If it's so hard to pull that the tab tears off, then something's definitely amiss.
One thing many photographers (including me) get wrong the first time they load these backs is that they try to pull the black tab through the rollers. It seems like the obvious thing to do, but instead you need to just let it go over the edge of the back. In other words, when you're closing the back it looks like you're trapping the tab between its halves. It looks strange, but that's how it works.
I don't know if that's the problem in your case, but I thought it's worth pointing out.