itsalleasy
USA
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Joined: 07/20/2007
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BigRabbitMan wrote:The above is why my hitch is welded to the motor home - no bolts.
Welds also need to be checked. If you look at the second picture the weld is cracked on the right and has been cracked for some time.
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wallynm
Los Alamos NM
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Joined: 09/27/2000
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They could have been counterfeit grade 5 bolts. A few years ago our good friends from China shipped the USA several boat loads of counterfeit bolts. Just ask the aircraft industry! Most of us have now way of testing the bolt grade as we just have to trust the suppler.
Joeycockerspaniel wrote:On the grade of bolt, I asked the maunfacturer's rep about putting on some more stout bolts, grade 8. He checked with his engineers who said that the hitch was designed with grade 5. I said, "I know, but in view of the fact that my grade 5 bolts failed, may be they ought to look at it again?
Have a Cat Engine Yahoo Group or Cat RV Club Web Page
Have a Freightliner Yahoo Group or FCOC Web Page
wallynm@yahoo.com
2002 DSDP 3567 PUSHED BY KITTY KAT
THOSE THAT DO NOT KNOW HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT
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Motor City Swagman
Detroit, Michigan/Florida
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A higher grade bolt in not necessarily better the application of the bolt must be considered. I've been told that grade 5 bolts are used because they will bend and not snap. The higher the grade of bolt material the harder the bolt is and will likely to snap instead of bend or strectch. IMHO I would stick with the bolts the hitch was engineered to use or you could introduce another problem.
Motor City Swagman 2000 Bounder 36S
Ford V-10, Banks Power Pack w/ TC,
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jeffnkelly
St. Louis MO
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Each stop, wether it be fuel or food, I ALWAYS do a walk around to check on the hitch and Toad. I touch the wheels to check for excessive heat, I check the tow bar and pins on the base plate. Its a habit I started when towing TT's and boats.
It only takes one incident to create an accident. You are truly lucky. Its been my experience that it is WHEN , not IF a component will fail.
Is there a warranty on the hitch??? Couldn't hurt to contact Hidden Hitch... Welds shouldn't fail like that. Possible that the installers didn't use the proper grade of bolt...
Smooth Roads!!!
2006 Damon Challenger 372F Triton V10
2007 Ford Edge
JeffnKelly
St. Louis MO
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SGTJOE
Utah
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Joined: 01/12/2006
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I'm betting on the counterfeit bolts, if you have any of them they should be tested to see if in fact they were true grade 5's. If they are "substitute" the hitch mfg. is liable. Been there, done that, caught them while working for Defense Contracts.
2001 Trade Winds 7390
Toad 03 Grand Am
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Joeycockerspaniel
Cumming, GA
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dav5942 wrote:I'm no expert but from looking at the pics that sure does not look like a 10,000lb. hitch IMHO! We have a 6,000lb. hitch that is by far beefier and better connected to the coach. If you note most of these failures have been with coaches pulling the heavier toads(4500lbs. and up).
It's got a 10,000 lb stamp on it. And you would think there would be a safety factor added in on top of that.
Hank & Winde
Cumming, GA.
2006 Forest River Charleston
CAT C7
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Joeycockerspaniel
Cumming, GA
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jeffnkelly wrote:
Is there a warranty on the hitch??? Couldn't hurt to contact Hidden Hitch... Welds shouldn't fail like that. Possible that the installers didn't use the proper grade of bolt...
Yes, Hidden Hitch replaced the hitch, no questions asked. They were good to deal with and acted very concerned.
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dav5942
Stuart, FL
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Joined: 05/24/2004
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Joeycockerspaniel wrote:dav5942 wrote:I'm no expert but from looking at the pics that sure does not look like a 10,000lb. hitch IMHO! We have a 6,000lb. hitch that is by far beefier and better connected to the coach. If you note most of these failures have been with coaches pulling the heavier toads(4500lbs. and up).
It's got a 10,000 lb stamp on it. And you would think there would be a safety factor added in on top of that.
