but I am pretty sure we ended up lowering the tongue jack enough to un-hook the ball then raised it up with lynx leveler blocks (5 or 6, maybe)then got the stuck bar loose somehow
Don't unhook the ball first. Leave the coupler locked when you extend the tongue jack. You want to raise the trailer tongue and the rear of the tow vehicle with the jack together. That will remove the weight off the bars so you can just slide them off the brackets. Then lower the jack again to release the tension on the coupler so you can release the ball. You should be able to do it angled as well but sometimes it requires the tongue to be raised higher.
