Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Jayco RV Owners Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 05-13-2015, 05:20 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Desert RVers's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Rancho Mirage, CA
Posts: 713
If I had a hammer

Forgive the stupid question, but I couldn't find the answer when searching other posts. Many people keep a mallet in their tool kit. I would like one for the hitch when needed. What weight of mallet would be good? I see 8, 16 or more ounces. Don't know how heavy or light I should go. Suggestions? TIA
__________________
Diego the German Shepherd & Family
2021 Ford F-250 Crew Cab, 7.3 Gas-10 speed
2006 Toyota Sequoia-Sold
2015 Jayco Jay Flight 23MB Elite
Previous RV's, 1988 33-foot Barth Class A and 1994 Flagstaff Pop-Up
Desert RVers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2015, 05:28 PM   #2
Site Team
 
Snake Plissken's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: DeWitt, MI
Posts: 1,212
Why are you hammering the hitch?
__________________
MODERATOR

2007 Jayco Feather 19H
2008 Ford Explorer SportTrac
Snake Plissken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2015, 05:53 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
ALJO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Sparwood, BC
Posts: 2,800
Send a message via Skype™ to ALJO
Why are you hammering the Hitch? Very good question Snake Plissken
Yes why do you need a hammer for your Hitch.....Desert RVers?
When the Hitch fully rest on the ball, the unlock pal moves back easily.
When the pal is out the way the ball drops easy out the hitch by raising the hitch.
When there is pressure from the TV forward or backward it takes more upward force to release the ball. But don't murder your Hitch with a mallet.
__________________
2014 Ram 1500 CrewCab 4x4 5.7 Hemi 3.92 Rear and Air Lift 1000
2005 Jayco Jay Feather LGT - 29Y GVWR-7000 lbs.
Dexter Axle Lift 4-9/16" - installed with sub-frame.
Pro Series 1200 lbs. WDH with Double Sway Bar.
Champion 3100/2800 watt Inverter/Generator-Onboard Solar Power
ALJO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2015, 07:12 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Desert RVers's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Rancho Mirage, CA
Posts: 713
When the tech was showing us how to hook up, he couldn't get the hitch lever to slide back into place very easily. He raised and lowered the jack a couple times and finally got it to sit properly. He suggested a mallet might be helpful or maybe I misunderstood what he meant. There was so much that the dealer went over yesterday when we picked up our TT, that my head was spinning.
__________________
Diego the German Shepherd & Family
2021 Ford F-250 Crew Cab, 7.3 Gas-10 speed
2006 Toyota Sequoia-Sold
2015 Jayco Jay Flight 23MB Elite
Previous RV's, 1988 33-foot Barth Class A and 1994 Flagstaff Pop-Up
Desert RVers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2015, 07:19 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
ALJO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Sparwood, BC
Posts: 2,800
Send a message via Skype™ to ALJO
From the manufacturer the hitches are not lubricated, just put some lubrication on the hitch and they will go smooth.
__________________
2014 Ram 1500 CrewCab 4x4 5.7 Hemi 3.92 Rear and Air Lift 1000
2005 Jayco Jay Feather LGT - 29Y GVWR-7000 lbs.
Dexter Axle Lift 4-9/16" - installed with sub-frame.
Pro Series 1200 lbs. WDH with Double Sway Bar.
Champion 3100/2800 watt Inverter/Generator-Onboard Solar Power
ALJO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2015, 07:47 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: West Central Wisconsin
Posts: 274
When mine was new I had a hard time with the hitch lever also. I lubed it and by the end of the summer it worked fine. Maybe painted parts need to rub together to wear some of the paint off and loosen up.
__________________
2018 Jayco Eagle HT 29.5BHOK
2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty SB CC PSD 4x4
bluie5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2015, 08:26 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: near the crossroads of America
Posts: 107
Sometimes my old arthritic hands have a hard time moving the latch on the hitch and I'll use a rubber mallet on it. It doesn't require much persuasion to get it to move, and the rubber mallet doesn't do any damage. I wouldn't use anything else, though.
Poppy
Poppy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2015, 09:15 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
oldmanAZ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: FL
Posts: 11,281
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert RVers View Post
When the tech was showing us how to hook up, he couldn't get the hitch lever to slide back into place very easily. He raised and lowered the jack a couple times and finally got it to sit properly. He suggested a mallet might be helpful or maybe I misunderstood what he meant. There was so much that the dealer went over yesterday when we picked up our TT, that my head was spinning.
I've never had to use a mallet, but I have had some trailers that were difficult to hitch or unhitch. Usually just shaking the TT from side-to-side (grab the front jack and shake it from side-to-side) was enough. I sincerely hope the tech did NOT suggest hitting the hitch lever with a hard mallet to get it to slide back.

