You've got to rotate those connectors 90 degrees around the pin. I.e. the connector should be coming off the tiller arm perpendicularly rather than straight off the end. The plastic insert will probably need to be removed in order to do that (I didn't think they could be removed, which is why I recommended that you buy new connectors).

It is also possible to install the connectors upside down. The pin that connects to the cross bar must be vertical throughout the whole range of motion. If you install them upside down, they won't be.

I rather doubt that your current setup is how it was delivered from the factory.