Towing Question

[Wenatchee Willie]

We've had our RV for 2 years now, and usually when we stop somewhere for the evening and go to disconnect the car from our Blue Ox hitch, the pins are stuck. I've always simply used a screwdriver and hammer, and after a few wacks the pin pops out.

But now I've begun to worry that maybe doing it this way is damaging the
welded on connection to the car?

I also heard that there is a way to carefully position the car/RV to loosen the pressure on the pin.

So 2 things....

1. Do I need to worry about hitting the pin out that it might damage the weld?

2. And if so, what are better ways to do it?

Thanks kindly.

[Alan F]

When I have that problem I simply Inch the toad forward to release the pressure, and then unhook. As my father would say, "I don't know if beating on the pins hurts them, but it doesn't do them any good ."

[formerFR]

when you come to a stop, if the vehicle is either pushing, or pulling, on your hitch, then you're going to have difficulty removing the pins... especially if your RV is positioned uphill or downhill(otherwise not absolutely flat)...

your best bet, and easiest way to pull the pins without much effort, is to make sure that the toad is not putting any pressure on the tow bar arms. if your toad is still in neutral, then push it forward or backward a bit before you put it in park - then the pressure should be relieved. Or, you can crank the toad engine and move it slightly forward or backward first.

My BlueOx Alpha comes with 'latches' that should be pushed down first to allow the arms to be flexible for unhooking/hooking up the toad. Sometimes this is hard to do if a lot of pressure is still on them.