Ball seating issue on Geo Pro 19

[MrCampALot]

I realized after our first trip with our Geo Pro late last year that I had a 2 1/4" ball when the coupler calls for a 2 5/16" ball. I had no problems which is why I had not noticed. We are leaving next week, I got the correct size ball, and now it is not seating correctly. In fact, the coupler latch will not engage all the way, even though it "appears" that the ball is seated and is tight up inside the coupler.
I am pretty good at figuring stuff out, but this has me flummoxed.
Just an FYI for troubleshooting, I have made no mods to the factory coupler, it clearly is stamped to use a 2 5/16" ball, and the ball is that size.

 

[NJKris]

Hopefully latch didn't get f'd up with a smaller ball banging around in there. Sometimes I have same problem with my proper size ball. Try pulling tow vehicle forward just a hair so the latch has more clearance to grab the backside of the ball.

 

[Chuck_S]

Best information I received is the coupler needs to reach for the ball not drop straight down onto it. Kinda slides down onto the coupler from the rear. Often pushing the trailer the last 1/16" off the top of the ball will do it.

Gotta be a zillion YouTube videos.

-- Chucj

 

[aceinspp]

Hopefully latch didn't get f'd up with a smaller ball banging around in there. Sometimes I have same problem with my proper size ball. Try pulling tow vehicle forward just a hair so the latch has more clearance to grab the backside of the ball.

X 2 and maybe add a little lube to the ball. Later RJD

 

[moose074]

So I have never heard of 2.25 inch ball just 2 and 2 5/16 in the 2 inch range. I have been known to be wrong

 

[Mr. Dan]

So I have never heard of 2.25 inch ball just 2 and 2 5/16 in the 2 inch range. I have been known to be wrong

Same here.

 

[Oaklevel]

X3 I too have never heard of a 2 1/4" ball and I have had many trailers and hitches over 40 years of trailer towing.

Normally 1 7/8", 2", 2 5/16"

I too could be wrong.

 

[aceinspp]

X 4 he must have miss read the number on the ball. Later RJD

 

[PhilFromMaine]

X 4 he must have miss read the number on the ball. Later RJD

X5 to all the responses to the OP.


Seating the coupler on the ball isn't always easy. If I tried, I could, like the OP, convince myself that there is a defect in my system.


I heavily lube up my ball when coupling. Most often I have to pull forward or backward a half inch or so to get the components to properly engage. It isn't nearly as easy as with my 5x10 utility trailer.

 

[kipkohl]

On our GeoPro, after I think the ball is seated I often have to move the truck forward a fraction of an inch to get the latch to fully close.

 

[Chuck_S]

There are four standard trailer ball sizes: 1-7/8", 2", 2-5/16" and 3". That's it.

There are 2-1/2" trailer tongue beams or shanks but no 2.5" couplers or trailer balls. These these almost always take a 2" ball and coupler to fit the 2-1/2" shank. Gotta read the size from the right object.

-- Chuck

 

[reidfo]

Mine usually doesn't want to latch the first time either. What works for me is setting the trailer down on the ball, then putting my truck in neutral for a few seconds with the brake released. Then I set the brake and put the truck in park. That usually lets it settle down and latch.

I do not get out of the truck with it in neutral! It's just for a few seconds. I do the same thing when unhitching so that I don't lift the truck with the trailer. (been there, scary crash as it finally drops the truck.)

 

[jimmoore13]

Not that long ago, I ran into the same issue.

I've had many trailers, and I typically buy a ball mount and ball as a set and leave them together. So I have a tote baq with 5 ball-mount-ball combinations with various drops and ball sizes.

My previous high-wall popup had been lifted, so I had a straight ball mount "flipped" with a 2" ball on it. My current rig uses a virtually identical ball mount, flipped, with a 2 5/16 ball on it. Of course, brilliant me, I grabbed the wrong one and installed the 2" ball with my 2 5/16" coupler.

Tongue weight is heavy enough that the coupler stayed on the ball, but there was slop when on and off the gas. I left the coupler latched and ran down the tongue jack, and, of course, the coupler lifted right off the ball. But grease on the ball prevented me from seeing that it was only 2". I came on this forum and asked about adjusting the coupler...since I could see no way to do it. Smart folks here told me to double check my ball size...no, not those.

