Unhitching on a slope

[Greg C.]

I'm considering buying a 17' trailer. Can I park and unhitch the trailer on a sloped driveway. The tow vehicle and the trailer will not be at the same angle when unhitching. I realize the wheels should be chalked, but will I run into any problems?

[RRJR]

AS long as you chalk both wheels ft & Bk you should be OK.
Is there a possibility of the hitch binding due to the angle ?
Ron

[Carol H]

When you drop the tongue you should put it down on top of some lego blocks to give it some extra height that you will probable need to get it hitched back up again. If you have a wheel on your tongue you should also use a wheel chock/holder.

[Donna D.]

What do you consider a "slope"? Safety first!

[Raz]

I park on a slope all the time. In my case if things got out of hand the trailer would roll away from the tow vehicle. That's a little easier. Wheels chocked, safety chains on, and breakaway switch tied in provide insurance from a bad situation. It's not uncommon to have the trailer roll back a little ("1). Once disconnected, an automatic transmission makes getaway easier as does low gear.

When you hitch up, roll can make ball alignment challenging. If the trailer and tow vehicle are not on the same plane, locking the hitch can be difficult. I have found that by moving forward ever so slightly so the ball is against the front of the socket, helps. Good luck, Raz

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Carol H

When you drop the tongue you should put it down on top of some lego blocks to give it some extra height that you will probable need to get it hitched back up again. If you have a wheel on your tongue you should also use a wheel chock/holder.

I'm wonder what kind of a hitch you have? When I unhitch have to raise the trailer tongue enough to so the coupler clears the ball. The only problem I would have is if in unhitching I ran to the top end of the tongue jack.

[Greg C.]

Thanks to all you Senior Members, your a wealth of information.

[rgrugg]

I always put a 6 inch block under my tongue jack. Never know when you'll have a slope one way or the other and, if the ground is quite soft, the block spreads the weight so the jack doesn't sink in.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I'm wonder what kind of a hitch you have? When I unhitch have to raise the trailer tongue enough to so the coupler clears the ball. The only problem I would have is if in unhitching I ran to the top end of the tongue jack.

Pretty well the same as you Byron. I have found that depending on the direction of the slop (most common if the back end of the car is much higher than the front), that if I have to run the tongue jack all the way to the top to unhitch there is a good chance depending on what surface the trailer is parked on or how much weight I had in the rear of the car at the time I unhitched that without that extra weight in the tugs rear or due to the tongue wheel having sunk down into the ground I will not be able to get the ball back under the tongue when I go to hitch back up. Which is why I stick a few blocks under the tongue wheel chock in order to give it a bit more height for hitching it back up. Saves me from having to go to the next campsite and asking a couple of big people to stand on the bumper of the tug to get it to drop down far enough to hitch up.

[rabbit]

I am blessed with a tongue jack, a retractable wheel jack on the curbside tongue member, and a sloping driveway. I never have to anticipate the strange "highball phenomenon" even with the tongue jack completely extended as I can add pads or blocking under the tongue jack foot any time I wanna by putting weight on the retractable and lifting the tongue jack free of the ground. A pair of stack jacks up front can also be enlisted to temporarily suspend the tongue jack foot in midair.

jack

[Steve L.]

Plastic chocks on cement or smooth asphalt can slide before snubbing up the trailer. My hint would be to tap the chocks into the tire to seat them before unhitching. Hard rubber or wood chocks would probably grab without sliding. Be careful out there.

[cpaharley2008]

Yes, you will have problems. With a torsion axle on the trailer parked on a slope, you will have some difficulty trying to unhitch the ball from the tow vehicle. If by raising the trailer you notice the tow vehicle raising, stop and lower the trailer to level and put your car in gear forward an inch, then apply the emergency brake before placing the car in park. This will eliminate the car moving any further due to suspension flex. This should free up the ball and hitch being too tight because of the slope. Keeping it well lubricated will also make things easier.

[ruscal]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

What do you consider a "slope"? Safety first!

