual check is the only way. When it gets slippery, trailers get dropped.
I’m in the middle of searching for the right trailer for my Dodge Ram Hemi, this video is perfect for helping me with the decision on the type of trailer I should get because I’m getting divorced and it will be my home so I’ll be a solo. I’m so glad you were able to repair your truck and trailer. She is a beauty.
B&W 5th wheel hitch they have the best latching system and you never have a problem when releasing they release like butter when unhooking trailer most hitches you have to hockey truck forward or back to get handle to release I haul RVs for a living I have a B&W Patriot love it.
We use a Hensley BD3 and absolutely love it. It's pricey at about $2500 but it's built like a tank and has never given us any problems. If you want a hitch with airbags, it's hard to beat. Best wishes on all of your future adventures!
Love that you shared this part of your journey. Lessons for all of us. Travel on!
Just watched all three videos. Thank you for sharing. I got sick to my stomach watching this happen. Real learning experience for me. Sorry this happened. I know this happened a long time ago. Thanks again for sharing. Take good care. On a side note. You handled that way better than I would have!
My B&W has been flawless for thousands of miles. Also, I prefer to do my "safety tug" after removing the wheel chocks. By removing the wheel chocks and manually engaging the trailer brakes with the brake controller, I'm testing the trailer brakes as well as the hitch connection at the same time.
I feel for you because I did the same thing as you and dented both fenders on my new truck. Wish I had seen your video before going thing. I live in mine fulltime now so your videos are a great help. Thanks to both of you from Florida!
Andersen ultimate 5th hitch is the way to go. It’s what we use & love it.
Same with us. Andersen has worked very well for us.
That is great advice.. don't Rush and don't do it tired... we have learned that lesson also. That's awesome to see the magic eraser work for the "Damage" to the rig. Bullet dodged. Thanks for sharing.
You need to remove that white plastic from your trailer hitch. The orange stuff that is on the hitch itself is all that is needed to lub the connection. With the white and orange that it too tall to make a proper connection for your rig. You can see that the jaws on trying to just go around the bottom part of your connection. That is called a "high hitch" connection will fail everytime............
Lube. Not lub?
@ Gary : Yeah, Tom mentioned that in the video, as did about a million other commenters.
Surprised he didn't figure it out himself. When it fell off.
I was driving trucks for ten yearsI've dropped a few trailers in my day, People can come around and pull your pin, I found over time to always put a little tension, to keep people from pulling your pin, But, I always did a tug test, you have convinced me to get a class A RV, I see this would bring me bad memories from the past!
"I made some mistakes..." So many people refuse to say those words, much less put a mistake on UA-cam for all to see. I have so much respect for you two, not just for admitting your mistake and educating us but also for having the nerve to remove yourselves from normal society and go traveling the world at a young age. Thanks for leading us all the way thru this issue. Have happy and safe travels in 2020!
if you look at part 1 video you can see at 19:24 that its high pinned and the handle is not locked in. the lock pin is below the grove on the pin and you can see the gap between the trailer and the hitch. then compare it to 17:24 on part 3 you can see the difference.
Another vote for B&W. The hands down best 5th wheel hitch on the market.
i have a Andersen hitch and it works great, converts it to more of a gooseneck type hitch. eliminates a lot or the headache that comes with a slide hitch.
thanks for all the great content
I have a B&W Companion Hitch I love it, it come apart in two pieces, it's a great and solid hitch, I'm glad you got everything work out.
Stand up guy, thank you for sharing. Stay frosty my friend.
The Demco auto slide was the easiest to couple and know you were locked in. It was very heavy duty and gave lots of room for maneuvering. It however is the heaviest hitch of all time, 400 pounds. I went to a Andersen Ultimate hitch that has worked get. It weighs 35 pounds and I can pull it out when I need my bed space. It tows my Bighorn 3870 (16,000pounds) without any problems. And never buy used...
_"I went to an Andersen Ultimate hitch that has worked get."_
????
It's very big of you guys to show your mistakes and turning around as a learning opportunity for others. You guys are great!
Another vote for the B&W hitch. I’ve probably installed and setup nearly a hundred over the years with zero complaints or problems with them. The Husky hitches are very cheap in quality compared to B&W.
