Trailer Coupler Adjustment?

[mammut]

Have an '18 242BHSW with the RME and Baja we picked up a few months ago.

Since we got it we have had an issue with the ball sticking on the coupler.

To remove the ball from the coupler I have to lift up back end of the truck about 6 inches with the power jack on the trailer and then shake the truck. This will usually work but I some times have to pull the truck forward or backwards slightly. I have tried lithium spray and the thick lithium grease and the coupler still sticks when unhitching.

Any ideas? I haven't been able to find any adjustment screw for the coupler lock.

[Doug]

Been dealing with same thing all year.
Now it's getting much better.
As paint wears off, it will improve over about 6 months

[oldmanAZ]

There is no adjustment AFAIK and the sticking problem you describe is very common. It is usually due to a heavy coating of paint inside the coupler. It improves with use (go camping more!) and some have used a wire brush on the end of an electric drill to speed up the paint removal.

You might try using chocks to stop the trailer from rolling in either direction, making sure the trailer isn't rolling toward your truck, and wiggling the tongue from side-to-side in addition to what you are already doing.

[ALJO]

When using the 242 often it will get better, keep it lubed. Be sure there's pressure on the ball when releasing the catch.

[travelingjw]

Don't know if this will help you but here is my experience. I was recently at the dealer and he watched as I uncoupled the trailer. He pointed out that when releasing the ball to make sure that I keep the ball release latch level, slide it all the way back, and to make sure it stays level before I raise the jack. Since that time I have had no trouble releasing the ball; prior to that I struggled 90% of the time. (I have lithium lube on the slide). I had thought this was just my lack of experience but when camping we found almost no one who knew the specifics of the ball release mechanism and there was a number of us who had struggled through this.

[blderman]

Seems typically of the couplers Jayco uses. My trailer is 2.5yrs old with over 100 nights of use and it’s still really hard to release even with a lot of grease. What seems to work best for me is to chock the trailer wheels. Pull forward ever so slightly and then put the truck in neutral and let it fall back without putting pressure on the coupler.


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[North of 49°]

Mine was hard too until the paint wore off from inside the coupler. A smear of white lithium grease on both the ball and the coupler mechanism helps. I only have to jump up and down on the truck bumper like a demented monkey once or twice a summer now.

[us71na]

I had problems with mine until I lubricated the sliding parts of the latch in addition to lubricating the ball.

You also have to make sure that you don't have tension on the ball due to slope. I chock my trailer wheels and then move the tow vehicle until I can easily release the latch. If the latch releases easily you are good to raise the trailer off the ball. If the latch doesn't want to move you still have pressure on the ball and you need to readjust te tow vehicle slightly.

[mammut]

Tried the wire brush to clean off the paint in the coupler and tried to slide the latch as suggested and unfortunately neither made much of a difference. Guess I just need to use it more.

[wabirch]

Does the paint restrict how far the lock travels to the middle (if you were to operate it without a ball in the hitch) or just when it is trying to release when uncoupling?

[Scott_Trailer_Newbe]

My 2017 White Hawk did this as well. About the only thing that worked was to detach both WDH bars and use one of them as leverage to shake the ball out of the hitch. After just a few hundred miles I also noticed a lot of hitch ball gouging at about the 1/2 way point up. After 5K of traveling the difficulty getting unhitched never improved.

My 2018 White Hawk exhibits none of these issues even though it has the exact same hitch. I personally think Jayco is using a superior hitch compared to most, but some of them have they type of issue described here.

[beechjetpilot1]

I used a Dremel tool with the wire brush to "clean out" the paint overspray inside the coupler. It made a dramatic improvment in my ability to uncouple.