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05-15-2020, 08:52 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Theodore
Posts: 89
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Hitch Gets Stuck On The Ball
This is the fourth or fifth time we have towed this trailer. One of the times we took the trailer out to get the hitch setup we had a hard time getting the hitch to come free from the ball. Today after getting the trailer where we wanted it at a camp site, it happened again. For the life of me I couldn’t get the hitch and ball to come loose. I finally got the hitch to where there was no tension on it, and pulled the pin from the receiver then pulled forward. When the shank came out of the receiver, the hitch and ball just fell apart, like there was no problem.
I have a husky WD hitch, round bar.
Any help would be great.
__________________
Rich
2020 Bullet 269 RLSWE
2019 Ram 3500 Diesel 4X4 Long Bed
2008 Royal Star Venture
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05-15-2020, 09:15 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Southern California
Posts: 1,286
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Sometimes I have to look at the ball in the hitch to see if it is up against the hitch wall. I move the truck the slightest bit to free up the ball. Sometimes shifting to neutral and letting the truck settle will help (remember to shift back to park).
You can and should apply grease to the ball. That should help. Also, sometimes I step on the side of the receiver hitch closest to me and rock it a little as I’m raising the tongue.
I hope that helps.
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Mike
2017 F250 6.7 Powerstroke FX4 crew cab
2016 Hideout 24BHSWE (27 foot TT)
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05-16-2020, 03:40 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Henniker
Posts: 2,172
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The tolerances are pretty close and the angle of the ball mount due to the WD might make it a bit tighter. A bit of grease will help, as will stepping on the hitch/bumper to jostle it loose.
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Rob & Amy
2019 Passport 240BH SL (for sale)
2024 Cougar 29BHL (Taking delivery 5/11/24)
2022 Ford F250 7.3L Godzilla Crew Cab FX4
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05-16-2020, 04:21 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Western NY
Posts: 586
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I grease the ball and spray WD40 around the clamp and that helps.
I have found that only the TT or the TV can be locked in place.
I use wheel chucks on the TT so I do not set the parking brake on the TV. There needs to be a little movement.
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Rob
Bereft of TT and looking.
2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 6.2L
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05-16-2020, 10:45 AM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Theodore
Posts: 89
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Thanks for the suggestions.
I did grease the ball this time, that didn’t help. When I get home I’ll spray silicone up inside the mechanism. Will see if that helps too.
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Rich
2020 Bullet 269 RLSWE
2019 Ram 3500 Diesel 4X4 Long Bed
2008 Royal Star Venture
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05-16-2020, 10:54 AM
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#6
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,695
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As one of the previous posts mentioned, letting the truck/ball/hitch unbind themselves has always worked for us (except when DW forgot to pull the latch pin and tried to set the trailer down on the ball ). I usually chocked the trailer then raised the hitch. If it just wanted to pick the truck up I lowered it a bit but left a little tension on it then released the parking brake. If it did not move and free up just looked at the hitch to see which way the ball had gone too far and let the truck move in that direction a tiny bit until the truck dropped off - now I'm talking a tiny bit....not a foot! Could never tell if not setting the parking brake helped or not but did it both ways if it was flat. Also greased the ball and lubed the latch pin mechanism.
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Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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05-16-2020, 01:55 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Wickenburg
Posts: 3,314
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uechikid
When I get home I’ll spray silicone up inside the mechanism. Will see if that helps too.
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I've found on certain of my hitch mechanisms that the lock lever on top allows the lock piece inside to move away from the ball, but doesn't positively move it away. If it isn't kept properly lubed, it just sits tight until it's jarred enough to move out.
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2019 Cougar 26RBSWE
2019 Ford F-250
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05-17-2020, 02:43 AM
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#8
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Gone Traveling
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Ajax
Posts: 431
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As a newbie I found this and even getting the coupler down never easy until commonsense prevailed I'm sure this has been mentioned...when I hook up, drop on the ball with chocks in place move slightly forward and the wife gets the coupler down and pin in every time now. Unhooking wasn't easy at first either...you must grease the ball for sure, I use wheel bearing grease...chocks of course, move forward to lift coupler easily...the ball has to be in the middle so back up ever so slightly...with the coupler up I can see a gap and use that as a guage to center the ball...lower the jack if, it doesn't come off easy, bounce on the bumper...works every time.
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05-17-2020, 05:05 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Mico, TX
Posts: 7,467
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Eat a log of pizza and french fries. Lift little lever. Get on bumper and jump up and down.
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wiredgeorge Mico TX
2006 F350 CC 4WD 6.0L
2002 Keystone Cougar 278
2006 GL1800 Roadsmith Trike
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05-17-2020, 07:24 AM
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#10
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Theodore
Posts: 89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RagingRobert
As a newbie I found this and even getting the coupler down never easy until commonsense prevailed I'm sure this has been mentioned...when I hook up, drop on the ball with chocks in place move slightly forward and the wife gets the coupler down and pin in every time now. Unhooking wasn't easy at first either...you must grease the ball for sure, I use wheel bearing grease...chocks of course, move forward to lift coupler easily...the ball has to be in the middle so back up ever so slightly...with the coupler up I can see a gap and use that as a guage to center the ball...lower the jack if, it doesn't come off easy, bounce on the bumper...works every time.