We are contemplating RVing but are 2-3 years away. I am blown away by your attitude, countenance, ability to handle the pain and disappointment of that first drop. I think I was more stressed than you were. What a great example of staying cool, calm, and collected in the absolute worse of times. I would have been a basket case. The tips and learning curve lessons are invaluable and so well explained and thought out. I liked your videos before. These three in a row have now made me a fan! God bless your journey.
I loved my Anderson ultimate hitch, hitches and unhitched at just about any angle, no chucking.simple easy use. Ran it on my toyhualer for 3 yrs till we got our motor home
Mike & Susan’s Adventures we have it in our dually for our 41ft fifth wheel. LOVE IT!
Love our andersen ultimate 5th wheel hitch, and no tug test needed.
great video I'm an over the road truck driver and I've seen over a dozen commercial drivers have trailer separation because they didn't follow the proper hooking procedures. My only suggestion to what youre6already doing is use a flashlight when checking to see if the locking bar has full closed
B&W is what I have. USA made. Never had any issue with it.
I had one too but It said RBW. Mine was a lighter weight. It was a RBW little rocker. Have a park model trailer and am seasonal.
Great 3 part series! I would have been in tears. Thanks for sharing the first scene in the 1st video where Tom shares he doesn’t want to post the footage. So far part one is your most popular video. 👍
Love our B&W Companion. Intuitive operation and built like a tank!
I drove tractor trailer for a short career and what you did was correct by putting on the camper brakes and giving a tug with levelers just above the ground. That Chevy is looking good now, no harm to your camper, nobody hurt, a lesson learned and an eye opener for others. Good job!
As always great video you guys!
Thank you for sharing. It takes a big person to show their mistakes and take responsibility for them. It is awsome that you posted theese videos to help others.
I have been driving semis for 34 years, and it is so easy to become complacent, what I have found that helps me, is to have a routine and never ever vary from it! That way if you get distracted, or are tired, etc. You will develope "that nagging feeling" that you forgot to do something.
LISTEN TO THAT FEELING. Double check everything, the extra 5-10 mins. Is worth it.
Also, if you have trouble releasing the 5th wheel, back up the truck with the trailer brakes locked, just a little bit of backwards pressure to take the pressure off the jaws, this will make pulling the release easier.
Have a great day, and stay safe.
we got a Companion b&w hitch with Turnoverball under-bed mounting system, which means you can pull a fifth-wheel or gooseneck hitch
@17:57 you say "lower the front jacks" when they're actually raising. This manual control makes sense to me, raising or lowering the trailer with the up and down buttons respectively. This is how it is on Dad's 5th wheel's toggle switch (nothing as fancy as your jack system). We've never dropped onto the truck but I have seen someone do it (to their grandpa's rig).
Get the B&W companion. I only use B&W. Never have any issues. And the hitch locks it’s self once hitched. The cam locking jaws work nice
Thanks for the recommendation Daniel!
B&W Companion is by far the best.
I used a Reese 16k for 12 years without one issue. I could easily remove the whole thing alone, east to put locking pins in etc. I don't see that happening with the B& W. I have a Reese Goosebox now and it won't come unhitch under any normal conditions.
John Irwin glad it works for you. Enjoy!
Ill tell ya..get a good quality set of stainless steel bed rail covers too. I dropped a trailer once and they literally saved my bed. Also think about a bedsaver hitch extra.. I put a bedsaver on my 16k reese and the $100 i paid for it is so minimal compared to the comfort i have knowing that IF my trailer should come unhooked for some reason such as your experience, the pin will drop into the pocket and not allow the trailer to drop onto the bed and tailgate.
www.rvpartscountry.com/BedSaverFifthWheelSafetySystems
Thanks Tom, for sharing your valuable learning experience. After 50+ years of RV'n and multiple hitches, I recommend the B&W Companion...best most solid, but heavy, hitch I've ever used. Safe travels!
In my opinion it's a matter of making things simple so I recommend an Andersen hitch. They are very simple to use and light weight so if you need to remove it from the truck bed that's a simple task. Good luck and safe travels.
Love my Anderson hitch. Super easy to use and this type of problem would be impossible. They are light weight, heavy duty and they give you your truck bed back. Happy trails! ✌🏻🇺🇸
Been there, done that while unhitching. The pad I was on sloped to the rear enough that a baketball would start to roll if it was set down on the pad and was soft after a long hard rain. When I opened the hitch jaws whole rig moved back because the chocks and landing gear all slid back and sunk into what was basically slick rocky mud. The bedrails bent and the front of our rig under the cap apparently isn't as robust as yours as the bottom of the cap caved in somewhat. Took 3 months to get a new cap from the factory, installed, and the decals put on. Now I check the surface I'm on, and have been known to stake down chocks so they can't move if the ground is soft.
