How to Hitch and Lock a Trailer

(Hooking Up Your Trailer Doesn't Have to be Guesswork!)

Whether you're getting ready to tow your camper for the first time or you need to haul a utility trailer across town, there comes a time when every trailer-towing beginner has to ask: how do I actually hitch up a trailer to my vehicle? How do I lock it?

Such a simple question, but in reality, this isn't usually first on anyone's list of trailer-related questions. You probably know the gist of it; your trailer coupler has to line up over your hitch ball. They lock together. Boom—you're ready to tow. Right?

Well, pretty much. But as with everything, there are tips and tricks to make it easier. If, like most people, you want a little more detail before you actually have to do it, read on below for our step-by-step guide to hooking up your trailer to your hitch.

Pictured: Trailer Towing Components

How to Hitch A Trailer to Your Vehicle

1. Jack Up Your Trailer

It's best to hitch up on a flat, level surface. Make sure to give yourself plenty of room. A variety of trailer dollies are available to help you move your trailer around by hand and position it the way you want.

Jack your trailer up about 2"-3" above your hitch ball. Some trailers will have a built-in jack, but you can also purchase one separately.

2. Back Up Your Vehicle

Reverse your vehicle so that it's directly in front of your trailer, with your hitch ball and trailer coupler lined up. The goal is to have your coupler sit a few inches directly over the hitch ball.

You can get fancy and use a hitch alignment camera, stick on some handy hitch alignment rods, or go old-school and ask a helper to stand behind the vehicle and let you know when you're close. Just make sure you don't reverse too far and crush the trailer coupler with your vehicle.

Make sure your coupler latch is open and ready to accept the hitch ball. This may mean lifting the coupler latch, twisting the coupler hand wheel, or pulling back a slide collar. (For more info on the different coupler styles, check out our article here.)

If your trailer is small enough (like a teardrop camper), you can usually get away with getting the vehicle mostly there, then maneuvering the trailer by hand over the hitch ball.

3. Lower the Trailer

Once everything is alined, you can lower your trailer using the jack again.

The coupler should fit snugly over the hitch ball, and the weight of the trailer should now be supported by the hitch ball rather than the jack.

If you're having trouble getting the ball to fit into the coupler, make sure your vehicle and trailer are level and properly lined up. If you're too far off, the coupler and ball won't fit together properly.

4. Latch the Coupler

Latch/lock the coupler over the hitch ball. (If you have an auto-latch coupler, it should click into place on its own.) Feel inside the coupler to make sure the ball is fully enclosed within the coupler.

Slide your coupler pin or latch lock in place to make sure the coupler doesn't come unlocked.

5. Fully Retract Jack

Make sure your jack is completely retracted (or folded up, for foldaway models) and out of the way so it doesn't drag on the ground once you start towing.

6. Add Safety Chains and Plug in Wiring

Once you're satisfied everything is in place, add your safety chains, making sure to cross them beneath your ball mount. This is to make sure that if your trailer becomes detached from your vehicle, the crossed chains will catch the trailer tongue rather than letting it drop right to the ground.

Plug in your wiring, making sure it isn't running beneath the coupler or hitch ball. Attach your breakaway cable. Test all lights and turn signals to make sure everything is in good working order.

(Need some help setting up your wiring? Check out our articles on 4-way and 7-way wiring.)

How to Lock a Trailer Hitch

Once everything is latched in place and you know all your wiring functions are working, you're ready to tow!

However, we do want to go over one more important step that can save you HUGE headaches in the future: locking your trailer! Although your trailer is now secured to your hitch and vehicle, you can never be too careful. Chances are you'll eventually have to let your trailer out of your sight, such as in the hotel parking lot overnight. In these situations, a latch lock is the perfect replacement for your standard coupler pin. The latch lock will deter anyone from simply unhitching your trailer from your vehicle and driving away with it.

You can also use a surround lock when you're not hooked up to make sure no one can hitch up and tow away your trailer while it's sitting in your driveway or in storage. Our article on the Best Trailer Tongue Locks can help you find a surround lock that works best for your setup.

Check out our review of the best coupler locks by clicking the video above!

How to Unhook a Trailer from a Ball Hitch

To unhook a trailer from a ball hitch, complete the above "hitching up" steps in reverse. Remove any tongue locks, unlatch your coupler, and jack your trailer up off your hitch ball. Drive your vehicle forward and out from beneath the trailer coupler.

And that's it! You've officially hitched and unhitched your trailer.

Still have questions?

Give our experts a call at 800-298-8924, or contact us online. We're happy to assist any way we can!

About the Author

As a content writer for etrailer, I might spend my morning loading and unloading a bike on five different bike racks to figure out which is easiest to use. I might be in the parking lot, taking pictures of an impressive RV battery setup our techs came across in the shop and discussing the benefits of the setup with the owner. I might spend an afternoon in a manufacturer training classes for some hands-on experience with new products, and then sit down to assemble all this information into a coherent article.

At etrailer, one of our core values is that we are always learning, and I learn something new every day. I start each morning with the goal in mind of taking all of this information and figuring out the best way to answer the questions people ask us (and the ones they don’t know to ask yet), and helping people get the solutions they need to make their lives easier, safer, and more fun. I’m a DIYer at heart, so it brings me great joy to help a fellow DIYer find what they’re looking for, whether that’s a product, an answer, or a community.

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Updated on: 4/11/20

Written by: Amber S.

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