The Bent RV Trailer Hitch and Other Full Time RVing Tales of Woe

  • Sumo

bent RV hitch railsSometimes when you’re living in an RV full time, things break.

And sometimes, very important things break in the middle of nowhere.

Yesterday, I bent both of our RV trailer hitch rails trying to back into a tight spot at our RV park. I was trying to loosen the RV hitch from the “tow” position into the “maneuver” position and the darn thing bent in the bed of the truck.

The RV trailer hitch is the very important piece of equipment used to tow the 5th wheel RV. If it’s broken, you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

And if the rails are bent (even lightly like in the picture), you can’t risk it and start driving with it.

Does it need to be said that if you are RVing full time across the country with a wife and two kids, you don’t want the 5th wheel RV to fall of the back of the pickup truck?

We have a Reese Sliding Hitch, and needless to say (see the image above), we don’t recommend you buy that one…

We do recommend the Husky RV Sliding Hitch instead.

Unlike the Reese Sliding Hitch, the Husky RV Hitch has more support on the RV hitch rails because they are actually bolted onto the frame of the truck. And since its so stable, you’re less likely to bend one.

The Reese rails are bolted to the bed of the truck.

I’m no technical RVing genius, but that doesn’t seem like a good thing when you’re hauling 6 tons.

When we bought our truck, we got the hitch as an add on from the dealership (another place we don’t recommend – but shall remain nameless) and they got us the cheaper hitch.

What are the chances of a car dealership doing that?

$537.99 and a picturesque ride into the Wisconsin countryside later, we had our RV hitch rails fixed out in Wisconsin at Mound View RV in Belmont, Wisconsin.

Thank God that RV dealerships in the Midwest are almost as common as cornfields.

So if you’re considering RVing full time, plan for things going wrong and plan for everything not going exactly as you planned it – even if you planned it as well as you could.

Things always go wrong, especially if you are total full time RVing novices like us.

But just get back up, figure out how to solve your issue and get it done. Even if it costs you some money to get it done right, you shouldn’t skimp or cut corners when you’re hauling a 6 ton RV behemoth.

 

 

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11 Responses to “The Bent RV Trailer Hitch and Other Full Time RVing Tales of Woe”

  1. Frank says:

    Hey sorry to hear of the mishap! I’ve been following you guys some because my wife and I have made the decision to go full timers for one year with our two boys (ages 6 and 7). It’s great following you guys on this so we can start to get a feel for some of the unexpected things that occur. Our plan is to purchase a 40′ Motorhome and pull our Honda pilot. We wanted to luxury of being able to homeschool easier while we were moving down the road, not to mention the ability to move around a little. What’s your feeling on the Motorhome vs. fifth wheel because we have considered both. I’ve already got a chevy 2500 HD so a tow vehicle is not a problem. We just thought the Motorhome was a better solution for us…thanks man for your time….

    • Ralph says:

      Hey Frank, it happens – it actually was mostly my fault but the hitch rails were on the cheap side. Great to hear you’re going to take the plunge and RV full time that is great! The boys ages are perfect in my opinion for something like this. As far as the RV question goes, my personal opinion is that I actually like the ability to have a separation between the RV and the truck. Plus the biggest factor for us was space. With a 5th wheel you get alot more space because the drivers compartment does not take up that space and even in a 5th wheel it gets tight, let alone a big A class like what youre talking about. We needed an office space as well, which we couldnt find int he big motorhomes. You have a point on the homeschooling part but youll have plenty of time to do that at the campground (although we havent started doing that as of yet). Thanks much for the comment and hope that info helps, if not post another comment and Ill be happy to help you anyway I can.

  2. Karen & Uncle Andy says:

    Can’t see the pictures but we get the picture! We timed our departure to just miss the excitement, ey? Very glad to hear that the problem was solved relatively quickly!!

  3. Wiggly44 says:

    Ralph,

    Boy, I bet the campground got an earful of “colorful language” after you did that! Glad you were able to solve the problem and make improvements at the same time.

    Next time let the one of the boys or Jen handle the difficult stuff…

    I’m sure you will laugh about this someday. Like maybe January 12th, 2014.

    Wiggly44

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  5. ARLEEN says:

    I saw Sandy the other day and she told me you all were underway again, better than new! You are right, plan on things going astray occasionally. It is a terrific opportunity for your sons to observe different ways to deal with difficult moments. You are having such a great time. Nothing will come up that you can’t handle. Just costs $ and what it that. Take care and enjoy!

    • Ralph says:

      You are so right Mrs. Chapin! As our resident Rving guru and trail blazer, you know first hnd what kind of issues are bound to come up. Every time we criss cross the Mississippi, we think of you and Mr. C. – and today we are crossing it for the final time as we venture West to South Dakota! Thank you for all your comments and support and we miss you (we even miss Mr. C too 😉 ). Take care!

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    […] more great information on how to RV full time, click here to see how you can start RVing full time. Sometimes while you are staying in an RV full time, things fail.l. And also sometimes, essential things break in the middle of nowhere. Recently, I bent both of our […]

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