As far as hitches go, our Ram truck has the puck system, and I opted for a B&W Companion, rated for 25,000 lbs, and made in Kansas.
As a 5er puller, thnx for having the guts to post this video. Lesson learned for sure. My B&W hitch has never failed me, I'm sure glad I didn't buy a used hitch,although I did entertain the possibility of saving a few bucks by doing so. Lesson learned huh? That used hitch in your video had me eye rollin from the get go.
BW hitch is the only way to fly. There’s BW and there’s the rest. Also you don’t use the white spacer at all if you have the orange pad on the hitch. You took up all it’s free space with that white pad.
totally!
B&W
Agree. B&W Companion
B & W has my vote too! That is what I have
I have a 34' 5th wheel with that same style hitch. I've pulled thousands of miles since I got the 5th wheel from the original owner. It works well for me. I have the slip disc white circle and it works great.I used to also drive semi and pull a 53' mobile classroom. I dropped and re-hooked sometimes 2 to 3 times a day. Your recap hit the major points . When I was on vacation the first time my fill in driver pulled it he dropped the trailer and did a bunch of damage. He never mentioned it and I found it when I did my next pre-trip. I always leave the rv low enough to make the truck squat.
Thank you for sharing as a reminder for all of us and as a watch out for far all the new people learning.
Only one slick piece is required.I would recommend a curt Q20.
I worked in Indiana for over a year shuttling fifth Wheels from the factorys to holding yards.Atleast 15-20 units per day.
The curt has color codes and easy to see that it if fully locked in place.
Also your brakeaway cable must be connected to its own point on the truck and not to the fifth wheel itself.This step is super important!
Good luck
Love my Curt hitch! I went with Curt following GMC recommendations.
Anthony Grieco why is that important to hook the break away cable to the truck? Thank you!
It is DOT regulation. If your fifth wheels fails it could fail with the head still attached to the trailer.
If you have rails that your fifth wheel attaches to you can just use a separate carabiner thru one of the rail holes.
We have the B&W Companion Hitch and it is so much easier to use, no fighting the handle to get it engaged or disengaged. Our previous hitch was a Husky and We went through two of them before switching over to B&W.
I always walk back behind the tail gate, and do a visual check on the King Pin Dog to see that it is engaged.
I actually love how well my B&W hitch works.
Thank you for allowing us to learn through your hard aches. I'm a newbie, but I like my demco recon. One time, after hitching, I went to put the the handles locking pin through the hole on the handle. The safety pin wouldn't go in because the hole didn't line up. This told me the rv pin was not properly locked into the 5th wheel. It was all in the handle.
We have a pull rite hitch .
The best advice never get in a hurry. And don't let others side track your check list.
Lessons we learned.
We were moving out of our house into rv. The new owners showed up 2 days early wanting to put stuff into house. Needless to say stressful time. So we get to rv put stuff inside hook up did 3 bump tests. Just before we hit road we had trailer disconnect ( nice that our Ford was screaming at me trailer disconnected, lol) .
Lessons learned about never being rushed. And getting out of our routine. If we get interrupted we go back to #1.
Safe travels happy you got your truck fixed. Happy new year
Anderson hitch has my vote. It is quiet with no play and seviwells smoothly. You can remove it in a few min to gain your truck bed back.
We have the B&W companion. It’s built solid and is safe.
Hey Tom, we use the Curt Q24 for hooking up our Momentum 395. Easy to use and did a search for an online coupon and got the hitch from E Trailer for $787. Shipping included.
Very informative. Big ups to Tom for being such a good sport. I would have been in full Hulk mode. So many of these VLOGS show the upside to RV'ing. It's nice to see a heavy dose of reality. Good for you guys. I have subscribed and continue to like these videos. Best of luck moving forward.
Lmao Scott I told my husband he would have handled it horrible in full blown peed off ready to break stuff livid mode .. cause he stays stressed till we are sited and chilling lol
Thanks for these videos. Wife and I are setting ready to go full time and your videos help us learn a lot.
Please look into the Andersen ultimate connection. I could go on and on about how awesome they are. When you get one, you’ll know. Good luck guys, I just found your channel, and subscribed.