With the proper ball, the coupler is a snug fit. Plenty of grease and a slight tug forward after dropping the coupler on the ball is all it takes for the coupler to latch. I, too, am fond of having the ball slightly forward of a perfect lineup with the coupler so the coupler has to pull itself over the radius of the front of the ball to drop on. Then no tug needed.

But don't take advice from me. I drove around with a 2 5/16" coupler on a 2" ball for several short trips.

BTW, if you grease your ball and coupler,
1) Always cover the ball when not in use to keep the grease from collecting grit that will grind away at both the coupler and the ball.
2) Wipe of the grease on the ball and re-grease regularly. The grease still gets dirty. It's much harder to clean out the coupler, but that wouldn't hurt.

I like spray lithium grease mostly because it's easy to apply...especially up inside the coupler.

 

[MGD1961]

I realized after our first trip with our Geo Pro late last year that I had a 2 1/4" ball when the coupler calls for a 2 5/16" ball. I had no problems which is why I had not noticed. We are leaving next week, I got the correct size ball, and now it is not seating correctly. In fact, the coupler latch will not engage all the way, even though it "appears" that the ball is seated and is tight up inside the coupler.
I am pretty good at figuring stuff out, but this has me flummoxed.
Just an FYI for troubleshooting, I have made no mods to the factory coupler, it clearly is stamped to use a 2 5/16" ball, and the ball is that size.

Some couplers are adjustable. Yours may be too tight.

https://youtu.be/5ETtzrewVrA

 

[Chuck_S]

There are four standard trailer ball sizes: 1-7/8", 2", 2-5/16" and 3". That's it.

We still haven't solved the initial question. Back to post #11.

There are 2-1/4" and 2-1/2" trailer shanks but no 2-1/4" or 2-1/2" balls so looking for either of these balls or couplers is a useless quest.

-- Chuck

 

[5picker]

I realized after our first trip with our Geo Pro late last year that I had a 2 1/4" ball when the coupler calls for a 2 5/16" ball. I had no problems which is why I had not noticed. We are leaving next week, I got the correct size ball, and now it is not seating correctly. In fact, the coupler latch will not engage all the way, even though it "appears" that the ball is seated and is tight up inside the coupler.
I am pretty good at figuring stuff out, but this has me flummoxed.
Just an FYI for troubleshooting, I have made no mods to the factory coupler, it clearly is stamped to use a 2 5/16" ball, and the ball is that size.

There were several posts here a couple years ago where folks were experiencing this same issue and IIRC, some had to have the coupler cut off and replaced while still in warranty. I also seem to recall those particular couplers did not have a locking lever adjustment. And some had broken the latch off the lever by hitting it with a hammer to release. It was just welded (poorly at that) to the lever. No nut, no adjustment.

It seems the original were stamped incorrectly.

 

[D W]

X5 to all the responses to the OP.


Seating the coupler on the ball isn't always easy. If I tried, I could, like the OP, convince myself that there is a defect in my system.


I heavily lube up my ball when coupling. Most often I have to pull forward or backward a half inch or so to get the components to properly engage. It isn't nearly as easy as with my 5x10 utility trailer.

X6.

 

[Larry-NC]

It's not obvious, but when you lift the latch on the hitch, the latch fork (underneath) usually slides back in the elongated cutout in the hitch. Often they need lubrication to slide easily. Before attempting to drop the hitch onto the ball, lift the latch and make sure it can slide back and forth and has slid all the way back.

 

[5picker]

It's not obvious, but when you lift the latch on the hitch, the latch fork (underneath) usually slides back in the elongated cutout in the hitch. Often they need lubrication to slide easily. Before attempting to drop the hitch onto the ball, lift the latch and make sure it can slide back and forth and has slid all the way back.

X2
It's that same old syndrome where everyone believes every R/V is like theirs.
The a-frame couplers Larry mentioned DO NOT have an adjustment on the lever/latch.
They tighten and loosen by sliding in the slot.

But again, if the socket is forged incorrectly, no amount of sliding or lubing or pulling forward or backing up will make the ball fit.


I forgot to mention in my previous post that some of the folks that had issues several years ago, got up inside the socket with a grinding/sanding drum and enlarged things a bit.

 

[PenJoe]

My method of hitching is to have the front of the ball slightly forward of the hitch cup so the hitch has to slide forward over the front of the ball. As the trailer is cranked down, it slides forward over the front of the ball and seats into the front of the cup. I found this to work best If the ball is too far back in the cup, the mechanism won't seat and the TV will have to be moved forward for the ball seat properly..