Hitching camper to TV

[jayteehike]

Are any of you having problems getting the hitch to go over the ball? Sometimes it goes easily, other times not at all until it wants to. This is with the ball directly under the hitch. Last weekend I finally hooked up the Weight Distribution Hitch, then the ball slipped right on.....maybe that is what I need to do.

Dave, at the garage I use, doesn't like this type of hitch, but says it will eventually always work. With horse trailers and our pop up camper, we'd just kick it and it would go down. Not this one.

Jane

[Bob Miller]

I think you need to let us know what kind of hitch you are having trouble with.
As there are several different types, a picture would help a lot.

The most common problem with most is that the inside of the hitch itself has gotten rusty and is not opening all the way.

[jayteehike]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

I think you need to let us know what kind of hitch you are having trouble with.
As there are several different types, a picture would help a lot.

The most common problem with most is that the inside of the hitch itself has gotten rusty and is not opening all the way.

Hi Bob, I just got the Parkliner the end of March so it hasn't had time to get rusty -- I don't think. And aren't all Parkliner hitches the same? if not i'll try to get a picture and post it here...I'm not the best at figuring out how to do things here but I suppose adding a picture can be figured out.

It has something to do with, when you take the pin out of the hitch and lift the lever, the part that locks around the ball doesn't always open all of the way.

Jane

[Donna D.]

I'm able to backup and hitchup about 50% of the time the first time. I get "close" then get out of the tug and look.

It's called G.O.A.L. - Get Out And Look

Unhitching may give a different problem. Like the ball doesn't want to disengage until I move forward a "touch."

YMMV

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by jayteehike

Are any of you having problems getting the hitch to go over the ball? Sometimes it goes easily, other times not at all until it wants to. This is with the ball directly under the hitch. Last weekend I finally hooked up the Weight Distribution Hitch, then the ball slipped right on.....maybe that is what I need to do.

Dave, at the garage I use, doesn't like this type of hitch, but says it will eventually always work. With horse trailers and our pop up camper, we'd just kick it and it would go down. Not this one.

Jane

Jane,

There are only a couple different ways that trailer hitch latch mechanisms work, and most work on the principle that something has to slide apart wide to go over the biggest diameter part of the ball, then it has to slide back together narrow to pinch at the bottom below the ball in the smaller neck area below the ball itself. So when you lock the lever down in that smaller position, the hitch can't slip back up over the bigger part of the ball. It sounds like your locking mechanism is slid to the narrow position and stuck there - too narrow to drop over the wide part of the ball. Usually just lifting the latch lever and jiggling it will pop the sliding mechanism back open into the wide position. If that all sounds confusing, just lay on your back and look up into the hitch from the bottom side while you or someone else works the hitch latch lever, and it will become pretty obvious what's supposed to happen and what's not happening. A little WD-40 sprayed on the sliding parts of the latch lever mechanism will help the metal parts slide open and closed easier, but then make sure you still have a good coating of axle grease on the ball and up inside the hitch where the ball will bear weight.

[deryk]

Its also depends how well lined up you are....if your back a hair too much then when you lower the hitch onto the ball it kinda holds that piece the clamps down on the narrow part of the ball and wont release. what I do at that point is lower the foot back down give it a jiggle/shake and lower it back down and it usually pops right on correctly. Your new, nervous, and unsure.... don't sweat it... the more you do it the more comfortable you will be.

[War Eagle]

One more thing - you need to make sure the locking lever is up and the mechanism is slide to the open (wide) position before you lower the trailer tongue onto the ball. If you lower the tongue onto the ball with the mechanism in the closed position (narrow), the weight will keep the mechanism from sliding open. Crank the weight back up off the ball, jiggle the mechanism open, THEN lower the tongue onto the ball. I hope this makes sense and helps....

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by deryk

Its also depends how well lined up you are....if your back a hair too much then when you lower the hitch onto the ball it kinda holds that piece the clamps down on the narrow part of the ball and wont release. what I do at that point is lower the foot back down give it a jiggle/shake and lower it back down and it usually pops right on correctly. Your new, nervous, and unsure.... don't sweat it... the more you do it the more comfortable you will be.

