Hitch popped off -- Replacement

[CampyTime]

Chocks in place. Not ointment. I'm sorry.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Glenn Baglo]

Hand brake first. Then put it in park.
Keeps things where they are supposed to be.

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Chocks in place. Not ointment. I'm sorry

Did you by any chance fall victim to some autocorrection or autocompletion software? Those things should be banned.
I should have been clearer on the use of the chocks. You are doing exactly the right thing to *always* use them. The point I was trying to make was that when there is any incline under the wheels, the trailer will roll down until there is some pressure against the chocks. Maybe an inch or so. There were times when I had to really push hard on them to free them, and sometimes even push or pull with the tow vehicle after hooking up.

[Borrego Dave]

Depending on what the parking area slope is I set the chocks down and backup a bit to set the tires against them as that keeps the trailer from rolling back to the chocks on its own. I've never had a problem with any trailer sliding off of wood but maybe I've been lucky. One suggestion I have to folks that think their trailer may slide is to disconnect the 7 pin but leave the safety chains connected until your sure it's stable. If it does get away it won't go far

[Byron Kinnaman]

Not using wood is a good idea. A friend with a 5th wheel was using wood under the landing gear. The landing gear slid on the wood and resulted in a lot of damage to both his truck and the trailer. A lot of people seem to think wood is the answer, but in my opinion it's more of a monkey see, monkey do type of thing.

The only reason to put any kind of blocks under the tongue jack or stabilizers is because they don't reach the ground. Actually there possibly a second reason the ground is so soft that the feet of tongue jack and/or the stabilizers are likely to sink.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Not using wood is a good idea. A friend with a 5th wheel was using wood under the landing gear. The landing gear slid on the wood and resulted in a lot of damage to both his truck and the trailer. A lot of people seem to think wood is the answer, but in my opinion it's more of a monkey see, monkey do type of thing.

The only reason to put any kind of blocks under the tongue jack or stabilizers is because they don't reach the ground. Actually there possibly a second reason the ground is so soft that the feet of tongue jack and/or the stabilizers are likely to sink.

Sorry to hear about your friends damage but it sounds like he/she didn't have any chocks down or they were not tight against the wheels to keep it from moving sideways. As far as soft ground I have found that the plastic levelers tend to sink where where wood doesn't. Every camp site is different. I've had camping friends have to dig out the plastic levelers 2" below ground after a few days where the rest of us who used wood were fine. I have both wood and plastic and depending where I am use what will be best for the conditions. The place I go to most I don't have to use anything except a small piece of wood under the rear stabilizers because they have such a small footprint. Not knocking anybodys ideas or thoughts, just passing mine on.

[CampyTime]

i have wood and lynx levelers. always seem to go to the wood. On this trip, trying to be a minimalist, I left the levelers at home.

I camp in same places every year so far, and now Ive learned something great. Will never forget! leaving the safety chains on till you're stable sounds smart.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Ice-breaker]

On a sloping site put your chocks in place after the lower wheel(s) are blocked up and then allow the tow and trailer to roll downslope against the chocks before unhitching. There will then be no movement as the trailer comes off the tow vehicle hitch.

To secure my tandem wheeled trailer in place. After it has been unhitched (with conventional chocks securely in place) I will use a set of wedge type chocks between the tandem wheels. This added measure makes things super secure and almost incapable of movement if done correctly.

I use wood for blocking under the wheels, the front and rear stabilizers, and below the front jack, and have never had any issues. Not opposed to the plastic blocks, they look like they do the job also. For below the front jack, I carry about a 10" dia by 10" high piece of birch tree, which slips easily under the jack, and I do not usually have to raise the jack much to get the trailer off of the ball.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Ice-breaker

I use wood for blocking under the wheels, the front and rear stabilizers, and below the front jack, and have never had any issues.

Oh I used wood blocks for years as well, then one day! Bang!

