Double check those 5th wheels

Never had a high hook, sabotage, or dropped trailer; but have got in a hurry when I was younger and married up 5th wheel and kingpin hard enough tha it could have did severe damage. Bad move when I see people hit pin doing 15 MPH or better.
Another thing I hate to see is no grease on 5th wheel or apron.

 

Twice and they were both pup trailers. Both times in the yard. Pretty embarrassing. The first was just pure stupidity...somebody came over and talked to me while I was unhooking it in the yard and I jumped back in the cab and pulled out from under that sucker with the landing gear still neatly rolled up.

The second time it was the rear box on a set. Might have been some defective equipment involved there because I hooked it neatly and did all my visual checks. Ok good off we go to the scale to weigh out. Converter dolly lets it go as I roll it off the scale and it skids across the concrete a few feet. Lines ripped off but luckily it only had like 8,000 lbs in it so a couple of forklifts picked it back up. I went and selected a nice new dolly with a Holland 5th wheel and stayed away from the old crap after that.

 

Anytime I hook to a trailer I do a tug test 1st, visually check both lock handles, then flashlight and visual check jaws and secondary locks (we have 2 locking systems on our 5th wheels) and then pull forward and then pull the spike for the last check.. It doesn't take that long and I can go on the road knowing I have done what I can to make sure I am hooked up... It take less then a few seconds to do each check and gives me a great piece of mind going down the road....

 

There has been two times that I was in a hurry and didn't check it when leaving the stop. Both times ended up with me in the first possible place I could pull over to see. Way too OCD about it, but having that peace of mind is oh so nice.

 

I had to hook today on a slightly uneven surface,there was a slight gap at the pin.
I rolled a few feet forward and was going to rehook,but gap was now gone.
I still unhooked and reattached myself...just because you hear the jaws latch..doesnt mean you have a correct coupling.