Quote:
Originally Posted by Godzilla1958
Wondering if anyone else has a similar problem getting the latch on the hitch to engage and disengage.
About half the time I am either hooking up or dropping the camper, I have a heck of a time getting the latch to clamp on the ball. It seems I have to be almost exactly straight on with the truck to get it to hook up, and even then I often have a very hard time getting it latched or unlatched.
I might be doing something wrong or maybe my hitch is not adjusted correctly or is damaged somehow.
I have greased the ball and the hitch and it's been two full years now, and I've hooked up many times and gone probably close to 3000 miles so far, so I would think it is 'broken in' (I've heard the hitches are supposed to get easier after using them).
Sometimes it'll hook up or unhook just fine. Other times not so much. And as I said, if the truck is not almost exactly lined up, just a wee bit of an angle, it seems jammed and won't engage or disengage. In fact we got home last Monday and I could NOT get the latch to let go of the ball. I had to pull the Reese Hitch pin and pull the truck away with the ball still connected. Once the hitch was clear of the receiver, the ball dropped out of the trailer hitch.
It's very frustrating especially in the rain or when it's hot.
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Been there, done that. I bet you are letting the trailer down and the tongue of the coupler is actually on top of the ball. If the trailer is too far forward this can happen. If you are sure you have the ball correctly seated then get in the tow vehicle and just bump it forward. This will position the ball snugly in the couple and the latch should just fall in place.Look at the trailer side of the coupler underneath. Notice that the "tongue" as I call it will go up inside the couple and prevent the ball from fully seating and the latch from working. Hope this helps.
Sudsy