Hitch Release Tips w Gas Strut Truck

Gdetrailer wrote:

naturist wrote:
This has been discussed often here. You have just found an important safety feature, and the solution to the issue is ridiculously easy.

Last thing in the world you want is the trailer hopping off the ball as you tool down the freeway. It's always bad. So the latch has been designed to grip harder whenever the ball pulls down/out of the cup-and-shoe that holds it. So if you are already lifting or if the TV is pushing backward on the ball, it resists unlatching.

All you have to do is chock the trailer wheels so it won't roll forward, then put the TV in drive and put a tiny bit of "pull" on the trailer BEFORE you attempt to lift the trailer off the ball. You will then be able to unlatch with one finger, no hammer, no hitting, no hocus-pocus.

No need to pull hard. Usually just slipping the TV into gear and let idle pull a wee bit. Release the latch, shut off the engine, and start jacking the hitch up.

If you insist on using force, you will eventually damage the latch and put yourself at risk of having the trailer come loose. Don't DO that.

:h

Naturist, not sure what you are talking about.

On standard ball hitches there is a partial ball receptacle pocket in the FRONT of the hitch. Putting pressure by chalking the trailer then pulling forward with your tow vehicle WILL make it impossible to separate the two.

If you study a typical hitch coupler you can easily see what I am saying..



I think what you meant to say is chalk the trailer wheels, put your tongue jack down on the ground, flip the hitch lock into the unlocked position. THEN BACKUP YOUR VEHICLE SLIGHTLY!

This takes tension off of the ball and socket and allows the ball to come out of the indentation in the front of the hitch pocket.

When you flip the hitch lock up it releases the clamp on the rear underside of the ball just enough to allow the ball to move out of the front part of the hitch socket and past the released clamp..

If you study the hitch clamp you will get a better understanding of how it works..



It is also very helpful to LIGHTLY LUBRICATE the ball and socket with some grease.

Op also needs to make sure they are using the correct ball size for their hitch, it is easy to mistake a 2" ball and 2 5/8" ball or a 1 7/8" ball for a 2" ball. The ball size should be well marked on the trailer tongue hitch. Not all RVs use 2 5/8" balls..

Under no circumstances should you attempt to use a smaller ball than what is marked on your trailer to make disconnecting easier..

On edit..

Forgot to mention, release and remove your weight distribution arms before attempting to disconnect the ball.. WD puts additional pressure on the ball when installed and engaged.

I agree. This is the easy way.
I also tow with a little bit of White Lithium Grease on the Ball and in the hitch.
A number of years ago I camped next to a truck driver, and he told me the easy way to get off the ball... I still think about him now and then, when I see a trailer come in and the driver pulls up and does a perfect back up. Just right.

When properly engaged the coupler wraps around and under the ball. Adding grease will not make it more likely that the ball will slip out from under the coupler.

I would be more concerned that when towing without grease the ball and the coupler have a moving metal to metal contact point and can start to gall. From that point a simple left hand turn can potentially twist the ball and loosen the nut holding the ball to the hitch.

Again I would like to thank everyone who provided some advice. I think all of the different perspectives were covered. At times I have realized that the ball position in the coupler needed to be more centre. I also have tended to focus more on back chocks on the RV since the jack is lifting the front but I will also watch how firm I place the front chocks. I have been wondering about lubrication for the coupler but I am cautious about wanting it to stay as secure as possible when towing so I have not looked at this any further yet. The last suggestion on putting the truck in Tire Jack mode will definitely also help. Thanks again for all your support and happy camping ;-)

Mine does that on occasion, a light bump with the truck releases it.

obedon wrote:
I seem to be having a challenge getting the hitch/tongue to release the ball when disconnecting my trailer. The hitch lifts the truck as the jack raises the trailer tongue. I have tried hitting the hitch with a rubber mallet, or lowering and raising over again, or standing on the truck bumper to bounce it all with some success but I would appreciate better guidance. The truck is a 2016 RAM 1500 limited so the option to raise it's level seems to be working against me for hauling a travel trailer. Many thanks.

If your RAM is equipped with the oem air suspension you should be disabling that before hitching and unhitching to prevent exactly what you describe - unwanted movement by the suspension when hooking or unhooking the trailer. This is done via the Uconnect settings by placing the suspension in Tire Jack mode. I had the same system on my '14 RAM Big Horn and it worked great when towing, but it does require a little different handling.

