What is the secret to the coupler?

Katydid · March 2021

After staying in Florida to wait out winter, I’m leaving for Arizona Monday. As I will be doing one night stays in campgrounds ( hopefully if they’re not full) I have to face my nemesis head on....the dreaded coupler!

Every time I have had to hookup/unhook it has been a project, up to 45 minutes on one unhook. Even when I have had help from experienced campers they have struggled! Hooking up has gone better since being told to lift and set back and down the “lock/cap” but unhooking is always a crap shoot.

I had and towed a horse trailer in the past and never had a problem but it was a different type of coupler. Any advice? And thanks!

Bayliss · March 2021

@katydid, the following discussion threads may help:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6974/someone-say-it-ain-t-so-please-t-b-hitch-challenges/p1

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/83154#Comment_83154

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/2739/very-stubborn-trailer-hitch-coupler/p1

The best advice I can give is that when you park wherever it is you want to unhitch, pull your tow vehicle forward slightly and set the parking brake (to prevent the vehicles from rolling.) That will move the hitch ball forward and away from the locking mechanism in the coupler. If the ball is pushed back against that mechanism, it is difficult, if not impossible, to unhitch. For example, if you back in to a site that is slightly uphill, the hitch ball will likely push back against that mechanism. Pulling forward helps relieve that pressure.

Horigan · March 2021

Also try lubricating the mechanism, including grease on the inside of the coupler and locking mechanism.

Sharon_is_SAM · March 2021

I would add that if the trailer is leveled on blocks or an Anderson type leveler, it can be hard to close. So, before you roll onto a leveler, I would open the coupler. Same thing in reverse, when you go to hook up, we roll off the leveler and then close the coupler.

DanManz · March 2021

Interestingly, we've had this same problem when we are hitching up. It seems if the ball is pushed back at all, the coupler lever is difficult to fully open and close. We don't seem to have as much problem unhitching but when we go to put the trailer back on our TV, I usually have to drop the hitch onto the ball and then pull our truck forward just an inch or so to get it to fully lock.

mreric · March 2021

be leveled and lubed the ball and coupler

Verna · March 2021

Patience is a very good trait to have.

Katydid · March 2021

It took me a few times before I saw the locking mechanism and I did have success with pulling the TV forward a little sometimes but not always. Good point about setting parking brake, in my frustration I think I forget to do that sometimes.

I didn’t know that I should be lubricating the coupler. What lubricator should I get?

Just want to make sure I know the correct procedure. When I go to hookup I pull the lock/cap down and back and then it latches on its own? And when unhooking, should I try and raise the lock/cap before raising the coupler?

Bayliss · March 2021

@Katydid, I first pull the coupler latch back, whether I am hitching up, or unhitching.

When hitching up, pull the latch back and move the tow vehicle to a position that aligns the hitch ball under the trailer coupler. Then, lower the coupler onto the ball and re-engage the latch to lock the coupler to the hitch ball. If the latch will not properly engage, first try cranking the post back up and then back down to see if it is just slightly off. If that does not work, crank up the trailer post and slightly pull the tow vehicle forward, or possibly backward depending on where the ball is situated in relation to the coupler, before again trying to lower the coupler onto the hitch ball. You may simply need to release the parking brake to see if that helps the coupler properly align and engage with the ball. Often times, it will only be out of alignment by about a 1/2" or so. Sometimes, I can get them to properly align by simply stepping onto the tow vehicle bumper to lower it a bit, but I have always towed with a pickup truck, so that is not as easy to do with an SUV, or similar passenger vehicle like yours.

Whatever approach you try, it always helps if you have an extra person to keep an eye on things, if that is possible. Regardless, the old tried and true trial and error will ultimately reveal what works best for your particular set-up.

Mellow_Yellow · March 2021

Hi @Katydid - It sounds like you are on a splendid adventure!
I'm also new to coupling/uncoupling and perhaps others can confirm if this is a good or a bad idea: before I uncouple, I place chocks behind the RV wheels, because "gravity".
When coupling, I remove the chocks in front of the RV wheels so that the trailer can move forward a bit when latching on. I leave the rear chocks in place until I'm fully coupled to the TV.
I'm definitely going to try @Bayliss' advice on my next trip and pull forward a bit before uncoupling

Bayliss · March 2021

@Mellow_Yellow, whether you should remove a wheel chock is going to be determined by the slope of your campsite. It is much less of an issue on a level site. However, I recommend leaving the wheel chocks in place to prevent the trailer from rolling away in either direction. If there is a slight hill in either direction, removing a wheel chock may be all it takes to cause your trailer to slip off whatever support you have placed under the front crank tube.

Often times, once you unhitch after chocking your wheels, pressure will be applied to the wheel chocks and you cannot easily remove them when it comes time to hitch up before heading out on the next leg of your adventure. I prefer to leave the wheel chocks in place and make minor alignment adjustments (between the coupler and hitch) by slightly moving the tow vehicle forward or backward. Again, this is where a second set of eyes really helps with the hitching and unhitching process.

Katydid · March 2021

@Bayliss thank for all the help. I haven’t tried raising/lowering the post , will add that to the bag of tricks.

