Need help with Load and Go for 60D mower deck

Hey folks - have had my 1025r for just about a year now. Decided to get the load and go to do some maintenance on the mower. Installation was fairly straightforward, but I think there is a defect in the product - at least the one I got.
It will not set back onto the pins. It’s as if the distance between the slots for the connecting bats and the pins is too small. I have several other attachments - pallet forks, bucket, brush crusher - so I know how it works. I just can’t get these things to fit in. And if I try to push them in from the underside of the mower while it’s raised, they don’t want to come out.
Pics below. Any advice?