Sometimes if the TV or TT moves slightly, there can be some force between the hitch ball and receiver. That is the first thing I suspect when I have problems hitching or unhitching. If the ground is level and the TT is chocked, putting the TV into neutral and hold it by using the parking brake will often correct the push or pull on the hitch and allow the hitch lever to move into position.
__________________
Sherm & Terry w/rescue Eydie (min Schnauzer) & Charley (std Poodle)
SOLD:2015 Jay Flight 27RLS, GY Endurance (E), Days: 102 '15, 90 '16, 80 '17, 161 '18, 365+ '20
SOLD: 2006 Ford F350 PSD, 4WD, CC, LB, SRW, Camper pkg., 375,000mi
Full timing: Some will think you're crazy, some will be envious, just enjoy the freedom!
oldmanAZ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2015, 08:05 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Desert RVers's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Rancho Mirage, CA
Posts: 713
Thanks to all for their thoughts. I'll give it some time to see if it works better over the next few weeks. I may try a bit of grease as well. I've searched and found many comments from those that do use a small dab of grease on the ball. I'll also try moving the tongue a little (if I can), or taking the TV out of park (with my foot on brake and park brake set) to see if that helps when the latch doesn't quite close. I'll keep you posted on my success. We're going to park it tomorrow in our storage space for a few days. Our first test run is delayed until after the predicted thunderstorms have passed through on Friday & Saturday
__________________
Diego the German Shepherd & Family
2021 Ford F-250 Crew Cab, 7.3 Gas-10 speed
2006 Toyota Sequoia-Sold
2015 Jayco Jay Flight 23MB Elite
Previous RV's, 1988 33-foot Barth Class A and 1994 Flagstaff Pop-Up
Desert RVers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2015, 08:24 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Camper_bob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: South Texas
Posts: 7,206
I had a boat trailer that the owner before me had bent something in the coupler, so I needed something to (GENTLY) tap the lock into place. Since then I always carry a small 5lb "sledge" in my tool kit.

Very rarely do I ever use it for hitch work any more, I find that a liberal application of grease helps tremendously, but it comes in handy for other campsite chores sometimes. The only time I ever used it on any part of my hitch was when my WDH spring bars wouldn't budge off the perches. I had raised the hitch all the way up and they still wouldn't budge, so I stepped back out of the way and gave them a couple gentle taps with my little sledge to get them off. They weren't loaded up all that much, and using a tool kept me and my hands and shins safe and away from the bars when they released tension (even though it wasn't much tension). Even that only ever happened once, and I probably didn't really even need the hammer.
__________________

-2018 Greyhawk 29MV
-2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (JLU) (Primary Toad)
-1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ (Secondary Toad)
-2014 Jay Flight 28BHBE & Ram 2500 6.4L CC 4x4 (sold)
Camper_bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2015, 10:58 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Jagiven's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 9,736
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert RVers View Post
When the tech was showing us how to hook up, he couldn't get the hitch lever to slide back into place very easily. He raised and lowered the jack a couple times and finally got it to sit properly. He suggested a mallet might be helpful or maybe I misunderstood what he meant. There was so much that the dealer went over yesterday when we picked up our TT, that my head was spinning.
.

Run from that tech. Once in a while, I have issues with the hitch not fully lining up. Usually I just put my back into it. I will place my back against the tailgate of the truck, put my foot on the Eq hitch bar mounts and give a little push, and it loosens things up, or allows the ball to slip down into the socket. If you are having issues with the hitch assembly hanging up, you are better off adding some bearing grease to the ball. Once you go down the road, it will be smeared all over the components, and your issues will go away. I re-lube about every 1500 miles.

As for a mallet, I have a small 8 oz?? in my tool box, been there for 3.5 years and do not recall ever using it.
__________________

