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Hitch receiver stuck, pin snapped


Seeria

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SOLVED

 

We noticed a pin sitting on the bed of the truck today, after having a tire replaced (wood shard popped it).

hitch_missingpin.jpg

 

This didn't look good. We attempted to put it back into place but the silver bolt thing up there had shifted and wouldn't take the pin.

 

Then we found we couldn't pull out the release arm so we could unhitch and see how to fix things. It wouldn't budge. A vital pin in the arm snapped off. O.O

hitch_snappedpin.jpg

 

The pin with the circle fits into that hole which according to Reese diagrams is ESSENTIAL to keeping the top part from coming loose and the RV from driving itself down the road.

 

The snapped pin we're still trying to find out what the duty of it is.

 

We had this hitched installed by the dealership we bought the truck from. $675 for the used Reese 16k quick-slide and they installed it. The salesman told me they would (parts department) would install new bolts and pins. That pin doesn't look new to me.

 

Any suggestions how to fix these problems?

We're hundreds of miles from the dealership and there is no warranty they offered, heck, not even a paper signed concerning the hitch. Seeing how their service department forgot to fill the steering wheel liquid and coolant, we're a tad unsure of their competence. Well, that and they lost our title information so we're stuck waiting for them to get new ones setup and sent to us so we can register the vehicle.

Kind regards

~Laughter is as essential as the air we breathe~

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The pin with the circle clip will go babk in once you get the weight off the hitch. It keeps the large pin in place, that the hitch head rocks side to side on. The pin in the handle is simply to keep the handle extension in olace. If it broke while trying to un-hitch, the hitch is probably binding slightly. Have the stronger of the 2 stand beside the truck, while the other puts the truck in Neutral, with a foot on the brake. Once in Neutral, release the brakes slightly, while pulling n the release handle. If the truck wants to roll forward, place in Reverse, and repeat. The idea is to take the strain off the hitch, to get it open. Once unhitched, the large pin may move by hand, but a hammer will persuade it faster.

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The pin shown in the first picture may be such that you can force it back into place by first using the RV from legs to lift it just enough to take the weight off of the hitch, without pulling up at all on the hitch. Once you do this, place a block of hardwood over the opposite end of the pin and use a hammer on that wood to push the pin back into the hole far enough for the missing pin(second picture) to be put back into the place that it belongs.

 

The last picture looks to be a pin for the handle of the release lever which if removed would allow the handle to be pulled off. If that is what the pin is, you could probably dive the broken one out with the use of a roll-pin punch and hammer.

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Before you do any of this be sure to chock your trailer wheels forward and backward. Lifting the weight off the hitch even a little bit can cause the trailer to roll and may put some lateral loads on your front legs if the trailer can move more than an inch or twol

 

I would also check to see that there is enough and proper grease on the hitch jaws and mechanism. The pics look like it has been a long time since any of the surfaces have been properly lubed and you don't want an internal jam in the hitch jaws. That one can be a bear to get released.

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Thank you! The tips helped and with them we managed to get it unhitched and working again, minus the stuck snapped pin. Will try again to get that out and replaced.

Kind regards

~Laughter is as essential as the air we breathe~

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