Truck Tail Gate Question

[GA1817]

My plain Jane Ram has a power tailgate lock that locks with the doors. I thought that was pretty standard nowadays!

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by Char & Steve

Just installed the Blue Ox and very simple installation that took about 30 minutes and most of that was trying to find the drill bit. Hope I never need it!!!

Steve

Steve, that looks good. I hope you never have to use it but if you do.....it should save you a whole bunch of heartache.

[atom ant]

You know it's not funny - I have a seasoned buddy that was hooking up his Montana two weeks ago and I heard that awful wham! Saw his Montana laying on the bed rails of his pristine Dodge Dually. This time (yes, twice now) it was his remote control that he uses to raise the landing gear while he backs up reversed itself right before his approach and his hitch bumped the pin box and knocked out the 4x4 blocks out from under his landing gear.

I'm too pigheaded to get the bedsaver, but I would say he is about ready for one!

[Char & Steve]

Well..... We went out this weekend and another issue to take note on!!!
If you install a Bed Saver, I forgot to relocate my emergency brake cable and I made a hard right turn out of my driveway and it happened. Breaks looked up blocking the road and had no idea what happened until I noticed the cable got hung up on the added Bed Saver and pulled out the key. OPPS!!
Another lesson learned.
Steve

[atom ant]

Ah, my wife smiles and calls that the "monthly test" because I've done it so many times

On my last rig, I would get the cable caught in the slider. The forum had a guy that used a suction cup tea cup hook he stuck to the bottom of the nose on the fiver and just laid the cable in the hook to keep it out of the way of moving stuff below. I tried it and it worked. (haven't had to on the Redwood yet)

[Shane Wood]

Originally Posted by Char & Steve

Well..... We went out this weekend and another issue to take note on!!!
If you install a Bed Saver, I forgot to relocate my emergency brake cable and I made a hard right turn out of my driveway and it happened. Breaks looked up blocking the road and had no idea what happened until I noticed the cable got hung up on the added Bed Saver and pulled out the key. OPPS!!
Another lesson learned.
Steve

steve
At least your brakes worked

[NW Snowbirds]

Originally Posted by Char & Steve

Well..... We went out this weekend and another issue to take note on!!!
If you install a Bed Saver, I forgot to relocate my emergency brake cable and I made a hard right turn out of my driveway and it happened. Breaks looked up blocking the road and had no idea what happened until I noticed the cable got hung up on the added Bed Saver and pulled out the key. OPPS!!
Another lesson learned.
Steve

Done the same about a half dozen times. The cable hangs up on a nut on the hitch. Go out and get a coiled emergency switch lanyard. Camping World has them for about $13.

Fastway Zip Trailer Breakaway Cable - 6’ Length - Progress 80-01-2160 - Electric Connections - Camping World

[r time soon]

I have also snagged our brake-away cable while turning but only once. I purchased another brake-away switch which has the longer original wire leads, and moved from the rear of the pin box to a further front location. I also bought the Red coiled cable that springs back keeping it out of the way. And since I have a tri fold tonneau cover, I flipped the handle on my Reese 20K pro hitch 180 degrees and it points down and doesn't interfere with my cover. I added a piece of heavy duty strap from a hardware store and enlarged 2 holes so a bolt could fasten it to the hitch and larger hole to attach the brake-away cable into on the end of the carabiner attached to the cable. Hasn't interfered since. Some of you probably loop the break-away cable end over your hitch release handle, if I did that it would fall off since I flipped my handle 180 degrees due to the tonneau cover.

Chris

[Char & Steve]

Originally Posted by r time soon

I have also snagged our brake-away cable while turning but only once. I purchased another brake-away switch which has the longer original wire leads, and moved from the rear of the pin box to a further front location. I also bought the Red coiled cable that springs back keeping it out of the way. And since I have a tri fold tonneau cover, I flipped the handle on my Reese 20K pro hitch 180 degrees and it points down and doesn't interfere with my cover. I added a piece of heavy duty strap from a hardware store and enlarged 2 holes so a bolt could fasten it to the hitch and larger hole to attach the brake-away cable into on the end of the carabiner attached to the cable. Hasn't interfered since. Some of you probably loop the break-away cable end over your hitch release handle, if I did that it would fall off since I flipped my handle 180 degrees due to the tonneau cover.

Chris

Just added a small bracket like yours and will pick up the new cable when we get to a camping World again. Problem solved.
I see you mentioned the Tri fold cover which we decided on a few months ago and love the looks but now I have found out when folded up, I can't see my hitch to hook up so I'm thinking I should have purchased a roll up cover?? Maybe ad a camera? For now I leave the cover at home when we travel.

Steve

[formulabill]

I have a camera for the bed of the truck and find I do a much better job of hooking up by just turning around to look. I also have the soft cover and fold it up and put under the fifth wheel. When I arrive at a place and stay for awhile I just snap it on.