I'm a retired truck driver and would also recommend u do an inspection or tug test whenever u are parked at truck stops, rest areas or anywhere u may be with ur tt hooked to ur truck, there are putting it nicely, butt holes that will pull ur 5th wheel pin for meanest.
4:50 "There's only 2 guys > the guys who've done it > and the guys who are gonna do it." 👍💯❤🏆 What a Sweetheart!!!!
Love your honesty and your openness to criticism. It takes way more courage to admit a fail than the combined courage of all the know-it-alls chiming in. All the best in your adventures.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "operator error". When Mark showed you how to use the hitch he said when you pull the handle straight out it was cocked ready to lock when you backed in to connect your rig, but you had the handle pulled out and rotated clockwise, to the rear which is the disconnect position. I think you hitch would be fine, I know I would not be in a hurry to replace it at the moment, just get familiar in its use. Maybe when you go to disconnect remove the safety pin and install the handle, pull it toward you and rotate clockwise to the disconnect position, then when you have moved forward and you are walking passed to close your tailgate, just lift the handle up to the connect position and your ready to go when you need to connect up again.
You 2 are great !!! We are glad everything worked out in the end ! Safe travels & see you on the Road !
Look into the Anderson ultimate 5th wheel hitch. I will never use another. Impossible for that to happen on that hitch.
I know I have 10,000 miles on mine
And I bought my used
Hi, clad you got it figured out. Alot of truck stops tried sell those discs, their was alot truck's dropping trailers, they raised the pin to hight to lock right, causing the same problem. When you your jaws, make you see the ring on the pin below the jaws, and always tug test any trailer you pull before you roll.
Nice job. B&W or Andersen, you can’t go wrong
I have a B&W Companion hitch and a 42 ft Solitude by GrandDesign. Pulling with a Ford F 350 Platinum Power-stroke dually with 8 ft bed with factory puck system. Works very well. Never a problem and I have the white nylon disk you took off installed. Happy RVing.
B&w is the only way to go
No matter the outcome of the mistake, a valuable lesson learned and shared with the community. This was probably a little hard to swallow, showing what was missed but I’m glad you all are tough and humble at the same time.
Thanks guys, great content and honesty. Disregard the nay sayers, not worth the time to read or get baited or respond to the Vlog trolls... Your content is helpful, technical, and honest. As RV’er we all make mistakes, and those that criticize are just not honest enough to admit or share. Thanks for your time and effort, it does not go unappreciated. BTW, been following you since near the beginning. Your Vlogging skills have gotten much better, along with your photography (cinematic skills). Your camera is putting out great quality as well. Again, thanks for your honesty, time, and effort. For the hitch, as of the time of this post, B&W prevails. I have the B&W Companion sliding hitch. The glide disk is optional, but suggested and the hitch is less complicated.
Mark Oliver how I do a pull tug test in a semi is I go backwards first to insure the jaw has closed then I hold the air/ electric break for a pull then I get up to about 3-5 mph and again lock the trailer breaks up.. that’s my two cents of knowledge
Scott, I think you meant this reply for Tom....
Mark Oliver yes your right. I must’ve clicked the wrong name.
Glad no one was injured. Have never pulled a 5th wheel but have had a pull behind come off the hitch. Sometimes you get distracted or are tired. Enjoy your videos
Take a look at the B&W Companion hitch. I love mine.
DUDE! One of the best videos. Momma told me that the range was hot, I listened. Got it. Rare, but I gave you contributed. You saved my from future UGLINESS!
Thanks David! Thanks for being a member!
We have a B&W Companion hitch and it has worked well for us.
Was your old hitch not compatible with your new camper? I never understood why you traded...
It was a 15K hitch, the Momentum requires a 20K or more hitch.
Should probably get the bigger size chocks. The wheels will roll right over those and crush them... don't ask me how I know.😉
Been there, done that with them cheap Camco chocks.. lol
Hey Tom, we have the same model 381M 2020 but we took the hitch that came with it off and installed the 20K Goosebox from Reese just so that situation never happens and it's way more comfortable of a drive.... and we also have the same Chevy 3500DRW.
Anderson Hitch 3220 - Aluminum Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection 2 -24,000 GVW Goose neck version
I did my research when we bought our first fifth wheel in 2003. The PullRite seemed to me to be the best bet, I’ve had one ever since. It has a single wraparound jaw, which makes for a very secure tow.