Does anyone have experience replacing the coupler?

immanence

See thread here: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/189533#Comment_189533

It seems my coupler is shot, and I'm wondering if anyone else has had experience replacing the coupler. I have a few questions for the Nucamp techs, but I have a message in with them and am waiting for a call back.

I am looking at one of these for a replacement: 

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/reese-towpower-coupler-2-in-a-frame-e33305030333

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/bulldog-a-frame-collar-lok-coupler-2-in-ball-size-primer-finish-7-000-lb-capacity

The Bulldog is much more heavy duty, and is a sleeve-style coupler. Does anyone have experience with these? Are they easier to operate? Worth the extra money? 

It appears the Tab coupler is bolted on, rather than welded. These couplers are pre-drilled to bolt on the jack, but not to bolt onto the frame. I can drill the holes on the new coupler, which I believe are 3/8 bolts, but how many lbs of torque should be applied to these bolts?

Any other considerations here?

I will update this when I hear back from Nucamp for future reference.

pthomas745

What year trailer are we talking about?  I can't find the year in the other post, either. (Or, maybe it is me!)

immanence

2021

pthomas745

And, sure enough, it was me.  It is right there in the thread!

immanence

I got in touch with Nucamp, but they didn't have any advice to offer here, but gave me the contact for Norco. Apparently this is a common issue. I'll leave this thread up in case someone 'does' want to replace the coupler, but the Norco tech recommended a fix I should try first.

RCB

No experience but a competent welder should have no problem. I like the Bulldog model as it seems to be a few inches longer and is clearly more robust. The additional length would reduce the tongue wt somewhat.

CCC

I have been having a terrible time with the factory coupler on my new 2022 320S Boondock. Either bad design or fit. I'm talking about the part that slips over the hitch ball and sort of levers down to lock up. Problem is it never wants to unlock and its taking 15-20 minutes or so fooling with it every time. I'm tempted to just go on of the simple oldfashioned ones bolted on.

Marceline

CCC said:

I have been having a terrible time with the factory coupler on my new 2022 320S Boondock. Either bad design or fit. I'm talking about the part that slips over the hitch ball and sort of levers down to lock up. Problem is it never wants to unlock and its taking 15-20 minutes or so fooling with it every time. I'm tempted to just go on of the simple oldfashioned ones bolted on.

Have you tried pulling the trailer forward, even just a couple of inches, before you uncouple? 

CCC

Marceline said:

CCC said:

I have been having a terrible time with the factory coupler on my new 2022 320S Boondock. Either bad design or fit. I'm talking about the part that slips over the hitch ball and sort of levers down to lock up. Problem is it never wants to unlock and its taking 15-20 minutes or so fooling with it every time. I'm tempted to just go on of the simple oldfashioned ones bolted on.

Have you tried pulling the trailer forward, even just a couple of inches, before you uncouple? 

Over and over again. It is a sorry design.

RCB

Move forward or back 1/2 “ - no more. It is best if the ball is in (nearly) contact with the front of the coupler.

Denny16

Also, before uncoupling the trailer, you need to chock the wheels from the front and back, especially if you are on slope.  The trailer will roll in the direction of,the slope, making uncoupling harder.  You want a neutral position on the TV ball and trailer hitch, with the 400 this can be challenging sometimes.  I push the trailer into position, chock the wheels, and allow truck to go slightly forward, without moving the trailer, to get the ball centered in the hitch.  Then it will uncouple with a slight push down on thenTV receiver as you lift the trailer up.
 Cheers 

Marceline

CCC said:

Marceline said:

CCC said:

I have been having a terrible time with the factory coupler on my new 2022 320S Boondock. Either bad design or fit. I'm talking about the part that slips over the hitch ball and sort of levers down to lock up. Problem is it never wants to unlock and its taking 15-20 minutes or so fooling with it every time. I'm tempted to just go on of the simple oldfashioned ones bolted on.

Have you tried pulling the trailer forward, even just a couple of inches, before you uncouple? 

Over and over again. It is a sorry design.

