Unhitching Pullrite 18K ISR Superglide

navajochief · 05-23-2016, 09:18 AM

I started having a problem unhitching my 5er off the hitch. Whenever I'm unhitching, I lower the front landing gear of the trailer and begin to elevate the kingpin off of the hitch. I do it until the capture plate is a barely off the hitch. I then pull the lever and it won't release! I experienced this the last time I took my trailer out. I lubed the tubes and the inside of the hitch too. It looks like the jaw won't release the kingpin. In not releasing the the kingpin, as i raise the trailer the pin remains connected to the hitch and the hitch begins to lift the rear of the truck. I ended up then slamming the truck back and forth while it is locked and eventually it released it. However, I don't remember it giving me this problem when I first unhitched it. I called Pullrite and they told me to chalk the trailer and place the landing gear of trailer to the ground to support the trailer without lifting the weight off of the hitch while the vehicle parking brake is engaged. Once the landing gear is down I am to drive forward with the weight still on the hitch and pull away. He tells me the latch will release. Any ideas? Anybody else having this issue with their pullrite hitches?

Harleyhop · 05-23-2016, 02:33 PM

I don't have any problems with mine but sometimes have to back into the pin to for the lever to release the jaws. I guess sometimes there is pressure against it depending the way I back or pull into my parking spot. Love my pullrite

navajochief · 05-23-2016, 05:21 PM

I'm bringing it home tomorrow to prep for weekend trip. I guess I'll take that advice and see if it does the trick. I'll return with a response tomorrow and hopefully i'll be successful.

Thanks.

halfprice · 05-23-2016, 07:06 PM

I think you're raising it to high. I believe the plate should still be touching the hitch. I raise my 5th up enough to see the pressure just come off the truck.
Never had a problem pulling the pin or driving out from under it.

Good luck

Jerry

Barbell · 05-24-2016, 07:53 AM

I raise the trailer just enough to take a little weight off the truck. Then put truck in neutral with parking brake off so truck will move slightly one way or the other. The latch comes free easily and then I raise the trailer off the hitch. I have a Curt in a longbed truck but shouldn't be a lot of difference.

Pull Toy · 05-24-2016, 01:53 PM

After your gear is down, and the weight of the trailer is barely off of the hitch, put the truck in reverse to take tension off of the latching gear.

As crazy as this may sound, once the trailer is chocked, and the landing gear safely down, I put the truck in reverse with the engine running, jump down and pull the release handle. The truck isn't going anywhere because it is pushing against the front of the hitch table, with nowhere to go. Once it releases I pull the truck out from under and hit "Auto Level" and let the jacks do the rest of the work-work.

navajochief · 05-25-2016, 05:35 AM

I was able to hitch the trailer by easing back while the trailer is attached and landing gear down. The pin was stubborn in coming out but it came out nevertheless. I might follow the advice of placing truck in neutral and maybe that will also release the any tension that might be on the hitch. I've also noticed some black colored liquid mixing with the WD40 after I relube the way tubes. It's been very windy here where I live recently (Santa Ana's). The hitch has been in the back of my bed since it was installed a little over a month ago so I get it is being exposed to contaminants. The black colored substance is liquidy and no solid or semi-solid substances are seen. I think it might be a mixture of old lube mixed with dirt? The hitch moves and articulates as it is suppose to do. I'm only using WD40 on the way tubes and inside the plastic plate as I have a hitch that was manufactured after '09. Any ideas?

dcg9381 · 05-25-2016, 05:45 AM

I have the same hitch.
The rails need to be lubed frequently. Once you lube them (with the RV un-attached) makes sure you manually move the slider 90 right and 90 left to get full range of motion and get the pads to ride over the lube rails. You'll need to lube it, move spin it to the rear position, then lube it again.

The black stuff, I believe, is a by-product of friction between the pads and the rails.

I've had a few circumstances where releasing the jaws was a real bear. Remember that this hitch cannot be disconnected with more than 15 degrees of deflection. It also seems to be a bit picky about vertical angle too.

Like others, I chalk the RV wheels, deploy the landing gear, put the truck in reverse, set the parking brake, then put the truck in park (so it doesn't roll back).

I generally raise the gear until I don't see the truck bed climbing with the nose of the RV.

If your truck is outside a lot, probably worth putting a cover on the hitch assembly - ours is about a year old, has some paint flaking - I've probably lubed it 12 times. It'll oxidize fairly fast.

navajochief · 05-25-2016, 06:48 AM

I have this trip coming up this weekend. Once we're back I plan to remove it to prevent the constant exposure it's getting from the elements. The funny thing is that when I was unhitching this time around (yesterday), I was on the street and somewhat level. Other times I was on somewhat leveled dirt with not too much slant. If I continue to have these issues, I might take it back to the dealer and have them take a look at it. Do you grease the jaws with grease or do you grease the 5er pin and allow that grease permeate the jaws? Seems WD40 wouldn't be enough for the jaws.

