Fifth wheel question...

[Martin295rl]

Hello, I have a question....
I am looking to buy a 2020 Montana High Country 295RL, at one time, the onwer made a mistake and did not lock properly the hitch and the pin while hooking up his fifth wheel, as a result, when he moved forward, the fifth wheel unhooked and fell on the sidewalls of the truck bed, but he kept going, the pin box tore off his tail gate and fell on the stabilisers. Since, the fifth wheel has been repaired and the pin box has been replaced, but is it possible that there was structural damage to the pin box mount area? I am looking to possibly purchase this fifth wheel but this worries me. Thank you for any information you can give me.

[Ram Montana High Country]

Very tough to say.

[BB_TX]

Very possible. But the only way to know is open up the all the areas around the front part of the frame to see if anything is bent/broken. You might ask to talk to whoever did the repairs to see if they inspected that.

[DutchmenSport]

Why is the other guy selling it? Older fellow who has to give up RVing completely due to age or health? Purchased another trailer more conducive to his lifestyle? Or some other reason, like ... we just wanted something different, this one is just not working for us. Such answers would cause me to run knowing something about it's history.

People dump them for a reason. (personally, I'd pass on this one).

[Camp CA]

I would be surprised if there was any damage to the fifth wheel trailer. Consider an extended service plan to cover structural repair, if discovered later.

A friend dropped the king pin on the truck bed when it came off the hitch without any trailer damage.

[Mikendebbie]

If it was me and my plan was to park this unit and set it out by the lake...and not use it as a travel fifth wheel - then the risk of problems is diminished.
I don't know that I would consider this unit for travel. Even if you talk to the repair shop and they say it's all good. I think there are too many places in the frame and sidewalls that can not be easily inspected. Those marginally damaged welds in the frame and sidewalls will reveal themselves after XX? number of miles and/or months of pulling it on our wonderful highways.

[Foldbak]

How fast was he traveling when the trailer hit the ground? Did they replace the front landing legs? How many miles are on the trailer? Was the ONLY damage the legs and pin box? How far has he towed it since the repairs? How much is he asking for it? I would look very closely at the front side walls and corners inside and out for cracks. A shock like that could possibly cause a weld to fracture but there's a chance the trailer is fine. If the price is right and I don't plan on towing it across the country I might consider it depending on the above questions.

[jsb5717]

I know it's a tough call but personally I'd pass. There's quite a bit of flex that can occur when you dead drop nearly 3000lbs a foot or more. What was the extent of the damage? Was the repair done by a licensed, bonded shop that is required to report a certain level of damage? Is the title now branded?

Sure, it might be OK. It might be repaired to better than new. One good bump might crack the side wall. A trailer is an expensive risk even when buying new. I'd move on. YMMV

And welcome to the forum. I hope you end up with a good rig.

[sourdough]

Some good points have been raised. If you intend on towing it I would not consider it personally, too many hidden issues could be there. How does an owner not secure the hitch, start driving, the pin box come loose and hit the bed rails, STILL keep driving and let the pin box tear out the tailgate, STILL keep driving until it collapses to the ground and destroys the front jacks? That in itself would give me great pause as to what may or may not have happened to the trailer before the accident and after with an inattentive owner.

Figuring a 3k pin load fell from the hitch onto the bed rails - that puts a tremendous strain on that structure that hangs out up front. The pin box being subjected to the force pulling it forward, in a totally unplanned for way, to tear out the tailgate then falling the 3-4' from the tailgate and crashing to the ground exerted pressures/forces on that trailer frame it was never built for.

BTW Welcome to the forum!!

[432bartman]

Work it to your advantage on the sale. I had a friend who did this to his 45' toy hauler 5th wheel. Dropped it on his truck bed. The bed had to be replaced, but there was no damage to the trailer. Granted, your seller kept going, but if the outside looks good, and the repairs were made by a reputable shop, then this could be a good deal for you.

[DQDick]

I would also be concerned that if the owner did that much damage what else has he done in the time he owned it. Could be roof damage or any number of other things done when the same amount of carelessness came into play.

[Camp CA]

If you have any further concerns suggest an rv inspector and/or your extended service contract provider inspect it.

