Please read & check your hitches

Originally posted by mccvii And it sounds like this thing happens enough that experienced owners have a mitigation process.

Grovny,

What type of hitch are you using on your tow vehicle? Is it a simple ball hitch or a weight-distribution hitch?

I have not had problems with the hitch on our R-Pod. I do make sure the coupler is fully on the ball, nudging the car forward a bit if needed before trying to lower the locking mechanism. Sometimes, the coupler's locking plate can be sitting on top of the ball instead of locking below it.  After lowering the locking mechanism, I use a locking pin to secure it so that it can't pop open. Then I use the jack to raise the coupler and ball, which is what I need to do to be able to get the bars on my Equal-i-zer hitch. If I did not do that, I would not be able to get the bars on, even with the snap-up lever. If it were not fastened correctly, raising it would show. I have never had this procedure fail. We have about 10,000 miles of towing with our R-Pod.

The Equal-i-zer hitch (and other brands such as the E2 or Andersen) are more likely to keep the coupler on the ball as well as the bars exert downward pressure on the coupler and upward pressure on the ball.

Speaking of the ball, is it the correct size (2")? The wrong size ball or a worn ball or coupler could also contribute to this. As for the coupler, I am not sure what type you have. I'll try to get a couple of good pictures of ours. If you can post a picture or two of yours, that would also be helpful. Try to get a good side shot and one of the underneath side of the coupler. I think those would be more useful to help figure out why it is popping off the ball.

I would not rule out a worn or defective coupler. Here are some pictures of mine:

Latch open:


Plate slid back:


Latch closed:


Plate slid closed:


As you can see, when the coupler is latched and the plate is slid closed, there shouldn't be room for the ball to pass through the opening.

One thing you need to check is the tongue weight. 10-15% of the trailer's weight should be the tongue weight. Example: If the trailer weighs 3000 lbs, the tongue weight should be 300 lbs. If it is less, it can lead to sway. It also might be contributing to the hitch popping off.

One other thing you could look into is a device made by HitchItSafe. It would help prevent the hitch from popping off the ball.

SH,

Looking at HitchItSafe. I have asked OEM about how it plays with the sway bar attachment at the TV hitch. The HitchItSafe swivels with the TT and both are attached by the hitch ball. Might not be a big deal and the HitchItSafe is relatively inexpensive.

Different question - I see you mounted the Hayes device to auto brake sway. I know we both have an aframe cargo mount, where did you mount it to access the "sky"? THANKS

Thanks, I thought that maybe case.