Difficulty unhooking toad from towbar

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bounder

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Posts
16
I tried towing my toad for the first time and had difficulty pulling the pins from the towbar/baseplate connection.  Is there a procedure that I am not doing.  The motorhome and car were straight and level at the time but one or the other towbar legs (Blue Ox Aladdin tow bar) would not unlock.  I assume the legs will not unlock when in either tension or compression.
 
Sometimes, all it takes is turning the steering wheel of the car in one direction or the other.
 
The pins should be loose unless they are in some type of bind. (duh!) So.... what you have to do is figure out what the bind is. My most common is entering a space  and not having enough length to pull forward enough to straighten the car behind the MH. Something as small as pulling one pin and letting the weight of that leg hang will keep me from pulling the second pin, so it doesn't take much bind or weight to make pulling pins difficult.

Many towbars have some type of release to provide just a little movement to allow the pins to withdraw. Mine has "buttons" on top and a special bar to push them in and release the rods a fraction of an inch, which I need to use on occasion.

I also replaced my pins with drawbar pins from the farm store that have larger handles on them giving me something to grab and pull. This made a HUGE difference in being able to pull them.

It will take some practice to figure out how to best release everything and hook it up. Keep trying different things to see what works best for your equipment.

Ken
 
First, make sure the toad is absolutely straight behind the coach. Most any angle at all will bind one side or the other. So will any grade, up or downhill, so try for a level spot. If the tow bar arms have latches to lock them in the extended position, release those before attempting to remove the pins. It can take a lot of pressure sometimes.

When the ideal cannot be found, there are some tricks to try:

1. Use a twisting motion on the pin as you pull.

2. Start the car and turn the steering left and right. This often wiggles the front end enough to relieve pressure on the pins.

3. If on a grade, start the car and out it in gear, moving it  just enough to relive pressure. Be very careful! If doing this alone, use the park brake to hold it in the right position to release the pins. If you have a helper, be extremely careful of crushing a finger or leg between toad and coach/towbar.

4. As a last resort, a rubber, wooden or soft brass mallet can sometimes be helpful.  :mad:
 
I put the emergency brake on in the toad.  Then pop the lever down on the tow bar and the pins will loosen.  Even doing this sometimes I have to wiggle the pins back and forth while pulling on them.  I also replaced my old rusty pins for new ones. 
 
In his message, bounder said that the motorhome and car were 'straight and level'. We used to experience the same issue with one side or the other binding when everything looked straight and level. I even resorted to carrying a hammer and punch to knock out the tight pin, until I read about turning the front wheels of the car. We eventually replaced the tow bar (after it got damaged) with one of Roadmaster's all-terrain models, and the problem went away.
 
Tom said:
We eventually replaced the tow bar (after it got damaged) with one of Roadmaster's all-terrain models, and the problem went away.

We originally purchased the Roadmaster All-Terrain, to eliminate this very problem, and have never had an issue unhooking (including the time I got crossways in a turn and had the toad over a curb). I can highly recommend it.
 
Thanks, I'll get the large drawbar pins and try turning the wheels to release pressure on the connection.
 
The Blue Ox Aventa series and the Roadmaster All-terrain models are the easiest to disconnect in the widest variety of situations. Both are excellent tow bars.
 
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