[mlh]

Campers are designed by an engineer to withstand the stresses of being pulled under normal use. The strength of the structural pieces and the strength of the steel are taken into account. Dropping it on a truck wasn’t taken into account. Before I bought this camper I would have the owner take the cover off the bottom of the front so I could examine the frame members. I would be looking for slightly bent pieces, badly bent are obvious, broken welds are obvious the cracked one aren’t. They are the ones to look for. You need to know what a cracked weld looks like and a slightly bent frame part one looks like.
If he wont take the bottom off the over hang to let you examine it, see you later. Sell it to someone else.
Lynwood

[dieselguy]

Unless you are a glutton for punishment, your gut is already giving you the answer. I've seen the sad aftermath of a few "reputable repairs by a qualified business" in my several years of wrenching on RV's. With the overall quality of experienced service techs at an all-time low ... it's concerning for the consumer. Although there are a handful of satisfied MOC'ers that swear by their dealer or service center ... there are scores of people who have not yet experienced that euphoria. Unless they are selling it for a song, or you are not going to pull it much farther that a permanent site, walk away. There will be several "deals" coming available nationwide as many that bought RV's during the pandemic have realized it's just not for them nor is the payment.

[Lee-CI]

Sorry but have to agree with earlier posts. If the previous owner "could not handle" the routine tasks associated with ownership, then what else has been done to the 295RL in question? Did he or she run over curbs, drive roughly over speed bumps in and out of campgrounds, have the wherewithal to be cognizant of tree limbs, responsibly utilize an EMS or surge protector at the very least for shore power connection? Some folks can step in a sewer puddle and come out the other side smelling like a rose. Me - I most definitely do not have the luck of the Irish on my side. Recommend you think long and hard on this decision, but ultimately the decision is obviously yours and yours alone. I wish you luck.
I see this was your first post. You are asking hard but very good questions. Welcome to the MOC family forum!

[mhs4771]

Dropping it on the Truck is one thing, dropping it all the way to the ground is something else that I would be very concerned about.
And as have been mentioned, if that is the kind of care the unit received, what else is lurking to bite the new owner in the back side. Like was the Black Tank emptied and flushed good or is there the start of a pile of you know what in there.
Unless I could get it well below market value I would walk away very quickly.

[Fishin2dMax]

Originally Posted by Martin295rl

Hello, I have a question....
I am looking to buy a 2020 Montana High Country 295RL, at one time, the onwer made a mistake and did not lock properly the hitch and the pin while hooking up his fifth wheel, as a result, when he moved forward, the fifth wheel unhooked and fell on the sidewalls of the truck bed, but he kept going, the pin box tore off his tail gate and fell on the stabilisers. Since, the fifth wheel has been repaired and the pin box has been replaced, but is it possible that there was structural damage to the pin box mount area? I am looking to possibly purchase this fifth wheel but this worries me. Thank you for any information you can give me.

My Friend did the exact same thing on a similar sized 2019 Montana 5th wheel. He took it to a keystone dealer and the Keystone had the dealer test for specific deflection measurements with 5th wheel on the hitch and when it was on it's landing legs. Specifically, they measured for any deflection in front nose / under hang frame to sidewalls and the gabs between front bottom molding and sidewall when on hitch and when off hitch. His trailer had < 1/8" of gap that would show up when off the hitch between sidewall and bottom molding trim on side wall below and in front of bedroom slide. If the gap is more than 1/8" of an inch, they would have pulled the underbelly and did a full frame inspection around pin box and front overhang. It turned out the only unrepairable damage was to his ego.

f you're not seeing any deflection or gaps in front overhang bottom trim and sidewall between on and off of the hitch, the trailer should be fine. If in doubt have keystone dealer run their tests for broken frame or welds.

Just one distraction at the right moment and it can to any of us.

[Theunz]

The initial drop from the hitch to the bed rails would have been about 6 or 7 inches and softened by the angle of the hitch plate.. The drop from the bed rails was probably only around a foot and would have been slightly softened by the cap sliding down the end of the bed rails. The leg area is possibly the strongest part of the frame.
I would follow fishin2dmax’s measuring advice and then negotiate a strong discount. If then you are still nervous walk away.