2 5/8" ball hard to release

[jamesu]

Occasionally over the years It has been a real chore releasing the hitch ball from my trailer socket on this trailer. I always grease the ball when attaching my trailer. Yesterday upon arriving at Gold Ranch in Reno was the worst yet. Took a half hour of actually jumping up and down on the receiver and the ball finally released so I could disconnect the trailer. I am very frustrated with this pattern.

Would changing to a smaller ball on my receiver solve the problem. Would a smaller ball make it unsafe to tow?

I'm scratching my head on this problem.

[mileshuff]

What happens if the hitch is angled too much or not enough? Would that make it harder to release? Typically it should be set around 3 degrees down but can vary depending on setup.

[Arn]

NanciL wrote:
Simple solution that some one posted here about five years ago, and I have to do every time I unhitch.
After you remove the weight distribution bars and any sway bars.
Just jack the trailer all the way down and then remove the hitch pin.
Jack it up again, and the hitch will move just enough to take the tension off and the trailer should come right off the ball.

Jack L

I still tell people that & they still don't listen!

[majorgator]

After you remove the weight distribution bars and any sway bars.
Just jack the trailer all the way down and then remove the hitch pin.
Jack it up again, and the hitch will move just enough to take the tension off and the trailer should come right off the ball.

This will absolutely work, but if you do this, make sure the wheels on the TT AND the TV are chocked tight. Otherwise, if the tension were too great and it suddenly broke free, one of them could pop loose and hit you.

[pappcam]

As posted by someone earlier, all I do is rock the truck back and forth with my free arm while using the other on my jack and the ball comes out, every time.

[fatboy66]

Jumping up and down on the receiver/hitch is just plain nonsense. If it goes on just fine, it should come off just fine...especially if you grease the ball. It's obviously bound.

When you situate the trailer where you want it, try setting the TV parking brake before releasing the vehicle brake/taking it out of gear. That will typically ensure no additional movement which is likely where the binding occurs.

[NanciL]

Simple solution that some one posted here about five years ago, and I have to do every time I unhitch.
After you remove the weight distribution bars and any sway bars.
Just jack the trailer all the way down and then remove the hitch pin.
Jack it up again, and the hitch will move just enough to take the tension off and the trailer should come right off the ball.

Jack L

[rbpru]

It is not unusual for my TT ball to stick. It seems to get hung up on the front edge of the ball socket.

Usually when I unhitch, I unlatch the ball lock down lever and jack up the TT tongue a little to take some of the load of the WD bars. Usually when I release the WD bars the ball drops free.

If the ball is still firmly jammed into the ball socket I can see the gap between the ball and lock down mechanism. It is about ½ inch or so. In that case I remove the WD bars, lower the TT onto the ball, chock the wheels and back the TV up a tad to release it. You can back up too far and catch on the release mechanism also.

I only jack the tongue up enough to reduce some of the down force on the lease lever but it is often enough to release the ball also.

[mtofell1]

The one on my current TT (new in 2013) was REALLY tough at times but generally seems to be getting easier the more I use and grease it. The trick was always front/back tension. It just takes the right amount of push/pull to help it release. It would be super easy with a power jack and a helper. With one or the other a bit of a hassle. Alone with a manual crank a real pain.

[DE88ROX]

same here. always grease the ball and for some reason, this camping season, always have an issue getting un hooked. having to jump on the hitch itself.

[Arn]

Easiest & safest method I have found is to remove your hitch pin. As your hitch is going up the ball can move back or forth as required to center itself & voila, unhitched with no effort & no danger. Just remember to replace the hitch pin unless you completely remove the ball from your TV.

[mobeewan]

I keep a rubber mallet in the truck to use to rap on the side of the coupler when it is stuck.

[hddecker]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
All tongue latches I have worked on have an adjustment. I had one trailer on my ranch that was just a beast to get loose. I finally backed the adjustment nut off about a half a turn and all my troubles ended. 🙂

Me too, I have never come across a latch that was't adjustable.

[texasclarks]

Tension is the problem. After unhooking WD bars (not chains) I know that with my foot on the brake and TT chocked I put the vehicle into neutral while DW raises the hitch. As the tongue of the TT and rear of my TV come up I slowly take my foot off the break (still in neutral) and if I am level I usually pop off. If I am slightly up/down hill is put into fwd or rev (foot on break) and the take foot off break. Sometimes if it is a strange angle it may take a few tries to have it break free.

In this venture a power tongue jack is your friend!

[jamesu]

Misprint and correction from original poster: the ball is 2 5/16.