By Gail Marsh
There was quite a buzz this week around the cooler. (It was just too hot for a campfire!) What was the buzz about? As a fellow camper pulled his fifth wheel RV out to leave the campground, his trailer dropped. Right on top of his truck bed. We’d never seen this happen and the results were not pretty. The guy’s brand-new truck bed was crushed on both side panels near the tailgate. The tailgate was sprung. The fifth wheel had visible damage on the exterior, and we can only guess what might be compromised inside his rig.
“He should have done the tug test,” one RVer commented. What? What’s a tug test? And should we be doing it with our own fifth wheel RV?
A little tug test research
The unsettling incident prompted me to do a little research. Here’s what I discovered:
“Dropping the trailer” is more common than I thought. Just a simple search online brought up several pictures and videos of this RV mishap. The good news? There are precautions RVers can take to prevent this from happening to you.
Here’s a helpful video explaining the tug test and how to set up and perform it.
Visual inspection
Fifth wheel RV hitches usually feature one of two types of “jaws”: a single, wrap-around jaw that surrounds the hitch pin; and dual-locking (two) jaws that grab together to completely surround the hitch pin.
A good first step to prevent the dreaded trailer drop is to perform a visual inspection. After hooking up, check to see that the hitch’s “jaws” are completely closed around the hitch pin. (Hint: Many hitches have coupling indicators to let you know the status of the locking jaws. Check that, too.)
The tug test (also called a pull test)
The next step, and the most important one according to folks around the cooler, is to do a tug test. Here’s how:
- Hook up your fifth wheel as usual and visually check the hitch to see that the jaws are correctly positioned.
- Manually position the two front RV jacks until they are just one or two inches off the ground. (The reason? If your trailer disconnects, the jacks will prevent the fifth wheel from falling onto your truck bed.)
- Put your foot on the truck brake pedal, take off the emergency brake, and put your truck in drive.
- Manually activate the trailer brake controller and slowly let off the brake pedal. This will allow the truck to gently tug on the trailer. If you feel resistance, the hitch is securely connected.
- Fully retract the fifth wheel landing jacks and continue your pre-trip procedures.
One more thing?
No one wants to add one more thing to their “Hook-up Checklist”—it’s already so long, right? But after witnessing the trailer drop this week, I’m sure the “tug test” will be added to our list! How about you?
##RVT1167
Even bumper tow should perform a version of a tug test. I’ve seen couplers resting on top of a ball rather than fully inside the coupler with a driver in a hurry. Of course the coupler lock fully closes because there is no ball inside! You can often move a trailer a bit with just the tongue weight, but you won’t get far before the trailer slides off.
That it will fall off is not entirely true, I witnessed a camper that was pulled hundreds of miles and the owner nearly had a heart attack when unhooking. He discovered that it was sitting on top the ball the whole trip. The only safe test is to raise the trailer hitch with the jack to see if it lifts the back of the towing vehicle.
This guy must not have been driving in Texas. His trailer would have popped off the ball in a matter of miles. Just sayin’.
I did that with an 18′ enclosed utility trailer that was empty…Had a half hour trip but stopped at burger place on the way. Came out and saw (at a distance) the hitch sitting ON the ball!!! Don’t know HOW I MISSED IT! The wiring was hooked up, the safety chains were on, the pin was in the latch. I was flooded with OMG’s and what if’s. Just glad I saw it when I did! BTW, I never told ANYONE about this little incident, especially my wife..Hahaha!
I do a tug test every time my 5th wheel is hooked up. Along with the following. Check all lights for proper operation. Check all tires including visually inspecting lug nuts. Check all suspension parts. Check same items on tow vehicle plus look for any signs of leaks. All these checks would save a lot of people headaches for only 5 minutes of their time.
I have always performed a tug test. Quite often the test is performed right after I back into the hitch. If it pulls out, I retry the hookup. If it fails again, I get out and lower the trailer, slightly, and try again. One time I had multiple failures and was able to solve the problem by spraying WD40 on the hitch. I don’t know why but it worked that one time. The more experience I get the easier it its.