Ya, what Deryk just said....

[tractors1]

As a final check - after all is hooked up - I use the trailer jack to raise the rear of the tow vehicle. If you're not fully engaged, the ball will pop out. Better to have that happen while not moving........

Charlie Y

[Night Sailor]

I have trouble getting the tongue to seat on the ball on most of my trailered. I put on the ball and rock the TV back and fifth and the tongue usually drops down such that I can lock it in place.

Not sure what your problems is. Some of these parts are adjustable. You might want to

[Night Sailor]

Loosen it up some.

[Pam Garlow]

I stop 'short' of having my ball completely centered under the hitch. Then before I lower my tongue, I jiggle the latch and gently tap on that locking piece under the tongue to make sure it wiggles. Then I slowly lower my trailer onto the ball, and it will usually slide 'forward' down onto the ball. I again tap on that piece to make sure it's still loose, then tighten it down onto the ball.
If I try to get fully centered under the hitch, my ball usually catches on that locking piece and binds up.

Jane, you might want to add Parkliner to your avatar ID also. Right now it says you are still shopping. Congrats on the new trailer!

[Noreen Bradshaw]

I do the same as Pam. Works perfectly.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

One more thing - you need to make sure the locking lever is up and the mechanism is slide to the open (wide) position before you lower the trailer tongue onto the ball. If you lower the tongue onto the ball with the mechanism in the closed position (narrow), the weight will keep the mechanism from sliding open. Crank the weight back up off the ball, jiggle the mechanism open, THEN lower the tongue onto the ball. I hope this makes sense and helps....

That was my problem. You have to make sure you release the locking mechanism and that the hitch drops down over the ball. Sometimes it seems to stick. If it's not dropping all the way down on the ball, raise it back up and check the release. Just be careful where you are putting your hands or you might get a finger in the wrong place.

[jayteehike]

Originally Posted by Huck

That was my problem. You have to make sure you release the locking mechanism and that the hitch drops down over the ball. Sometimes it seems to stick. If it's not dropping all the way down on the ball, raise it back up and check the release. Just be careful where you are putting your hands or you might get a finger in the wrong place.

Thanks to so much good input from many of you! I've put it in MSWord, will print it out and try what I haven't done already. I did figure somehow to roll forward just a bit to be on the front of the hitch - sometimes works. Also releasing the locking mechanism a few times sometimes helped.

Little by little I suppose it will all come together:-)

As for changing my avatar ID to Parkliner from shopping....if someone will tell me how to do that I will... Right now not sure which is more confusing - figuring out the camper or figuring out all the ins and outs on this site:-)

Jane

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by jayteehike

As for changing my avatar ID to Parkliner from shopping....if someone will tell me how to do that I will... Right now not sure which is more confusing - figuring out the camper or figuring out all the ins and outs on this site:-)

Jane

Jane, click on "CP User" on the blue title bar, then near the top of that menu, click on "User Details" or something like that. Then down near the bottom, you can enter the type camper, tow vehicle, etc.

[War Eagle]

New nomenclature - I looked on the web for a good labeled exploded view of a trailer coupler to show Jane what she was dealing with, and never found one I liked, but I did discover that the little bottom flange on the latch mechanism that often binds up to cause this problem is called the "ball latch" or "under jaw". Never knew that....

[Borrego Dave]

It can be a bit of a pain dropping the trailer on the ball. I try to be just a bit short of center when I stop the TV so the fork doesn't get jammed. I do not have any chocks on the trailer then which lets the trailer move forward a bit and drop on the ball. I have done this with pintals, bulldogs and regular couplers for 45 years. As some others have said the catch fork can keep it from dropping fully down if it isn't fully back but it's pretty easy to see that it's not down all the way. Every trailer, cargo, utility or TT is different as to coupling up. Some are easy and some a PITA. You do it enough and it gets to be a piece of cake.