I disagree. I think that the main problem is that people don't understand how these couplers work, so they are frustrating (especially for those of us who have used other types of couplers). The idea is that they won't release if the trailer is pushing forward at all (towards the user and the tow vehicle). As someone who's managed to do that, allowing a trailer to roll forward when the coupler was unlatched (putting a dent in my TV), I can see how this is a good safety feature. I do think that the manufacturer should put a sticker on it or it should ship with stamped metal hang tag explaining how to operate it. Especially since some people are actually making the situation worse by trying to force the lever, damaging the mechanism.
If you are chocking your wheels, bumping the trailer forward a couple of inches, and the coupler still won't unlatch I don't know what to suggest other than maybe you have a defective or damaged coupler.

AnOldUR

We’ve found that grabbing the T@B handles and rocking will work in most cases. We don’t chock the wheels until after the latch is up.

gulfarea

At first I also had trouble getting it to unlatch. I then realized that by listing to the sound of the hitch as I pulled forward I could tell when the ball was in the center so it would release very easy.  Art

rh5555

I have some experience with the Bulldog coupler on a TAB400 trailer.  Comments may not apply to a 320.  For me it was not a drop-in replacement:

 

You need to drill holes for the bolts that attach it to the trailer.  The position of these holes is dictated by the necessity that the ~2" holes for the front jack line up.  I used the bottom plate as a template.  As you can see in the photo, when drilled this way, the folded-over sides do not fit snugly against the trailer.  Worse still, the sides are only folded 88 degrees, so the gap is wedge-shaped.  I'm still looking for someone with a serious vise so that I can bend the sides the last 2 degrees, and then I need to fabricate some packing pieces to fill the gap.

Other than that, it is a hefty piece of hardware and looks like it will last.  My 2" ball has almost no rattle when closed up in it, unlike the original equipment.

immanence

Ah, very cool @rh5555 - what made you switch to the bulldog? Do you like the sleeve-style connection? 

rh5555

2 reasons:  The existing hitch was getting pretty cranky - not wanting to couple/uncouple unless the vehicle/TAB were exactly the right distance apart.  I also wanted more room between the trailer and the back door of my TV, so that I could open the door further before the spare tire hits the propane box.  Once I've had some experience using it, I'll post again.

bjn2

Marceline said:

CCC said:

Marceline said:

CCC said:

I have been having a terrible time with the factory coupler on my new 2022 320S Boondock. Either bad design or fit. I'm talking about the part that slips over the hitch ball and sort of levers down to lock up. Problem is it never wants to unlock and its taking 15-20 minutes or so fooling with it every time. I'm tempted to just go on of the simple oldfashioned ones bolted on.

Have you tried pulling the trailer forward, even just a couple of inches, before you uncouple? 

Over and over again. It is a sorry design.

I disagree. I think that the main problem is that people don't understand how these couplers work, so they are frustrating (especially for those of us who have used other types of couplers). The idea is that they won't release if the trailer is pushing forward at all (towards the user and the tow vehicle). As someone who's managed to do that, allowing a trailer to roll forward when the coupler was unlatched (putting a dent in my TV), I can see how this is a good safety feature. I do think that the manufacturer should put a sticker on it or it should ship with stamped metal hang tag explaining how to operate it. Especially since some people are actually making the situation worse by trying to force the lever, damaging the mechanism.
If you are chocking your wheels, bumping the trailer forward a couple of inches, and the coupler still won't unlatch I don't know what to suggest other than maybe you have a defective or damaged coupler.

