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FIFTH WHEEL SIMPLEX — EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

crash · 999342 · 2013-08-05

Vehicle

Make
FIFTH WHEEL
Model
SIMPLEX
Year
Manufacturer
SAF-Holland
Component
EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

I BOUGHT A FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER WITH A HITCH ADAPTER, CONVERT-A BALL CAB-C5G INSTALLED TO CONVERT THE HITCH FROM A FIFTH WHEEL HITCH TO A GOOSENECK HITCH. THE DISPLAY MODEL THE DEALER HAD INCLUDED BOLTS FASTENING THE ADAPTER TO THE PIN BOX ON THE TRAILER BUT THE DEALER DID NOT INSTALL THE BOLTS. AND THE DEALER CLAIMED THE BOLTS WERE NOT NEEDED. LATER IN REVIEWING THE MANUFACTURERS LITERATURE, I FOUND THAT INDEED THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMS "WE CAN GUARANTEE THIS SYSTEM WILL NOT SEPARATE FROM THE KING PIN. IF YOU WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE UNIT BOLTED TO THE KING PIN BOX, A BOLT-ON KIT IS AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE." HOWEVER ON JULY 16, 2012, WHILE STARTING OUT FROM A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE ADAPTER TORE THE KING PIN OUT OF THE KING PIN BOX AND DROPPED THE CAMPER ON THE SIDE RAILS OF THE PICKUP BOX, CRUSHED THE PICKUP BOX SIDES, RIPPED OUT THE PICKUP ENDGATE, AND WAS STOPPED ONLY BY THE SAFETY CHAINS. THE CAMPER WAS TOWED BY A WRECKER TO A NEARBY WELDING SHOP WHERE THE KING PIN BOX WAS REBUILT AND THE ADAPTER WAS BOLTED TO THE KING PIN BOX AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FIRST PLACE. I DO HAVE THE DAMAGED KING PIN PLATE THAT WAS DAMAGED ALONG WITH PICTURES OF THE ACCIDENT TAKEN AT THE SCENE. IF THIS FAILURE HAD TAKEN PLACE ON THE HIGHWAY INSTEAD OF FROM A STOP LIGHT, IT COULD HAVE HAD SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. AN ANALYSIS OF THE FAILURE CONDUCTED LATER DETERMINED THE ADAPTER WITHOUT THE BOLTS ACTS LIKE A FORCE MULTIPLIER THAT MULTIPLIES THE TOWING FORCE BY A FACTOR OF 3.6 WITHO

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10533587
Machine
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