Need a Hitch: Freightliner Chassis Pusher

[Keith 944]

daaammmmmm, prob. good thing you had the toad. or do you think the side loads of reverse may have had something to do with it? it didn't brake the weld. anyway, good luck and be safe, time to go look under the motorhome....

[FINESPLINE]

Whew ! that will send a shiver up your spine. I bet after seeing those pictures a lot of people are now looking at their hitches. Got a few days to check it out.

[LNorton]

Originally Posted by Keith 944

daaammmmmm, prob. good thing you had the toad. or do you think the side loads of reverse may have had something to do with it? it didn't brake the weld. anyway, good luck and be safe, time to go look under the motorhome....

Honestly. It's the fact that it wasn't braced up, even with the toad it needs to be braced to the frame pretty well. It tore it off like it was no big deal while turning into our pit spot. Luckily the other side held long enough to get it up off the road. The second side pulled off without much effort this morning.

We will have it repaired and braced on Monday thanks to some fellow racers that put us in touch with the right people.

Everyone should be keeping a good eye on their hitches on RVs pulling any trailer. The stacker pulled it off like it was butter!

[Marty Knox]

It certainly wasn't built to railroad standards. We calculate the minimum thickness required for strength, then multiply it by 4.

[chevy620]

Glad you made it in the track OK. WOW! That is metal fatigue in it's ugliest form for racers!!

He is RIGHT....We all need to consider the "destructive forces" being applied to the hitches on motor homes, trucks and actually every tow vehicle.
Stackers have compounded that simply through the pressure when turning with 6 tires on a heavy trailer being dragged sideways.

We recommend our customers at least brace from the center of the receiver outward to support the center tube.

This hitch, probably, is like the one we had on our Freightliner. Rated at 7500-lbs and 750 tongue weight.
The Trailer Toad will keep tongue weight at zero but you are still pulling anywhere from 15,000 to 21,000 with most stackers.

We, Trailer Toad.com , are coming out with custom trailer hitches for motor homes. They are being tested now and in a few months the Extreme Duty Kits should be available.

It's simple, we all have towed and had no problems but the highways are getting worse, the hitches are getting several years on them and they have been through a lot of stress.
We maintain the race cars and we need to start a maintenance plan for the most stressed part we take to the races; the hitch assembly of your tow vehicle.

Be safe and I would think Camping World in Bowling Green will have the hitch, if not call me and I am pretty sure I can get one drop shipped to you.

Jok Nicholson
(319) 404-7001

[LNorton]

Thanks Jok! I think we will be alright. We got in touch with a local that some racers put us on to. We are either gonna salvage what we have and brace it up or build something better on Monday.

Motorhome has always strained really hard with the toad axle locked up when we are on asphalt. Makes me glad our lot at home is gravel because I have to back in pretty tight there.

[CJ Perry]

Glad to hear y'all are getting it fixed! Hollar if you need anything

[Run to Rund]

It is all too common, especially on motor homes, for the hitch to be poorly engineered and home-made. Then, it is also common to have a long ball mount on it that increases the forces on the hitch. The mounting plates on yours don't look real substantial--they could be longer and tie to the frame better. The tubing could be bigger and heavier wall, etc. While you are at it, check the ball and ball mount for their capacities.
Hope this helps.