[piper guy]

Steve- do you have the rear seat center headrest removed ? If not, do so. The two headrest mounts are about 4 inches apart. When backing into the pin, center the pin in the mounts, stop partway in to check pin height and then back into it. Been doing it this way for over two years.
If Tracy is with me she just guides me back and raises or lowers the pin as needed. If by myself I stop as soon as I can't see the pin in my mirror and adjust height.

[r time soon]

Steve, I can't see through my tonneau cover folded up either. After retracting the rear legs, I push left and right at the same time and RW usually returns to the height I pulled the truck out to unhitch to set up. I placed a piece of white duct tape in the middle of the tonneau cover bar and placed a black line using a wide marker to indicate the middle. I am getting pretty good at looking at my rear view mirror straight through the rear slider window to line up with the black line on the tape. Some have even suggested using a short piece of 2" pvc pipe to help them line up. I usually check for correct height when I am almost there and usually connect on the first try. I also had a hard time seeing the black jaws of my Reese 20K pro hitch to see if they were locked around the king pin. I painted the jaws a bright yellow and it makes it much easier to see up under the dark pinbox to make sure it is correct, and then I lock the release handle. Hope some of this will help you.

Chris

[formulabill]

I have the jaws painted a bright white, won't even tell you what prompted that.

[Char & Steve]

Originally Posted by piper guy

Steve- do you have the rear seat center headrest removed ? If not, do so. The two headrest mounts are about 4 inches apart. When backing into the pin, center the pin in the mounts, stop partway in to check pin height and then back into it. Been doing it this way for over two years.
If Tracy is with me she just guides me back and raises or lowers the pin as needed. If by myself I stop as soon as I can't see the pin in my mirror and adjust height.

Yes it out and seat isn't the issue. It's the cover and even with my head on the ceiling I can't see it so some good info here and will give some a try. I do use the buttons to return to the unhook height but always check. I'm still learning as all I used to do is hook my Jeep to my tow bar on the back of the MH which I could almost do blindfolded.

[piper guy]

It'll come Steve. Using the two center headrest mounts becomes easy. Don't bother lifting your head, back in till you can just see the hitch and then get out no look for height?

[Dave&Ginny]

Put a piece of reflective tape on the redwood where the side of truck should be. You don't have to see the pin. After backing the truck close.....check the pin height and gently back up until the jaws latch. You can be off from side to side by a few inches.

[atom ant]

My last two hitches have been the Reese Elite, and it is even more sensitive to the angle of approach than my prior Pro. It can't be very far off left to right, and definitely has to be precise on the up down angle. I've never had a more sensitive hitch to hook up than this one and with the Roll-n-lock I'm also shooting in the blind.

Because the approach has to be low, and disconnect high, the memory height hasn't done me much good.

[RCAircraft]

Originally Posted by atom ant

My last two hitches have been the Reese Elite, and it is even more sensitive to the angle of approach than my prior Pro. It can't be very far off left to right, and definitely has to be precise on the up down angle. I've never had a more sensitive hitch to hook up than this one and with the Roll-n-lock I'm also shooting in the blind.

Because the approach has to be low, and disconnect high, the memory height hasn't done me much good.

My 18 K Reese Elite has been super. The memory height, on the leveling system always brings the rig to the rehitching height. The plastic king pin down hitch pad also keeps all a little cleaner. About one minute to hitch or unhitch.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by RCAircraft

My 18 K Reese Elite has been super. The memory height, on the leveling system always brings the rig to the rehitching height. The plastic king pin down hitch pad also keeps all a little cleaner. About one minute to hitch or unhitch.

Bob, do you have the tri-glide pin box? That seems to complicate my hookups because it is angled forward in a relaxed state, and the Elite needs to be approached low in the back and there is a very small window of height it needs to be at or it simply high hitches.

Or maybe I just don't know what I'm doing. Either way, I have trouble hitching with the dang thing.

[RCAircraft]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Bob, do you have the tri-glide pin box? That seems to complicate my hookups because it is angled forward in a relaxed state, and the Elite needs to be approached low in the back and there is a very small window of height it needs to be at or it simply high hitches.

Or maybe I just don't know what I'm doing. Either way, I have trouble hitching with the dang thing.

I do have the Trailer (air loaded) hitch on the RW. The angle is auto compensated for by the Reese hitch. As I back, in the TrailAir hitch slides onto the Reese hitch which in turn position the Reese hitch to the TrailAir. Very slick. The TrailAir hitch looks like it will be too low and dive under the Reese hitch however at the last moment before I brake the two contact and the Reese moves into place. I do adjust the Reese angle at the time I pull the jaw handle to the open position so the angle is downward. As always, I eyeball the height just to be sure.