Bull dog coupling won’t releas

[DandD]

When unhitching, the bull dog coupler is not releasing from my Andersen hitch.  I’m thinking because I’m using Andersen levelers to level Oliver, the bull dog coupler gets thrown off a bit.  Any ideas , thoughts or help appreciated.  Thanks

[mossemi]

Is the collar sliding back far enough to release the side latch?  Is the ball in the front portion of the coupler and bound up?  If my tow vehicle rolls forward or backwards when I place it in park, it will sometimes cause the ball to release a little rough due to the miss alignment.  Sometimes I use the emergency brake to reduce the roll.  The Andersen leveling wedges never have caused me any problems disconnet problems.

Mossey

[Frank C]

A bit more info or a picture would help to troubleshoot the issue.   As Mossemi mentioned, does the sliding collar on the Bulldog coupler slide freely all the way back when you lift the latch lever?  And does the Bulldog coupler pop open?  is it still stuck on the ball even with the coupler open?  Do you still have the Andersen chains attached/tight between the trailer and the Andersen hitch on your tow vehicle when you are trying to get the Bulldog coupler off of the ball?   The chains should be loose, or better yet, remove the whale tail bracket holding the chains to take any loading off of the ball. 

[Townesw]

Chock the wheels, uncouple hitch, then level. Don’t try to level while still on the ball.  Leveling the trailer while still on the ball will cause the earth to spin backwards. 
 

Nevermind. It just occurred to me that you’re using those curved wedges. 

[John E Davies]

Don’t be afraid of getting a little rough with it, using your foot, while standing back. Give the coupler or the tongue a sideways kick. There is a fair bit of left to right play where the Andersen plugs into your receiver, and the tongue jack leg itself has a little also, depending on how far it is extended….If that doesn't do it, try moving the truck a little front to back.

Sometimes you have to be meaner than the hitch😬

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Townesw]

Be sure to set the parking brake while holding the brake pedal in the TV.  Just putting the transmission in P doesn’t keep the TV from rolling a little until the parking pawl in the transmission catches.  Get out and kick the ball mount. If it doesn’t rattle, let the TV roll up or back then kick the ball mount again. The coupler will release if the ball is loose in the socket. 

[csevel]

51 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

Sometimes you have to be meaner than the hitch😬

That's my motto...LOL!

I do the exact thing by jiggling the truck forward and back just a hair, forward and/or reverse to knock some sense into it!  Bulldog's always feisty on days hotter than Hades while unhitching; I'm sweating and the black flies are eating me alive,   I've only gotten back into the truck seventeen times at this point to get that perfect set on a pristine unlevel campsite..what's one more??  I'll show you who is boss.. LOL!

However irritated I get though; unhitching is serious business to me.  I try to remain calm so I don't make dumb unsafe mistakes.  I certainly have had a couple in my RV life and try hard not to repeat.  I've made it a habit to not release safety chains/cables either until I know I'm chocked, lifted safely and stable off the ball.    I use my parking brake A LOT as I absolutely hate any bounce back after lift-off.   I use it almost always with the Andersen levelers as slippage can sometimes happen.

Spraying a little lubrication to the underside of the hitch, latch and ball can be helpful albeit debatable and of course..first loosen the WDH chains or remove the whale tail altogether.

Good Luck!

 

 

[John E Davies]

If the campsite has a major slope to it, always chock the downhill sides of the all the tires and consider pulling the emergency breakaway switch. That will completely lock up the trailer brakes until you get everything figured out, leveled and safely chocked. Do not leave them this way for more than say ten minutes, it eats up battery power and maybe the brake magnets could overheat.

And as csevel said, leave the safety chains/ cables attached until you know you are finished. Three tons of trailer can be hard to control… I hate sites like that, but some day that may be the only available one. They can be dangerous. If you don’t feel capable of unhitching safely in one, go to another campground. This was at my very limit for tolerance, sloping steeply back AND away from the street side. Great Basin NP, Lower Shafer CG (a very gorgeous park, one of my favorites, but with really crappy campgrounds!) The far side tires are way off the pavement on blocks. We paid for two nights, but bailed out early the next day and found a better site in a different CG, after scouting without the trailer attached.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[Trainman]

This is very common, like others said, leave the wheel chocks in place on the trailer and let the tow vehicle adjust to a free spot, that is no tension on the hitch ball. Then make sure there is either someone in the vehicle, or put in park for the obvious reasons. I sometimes have to give the coupler a kick with the foot, or tap with a hammer, just the way things work when tension is present.

trainman

[Patriot]

DandD,

Enjoy your awesome trip and stay in touch, it was great talking with you last evening.
After our phone call I believe you have this “wrestling with the cranky bulldog” issue well taken care of. 😄
Enjoy that beautiful new Ollie!! 

Safe travels friends,

- David