Chock trailer tight. Put a chock about a inch in front of and behind a TV wheel. Put in neutral, release break, and jack the coupler off the ball. The TV can move to center and out. Piece of chicken. Next, before you hook up again, grease the hamn ball!
Reading the OP I have to wonder if he is asking about the suspension adjusting ride height as the weight changes.

opnspaces, I think you added some clarification that I overlooked..

CENTERING the ball in the coupler is what I was getting at.

Centering the ball between the front pocket in the hitch and the latch is the idea..

Ensure the ball is in the center or in a neutral position..

Sometimes depending on the terrain and the last movement you made can put pressure on the front or back of the ball, essentially jamming the ball in the coupler.

I'll argue one better. You need to analyze the situation first. The idea is to center the ball in the coupler. In all cases you need to securely chock the trailer wheels first. If the site slopes back toward the trailer you might have to back up the tow vehicle. If the site slopes toward the tow vehicle then you might have to pull slightly forward.

But in either case the amount of movement is very small. Put your vehicle in drive or reverse. Look out the window at the ground. Find a piece of gravel or the asphalt and stare at it. Slip the brakes a little bit. As soon as you detect any motion in the correct direction stop as you've gone far enough. If the site is completely level then just put the tow vehicle in neutral and release the brakes for a second.

If all else fails engage the coupler again. Then pull the hitch pin from the receiver. Make sure EVERYTHING is disconnected from the tow vehicle. Put the vehicle in gear and drive away. Now remove the coupler from the tongue and put it back in the receiver.

And yes as Gdetrailer says, you need to disconnect and remove any weight distribution or sway bars first.

naturist wrote:
This has been discussed often here. You have just found an important safety feature, and the solution to the issue is ridiculously easy.

Last thing in the world you want is the trailer hopping off the ball as you tool down the freeway. It's always bad. So the latch has been designed to grip harder whenever the ball pulls down/out of the cup-and-shoe that holds it. So if you are already lifting or if the TV is pushing backward on the ball, it resists unlatching.

All you have to do is chock the trailer wheels so it won't roll forward, then put the TV in drive and put a tiny bit of "pull" on the trailer BEFORE you attempt to lift the trailer off the ball. You will then be able to unlatch with one finger, no hammer, no hitting, no hocus-pocus.

No need to pull hard. Usually just slipping the TV into gear and let idle pull a wee bit. Release the latch, shut off the engine, and start jacking the hitch up.

If you insist on using force, you will eventually damage the latch and put yourself at risk of having the trailer come loose. Don't DO that.

:h

Naturist, not sure what you are talking about.

On standard ball hitches there is a partial ball receptacle pocket in the FRONT of the hitch. Putting pressure by chalking the trailer then pulling forward with your tow vehicle WILL make it impossible to separate the two.

If you study a typical hitch coupler you can easily see what I am saying..



I think what you meant to say is chalk the trailer wheels, put your tongue jack down on the ground, flip the hitch lock into the unlocked position. THEN BACKUP YOUR VEHICLE SLIGHTLY!

This takes tension off of the ball and socket and allows the ball to come out of the indentation in the front of the hitch pocket.

When you flip the hitch lock up it releases the clamp on the rear underside of the ball just enough to allow the ball to move out of the front part of the hitch socket and past the released clamp..

If you study the hitch clamp you will get a better understanding of how it works..



It is also very helpful to LIGHTLY LUBRICATE the ball and socket with some grease.

Op also needs to make sure they are using the correct ball size for their hitch, it is easy to mistake a 2" ball and 2 5/8" ball or a 1 7/8" ball for a 2" ball. The ball size should be well marked on the trailer tongue hitch. Not all RVs use 2 5/8" balls..

Under no circumstances should you attempt to use a smaller ball than what is marked on your trailer to make disconnecting easier..

On edit..

Forgot to mention, release and remove your weight distribution arms before attempting to disconnect the ball.. WD puts additional pressure on the ball when installed and engaged.

My ball won't release if the ball is too far forward in the hitch. Using neutral to let the truck self-center is good advice. Sometimes I have to back up an inch or two and then the hitch lifts right up.