Coupler Size - ball stuck

trippy3 · 07-19-2020, 08:24 AM

Hello! Yesterday we purchased our first Winnegabo Micro Minne 2106ds. Yeah! We were so excited!! We drove it home from PA to NY.

After 2 hours we were unable to get the hitch ball to release from the coupler. We finally just left the trailer hitched up. Has anyone had this problem? We tried squirting Wd-40, jumping on it, moving the car a bit. No luck. Does anyone know what size hitch ball we should have? I believe that we currently have a 2 5/16 hitch ball that we used this with our last trailer. HELP!!!

Goodspike · 07-19-2020, 08:30 AM

I think you might be trying to move the hitch lever the wrong direction. It isn't up as it is on some older trailers, but since I don't have access to my trailer I don't remember which direction it is. It may be forward????

09busaman · 07-19-2020, 08:49 AM

Got a picture of it? My hitch release slides rearward toward the propane tank to release. Same ball size, but I will tell you it is a tight fit. I usually have to move my truck forward or backwards a little bit, like 1/2 to 1 inch to get it to come off the ball after I release it.

trippy3 · 07-19-2020, 08:53 AM

Thank you for your response.

Our previous trailer had a hitch lever that moved forward and up. This one is kind of floppy. We are concerned that it may be broken.......this is only our second trailer so we have no idea what to do, or who to call.

Goodspike · 07-19-2020, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trippy3

Thank you for your response.

Our previous trailer had a hitch lever that moved forward and up. This one is kind of floppy. We are concerned that it may be broken.......this is only our second trailer so we have no idea what to do, or who to call.

It doesn't sound like the problem is that your trailer will come loose from the ball--just the opposite!

I do keep a lock in the hitch lever when connected, just so I know it's secure. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

09busaman · 07-19-2020, 08:57 AM

If it is new, it really sounds like it is bound up and needs just a slight movement to get it to release.

trippy3 · 07-19-2020, 09:07 AM

We got it!!

Thank you all for your quick responses!! The hitch lever actually goes up and back. Works like a charm. We were just really tired last night from the long drive to pick it up with a 3 1/2 year old and 4 potty stops on the way home

I am happy to find this forum though, I love campers, just really good people

Morich · 07-19-2020, 10:02 AM

So while it's on your mind, do a little early work to make life easier. A bit of some sort of lube on the ball is one way to make it last a bit better and slide easier. I don't like grease as it is prone to getting on my clothes but a dab of petroleum jelly is slick.

Just Mike · 07-20-2020, 08:56 AM

I found on my previous camper and utility trailers with that type of hitch if the ball is sitting too far back in the hitch it is difficult to get the hitch to release. If that happens, I will move the tow vehicle forward a bit to get the ball off the back side of the hitch. Sometimes just releasing the parking brake is enough. I also found that keeping a light coating of lube on the ball helps...

tinglett · 07-20-2020, 01:55 PM

I'm glad it's not just me having this happen! I'm new to travel trailers as well. With my utility trailer I can push it around no problem (I know not to whack it like some do). So far, knock on wood, I can't say I've had trouble taking it off. I'm able to pull the lever back and up and it'll release after the jack lifts the back of the vehicle just a little bit.

Going on is another story. I'd swear I always need to let the jack down to get weight on the ball, then I reverse and lift off the weight, and then it always falls into place. Perhaps I should lube it up more. But I just ordered an Andersen WD hitch which isn't lubed like that so I'll just need to be a bit more observant to see exactly what's going on, I guess. I assume over time I'll just stop thinking about it.

trippy3: congrats on your new 2106ds!

Todd

Kansas Swede · 07-26-2020, 05:14 PM

When we purchased our new Minnie Plus last year, it was also a bit difficult to uncouple as well. After a few trips of connect / disconnect, the task got easier and now due to some break in wear, is no issue. We also greased the ball with general purpose grease and allows the trailer to slide on the hitch ball much easier. We also noticed that the more forward you can place the ball in the trailer receiver, the latch will lock forward almost every time. Good Luck as "practice makes perfect" and gets easier over time!

JoeC · 07-26-2020, 05:27 PM

Good thing you got it. I was about to recommend using a bigger hammer. :-) Happy camping.

Millikenwife · 07-27-2020, 06:48 AM

This is a common problem. We usually carefully put the truck in neutral and it will adjust just enough that the pressure is released. If not, chock the trailer and back up a tiny bit.... like less than 1/4 inch.

7997redtail · 07-27-2020, 09:20 AM

WD40 now makes a lot of lubrication products but at one time they just had WD 40

A lot of people used it as a lubricant. It works ok for a bit but isn’t a true lubricant. In most cases it will dilute or remove existing lubrication and leave you with a thin layer of poor lubrication.

There are so many good wet and dry lubricants out there.

Be careful with using WD40. My 2 cents.

Goodspike · 07-27-2020, 09:24 AM

When I was a teen I accidentally had WD-40 blow back into my eyes. My immediate thought was: "This is going to hurt!" But it didn't. The only change was it was really easy to blink my eyes. You don't notice how much friction there is on the eyelids until you lubricate them!

pmglidden · 07-28-2020, 09:34 PM

Angle of our truck in comparison to the camper makes a huge difference.

If the junction between the truck and camper is much lower than a horizontal plane between the truck and camper axles it won’t release well. This happens more often than not in our driveway.

Just an inch or two can be the difference