In my 5th wheeling days, I always adjusted the pin height, so it put weight on the 5th wheel plate. I then plugged the cable in, got in the truck, applied the trailer brakes and backed solidly into the pin. Still holding the trailer brakes, I did a tug test by inching forward. It was not an additional step, just the finishing of the backing into the pin step. While in the truck my wife checked the trailer lights. When unhooking at a site, I would always pull against the rear chocks and lower the front legs to unhook. Doing this pulled back slightly on the legs and removed some slop and trailer shake. Yes, the hitch jaws made some noise when unhooking and the truck would move some.
I did this myself one time…once. After pulling heavy fifth wheels for many miles with my Andersen hitch attached to a B&W turnover ball…Andersen made me a believer in their hitch. No more phony rickety jaws dont lock junk for this cat.
With the one and only 5er I owned, this is what I used. My Andersen performed flawlessly!
Had an Anderson so did not apply then. Last few years have a standard ‘jaw’ style hitch. Always do the TUG test after reading about it and from dealer who installed my latest plate style hitch, has always been locked when tested.
Enjoy your articles immensely. And I live just a few miles north of you. Curious if there are any polls on how many of us did not purchase during Covid because of the inflated rv pricing? Would be interesting.
As a youngster growing up in a trucking family. This is the first thing we were taught after hooking up to a trailer. Fast forward 54yrs of trucking and now RVing. It is done every time! Because I still can feel the wack on the back of my hand. When I forgot to do it.
Ahh, yes! The tug test can prevent “the dents of shame”!
I installed a Gen-Y hitch on my new 5th wheel. The only thing I have in the bed of my truck is the 2 5/16th ball. Once my 5th wheel is connected to the ball I try to lift my truck slightly to see if the hitch has properly connected to the ball. If the truck starts to lift then I know the hitch is properly attached to the ball.
In the years that we hauled a 5th wheel, we installed a Blue-Ox BedSaver. Caught a problem several times with no damage. I suspect that quite a number of 5th Wheel owners are familiar with these problems. 5th wheels have their advantages, but rushing through hitching is fraught with peril.
We’ve been in either a Class A or a Super C, in the recent years. Pulling a TOAD is much quicker and simpler, as far as we are concerned.
With respect to the 5 steps of the tug test, during step 1, for 5th wheel RVs, you should not put your landing gear on any blocks higher than two inches off the ground. Many people put blocks under their landing gear that are 5, 6 or 8 inches in height. Should you back into your king pin and you push your landing gear off those blocks your trailer will drop 5, 6 or 8 inches. If, when you’re hooked up you don’t normally have the 5, 6 or 8 inches between your RV and the bed rails, the RV will drop onto your truck. Additionally, you should always chock your trailer wheels prior to unhooking and re-hooking.
The tug test is one of the first things our dealer told us when we picked up our new fifth wheel. I keep an eye on our hook up while my husband puts the truck in gear and slowly moves forward a couple feet the hits the brakes.then I bring up the stabilizer and walk around the rv from the drivers side to the passenger side. This gives me another chance to check everything is closed up tight and nothing is left behind.
When full timed in 5th wheel did the tug test and a visual check afterwards. Checking has carried over to hooking up our toad. As a campground host, a loud thud sound was not an unusual sound especially when folks were trying to get every minute of time away in their weekend and hurried their hooking ups.
Yup I do. I was taught as a Class A OTR truck driver it should be a habit. As an RVer I still do a pre.trip inspection B4 rolling out.
I do not faithfully perform a tug test. However, I’m extremely faithful at making sure the jaws are completely closed around the king pin. After I’ve verified this my wife verifies it too.
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 Yes, we do a tug test after hooking up the towed vehicle. It is to ensure that the arms of the tow bar lock. Thanks again, have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
I have always 100 % of the time perform a pull test, no exceptions!! A few things I might add to your procedure though, make sure you have the chock blocks both sides so you can pull against them as well. Also a trick I learned quite a while ago; clean the back side of the jaws that go around the king pin and put bright red or orange reflective tape on the back of it. This makes it easier to see and identify that it’s closed. I also put that same type of tape on the closer flag for that same reason. If you have a low light situation, shining a flashlight will make the reflective tape really stand out. To be honest with you, I am shocked that this isn’t common knowledge.
Of course, always perform tug rest … protect the truck … protect the rig … can’t understand why anyone would not have tug test on tear down routine.