Crap. New camper is stuck to my tv! - Page 2

bigbird · 08-30-2012, 08:50 PM

Good luck southpaw211. Hope you share with us what your problem was. It might help us out some time. You must be darned tired by now.

Jagiven · 08-30-2012, 09:49 PM

Every so often I get the same problem with all my trailers. What I have found to work. With the wheels chocked, and the tong lowered to the “neutral” (level) point. I place a foot on the WD hitch bars mounts on TT frame (where the L brackets or chains are located) and place my back on the rear of the truck’s tailgate, and give a few pushes, using the whole body. I have never had to put the truck in neutral, but I would release the parking brake. Lift the tong, and check, if it has not released, if not I will do it again.

southpaw211 · 08-31-2012, 05:14 AM

We tried it all again after we put the kids to bed. Sprayed the ball, with some WD40 with the tiny straw, DH jumped on the tow bar like a gorilla. Nothing. So we'll drop it off before the dealer opens this morning so they can figure it out. It would be nice if they brought it home for us so I can get in and play house after work instead of waiting for DH to get out of work and go get it! Ah well. I will let you know what the problem was when we find out!

tnchuck100 · 08-31-2012, 05:46 AM

Besides knowing what the problem turns out to be I am curious as to what prevented the hitch from coming out of the receiver when the pin was pulled. It was stated all suggestions were tried without success.

Is this NOT a receiver hitch?

knuts1 · 08-31-2012, 06:22 AM

I am going to guess he is not jacking it up far enough to release the tension on the WD bars. Sounds like the training at the dealer was not very good. I can't wait to hear what it really was.

RoyBraddy · 08-31-2012, 07:18 AM

Was interesting you didn't find a standard 2-inch trailer hitch mounted on your truck side.
My F150 has one installed like this one shown here... You can see the small round pin hole where a long chrome looking pin unit will go through the trailer hitch receiver to secure the trailer to the truck...

The chrome pin shown will slide through the hole you can see in the trailer hitch receiver and is held in place with spring clip. Some folks will replace this pin with a locking pin to keep someone from unhooking their trailer easily.

I know there are many different trailer hitch's for the different trailers but they all will be the 2-inch types that will plug into the truck's standard trailer hitch receiver... I just grabbed the first trailer hitch I saw on google to show where the chrome pin was located...

all photos from google images

Of course my trailer knowledge stops at 2008 models but I can't image them being a totally new design where the hitch connects to the truck. Might be wrong as I usually am haha...

Sorry you have to haul it all back to the dealer. At least you will get the horse and pony show all over again of what was all said here from the others... And naturally the hitch will fall on the ground at the dealer and when you park again at home it will have the same problem...

southpaw211 · 08-31-2012, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

And naturally the hitch will fall on the ground at the dealer and when you park again at home it will have the same problem...

Just got a call from my husband. Dealer called him - said it came right off the ball. OF COURSE IT DID.

The receiver on our truck is a normal receiver with a pin. But the tow bar looks nothing like the one you posted, Roy. I'm trying to remember from last night, but it's more hefty and heavier looking, wider crosswise where the ball is (if that makes any sense). We didn't try to pull the pin and detach it from the receiver on the truck because we just didn't know what would happen or whether it would bust something. Plus it was dark and we were fed up by then!

We jacked it up so high that it was taking our back wheels off the ground (didn't actually realize it until I looked over and saw my car's arse up in the air), so we definitely jacked it high enough. Maybe the lube just needed to work into everything overnight. Or we're just complete idiots that suddenly can't detach a camper from a car after 5 years of lugging around a pop up, a boat and a motorcycle trailer. Oy!

RoyBraddy · 08-31-2012, 08:02 AM

Sure hope you don't have same problem when it gets back home haha...

I have actually seen a couple times at the camp grounds where the pin was pulled to disconnect the trailer instead of the ball. I guess then they don't have to mess with the WD hookup when they leave...

photo from google images

Bet that would take some precise back up to stab the 2-inch hitch into the the truck receiver haha...

After all these massive hitch's and cabling etc the whole thing is only supported by that small chrome pull pin... Almost scary hehe...

tnchuck100 · 08-31-2012, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

I have actually seen a couple times at the camp grounds where the pin was pulled to disconnect the trailer instead of the ball. I guess then they don't have to mess with the WD hookup when they leave...

Pull the pin and disconnect with the receiver with the WD bars still in place?

If those WD bars are adjusted properly and doing their job that would be a dangerous thing to do. There is a lot of tension that would get suddenly released. I would not want to be standing next to it when it cleared the receiver.

Additionally, it would be very difficult if not impossible to reconnect the hitch to the receiver with the WD bars in place.

MikeNChelle · 08-31-2012, 08:22 AM

I have a few questions and comments:
1.) I never level my camper until it is off the hitch as it could cause binding and near impossible to unhitch.
2.) Did you disconnect the torsion bars from the WDH before trying to lift the tt off the ball? If not it will not come off either,
and the sway controller as well.
The popping you heard most likely was the torsion bars when turning, it drove my wife crazy every time it happened.
Good luck and let us know what the problem was. Good luck and happy camping.

southpaw211 · 08-31-2012, 08:29 AM

Hmmm. Actually, we DID level it before unhitching (two levels of lynx blocks on the low side). Maybe that was it? It certainly wouldn't be leveled at the dealer when we dropped it off, so maybe??