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I couldn’t get the coupler lever to come up and back.
Thanks for your advise. I’ll keep all these suggestions in mind the next time.
__________________
Rich
2020 Bullet 269 RLSWE
2019 Ram 3500 Diesel 4X4 Long Bed
2008 Royal Star Venture
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05-17-2020, 08:28 AM
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#11
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,997
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uechikid
I couldn’t get the coupler lever to come up and back.
Thanks for your advise. I’ll keep all these suggestions in mind the next time.
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Sometimes, when the coupler is "weight on" the ball, it forces the coupler rearward (as the ball rides in the cup on the coupler). That pushes against the "fingers" that sit under the back of the ball, pushing on the fingers with enough pressure that you can't unlock the lever.
When that happens, I find that if I apply "unlocking pressure to the lever" as I lift the trailer tongue with the jack, there's a "sweet spot" where the fingers will slip out from under the ball and the coupler will unlock.
It's "sort of like" when the tow vehicle "rolls back just enough to prevent the trailer from uncoupling".
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John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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05-17-2020, 08:50 AM
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#12
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,757
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Exactly what John said. If the lever won't move I apply pressure with one hand while raising the tongue jack with the other. Typically when it hits that "sweet spot" it will easily move.
Sometimes if the truck to trailer are at extremes angles to level it can cause a bind.
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Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
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05-17-2020, 03:35 PM
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#13
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Theodore
Posts: 89
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Today, when we put the trailer away, the hitch lifted right off of the ball. I noticed that the head of the receiver, where the ball bolts to, was fairly level to the ground and on the same plane as the hitch. Our driveway has a pretty good slope to it. That means that when the truck is on a level surface, the ball is actually tilted back, toward the trailer. Could the hitch and the ball be getting jammed up because the ball is not pointing straight up?
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Rich
2020 Bullet 269 RLSWE
2019 Ram 3500 Diesel 4X4 Long Bed
2008 Royal Star Venture
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05-17-2020, 03:47 PM
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#14
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,757
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I have a similar issue in our driveway. One of the advantages of the air bags on the truck. With the bags, I can lift the rear of the truck to takes the strain off the latch as the ball is pushing up into the coupler. Using the tongue jack does the opposite. By lifting the tongue and the truck the ball is being raised by the latch under the coupler. Hope that makes sense.
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Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
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05-17-2020, 04:52 PM
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#15
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,997
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Some people assume that all trailer balls are the same, they aren't. In some applications, the brand of the coupler, the way it's built and the type of trailer ball make a HUGE difference. Looking at this cross section of a coupler, you can see how the ball "fits into the cavity" moving forward slightly as the fingers grip under the ball. Notice how the coupler cavity "sort of grips under the ball in front as the fingers push against the ball in the back?
Now, look at the three shank designs on these photos of trailer ball. You can see how some would "bind on the fingers" if the front lip of the coupler pushes against the shaft, forcing the ball back tight against the fingers if the rear of the trailer is higher than the ball. The same can happen if the rear of the trailer is lower than the ball, by pushing the fingers against the rear of the shaft, forcing the front of the ball tighter against the coupler lip on the front part of the shaft...
Sometimes, just changing the trailer ball to a different shaft machining will make all the difference in the world in how easy it is to uncouple and/or to lock the fingers behind the ball while hitching...
__________________
John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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05-18-2020, 10:18 AM
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#16
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Theodore
Posts: 89
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Thanks for the great explanation, pics and diagram.
__________________
Rich
2020 Bullet 269 RLSWE
2019 Ram 3500 Diesel 4X4 Long Bed
2008 Royal Star Venture
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05-21-2020, 07:22 AM
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#17
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New Bern
Posts: 10
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Try using grease, you'll be surprised.
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05-21-2020, 07:41 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Winchester
Posts: 113
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wiredgeorge
Eat a log of pizza and french fries. Lift little lever. Get on bumper and jump up and down.
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I actually heard that Chocolate pudding helps too! :-)
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05-21-2020, 08:30 AM
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#19
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Elizabeth City
Posts: 10
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A couple of things need to be done
1) If that rusty ball in the photo is your current one, throw it away and get a new one. One with the largest diameter shaft that will fit in a properly rated hitch for your trailer weight.
2) The adjusting nut on the underside of the trailer tongue is so named because you should adjust it. New trailer, new ball, new year - adjust it. Not tight, but barely touching. Everyone thinks they are "factory or dealer adjusted", they aren't. They are owner adjusted based on the ball style, the trailer, wear and tear, etc. After initial adjustment, I check mine every year.
3) Grease the ball. I use thick, "high-pressure" full synthetic marine-grade grease, but that's me. What's important is you have a metal-on-metal (ball and trailer) situation and it requires grease.
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05-21-2020, 11:35 AM
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#20
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE
Posts: 72
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Hitch stuck to ball
I keep grease on the ball, and my jeans when my ball cover is not on. When the ball and hitch get stuck though (happens a lot of the time), it really depends on the campsite pad angle between the trailer and truck. Try releasing the parking brake and see if that helps. It usually does the trick for me. The DW loves the grease on my jeans, LOL.
__________________
M&P James
HSV, AR
2017 31BKPR Bullet Premier
2021 GMC SIERRA SLT 2500 HD
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