Unhitching is now the bigger problem. I’ve tried numerous time to lift/pull back the coupler latch before unhitching but it won’t budge( maybe it did once or twice). Several people have tried stepping on the bumper but as you said it’s difficult with my suv and hasn’t worked. Should I try raising/lowering post ?

pthomas745 · March 2021

This video is embedded in one of the threads linked above. Kind of a specific description of what is happening with the coupler as it goes about its day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq3f8b37laQ&t=2s

Bayliss · March 2021

@Katydid, you will not be able to release the coupler latch until you have first lowered the the front jack post and give it just a slight crank upward after the post makes contact with whatever you are using to support the post. That will relieve the pressure at the coupler latch and make it easier to disengage it from the hitch ball.

Without doing that first, there is pretty much no way to disengage the coupler latch, except possibly if you are on a very level surface and the hitch ball is not pressing against the coupler locking mechanism.

Katydid · March 2021

@Bayliss thank you again! I obviously had no idea of the proper procedure!

Thank you to all for helping out.

Marceline · March 2021

Sharon_is_SAM said:

I would add that if the trailer is leveled on blocks or an Anderson type leveler, it can be hard to close. So, before you roll onto a leveler, I would open the coupler. Same thing in reverse, when you go to hook up, we roll off the leveler and then close the coupler.

I find that if I pull forward onto the blocks instead of backing onto them it helps a lot. YMMV.

Marceline · March 2021

DanManz said:

Interestingly, we've had this same problem when we are hitching up. It seems if the ball is pushed back at all, the coupler lever is difficult to fully open and close. We don't seem to have as much problem unhitching but when we go to put the trailer back on our TV, I usually have to drop the hitch onto the ball and then pull our truck forward just an inch or so to get it to fully lock.

When you back up to hitch up, Try stopping with the ball not directly under the coupler, but just a tiny bit forward. With any luck, as you lower the the trailer the coupler will slide slightly forward on the ball. But yes, skooching the trailer ever so slightly forward can unbind the coupler and allow it to close.

Radcat · March 2021

Thanks for this post. I pulled my 320S home for the first time last week, inclined driveway and thought I would never get it uncoupled. I was advised to use a dry lube spray; the guy told me that he had used grease, it attracts dirt and really did a number on his chrome hitch.

ScottG · March 2021

The secret, I believe, is that the peculiarities of the Atwood coupler are by design. If there is any forward pressure on the hitch, the latch won't release. This prevents the hitch from popping off the ball and rolling forward into your tow vehicle--or some unfortunately positioned body part.

I wrangled with mine for the first few years--even resorting occasionally to the forbidden dead blow hammer--until I finally came to understand the design.

In a nutshell, you need to pull the ball tightly forward in the coupler to be able to lift the latch, and then back off just a bit to relieve the tension to be able to get the hitch off the ball. It's a carefully choreographed multi-step process that involves wheel chocks, parking brakes, and light touch on the gas pedal. A little annoying, perhaps, but it works every time.

N7SHG_Ham · March 2021

The secret is understanding mechanically how it works. Forcing it, lubing it, etc. Isn't the solution, but finesse is.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=atwood coupler video&ko=-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq3f8b37laQ

bergger · March 2021

N7SHG_Ham said:

Time secret is understanding mechanically how it works. Forcing it, lubing it, etc. Isn't the solution, but finesse is.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=atwood coupler video&ko=-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq3f8b37laQ

I totally agree with this. Last year when we got our 400 was the first time I've had a trailer with the Atwood coupler. I was a bit nervous hearing of others issues with unhitching their trailers. However in the past year I've never had any issue with it and it has operated smoothly. As long as you don't have that pressure from your hitch ball pushing back on the mechanism it should come right off. Should be no need for hammers or lots of lubrication.

Denny16 · March 2021

A little grease on the ball helps keep everything moving smoothly and prevents rusting. I use a rubbery over on the ball when it is nothin use.

Cheers

Sharon_is_SAM · March 2021

Sometimes we use the handles to rock the TaB and the coupler falls into place.

qhumberd · March 2021

ScottG said:

The secret, I believe, is that the peculiarities of the Atwood coupler are by design. If there is any forward pressure on the hitch, the latch won't release. This prevents the hitch from popping off the ball and rolling forward into your tow vehicle--or some unfortunately positioned body part.

I wrangled with mine for the first few years--even resorting occasionally to the forbidden dead blow hammer--until I finally came to understand the design.

In a nutshell, you need to pull the ball tightly forward in the coupler to be able to lift the latch, and then back off just a bit to relieve the tension to be able to get the hitch off the ball. It's a carefully choreographed multi-step process that involves wheel chocks, parking brakes, and light touch on the gas pedal. A little annoying, perhaps, but it works every time.

I agree with @ScottG and used this method on our 400 this week. We were backing into a field on an uphill grade and the hitch ball was pushing on the coupler. No way it would release. We pushed back a couple inches and re chocked both trailer tires and then allowed the TV to move forward just a bit. You could tell when the ball moved and touched the front of the hitch area. Coupler immediately and easily released and we unhitched with no problems. Any pressure on this coupler will not allow it to move. When hitching up we just did it in reverse and made sure the ball was forward in the hitch, and it all went smoothly. Good advice.

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