15 hours ago, A-Jay said:

@Backroad Angler

After thinking a bit more on this deal, I came up with this.

Up inside of the coupler there is a spring-loaded 'latch' that is designed to keep the coupler locked onto the trailer hitch ball. It moves out of the way to effect loading & removal but locks on when you latch down the coupler lever.

Sometimes that latch gets 'stuck' in the locked position, which will prevent the ball from sliding up and into the coupler properly. Routine cleaning & light lube of choice can prevent it from happening.

It's often hard to tell what position it's in. Perhaps consider toggling that couple lever while looking up underneath and into the coupler. See if it's moving correctly or somehow jammed.

If so, a little WD40 and a screwdriver might solve this entire calamity.

Or I might be crazy, either way.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

This is essentially what I was referencing when I was referring to the need to push the trailer backwards, you just did it is a much more detailed and likely easier to understand way lol

If that lever catches on the way down, will never lock obviously.

I think @A-Jay nailed it. That coupler securing piece tripped me up one time a few years back. Keep it clean and lubed and should be good to go.

Opened is the first two pics.

Closed is the last pic.

Looks normal to me, will be adding some wd40 though and I don’t have the right tool to remove the ball from the hitch so I’ll be headed to the store later.

21 minutes ago, Backroad Angler said:

Opened is the first two pics.

Closed is the last pic.

Looks normal to me, will be adding some wd40 though and I don’t have the right tool to remove the ball from the hitch so I’ll be headed to the store later.

Looks like it's operating properly.

Looking forward to the 'fix'.

Keep us posted.

A-Jay

Guessing that @Jig Man has your solution

I dont even have a boat. BUT I have towed them and lots of trailers. I really push to have my trailer running level. it's why hitch receivers come in so many lengths. I would get that right first. especially on smaller trailers, it helps the trailer track smoothly when it is level.

and I would get a shorter boat jack, no?

AJAYS rig is delightfully level!!! make it like that

On 1/31/2026 at 7:34 PM, Backroad Angler said:

What do you mean by this?

It lowers enough to rest on the ball, but because of the height difference I think, it doesn’t quite rest on the ball.

It doesn’t fully go down and sit if that makes sense. Not sure if I need to wiggle it more or finesse it Mabye.

Not my picture, but essentially it does this when I try hooking it up close to the garage.

The ball is the right size and all.

I believe what @Jig Man , is saying, and is what I do, is flip the drop hitch over. A good example is the second pic you posted . Instead of a drop make it a lift

And now that I read all the replies I realize he already cleared it up…….

I make mine a rise for one of my boats and a drop for the other. Every one is different. I also put the Jack when on a couple boards to keep it up higher but that’s because I park it outside and need the water to drain out the back

Update

So I went to Lowe’s and got a wrench to remove the ball from the hitch and reverse it. Tried many times to loosen it, could not do it.

As I’m on the ground trying to loosen it my neighbor comes up and asks what I’m doing.

He then proceeds to try and help me and we can’t get it off.

Ended up trying one last effort to hook the trailer to the truck while it was in the garage and this is the result.

K

Conclusion,

There was no fix, I was just being silly I guess lol

Thank you for everyone replies and help!

Good -

Glad it worked out .

Now please don't forget to place a pin or a lock in the coupler lever to keep it secure

every time you tow.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

13 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Good -

Glad it worked out .

Now please don't forget to place a pin or a lock in the coupler lever to keep it secure

every time you tow.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

Yeppers, always.

Thanks!

10 hours ago, Backroad Angler said:

There was no fix, I was just being silly I guess lol

Haha ... Always the way ...Glad you got it

You may want to consider a lock on the coupler and hitch plug too.

Don't wanna come back to the parking lot and see your trailer gone.

6 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Haha ... Always the way ...Glad you got it

Thank you! 😄

On 1/31/2026 at 6:34 PM, Backroad Angler said:

Not a boat owner, but:

I think a big wife could take care of that no problem.

10 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Not a boat owner, but:

I think a big wife could take care of that no problem.

Boy, you do live dangerously

We work for fish pics. The boat hitch is good. We're waiting for our payment.😆

2 hours ago, GreenPig said:

We work for fish pics. The boat hitch is good. We're waiting for our payment.😆

Once it warms up a little bit, I’ll hit the lakes pretty hard 👍🏼