Are you having problems unhooking the trailer hitch from the ball?

Michigan_Mike

Have any of you encountered issues unhooking that trailer from the tow-vehicle and experienced that "OH NO!!!" aw shucks moment in the dark or when arriving home from the dealer, campground, etc.? Here are some tips below that might help out as I did the same thing after driving 400 miles back to Michigan and using the Atwood style yoke hitch for the first time..... Please DO share your thoughts and experiences on this subject too as this will help out others down the road, and the bottom line here is that we all want our friends and fellow forum members to arrive home safely after a fun outing!

This seems to be a common issue we hear on the forum area. This video should help you out and explains what is happening when you have problems getting the hitch off the ball.

https://youtu.be/Zq3f8b37laQ?t=4

Here's an interesting video that shows what the hitch looks like underneath when latching/unlatching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O5YQUa4WxM

If you are having difficulty getting the tongue latch to seat properly or lock down, try rocking the trailer a bit back and forth with your tow vehicle as this will help seat the tongue properly and allow the locking latch to be pushed down completely. These are critical issues as the latch must be engaged in the down position or you risk losing the trailer while in transit. This is something most of us have encountered and this task will become easier with time, effort, knowledge and knowing exactly how the tongue deploys, seats and rests in the final position. There is also a break-in period too for this mechanism and it does operate better with use, wear and while riding on the ball.

My biggest fears here for new owners is that people might lean toward using a hammer (see the video below) and pound the latch mechanism downward to get it to seat. This is something you never want to do as over time you will deform and bend the locking ends and latch and could easily end up in a rollover situation if the trailer were to come off the ball traveling down the expressway, etc. Familiarity with this task will make it easier and will allow you to travel safely and without the anxiety that these issues create.

https://youtu.be/JvKxoC6n_e0?t=5

Dan_Ann

When I picked up my T@G this past summer, the seller helped me hook up the trailer to my vehicle. He described what he was doing, opened the coupler and it was seated on the ball. I double checked the connection, hooked up the safety chains and lights. I thought I was paying attention, but obviously not close enough. We drove most of the way home in the rain then it let up. Of course, it started to come down heavier when we got home at 9:30 at night. It was finally time to unhook the T@G. Well, I guess the habit of opening the coupler from my utility trailer (typical trigger-style latch) took over and I could not open it. I thought maybe the truck and trailer may have been at an odd angle and possibly to much tension pulling back on the ball, so I pulled back a little back. NOPE, NO DICE. I pulled and pulled and it would not budge. We put a little more light on it. My wife was the one that saw the action of the hinge and lifted and pulled back in one motion. We were very relieved that it actually worked. I practiced two or three more times and Was successful. That was my first experience with the Atwood-style coupler and have been fine ever since.

Michigan_Mike

That's a scary feeling getting home in the dark and not being able to get the hitch off the ball! And as you noted, practicing this task does make things easier, especially when you can experiment during daylight hours. I still rock the trailer back and forth some with my truck to get the correct positioning on opccasion to free things up and it works.

Congrats!!!