That's exactly what I was thinkin.....!

So many ways that can go bad.

[Danally33]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I'm wonder what kind of a hitch you have? When I unhitch have to raise the trailer tongue enough to so the coupler clears the ball. The only problem I would have is if in unhitching I ran to the top end of the tongue jack.

What do you use to raise the trailer tongue? I have had to use a bottle jack to raise the weight distribution hitch to relieve tension off the ball so I can move the latch to free the coupler from the ball. Our driveway is steep and the truck is not even with the trailer due to it stopping on our sidewalk. Really a true pain. The last thing I did was drive our back truck tires onto 2" ramps to relieve tension and that worked...no bottle jack necessary. Wish I new of another way.

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by Greg C.

I'm considering buying a 17' trailer. Can I park and unhitch the trailer on a sloped driveway. The tow vehicle and the trailer will not be at the same angle when unhitching. I realize the wheels should be chalked, but will I run into any problems?

Hi: Greg C... Don't worry, "It's all downhill from here"!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Jon in AZ]

Downhill or uphill? How steep?

Use heavy rubber chocks all around, not the cheap, slippery, plastic ones. You may have to move the tow vehicle a smidge after chocking (in the downhill direction) to relieve pressure in the coupler to get it to release.

Leave safety chains connected loosely until the coupler is disconnected and the trailer is chocked and supported on stabilizer jacks. I’d want at least four stabilizers on a sloped spot- two front and two rear- with cupped rubber pads underneath to prevent sliding.

If you're using a weight distributing hitch, disconnect it on a level spot before backing into a sloped parking spot. Same with a sway bar.

Depending on the length of the trailer and the slope, there is a point beyond which you will never be able to get it safely parked. I saw a 30' sticky once parked on a steep campsite backing up to a lake. It had a crazy number of blocks under the wheels and at the back, the tongue was flat on the ground, and it was still too far off-level to run a fridge. Wish I had taken a photo...

[Danally33]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Downhill or uphill? How steep?

Use heavy rubber chocks all around, not the cheap, slippery, plastic ones. You may have to move the tow vehicle a smidge after chocking (in the downhill direction) to relieve pressure in the coupler to get it to release.

Leave safety chains connected loosely until the coupler is disconnected and the trailer is chocked and supported on stabilizer jacks. I’d want at least four stabilizers on a sloped spot- two front and two rear- with cupped rubber pads underneath to prevent sliding.

If you're using a weight distributing hitch, disconnect it on a level spot before backing into a sloped parking spot. Same with a sway bar.

Depending on the length of the trailer and the slope, there is a point beyond which you will never be able to get it safely parked. I saw a 30' sticky once parked on a steep campsite backing up to a lake. It had a crazy number of blocks under the wheels and at the back, the tongue was flat on the ground, and it was still too far off-level to run a fridge. Wish I had taken a photo...

I use the BAL-X chocks between both tires. (I have dual axels). What do you mean by disconnecting the weight distribution hitch? I assume that you are saying to release the coupler from the ball prior to backing up including the stabilizer bars? Not sure I completely understand what you are saying here.

Thanks,
Dan

[Jon in AZ]

I meant if you’re using WDH and you’re going to back into a sloped parking spot with the trailer and tug at different angles, you will want to jack up the tongue on a level spot and remove the bars. Then retract the tongue jack and back in with the full weight on the ball.

That assumes your tow vehicle can handle the full tongue weight of the trailer for a short distance. That would be true for most small molded fiberglass trailers.

I honestly don’t know what you’d do otherwise. Trying to back in the circumstances described with the trailer and tug at different angles is going to put some severe stresses on a tensioned WDH.

A lot depends on how steep we're talking about.

[Danally33]

I see what your saying. Having the sway bars on when backing up the trailer on the steep driveway is putting extra pressure on the coupler due to the different angles between the car and trailer. This will make it extra difficult to unhitch after removing the sway bars in this steep situation. Worth trying! Thanks