You should not remove incoming connections. They are ultrapeers your LW is connected to or attempting to connect to. Only reasons I would suggest removing any connection would be (a) above point about getting into UP mode which might be a little hazardous, or (b) if you suspect you are connected directly to a spam ultrapeer, in which case, remove the longest connecting one. Wait a few minutes for LW to find a replacement & wait until your connection has stabilized. Then see if search has improved. Then repeat process only if necessary, (remembering spam is a fact of life nowadays). Same principle applying to (a).

But for getting into Ultrapeer mode, if forcing is not working, then perhaps your LW is simply not behaving well enough to become one, else there are more than sufficient ultrapeers in your region already & more are not needed. You should definitely need to have sufficient free up & down bandwidth available. Firewall & connection problems will prevent UP mode.