sound odd but trust me. chock your wheels. raise your tow vehicle from the center of the tow bar until you raise your rear wheels off of the ground and until you can move the bars manually (a light tap with a hammer is a good indicator as to whether you have relieved enough pressure by raising the tow vehicle). when you can swing the bars manually - swing them out and away from the trailer and if you swing them far enough toward the tow vehicle, they will simply fall out of their socket. (there is also a release tab you can pull out - but i prefer this 