We did remove the torsion bars and the sway controller before trying to unhitch.

bigbird · 08-31-2012, 08:37 AM

Yes I actually did that one time(noobie). Unlatched started raising the jack and watched for the ball to seperate but of course it wouldn't with the bars still on. Didn't take long to realize it but I now I won't do it again.

RoyBraddy · 08-31-2012, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnchuck100

Pull the pin and disconnect with the receiver with the WD bars still in place?

If those WD bars are adjusted properly and doing their job that would be a dangerous thing to do. There is a lot of tension that would get suddenly released. I would not want to be standing next to it when it cleared the receiver.

Additionally, it would be very difficult if not impossible to reconnect the hitch to the receiver with the WD bars in place.

I don't think there would be any tension at the receiver hitch. Here is another photo from google images showing it all pretty well... With the trailer wheels secured and the trailer jack down holding up the trailer tongue it should look just like this...

However I have never done this myself but have seen several trailers parked at a camp site with just what you see in this photo... I have also seen this on RV sales lots too... This was also passed on by others on here as a way to disconnect... Me just passing on what I have seen done... Certainly don't want anyone to get hurt...

photo from google images

tnchuck100 · 08-31-2012, 09:00 AM

Roy, stop and think for a moment. What is that tension all about? Transferring weight from the trailer to the front axle of the TV. What transfers it? The hitch and the receiver. There is a LOT of force there.

ABSOLUTE: NEVER remove the hitch from the receiver with the WD bars installed.

RoyBraddy · 08-31-2012, 09:30 AM

Yes there is alot of tension there but it is all between the massive ball mount assy, the ball and the trailer tongue, and not to the shank that slips into the truck hitch. Granted if the trailer was jacked up real high and pulling the truck wheels off the ground there would be alot of tension when the shank was being moved out of the receiver.. One would want to drop the trailer tongue jack so the truck was in a normal position before pulling out the shank.

I think we are are talking about two different things here... If the shank is holding up the rear end of the truck four to five inches then I totally agree with you. Since the trailer tongue jack is now holding up the trailer then all of this goes out the window..

just saying....

I will be more than happy to delete all my comments if that would make you feel better. Obviously others are doing what we are discussing with out ill effects...

tnchuck100 · 08-31-2012, 10:33 AM

Roy, do not delete your comments. Even if we have different opinions or points of view others may learn from what we post. At least they are made aware of things to consider. Please leave your posts.

MikeNChelle · 08-31-2012, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

Yes there is alot of tension there but it is all between the massive ball mount assy, the ball and the trailer tongue, and not to the shank that slips into the truck hitch. Granted if the trailer was jacked up real high and pulling the truck wheels off the ground there would be alot of tension when the shank was being moved out of the receiver.. One would want to drop the trailer tongue jack so the truck was in a normal position before pulling out the shank.

I think we are are talking about two different things here... If the shank is holding up the rear end of the truck four to five inches then I totally agree with you. Since the trailer tongue jack is now holding up the trailer then all of this goes out the window..

just saying....

I will be more than happy to delete all my comments if that would make you feel better. Obviously others are doing what we are discussing with out ill effects...

I would NEVER do this either. Too many factors to be exact about so no one gets hurt or damage to tt or tv. I get the priciple you describe and have seen the hitches still attached to tt's, but I have never actually seen someone do it. My motto is, better safe than sorry and these people are new to a WDH! The selling dealer should've had you both hitch and un hitch while you where there picking it up.

southpaw211 · 08-31-2012, 11:26 AM

So my husband (evidently the brains of this duo) brought up a good point - if we unhitch the camper without leveling, how the heck can we get it up on the lynx blocks? Duh. Didn't think of that. So I guess having leveled it first probably wasn't the cause. We did not have the stabilizers down. He is going over to pick it up later and will have the tech stand there while he hitches & unhitches. Then crossing our fingers that it works in camp driveway. As my husband put it (if there are any Star Wars nuts out there), meesa feel stoopid!

tnchuck100 · 08-31-2012, 11:28 AM

Level side-to-side with Lynx block before unhitching.
Level front-to-back after unhitching.
Then stabilizers.

RedHorse1 · 08-31-2012, 02:44 PM

Ours stuck on the first use also. We went from the dealer to a near-by CG for our first night. A couple of the other campers saw me huffing (polite word) over the hitch and came over to what was up. "GREAT!" thinks I, help as arrived. Nope. They couldn't figure it out either which actually made me feel a little better (read: "not as dumb"). I wound up using a hammer to tap the locking mechanism back and got it free (pushing the lock "paddle" down at the same time). The rest of the trip it was a little stubborn but not as much as the first night. After getting home I sprayed the lock mech down with WD-40 and then brake cleaner. I then followed up with a white lithium spray grease. I repeat the clean-grease cycle when it looks like it's picking up too much grime. I lube the ball with vasoline and clean-reapply as needed.
Since that first trip we've had no problems at all with the hitch.
The dealer installed our hitch and did not lube anything so I put down our problems to the dry hitch and maybe just needing a little workout.
I noticed the picture "Roy" posted has a "lever" type lock on the hitch, ours has a push-down and slide back type of action.
Hope you get this sorted out and get on the road soon!

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