Festus2 · 05-25-2016, 07:39 AM

I'd use something "heavier" for lubricating the jaws and other components of your hitch other than WD40. It is better-suited for light-duty lubrication and as a rust inhibitor IMO.

dcg9381 · 05-25-2016, 11:22 AM

If I recall, the specs for this say no-grease, none of the typical not-so-light lubricants that you'd use with other units - or even PullRight (prior year) units.
The only adjustments I've done are to the stop when it's in the full-forward position.

I find that this think "chucks" a bit - video indicates that it's actually got quite a bit of flex on those nylon (or whatever material) bushings while towing... I suppose you give up a little noise for the various mechanical aspects of the auto slider.

Like you, I've had an incident or two of heck getting the thing off - but never had an issue straight and level with pressure off the jaws.

carlc51 · 05-25-2016, 11:51 AM

Same hitch and problem here too. It has just become part of the procedure for releasing and unhitching this thing. I park it, lower front landing gear, and lift weight of truck just to the point of it separating from hitch. I get back in truck and put it in reverse and slightly back into it and then put it in park. then back out of the truck and release the lever and it disengages the jaws every time. Have tried releasing it at different heights and have never had complete success so I just follow the above steps and it works every time.

navajochief · 05-31-2016, 08:41 AM

I've been doing the chalking and lifting the weight off of the truck just until the hitch is close to coming off and back up and it releases sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. Now that I've practiced a bit more I can unhitch quicker but it is still not one fluid motion. I guess I need more practice. I also was wondering shouldn't the release handle NOT be able to release when the trailer is hitched? I mean, there are times when I hitch up and lower the landing gear and have it ready to go and I go over to the handle and I'm able to pull it out completely. And this is with all of the weight on the hitch.

canesfan · 05-31-2016, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by navajochief

I've been doing the chalking and lifting the weight off of the truck just until the hitch is close to coming off and back up and it releases sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. Now that I've practiced a bit more I can unhitch quicker but it is still not one fluid motion. I guess I need more practice. I also was wondering shouldn't the release handle NOT be able to release when the trailer is hitched? I mean, there are times when I hitch up and lower the landing gear and have it ready to go and I go over to the handle and I'm able to pull it out completely. And this is with all of the weight on the hitch.

There's no rocket science here. I have the same hitch, early version and late version, for 12 years now.

1. Chock the trailer tires.
2. Lower landing gear til just touching ground.
3. Back into the chocks, most of the time you will hear a "clunk" which is the pressure being taken off the kingpin.
4. Set parking brake.
5. Put truck in park.
6. Lower landing gear to support trailer.
7. Pull latch handle.
8. Drive out from under trailer.

Sometimes I can back into a site and pull the handle without doing any of the above. Sometimes I've almost flattened a chock getting the pressure off the kingpin. There's no rhyme or reason that I can see. Remember your 16 degree angle also.

As for being able to pull the handle after hitching, yes, that is possible. It's not the weight, it's the kingpin pressure. Since you haven't moved the truck yet there isn't pressure on the kingpin. Hope that makes sense.

bobbecky · 05-31-2016, 11:20 AM

There is no need for grease on the jaws or pin. A little WD40 on top of the plate prior to hitching up makes the pin box slide on the plate easier. Remember, the pin and plate do not rotate like a normal setup, so there is no need for grease or other lube. We also get the black residue on the rails, just dirt and maybe a little of the plastic wear plates mixing with the WD40. Also, remember to adjust the front tension bolt, so the hitch head assembly is tight against it so you don't get banging when hitched up, and the hitch floating back and forth when not hitched up.

jsmith948 · 06-01-2016, 06:48 AM

If you are raising the trailer until the pin box and hitch plate separate, you are putting pressure on the jaws. You have the solution to the problem in your earlier post when you said that you can release the jaws when all of the trailer's weight is on the hitch.
Chock your trailer, lower the landing gear until it contacts the ground, release the jaws, raise the trailer until about half of the weight is off the truck (indicated by the reduction of suspension sag) now slowly pull away from trailer.
In your earlier post you mentioned having to "slam" the truck back and forth to unhitch - NEVER a good thing. Slow and easy is always better.

Barbell · 06-01-2016, 07:21 AM

Your TV is a lifted truck with oversized tires. I don't have a Pullrite hitch but its possible your tall truck is part of the problem.

You may also like: