Fifth wheel won't release
Can I keep driving?
Set the trailer brakes, ease the tractor back against the kingpin to unload the jaws, and try the handle again. If it still will not release, do not force it; use the location box below to get ETAs from shops that come to you.
Do this first
- Unload the jaws. Trailer brakes set, tractor in reverse, ease back until you feel the kingpin seat against the lock, hold the service brake, and pull the release handle. On many plates the handle pulls out and then rotates or hooks to hold open; make sure it is fully out and latched, not just moved. Then ease forward with the trailer brakes still set.
- Check the landing gear and the ground. If the landing gear is not down and bearing weight, the trailer is still sitting on the plate and the pin is loaded even with the tractor neutral. Crank the gear down until it takes the weight. If the ground is soft or sloped, the trailer may be leaning on the pin from the side; level it if you can.
- Look at the plate and the handle. A secondary lock still engaged, a release handle bent from an earlier hard hookup, a jaw packed with ice or debris, or a plate that is so dry it cannot move all look like a stuck release. Do not strike the handle with a hammer; bent handles are how simple sticks become real repairs.
What it usually costs and how long it takes
Most stuck fifth wheels cost nothing once the pin is unloaded. When they do cost something:
- Free, grease and adjust. A mobile tech with a pry bar, a cleaning tool and grease. Quick.
- Release handle, spring or secondary lock. Small parts, roadside.
- Lock or jaw rebuild kit. A shop job; the plate may need to come off the tractor.
- Plate replacement. The expensive end, usually only after a plate has been damaged in a hard hookup or run dry for a long time.
- Kingpin damage on the trailer. The trailer's problem, and a trailer shop's job. A worn or bent pin will stick on every tractor.
The time is mostly the tech's drive; the fix is usually under an hour once they are there.
Where to get it fixed
Cities with the most shops listing trailer and fifth-wheel work, mobile-capable first:
Frequently Asked Questions
I pulled the handle and it came out, but the trailer is still locked on.
The handle moving is not the same as the jaws opening. If the pin is loaded, the lock stays shut even with the handle out. Unload the pin by backing against it, then pull the handle again and watch for the jaws to open. On some plates the handle must be rotated or hooked to hold the open position.
Could it be the trailer, not my tractor?
Yes. A bent, mushroomed or badly worn kingpin sticks on every tractor it meets. If your plate releases fine on other trailers and this one sticks on other tractors, it is the pin, and the trailer needs a trailer shop.
The plate is dry. Does that matter?
A dry plate increases the force needed to move everything in it. It also makes hard hookups more likely, which bends handles and damages locks. Grease is the cheapest fifth-wheel part you will ever buy.
Can I just drop the trailer with the landing gear and drive out from under it?
No. Driving out from under a trailer whose jaws have not opened damages the plate, the pin, and often the trailer's upper coupler. If the jaws will not open, nothing moves until a tech says so.
It released, but the handle will not go back in.
The lock did not reset. Do not hook up to another trailer until it does; a plate that did not reset will not lock the next pin. Have it looked at before the next hookup.
Why does the shop ask for the plate brand and model?
Fifth-wheel locks, release handles and rebuild kits are specific to the plate make and model, and the number is stamped on the plate. A photo of the stamp saves a return trip.
- I pulled the handle and it came out, but the trailer is still locked on.
- The handle moving is not the same as the jaws opening. If the pin is loaded, the lock stays shut even with the handle out. Unload the pin by backing against it, then pull the handle again and watch for the jaws to open. On some plates the handle must be rotated or hooked to hold the open position.
- Could it be the trailer, not my tractor?
- Yes. A bent, mushroomed or badly worn kingpin sticks on every tractor it meets. If your plate releases fine on other trailers and this one sticks on other tractors, it is the pin, and the trailer needs a trailer shop.
- The plate is dry. Does that matter?
- A dry plate increases the force needed to move everything in it. It also makes hard hookups more likely, which bends handles and damages locks. Grease is the cheapest fifth-wheel part you will ever buy.
- Can I just drop the trailer with the landing gear and drive out from under it?
- No. Driving out from under a trailer whose jaws have not opened damages the plate, the pin, and often the trailer's upper coupler. If the jaws will not open, nothing moves until a tech says so.
- It released, but the handle will not go back in.
- The lock did not reset. Do not hook up to another trailer until it does; a plate that did not reset will not lock the next pin. Have it looked at before the next hookup.
- Why does the shop ask for the plate brand and model?
- Fifth-wheel locks, release handles and rebuild kits are specific to the plate make and model, and the number is stamped on the plate. A photo of the stamp saves a return trip.
This page is general guidance for professional drivers and is not a diagnosis of your equipment. Never put any part of your body between the tractor and the trailer while either is in gear or while anyone is in the cab. Shop listings are provided by Trucker Path users and the businesses themselves; availability and pricing are confirmed by the shop, not by Trucker Path.