I now understand how these yoke style couplers work, and think they're a bad choice for a trailer that will be boondocked. I plan to uncouple the trailer to go explore when we're camping, and I anticipate a lot of annoyance trying to mate the coupler "just so" on uneven and/or soft ground.  I supposed the super fussy yoke can add some safety, but it also thunks and clunks disconcertingly to someone used to a trigger-style coupler on a rafting trailer. Our driveway has a pitch and dealing with the yoke coupler is a needless dance between the the carefully-chocked trailer and slight movements of my tow vehicle. I'm leaning toward replacing the coupler on our brand new 320 s with a Demco coupler. eTrailer has a helpful comparison of coupler types: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpz3qZEnOQQ&t=1s

Slackers

We initially experienced fussiness with hitch but no longer.  We park our 320 on a pad in our yard with a grassy section leading up to it. The grassy section has slight passenger-side downward pitch so hitching and unhitching is never ideal. Since we started using a protective cover for the ball between tows, the lithium lube stays effective and the whole hitching process is easy.  Then again it could have just been getting thru a "break-in" phase.
@bjn2 I'm happy you found something that works well for your usage

rh5555

I've had the Bulldog coupler for a year now, and have been happy with it.  Certainly easier to engage than the original equipment.  I got the version with the trigger style of control for the sleeve, and no pinched fingers for me (referencing the above video).  The hitch is really snug, a good ball doesn't rattle at all in it (unlike the Curt Fusion non-spherical balls).  Only downside is that it is a difficult lock to secure - you can put a padlock through the trigger, but the thief only has to cut a couple of wires and he/she can open the hitch.

sportcoupe

bjn2 said:

I now understand how these yoke style couplers work, and think they're a bad choice for a trailer that will be boondocked. I plan to uncouple the trailer to go explore when we're camping, and I anticipate a lot of annoyance trying to mate the coupler "just so" on uneven and/or soft ground.  I supposed the super fussy yoke can add some safety, but it also thunks and clunks disconcertingly to someone used to a trigger-style coupler on a rafting trailer. Our driveway has a pitch and dealing with the yoke coupler is a needless dance between the the carefully-chocked trailer and slight movements of my tow vehicle. I'm leaning toward replacing the coupler on our brand new 320 s with a Demco coupler. eTrailer has a helpful comparison of coupler types: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpz3qZEnOQQ&t=1s

Did you get a Demco coupler for your T@B yet?

bjn2

sportcoupe said:

Did you get a Demco coupler for your T@B yet?

Hi @sportcoupe, I haven't done it yet, but it's on my list. I need to decide between welding or bolting the coupler on. The OEM's coupler bolts through the top and captures a lower plate with a hole for the jack tube. The bolt-on couplers all seem to have only side holes. I don't know if the lower plate is really necessary to support the jack or if the top-down bolt mounting is meant to provide some structural support for the A-frame. Using a protractor, it looks like the A-frame changes angles at the coupler so that it's a standard 50 degrees, which should mean a Demco would work without welding fillets. 

sportcoupe

bjn2 said:

sportcoupe said:

Did you get a Demco coupler for your T@B yet?

Hi @sportcoupe, I haven't done it yet, but it's on my list. I need to decide between welding or bolting the coupler on. The OEM's coupler bolts through the top and captures a lower plate with a hole for the jack tube. The bolt-on couplers all seem to have only side holes. I don't know if the lower plate is really necessary to support the jack or if the top-down bolt mounting is meant to provide some structural support for the A-frame. Using a protractor, it looks like the A-frame changes angles at the coupler so that it's a standard 50 degrees, which should mean a Demco would work without welding fillets. 

I also am planning to replace (upgrade) the factory coupler to the Demco. I have one on order and will install it this weekend most likely.

bjn2

@sportcoupe please share your experience! I'm also likely to replace the BAL trailer jack with an Ultimate Trailer Jack. 

sportcoupe

@bjn2 I received the Demco today. I will look at installing Friday or Saturday. Will probably drill top holes in the Demco to capture the bottom plate just like the factory coupler does. 

Ultimate trailer jack is on my watch list. Will see how the coupler goes in first. I'll update here or a new thread. 

sportcoupe

@bjn2 I created a new thread with my Demco upgrade pictures. 

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/17912/demco-ez-latch-coupler-upgrade-tab-320-bd#latest

immanence

Is this the ultimate trailer jack you all are talking about? 

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Ultimate-Jack/322-RDJ-2K.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAvJarBhA1EiwAGgZl0GclHDvDUv9y1Eoms5oIXUB2SdmI5k4pd5jYuJdH71zUgdqD0CyCdBoC4W0QAvD_BwE