When Your RV Won't Unhitch - Unhitching a 5th Wheel - RV Oops

When Your RV Won't Unhitch - Unhitching a 5th Wheel - RV Oops
In When Your RV Won't Unhitch - Unhitching a 5th Wheel - RV Oops, Sharon, one of the Two Tired Teachers, explains that for the Two Tired Teachers' trips for over a year, unhitching was iffy. She never knew whether the hitch would release with ease or not. Consequently, much of the time, Sharon had bruises on both elbows from wrestling with the hitch.
Finally, when the Two Tired Teachers were at a Vicksburg campground that was not at all level, Sharon again couldn't unhitch. She pulled and pulled. It occurred to her that all of the weight of the trailer was resting against that kingpin; she would have to have superhuman strength to release it.
The answer to this dilemma was simply to release the pressure. This was accomplished by simply starting the truck and barely releasing pressure on the brake. Suddenly, no more bruises.
Step by step, be sure the chocks are under the tires. If you haven't already, unhook the power cable, unhook the brake, be sure the chocks are down on both sides, and put the landing gear down. Get back in your tow vehicle, put your foot on the brake, release the emergency brake, and simply take your foot off of the brake to allow it to move less than an inch.
Doing this will let you unhitch without a hitch.

[@MidlifeCrisisCampers]

Still a relevant video years later for both me and my wife. Thanks!

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Thanks. We strive for that, but more often than not, we fall short. We do appreciate your comment.

[@johnkershaw9575]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been fighting with my hitch for years. To the point that I would stress out while traveling to my camping location. I followed your advise and it released smooth as could be. Thank you again.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

We are so glad it helped. Sharon had bruises until she tried this. No more bruises.

[@ForeignExpense]

Ur video just helped me unhitch ty

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

You are most welcome.

[@ForceMultiplier]

Great video. Exactly what people who pull a 5th wheel NEED TO KNOW.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Thanks. We hope we helped!

[@dgc7321]

...stupid question ...did you move forward or backwards?

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

We tried one way, and if that didn't work, we tried the other way.

[@mariannedorval7466]

I could never get our RV hitch on done your tip worked perfectly thank you so much

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Glad we could help.

[@margaretraine6083]

Thank you! This video saved us! We couldn't figure out why our fifth wheel wouldn't unhitch and this worked!

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

We are so glad we could help!

[@12thDecember]

Years ago my fifth wheel got stuck with that exact hitch, and not even someone who delivered RVs for a living could unhitch it. I found this video and the technique worked like a charm. Now I'm getting ready to go on the road again and I _know_ the damn thing is going to stick again, so I'm watching this to take notes and be prepared. So thankful it's still online! 😊

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

We learned the hard way. Glad we could help.

[@patrickdenisemodrell6495]

Hate to be critical about people but if you read the owners manual, page ten, unhitching, number one, says to do this. If it doesn't work right, refer to the manual.

[@maggylevesque-lavoie7273]

Wonderful QUIET !

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Yes!

[@thomasboyle-nu2vg]

You didn't say which direction you moved 1 inch. Forward or in reverse. Kinda important and you can't tell either from the video.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Thanks for watching. The thing to remember is to relieve pressure on the king pin. If you backed into a site than you probably need to pull forward. If you pulled up in blocks to get level you may need to back.

[@46fd04]

I have a Class C RV. Last month a 5th wheel parked beside us and could not disconnect. His friend who also has a 5th wheel tried to help, nuthin. I go over to offer my assistance. I tried to tell them I used to drive tractor-trailers, and they both keep cutting me off, saying I dont know how it works coz Im a motorhome guy. I let the "show" go on for an hour, then I walked over and said, "Listen, I used to drive trucks. Block the wheels, lift up the trailer til the 5th wheel plate moves, back truck up a half inch, and pull the lever". Unhooked in seconds! Free beer for two nites 🍺🍺🍺

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

We were given two ears and one mouth for a reason.

[@NormRidg]

I didn't think that people would be nervous about this. Happens time to time and very glad you showed how simple this process is of relieving the tension. For my hitch it has always been back up a fraction and wah lah. Be safe. Thought of a simple RV tip. When you unlock take a tap measure and measure from the ground to the king pin. Write it down if you need and each time you get ready to hook up, position it to the same height. Speeds the hitching process.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

When we were brand new to RVing Sharon sometimes got it unhitched without any problem, but other times it wouldn't budge. We'd taken five or six trips before it occurred to her to take some weight off it. Backing a touch did the trick for us.

[@blakegovro4922]

I've encountered the same issue with a bumper pull travel trailer. When I was new to RVing parked with the trailer flat and the truck on an uphill slope. Tongue jacked the trailer until it was lifting the truck practically off the ground. Someone came over and recommended exactly what you showed and it came right off. Great tip.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Thanks for letting us know it works the same on bumper pull.

