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Old 04-22-2009, 03:25 PM   #1
ng2951
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Default Ball hitch locking problems

My ball hitch is having problems opening and closing. I have to tap (as oppose to whack) on the hitch to get it to open or close. Is there something I can do get it open and close without hammering?
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Old 04-22-2009, 03:39 PM   #2
ShrimpBurrito
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Are you talking about the thing on the tongue that locks down on the ball which hitching or unhitching?

If so, once the TM is chocked, have you tried moving your vehicle ever so slightly? Sometimes the ball applies too much pressure on the the tongue, making it difficult to open or close the ball lock. To move, I usually just put my foot on the brake and put it into park or the gear opposite the direction I just moved (D if I just reversed, R if I just moved forward). Do not release the brake, as that will be too much movement. With your foot on the brake, have an assistant open the ball lock.

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Old 04-22-2009, 03:56 PM   #3
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The tolerance on the locking lever is tight on mine as well. It is most likely not the mechanism ( inside the ball receiver) that is tight , but rather there is friction between the lever and the top of the mount. A small amount of lubricant can make it easier. But I usually just tap it to move it. This is assuming that it is tight even when the TM is not hitched to the TV.
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Old 04-22-2009, 04:12 PM   #4
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Check this

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=6004

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Old 04-23-2009, 08:21 AM   #5
ng2951
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Yeah, even with the TV hitch ball removed, the hitch will not move to locked position without tapping. I have lubed it with hitch grease, but it still will not move forwards or back without "assistance."

Ideas?
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Old 04-23-2009, 10:25 AM   #6
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Default It's ok

The latch on the tongue on one of the last 15 travel trailers I have owned could be moved by hand without tapping. I found it unlatched twice. I don't remember how I fixed it, but I did something to tighten it up so I had to tap it to engage.

You problem may not be a problem, but a blessing.
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Old 04-23-2009, 10:35 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by photoadjuster View Post
...You problem may not be a problem, but a blessing...
You might be right, but when I was at WDW and this reared up for the first time--AND I DID NOT HAVE A HAMMER--it was a bummer.

Well, I am still lubing the heck out of it and hoping for the best...

Thanks bunch,
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Old 04-23-2009, 12:59 PM   #8
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There may be a problem with the pawl. On a few occasions, while attempting to hitch up our unit, the tongue ended up on the pawl and would not properly engage the hitch ball. If that happens and the TV moves the pawl may deform enough to create your issue. Another area that could be damaged is the linkage connecting the pawl to the lever locking mechanism. There may be an adjustment for the lever lock mechanism. My small utility trailer has a nut at the end of the pawl linkage that will adjust the lever arm length, which affects the amount of force needed to engage the lever lock.
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Old 04-23-2009, 03:56 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ng2951 View Post
Yeah, even with the TV hitch ball removed, the hitch will not move to locked position without tapping. I have lubed it with hitch grease, but it still will not move forwards or back without "assistance."
Wait a minute. Do I understand that the latch handle won't move up and down even when there is no hitch ball in the coupler? That's a way different problem. The first thing I would do is go with Rumbleweed's suggestion to spray some lube (find the thread about the Teflon spray) into the area between the handle and the body of the coupler. You can't get grease in there, but spray lube will go in well - I use it when things seem to get sticky. If that doesn't work, Commodor47 may be right when he suggests a deformed pawl, but it would have taken a fairly significant event to deform it.

My suggestion is that you bite the bullet, put the trailer tongue up on the tongue jack, lower the front scissors jacks for safety - and get down on your back and peer up into the coupler while you or an assistant work it back and forth. The mechanism is surprisingly simple, but from the top, its workings are not obvious. When you get under it, you may see what is hanging it up.

By the way, I have a friend whose motto used to be "If force doesn't work, you haven't used enough." Back when I was new to trailering, I took his advice once when the coupler bound up. Bad idea. I broke something in the coupler. That's when I finally got down on my back and examined it from the underside. Once I got down there and the AHA! light came on, I had a welder do a quick fix for the simple problem I had created. And I began moving the tow vehicle forward a touch when the coupler binds. And I have never had another problem. After these experiences, my wife and I, who alternate roles of driver and coupling assistant, both know when to yell "Pull forward a bit!"

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