holland fifth wheel help, Release handle wont lock

Your fifth wheel is toast, it needs to be rebuilt.

 

do you know what model holand you have? there are a few different setups. but most likley needs a rebiuld. im most familair with the fw 35 it has a little spring loaded dillybob that holds it in the unlock position could just be stuck.




the dillybob i refereed to earlier is the J shaped part just to the right of the cam plate in this picture.

 

i dunno what i was thinking when i posted that. the J shaped part is a secondary lock to keep the pins locked. not to hold the 5th wheel unlocked. the notch in the cam plate and if you look at the little ears on the lock jaws. keeps the 5th wheel unlocked. maybe i was mixing up problems in my head. but when you pull the release handle it pulls the yoke tips back past the ears on the lock jaw. and alows the lock jaw to open. then when you back into a traler the yoke tips slip off the ears on the lock jaws and the spring tension shoves the yoke tips down witch are tapered like a wedge. the piece i mentioned before can cause you issues unlocking the 5th wheel. grab a couple cans of break clean and clean up a bit under there look for anything that looks out of place try lubing it up and see if the problem continues.

sometimes when it gets cold and old already kind hard grease gets harder can cause you some issues with your 5th wheel as well.

 

If it is a Holland, and there is no adjustment bolt sticking out of the front, that means it is a light duty 17W series. My advice - get rid of it! We have had a couple trailers dumped because it is difficult to get this model to lock securely when it gets some age on it. A new 35W series will fit right on there and the locking mechanism is way better.