How high to raise the 5W to unhitch

[Steven@147]

Apologies if this has been discussed.
What do you all do when unhitching? I know about the checklists and chocking etc. But when you put the front feet down, how do you know they're down far enough without being down too far? Right?
At first, you're relieving the weight from the truck, but in a split second, the truck is being picked up by the hitch. If there's weight on the truck or if the truck is hanging from the pin, it's not an ideal time to pull the lever and move the truck out. How do you judge the point of equilibrium?

I have the B&W Companion also. When we get the RV set where we want it and almost level side to side, CHOCK the RV tires! Then unhitching, I block the landing gear and drop them 6 holes. Using the leveling system to lower the landing gear to raise the RV, I watch the hitch where the pin box plate sets on the hitch plate, and when I see the pin box plate separate from (or rise up off) the hitch plate I stop. This gives you @ 1/4 inch of gap, now you can unlock the jaws and the hitch will separate easily from the pin box every time.

[Calnca]

Wow.......reading all this sure makes me appreciate our Pull-Rite Superlite. Hitching/unhitching is a breeze.....and can be done at angles other than straight on.

[backtrack2015]

Wow.......reading all this sure makes me appreciate our Pull-Rite Superlite. Hitching/unhitching is a breeze.....and can be done at angles other than straight on.

I simply cannot imagine an easier hitch than the B&W Companion. The issue discussed here is common to all fifth-wheel hitches (gooseneck units simply need to be lifted high enough to clear the ball).

[DaveMatthewsBand]

I simply cannot imagine an easier hitch than the B&W Companion. The issue discussed here is common to all fifth-wheel hitches (gooseneck units simply need to be lifted high enough to clear the ball).

I can hook up my trailer using my B&W hitch, with the trailer at 90 degrees.
But with all my experience I've never found the need to unhitch at any kind of severe angle.
If you need to do that you're probably parking your trailer somewhere you shouldn't.

[powerscol]

I lift the trailer until I see slack at the hitch head. Either the head moves slightly or I see a very small gap. I have also marked my landing legs at the correct height.

[Walaby]

I don't have years of experience, but it didn't take me long to recognize when the hitch hits that magical 1/4" or so clearance before going too high. I, like others, raise it until I just see daylight on the front edge of the pinbox, then, I stop and it unhitches perfectly.

Mike

[Myhoppy]

I use a little trick I learned somewhere. I take a paint stir stick (any thin stick will work) and slip it between the hitch and pin box plate. As I raise the trailer, once the stick starts to move, I am clear to disengage. It's like magic!

[jjinatx]

CURT Q20 says to leave a little weight on the hitch and if there is a gap, no more than 1/16". After using the "Drop FRONT JACKS" command, I manually raise the pin box till there is just a slight gap, then lower it smidge to put a bit of weight on the hitch and no gap.

[MtnGuy]

CURT Q20 says to leave a little weight on the hitch and if there is a gap, no more than 1/16". After using the "Drop FRONT JACKS" command, I manually raise the pin box till there is just a slight gap, then lower it smidge to put a bit of weight on the hitch and no gap.

Although I have a B&W, I do the same thing. That way if you have an auto-leveling system, when you return the pin box to the unhitched height, it is ready to hook up. You always want to lift the trailer a bit when hooking up so you don’t “high pin” the hitch.

When unhooking, I lower the front jacks a bit, then release the extensions to the ground. Next I use the “auto drop front jacks”. Then I watch the distance between the overload spring and the spring stop on the truck as I lower the jacks further. When that is close to the unhitched spread, I then release the jaws, raise the trailer until I see a bit of space between the hitch and pin box, and then lower back down until a little weight is on the hitch. I then have the correct height for the next hookup when using the automatic return mode.

[Airrace]

I agree with Rob on the Pull-Rite. You need weight on the hitch. My new Reese (puck system) I lift until I see the weight come off the plate and drive out. To hook up I do lower the pin so I have to lift it up.