[@dancarlin5434]

If it is fully jammed, Pull the head pins and lift it off the truck using your landing gear, then pull he handle. These Hitches often also wont release if your truck & trailer aren't nearly perfectly strait.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Thanks for the tip!

[@desertforrest]

Great call! High school physics to the rescue...thx T-3! Great video and explanation!

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Physics? That's probably why it took us more than two years to figure it out. LOL

[@goduke72]

I can't tell you how much this video helped me unhitch. As a new 5th wheel owner, this happened to me when we got home from the dealer. After seeing this, it has saved the day! Thanks for uploading!

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

We're glad we could help. It saved us a lot of grief once we figured it out. Sorry for taking so long to reply; we've just gotten home from a 2 week trip.

[@cph3459]

It will also help to keep the mechanism lubricated with a spray grease (quality)

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Thanks for the info

[@PidasianHippie]

Great tip! I am happy that I can benefit from your wisdom so, hopefully, I will remember what to do when problems arise. Loved you pun at the end..."Unhitch without a Hitch!"

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Thanks a bunch. We're glad you enjoy our humor. As always, we really do appreciate your comments.

[@eddiequickquick8594]

Showing the hitch video, nice job,seeing what a difference 1 inch makes on the pressure, make's me think of life,just one small move can reduce thousands of pounds of pressure.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

It took more than a year's worth of bruises for that to come to us. That inch has saved my elbows and made unhitching no big deal. Thanks for the comment. We really do appreciate you.

[@pupcamper58]

Good tip, yes I have had that happen with my ball hitch.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Thanks for letting us know. We were almost sure the same idea would be true for a ball hitch, but we weren't positive. Thank you very much for the comment.

[@MoParRus340]

I learned all you have to do is block wheels, down front supports and raise 5th wheel till you see the saddle just start to leave the hitch, place truck in reverse, gently let up on foot brake, just till you feel truck “clunk” away from pin, set emergency brake and the handle will almost pull itself out.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Thanks for the comment.

[@marcusjames3035]

Had this issue recently after a few years using this hitch. I also have a dent now

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Sorry about the dent. We loved the hitch; it just took a while to learn how to unhitch it with no trouble.

[@gbressler]

I dented my fender also

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Ouch! We knew it could have been worse. Sorry about your fender.

[@gbressler]

Two Tired Teachers another lesson learned

[@-TroyStory-]

Did you go forward or backward?

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Try both, just letting your foot off the brake and almost immediately braking again.. Whether to go forward or backward depends on whether the weight of the trailer is "pushing" or "pulling."

[@kathyvv2719]

I finally got me the same little step for my truck. I was tired of those same bruises! Plus it makes it easier to climb in and out of the bed. When you were moving the truck were you going forward or back? I’ve had the same issue with fighting with my hitch, and big burly men couldn’t do it either without a fight.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

We were going back. Be sure your chocks are down. Have your foot on the brake, and just release for a second. All you want to do is take the pressure off so that you don't need Hercules to release the hitch. Good luck.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Actually it depends on the incline... IF the front end of the truck is higher, you will need to back, IF the back end of the trailer is higher you need to put it in reverse. Bottom line, if one direction doesn't work you can try the other. Thanks for watching & thanks for helping to make this clearer.

[@kathyvv2719]

Thanks! This will save me untold aggravation 😀

[@cvictoriac1]

I have to same one too! same color even.

[@46fd04]

Also, this "teacher" should know how to spell "brakes". Excellent video by the way. Thanks for passin' on your experience.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

You are absolutely right. I shouldn't have made such a mistake. My spelling used to be good, but after years of teaching, I've seen so many misspelled words that I feel fortunate to spell "cat" correctly. Nice catch of the mistake.

[@BigMacCat1958]

It shows the forever difference between a man and a woman ,,,, geeeeeeeeeee !

[@rafdecc]

YA DIDN'T SAY OR I DIDN'T HEAR YA SAY REVERSE OR FORWARD:) I WENT ON A BLOG FOR MY HEARTLAND, AND THEY TALKED ABOUT THE "SWEET SPOT." I HAVE THIS ISSUE BUT MORE SO THE ELECTRIC JACKS ARE NOT RAISING ENOUGH TO UNHITCH OR HITCH IT.???? I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE JACK SYSTEM??

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

Ours is definitely a problem with the hitch. To unhitch, we needed to release some of the pressure put on the hitch. Remember, you are giving it no gas; you are just letting the foot off the break. You can try forward, and if that doesn't work, try reverse. Again, this answer has nothing to do with the jacks.

[@mmahtnart8986]

I hear a bunch of babble.

[@TwoTiredTeachers]

? What do you mean?