camper hitch

[country boy]

The man I purchased the camper from told me you have to hit it with a hammer to get it unhitched. It sure unhitches it but after close inspection I found the lock that slides forward and down was bent. I used the hammer to straighten it and now it slides forward and down easily. My problem is when I look under the hitch the lock moves nothing. the piece that fits behind the ball does not move. The piece has a hole in it but no bolt or screw, Is that the proper construction or am I missing something. Thanks for any help.

[mike837go]

Without pix, can't tell.


The system should couple and uncouple without extra tools.


Your coupler needs to be properly disassembled, cleaned, reassembled and checked for proper operation by somebody qualified to review such things.

[djtho1]

^^^ x2

[Flyrotor]

Put a trailer ball in the hitch, slide the lock and see if it holds the ball, then do the same with it hitched to your truck, then lift using your tongue jack to see if it holds

[maddoxdave]

On my older (1990) Starcraft the hitch was also very worn out, to the point that I wanted to use a hammer (but never did.) It was welded to the frame and I didn't want to go through the trouble and expense of putting a new one on.

If yours is a Curt or similar brand (like the one below), repair kits are available but hard to find and expensive. Best thing to do is go to your local auto parts store, buy a new coupler that matches yours, and swap out the moving parts on your hitch. It's usually a single bolt with a spring, the latch and parts that hold the ball tight (don't know what they're called). You'll need to adjust the spring tension, but lots of videos online on how to do that.

Good luck.

[country boy]

Mine is not like the pic you have. It has a lock that circles the front of the hitch and lifts and pushes back. I am going to a camper store tomorrow and will look for repair kits. Thanks

[Edd505]

Is it a bulldog like this? They can be sticky but IMHO they don't get any better safety wise.

[country boy]

Nope but after some research I think mine is an attwood with the ring bail maybe 88555 or 88600. when I searched these I came up with one similar to your first picture. attwoods web site shows the one I have but I do not know how to attach pictures. thanks.

[Edd505]

So like this and that should not take tools, sorry can't recall what it looks like under. Check like Maddoxdave said above and rob parts or buy new and a good weld shop will make short work of replacing the defect one.

[country boy]

That is exactly what I have. I read on Attwoods site that it may just need a good cleaning and oiling with 30 wt oil. May try that first then if that does not correct it I will buy a replacement. Have a good weld shop near home. Thanks for your help/

[mike837go]

My old trailer and the new one have that type.

A bar holds the ball from the back. The front has a perminant lip that holds the other side.

No adjustments.

Rust and general crud, possibly a coat of paint, are between the bail and the front of the coupler. Clean it. Penetrating oil. Work it up and down. And back and forth until it frees up.

Once it is operating smoothly. Oil the bail and the slide at least 4 times a year.

[emjayuu]

Even on my newer trailer I spray oil in the hitch. I find it "grabs" much better than not.

[maddoxdave]

And naturally...that's the same coupler I have on my 'new' (2005) Starcraft, and it sometimes is hard to latch. Totally agree with the cleaning/lubrication, and this one also seems more susceptible to the position of the ball than others. Slightly pull/push the trailer forward or back if you can, if not then very slight movements of the TV will make this one lock down.

Good luck, we all know it's a pain to deal with...but deal with it we must.

[country boy]

I haven't had a problem locking it down. Only disconnecting. is the bar under the hitch supposed to slide back when the bail is raised. Mine does not so it is hard to disconnect but easy to connect and lock.

[country boy]

UPDATE. I finally took the time to inspect the coupler. When you raise the bail to unlock the weight of the ball should push the bar back an un hook. The bar was rusted in place and would not move. I cleaned it forced it back and forth while spraying with silicone(all I had) And now it slides back and I have to push it fwd to lock When I get home I will look deeper

[country boy]

I ground off the end of the pin and disassembled my hitch. It was too tight for the moving rear piece to move freely. Probably from hitting it with a hammer. LOL. Managed to get it freed uo by taking a long punch thru the hloe in the side and beat it out far enough to move freely. reassembled using a 3/8" pipe nipple cut to the proper length and just brushing the inside with a 1/2" drill and reassembled with a 4" hardened bolt and a locknut. Now I place the 2" ball in it and lock it. as soon as I raise the lock and slide it back the ball drops to the ground. Works great.