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?
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,
BrakeBuddy,Davis Tru Trac,Safe T Plus,Aventa II & Xplorer Sport Trac
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
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.
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.
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.
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 *
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.
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?
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