Basic Uncoupling Questions

[turbojimmy]

I'm totally new to towing and have a few questions.


I towed my bullet to my house for the first time last week (or maybe it was the week before, I don't recall exactly). Anyway, it was my first time. My property is steep. Driveway is 500 feet long and levels at the top on a small area (maybe 40' by 40'). I expanded the parking area with asphalt millings another 50 feet or so but it's not level by any stretch of the imagination.


Parking attempt #1. I put it where I thought I wanted it. I put ramps on one side to try to get it level and blocked the wheels on the other side. The coupler didn't want to come off the ball. I later realized this was a clue. I raised the tongue up to where it was lifting the back of the truck. I nudged the truck forward and the coupler popped off. The tongue of the trailer went where gravity wanted it to go, which was down my steep driveway. Thankfully it stopped after a few feet. I hooked it back up to the truck and came up with a different strategy. Glad to have lived to tell about it.


Plan B was to put it on the level part of the driveway until I could recover from my panic attack. It uncoupled without drama like it should. After a week in this spot I realized it couldn't stay there. I have 5 drivers in the house and 6 vehicles to park.



This past Saturday I parked it further up on "the hill" behind my driveway. It's nowhere near level and the truck was at a bit of an angle compared to the camper. This time I securely chocked all 4 tires, front and back. Once again it didn't want to uncouple. I goofed around with it for a while and just decided to keep raising it until it popped off. It brought the back of the truck up a few inches before letting go. The back of the truck dropped pretty violently but the camper was rock solid. I guess that's an improvement?


So this is a long way of asking how to get the thing positioned in such a way that the coupler releases from the ball easily? Or is it just not possible in some scenarios?

[Canonman]

I had a similar issue with our previous TT. I found the bind was caused by the truck/ball still pushing back on the trailer tongue. Once you have the TT parked and all the wheels well chocked, try pulling slightly forward to relieve the bind caused by pushing and holding up hill. Once the wheels are chocked pulling forward just an inch or so should be enough to allow the tongue to release from the ball normally.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by turbojimmy

I'm totally new to towing and have a few questions.


I towed my bullet to my house for the first time last week (or maybe it was the week before, I don't recall exactly). Anyway, it was my first time. My property is steep. Driveway is 500 feet long and levels at the top on a small area (maybe 40' by 40'). I expanded the parking area with asphalt millings another 50 feet or so but it's not level by any stretch of the imagination.


Parking attempt #1. I put it where I thought I wanted it. I put ramps on one side to try to get it level and blocked the wheels on the other side. The coupler didn't want to come off the ball. I later realized this was a clue. I raised the tongue up to where it was lifting the back of the truck. I nudged the truck forward and the coupler popped off. The tongue of the trailer went where gravity wanted it to go, which was down my steep driveway. Thankfully it stopped after a few feet. I hooked it back up to the truck and came up with a different strategy. Glad to have lived to tell about it.


Plan B was to put it on the level part of the driveway until I could recover from my panic attack. It uncoupled without drama like it should. After a week in this spot I realized it couldn't stay there. I have 5 drivers in the house and 6 vehicles to park.



This past Saturday I parked it further up on "the hill" behind my driveway. It's nowhere near level and the truck was at a bit of an angle compared to the camper. This time I securely chocked all 4 tires, front and back. Once again it didn't want to uncouple. I goofed around with it for a while and just decided to keep raising it until it popped off. It brought the back of the truck up a few inches before letting go. The back of the truck dropped pretty violently but the camper was rock solid. I guess that's an improvement?


So this is a long way of asking how to get the thing positioned in such a way that the coupler releases from the ball easily? Or is it just not possible in some scenarios?

Yes definitely wheels chocked and you may have bent a part on the hitch either connecting it or disconnecting it..maybe remove the reciever hitch from your tow vehicle and play around with it connecting and disconnecting while the trailer is stationary and you use your hands to connect the loose hitch..may be able to see how it operates better
I would NOT keep trying the way you are as you will probably damage something or hurt you or someone standing close by

Good luck

[turbojimmy]

Thanks both for the replies. I'm using a hitch that the previous owner left in a storage compartment. My hitch was too low. I have a new WDH hitch that I've yet to install and configure. So maybe new hardware will fix it.

[sourdough]

I'm thinking the angles you are working with are causing your difficulty unhitching; I've encountered it many times due to similar situations.

Sometimes if the grade is small it will bind on the ball but let go pretty quickly after raising the bed a little bit. Other times you have to literally move the truck (making SURE the trailer is chocked) to get the ball centered in the hole for it to let go. When the truck and trailer are on different grades you can watch the coupler and ball and see the angle changing inside the coupler as the tongue rises. As the ball pushes further back/forward due to that at some point you will have to do something to correct the front/back movement.

Like you, I've just raised it until the bed came up quite a ways and then it fell but that was not comfortable. What I ended up doing is stop setting the parking brake so the truck could move a little as the ball/coupler tried to move. I doubt I would do that on a severe incline as it seems you have. The other solution was to watch the ball and when it looked like it was going to be pushed to the front or back just barely nudge the truck front or back to release the ball after had just started to lift the bed and I knew it was hung. Don't know that there is a sure fire way to keep it from happening. I did always have Reese ball grease on the ball which helps. And did I mention CHOCK THOSE TIRES!!

Edit: as far as coupler damage, I have done that. Dropped the full weight of the tongue on the coupler but it wouldn't go over the ball. I had failed to pull the lever back and get the coupling lever/lock out of the way. Bent it slightly which I was able to fix. If you've done something like that it will cause you problems too.