Just checked the Hidden Hitch web site which shows your receiver as a 6,000 lb. WC(weight carrying) and 10,000 WD(weight distributin) rating.
Even though a 6,000 lb. receiver should handle a 4,600 lb. toad, IMHO I would tread lightly with that setup.
* This post was
edited 08/12/08 10:15am by dav5942 *
2007 Newmar 42' Mid Engine w/Fatboy,ATVs-in Garage,lifted Jeep(s) in tow, Hog Valley Florida(a diamond in the rough),'09 Alaska again!
2007 Tour Alaska Fishing '08 Tour Grandchildren Newmar Mid Engine
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Baby A Was Me
Cape Porpoise, ME & Lake Worth, FL
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My experience -- as reported here a few weeks ago -- was virtually identical: 10,000# Hidden Hitch receiver installed by Gulf Stream under an '06 Friendship G7 DP, came "unbolted" on one side, collapsing both the hitch receiver and tow bar. Initially, Gulf Stream questioned whether my toad was too heavy, until service manager at independent Gulf Stream dealer assured that the failure was unquestionably due to two deficiences: no lock washers or lock nuts secured hitch receiver to coach, and nuts had not be torqued on. Service manager discovered those deficiences when he unbloted the remaining three bolts on the still-intact other leg of the hitch receiver. Additionally, one of the nuts that had backed off (presumably from road vibration) was found in a recess in the front bumper of the toad. Reportedly, several other identical failures have previously been reported to Gulf Stream. Gulf Stream's response has not been to notify dealers and coach owners of the imminent danger, but instead henceforth simply to use Huck fasteners instead of conventional nuts. Hidden Hitch, manufactured by Cequent Towing Products (manufacturer of Drawtite and others) likewise is aware of the potentially-deadly problem. In my circumstance, when Gulf Stream obtained a replacement Hidden Hitch and several weeks later it cracked open along inadequate welds, Cequent's John Azzopardi (technical support, 888-521-0500, ext. 3089) dismissed concern about potential class action litigation, claiming the cracked welds repaired at my direction by a Certified Welder actually were cracks in the paint applied to the hitch receiver! And, in both the "unbolting" and weld failure incidents, hitch safety cables and break away alarms were in "pefect storm" locations.
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Joeycockerspaniel
Cumming, GA
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Baby A Was Me wrote:My experience -- as reported here a few weeks ago -- was virtually identical: 10,000# Hidden Hitch receiver installed by Gulf Stream under an '06 Friendship G7 DP, came "unbolted" on one side, collapsing both the hitch receiver and tow bar. Initially, Gulf Stream questioned whether my toad was too heavy, until service manager at independent Gulf Stream dealer assured that the failure was unquestionably due to two deficiences: no lock washers or lock nuts secured hitch receiver to coach, and nuts had not be torqued on. Service manager discovered those deficiences when he unbloted the remaining three bolts on the still-intact other leg of the hitch receiver. Additionally, one of the nuts that had backed off (presumably from road vibration) was found in a recess in the front bumper of the toad. Reportedly, several other identical failures have previously been reported to Gulf Stream. Gulf Stream's response has not been to notify dealers and coach owners of the imminent danger, but instead henceforth simply to use Huck fasteners instead of conventional nuts. Hidden Hitch, manufactured by Cequent Towing Products (manufacturer of Drawtite and others) likewise is aware of the potentially-deadly problem. In my circumstance, when Gulf Stream obtained a replacement Hidden Hitch and several weeks later it cracked open along inadequate welds, Cequent's John Azzopardi (technical support, 888-521-0500, ext. 3089) dismissed concern about potential class action litigation, claiming the cracked welds repaired at my direction by a Certified Welder actually were cracks in the paint applied to the hitch receiver! And, in both the "unbolting" and weld failure incidents, hitch safety cables and break away alarms were in "pefect storm" locations.
I'd like to read your initial post on this. Can you provide the URL?
Thanks very much!
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