Trailer: 2013, 17B 'Mini Pearl' and a 2010 Highlander
Posts: 400
Quote:
Originally Posted by casejh
Last trip, though, I could not get the hitch latching mechanism to disengage (move up and back) at all.
I carry a very short pry bar type of thing, it looks like a screwdriver with a very wide bent blade, about 14 inches long.
I put it on the lip along the bottom of the coupler and pry up on the 'collar lock', the 'move up and back' thing.
I put the pry bar at 90 degrees to the lip and collar lock.
I had a similar "frozen hitch" problem, only my hitch was froze up 90% of the time and was free to open 10% of the time. I was forced to take a big screwdriver and lift the tongue of the hitch mechanism up a 1/4 inch or so. Once I got it up that far, the hitch mechanism was free enough to lift up and back far enough for the hitch to open all of the way.
But here is the fix: Check the inside of the socket that your ball goes into. Mine had a 1/4 inch piece of a welding bump protruding into the socket. I ground off the welding bump so it was nice and smooth. Now it releases 99% of the time with no help from the big screwdriver.
Trailer: 2017 Escape 19 pulled by GMC Canyon Diesel.
Posts: 198
Spray lubricant on the latch and bearing grease on the ball quickly resolved that same problem for me. Tennis ball is great idea as lower legs are attracted to anything greasy sticking out the rear of a truck.