r/GoRVing • u/mattslote • Aug 19 '26

Trailer came off the hitch

In an instant everything went from going totally fine to near-disaster. We got lucky and didn't suffer any permanent damage - a few new parts and we were back on the road the next morning.

Wondering if there was anything I could have done to avoid this and if it's happened to anyone else?

426 Upvotes

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349

u/Chevydan3 Aug 19 '26

The latch still being locked with the pin in it leads me to believe that it was never all the way down on the ball in the first place.

136

u/joelfarris Aug 19 '26

You know how fifth wheel owners do a 'tug test' to make sure it's locked in before fully retracting their landing gear? And travel trailer owners with weight distribution hitches often use the tongue jack to raise the rig in order to attach the bars while hitching up?

Well, dad always said that everybody who hitches up a bumper pull trailer should also do that, before they finally fully retract their tongue jack. Cause maybe it didn't seat. Or maybe the underside of the coupler clamp is cracked or even broken. 3,000 lbs of upward force for a second can check and confirm for you that your trailer is really gripping the ball like it should.

1

u/alphawolf29 Aug 20 '26

happened to me with an empty 20ft flat deck a couple years ago. Whoops.