2012 Jayco X23B
2020 Ram Laramie 3500 SRW Air ride 50Gal fuel tank.
2007 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab (sold)
Equal-I-zer 4-Point Sway Control
Jagiven is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2015, 02:19 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Morris
Posts: 250
They make a regular ball grease. Get your mind out of the gutter now. It comes in a small @ 2' x3" container. It's whitish, not as messy as regular grease, but it still turns black after use. Think about it metal on metal needs some kind of lubrication.
__________________
Retired and loving it.
Got a new 2014 Grayhawk 31DS
Hoping to get away from the IL winters
MadDad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2015, 06:31 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Desert RVers's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Rancho Mirage, CA
Posts: 713
Thanks everybody! All very good info.
We decided to park the trailer in our storage spot today vs. tomorrow due to the impending rain for Friday.
I'm so glad we did park it and unhitch today, rather than in the rain.
First, it took us a good twenty minutes to get it into our spot. We had to back down a short road, maybe 100 yards, then angle one way and then another to get into our spot properly (while trying to avoid the other RV's in the lot). I've towed a pop-up before and several u-haul trailers over the years, so backing isn't a problem. I'm sure I'm just rusty and will get better at it with more usage.
Second was trying to get the ball to release from the trailer. We jiggled, wiggled, moved back and forth, rocked it, raised the tongue, lowered the tongue, jumped on the hitch head, you name it, we did it, all while trying to get the hitch lever to move up and back and release the ball.
BUT, we did not use a mallet or a hammer.
After about 40 minutes, Success!! LOL
We are definitely getting some of that white ball grease and we'll lube that sucker like it was a tight something or other. (thanks MadDad, but too late, my mind was already in the gutter!).
Seriously, I was so close to calling our new roadside service, Good Sam Club towing to get their help. Not even sure if they would cover something like this?
All is good now, didn't need them after all. I'm hoping it gets easier to hitch & unhitch quickly. We both suffer from bad backs and we're getting up there in years. We wouldn't be able to do this each time for too long. Thanks again to everyone for their pointers! Much appreciated.
__________________
Diego the German Shepherd & Family
2021 Ford F-250 Crew Cab, 7.3 Gas-10 speed
2006 Toyota Sequoia-Sold
2015 Jayco Jay Flight 23MB Elite
Previous RV's, 1988 33-foot Barth Class A and 1994 Flagstaff Pop-Up
Desert RVers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2015, 06:35 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
us71na's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: McKean, PA
Posts: 1,071
In addition to greasing just the ball, spray some lithium grease on the moving parts of your hitch latch. It will work wonders for unhitching.

As others have stated, lifting the latch can be hard if the trailer is pushing or pulling against the tow vehicle when parked.
__________________
2011 Skylark 21FKV
us71na is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2015, 07:20 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Bookemdanno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: DFW
Posts: 3,493
I keep a can of white lithium grease in the TT. I give the ball and latch a short squirt before each departure. Haven't had a problem since!


Dan
__________________
Dan
'24 GMC 2500 AT4X AEV Edition
Bookemdanno is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2015, 09:59 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Morris
Posts: 250
One other thing I noticed on my car hauler. The lever is spring loaded and wants to go closed on it's own. There is a second set of holes to insert the pin and hold it open. It still closes just a little. It's enough to hold onto the ball. I found that if I hold it all the way open whole jacking up the tongue, it will lift right off,
__________________
Retired and loving it.
Got a new 2014 Grayhawk 31DS
Hoping to get away from the IL winters
MadDad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-15-2015, 07:45 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
Camper_bob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: South Texas
Posts: 7,206
Question: When you park to unhook your trailer (not on a grade, but on somewhat level ground), are you setting the parking brake?

If so, try NOT doing that. If you just put the TV in park, there is a little bit of slop and the vehicle can move an inch or two forward or back; this is more than enough to free the ball from coupler in most situations. By the time you lube your coupler and ball, and DON'T set the brake, the coupler should just slide right off the ball allowing the TV to move a little as necessary and not bind up. If not, you can do as one of the other posters suggested and give the truck a nudge forward with your hip or a pull backward on the tail gate if it needs it.

As long as you're not on a grade, there's no need to set the brake. And if you're on a grade that necessitates setting the brake, I wouldn't bother unhooking anyway; just move to a different spot.
__________________

-2018 Greyhawk 29MV
-2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (JLU) (Primary Toad)
-1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ (Secondary Toad)
-2014 Jay Flight 28BHBE & Ram 2500 6.4L CC 4x4 (sold)
Camper_bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-15-2015, 05:44 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Desert RVers's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Rancho Mirage, CA
Posts: 713
Thanks every one for their help and great ideas. Definitely getting white lithium grease. Looking on Amazon, there are all kinds of choices, aerosol, tub, squeeze tube. I'll give one of them a try.
us71na, you bet, I'll try greasing the latch as well. Then a little dab on the forward end of the hitch torsion bars when we hook up.
Camper_bob, we were on level ground. But, I always use my park brake so I probably did set it. Next time I'll try to remember to just put it into park and see if that helps.
__________________
Diego the German Shepherd & Family
2021 Ford F-250 Crew Cab, 7.3 Gas-10 speed
2006 Toyota Sequoia-Sold
2015 Jayco Jay Flight 23MB Elite
Previous RV's, 1988 33-foot Barth Class A and 1994 Flagstaff Pop-Up
Desert RVers is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jayco, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:29 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2002-2016 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.