Tounge Troubles

[CPG]

I'm having a heck of a time getting my trailer on and off of the ball. Will slightly loosening the large nut under there offer more room without risking having the trailer pop off the ball while in transit?????

 

[JB]

Re: Tounge Troubles

If you mean the nut on the ball shaft, NO. Keep it tight or you will lose the whole rig.

The travel of the chin on the tongue can be adjusted, but it should be tight up against the ball when the latch is down.

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Tounge Troubles

I understand the frustration with the coupler. I have had several that were a pain. I solved my problems by going to Hammer Blow couplers by Bulldog. I also like the safety features of Hammer Blows. A good friend uses Yard Dog couplers, but you have to draw the latch up tight every time with a hand wheel. This is the type that you find at the rental yards.

Either type is well worth the bucks to have them put on and you motor with greater confidence that the coupler is on correctly every time.

Of course......if you get really tired........and really lazy.....you could put on lunetts and put a pintle hitch on your tow vehicle. All of my heavy equipment has them. It slows people down from asking to borrow them. I fouunds that the guys that have pintle hitches generally are very conscientious about taking care of equipment.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Tounge Troubles

Adjust the nut below the yoke as it is simply set up too tight. The coupler should slide easily over the ball. The thing most folks do wrong is to simply drop the coupler on the ball. Very often the yoke hits the ball and forces it upward so there is no way in heck the coupler can drop down. When coupling, raise the lever and push down on it. This forces the yoke down. Run the jack down so the coupler coupler slides onto the ball. If it doesn't, loosen the nut a little until the coupler drops. Now close the lever. There is absolutely no reason to use a hammer or jump up and down on the tongue to couple up. Many folks have never got down on there knees and actually looked at the underside of the coupler so they are not aware the coupler is adjustable.

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Tounge Troubles

Silvertip:

I think I was not clear about my post. Hammer Blow is a hitch style by Bulldog Manufacturing. I certianly agree that no one should have to use a hammer to get their coupler to release.

The two worst offenders that I have noticed are Attwood and Shelby. If the trailers they are atttached to are stored outside and used infrequenly, I have found quite a few will have their yoke rusted to the sidewalls of the coupler or the yoke pin frozen with rust. Some penetrating oil and some playing with the yoke generally has worked, but their was one on a compressor trailer that did not give up until the latch pin broke.

The Hammer Blow coupler is in two parts that clamp horizontally around the ball and are held together by a spring loaded sliding collar. The Yard Dog does not have a pin for the yoke to swing about. The yoke on it is held in place strictly by the tightening bolt and a cast protrusion on the underside of the coupler.

The unsaid point of all of this is that if the coupler is kept inside or routine maintenance such as greasing is done, then a person should not have any problems with any brand of coupler. I forget to grease my couplers from time to time and the mud from field work does not take long to produce the rust needed to remind me I forgot.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Tounge Troubles

lubricate they mechanism, they get rusty, and don't want to move.

 

[dave11]

Re: Tounge Troubles

BTDT

The dealer set the hitch up when I bought my new boat. It wound up poping off over a speed bump. It tore out my license plate lights. Dealer basically said Tough SXXX. Look at the Trailer Guardian. I got one. I use it every time I tow the boat. I don't ever expect to have another problem. I just set it on the bow at home for storage. Easy to use. Great peace of mind. Way less than what a new bumper will cost me.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Tounge Troubles

when we bought you deckboat, the lot guys connected it. bro in law was towing it. towed it 500 miles, couple of days later, coming out the the boat ramp hit a bump, trailer came off. hitch had a 2 inch ball, trailer 2 5/16 coupler. how much damage could it have done on the interstate. tow person it the one responsible for checking everything.

 

[cbavier]

Re: Tounge Troubles

I too struggle especially in the Spring hooking up to the ball. The trailer comes off easy but it takes some oil and a lot of patience to get the ball to go inside the hitch. I have looked underneith and the ball seems to hit that little slide thing and until it gets enough oil and freed up it's just a pain. i was afraid to loosen it for fear of getting it too loose and then have it come off the ball on the highway or wherever. After five or six trips in and out of the truck to get it to align just right. I finally get it hooked up.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Tounge Troubles

also check the the coupler for burrs where it should slide down over the ball.
Some times there are some sharp edges that catch and cause problems.
Especially if it is new.

Or as mentioned, loosen the yoke nut underneath a half turn.
Then try and lift the trailer tongue off the truck with the trailer tongue jack.
You will shortly see if you loosened it too much.