Trailer was on a very uneven spot for two days without issue (no movement at all) with wood planks under both tires for side to side balance, front and rear stabilizers down (with various heights of wood under them as well) and chocks in place on the wheels. It had been raining for two days and during the trailer tour time at a FG trailer meet with lots of folks coming and going from the trailer someone stepped out of it and pushed off while doing so - trailer slid sideways off the wood block under the tires on one side. While going sides ways the wheel managed to free itself from the rear wheel chocks - seem to recall that the rear chock slid sideways off the block as well. This resulted in the pressure coming off the front and rear stabilizers (due to the side and rear slop it was parked on) allowing the trailer to do a little side spin and about 18" or more of roll back..... only thing that stopped it from going further was a very large log on drivers side which I had parked close beside..... good news is trailer came to rest very gently with no fiberglass damage other than a small 2" scratch in the gelcoat.

Could I recreate this same situation again? Probable not but would rather do what I can to avoid it by using items for blocking that are less slippery than wood when wet.

The other benefit of not using wood is it keeps you out of trouble at the border. I attend a number of meets in the US each year and I know a number of people who have had their wood blocks taken away going in both directions. You require a certificate stating the wood has been treated , either by kiln drying or by fumigation. Few folks have such a certificate for the bits of scrape wood they use for blocking their trailers.

[tractors1]

Good point about wood confiscation when crossing the borders! Gonna add that note to my trailer checklist...............

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Good point about wood confiscation when crossing the borders! Gonna add that note to my trailer checklist...............

If I am not mistaken there may be some rules about taking wood across state lines as well...... but then again other than when crossing into California what are the odds of anyone checking for that?

[Paul O.]

I have seen various warnings about transporting "fire wood" posted at national parks, forests, etc. I would hope such restriction would not be applied to scraps of dimensional lumber, especially if it is pressure treated. I'll be crossing a bunch of state and provincial lines next week, so I guess I'll find out!

[tractors1]

Breathing smoke from burning pressure-treated wood isn't exactly a healthy hobby.

Charlie Y

[ruscal]

I have used wood to crib up many heavy loads over the years, but I purchased the Legos for the Scamp due to the compact storage and light weight. They work well and I am happy with them. Like Dave mentioned, they can press into mud due to their relatively small footprint and the hollow bottom will swallow mud until filled. Perhaps a 12"x 12" piece of 3/4" plywood would work to help in muddy areas. 2 sets of Legos would provide enough height and length in badly leveled sites. You need enough length to insert the chocks fully supported to be effective. A 8" square if inner tube rubber could be used to provide friction between the Legos and chocks to keep them from spitting out. I'll make some and try them on the next trip. My chocks are the yellow plastic ones and are slippery on top of the Legos.
Russ

[ruscal]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Breathing smoke from burning pressure-treated wood isn't exactly a healthy hobby.

Charlie Y

Charlie,
I hate to think of all the pressure treated wood dust I have inhaled during many years as a carpenter. Some of it has arsenic in it.
PT splinters really are painful too. I was oblivious to the dangers when young.
Don't even think of burning it!
Russ

[ruscal]

Originally Posted by Carol H

If I am not mistaken there may be some rules about taking wood across state lines as well...... but then again other than when crossing into California what are the odds of anyone checking for that?

Carol,
Wood pests are a real problem down here in So. Cal. Both Oak and pines are being attacked. All the local camp grounds are posting signs regarding purchasing wood where you burn it. I think that is a good idea.
Most all the dimensional wood we get down here is from Oregon, and I don't think there are restrictions on transport that I know of. For cribbing under a trailer you could paint your blocks just to deter confiscation.
I have seen live bugs in new dimensional lumber, but they may have been termites?
Russ

[neparker]

Back on the original subject... I did have a hitch pop off with pin in place on a trip last month. The situation was a bit extreme. The trailer brakes locked up as I turned into a parking lot going downhill and over a bump. The trailer came off the hitch and was held by the chains. It was a pretty violent stop. My RV guy figured out that the diameter of the pin was small enough that it gave just enough wiggle room to disconnect with that amount of force.

The brake lockup was due to a controller failure which resulted in brake lock up with any pedal pressure. No lockup with manual brake engagement. I disconnected the controller and drove the rest of the trip very carefully. I now have a new controller and it works fine. I also have a pin that fills the hole completely.

-- Anne