Cracking and popping

[Freebirdusa]

Im not sure witch brand I have. I can go check if it helps. But it is very annoying to me and my wife when we are going slow turning into gas stations, campgrounds etc. The leveler bars and anti sway bar makes too much racket. A few times I have had guys come up to me and ask if thats normal for it to make the noise it does. We normally take short 50 to 75 mile trips one way because there are alot of campgrounds on the lake close by. I have just quit using the levelers and sway bar. no popping at all that way. I have driven an 18 wheeler for 28 years so I feel like I know to keep it pulling to stay under control. We are going on a 1200 mile round trip so I will be using the levelers and sway bar. I have a one year old F-250 6.7 diesel truck that pulls my 26 ft keystone sprinter very well. The truck only drops down maybe 2 inches with the trailer attatched to the truck. It sits level.
My question is....are there brands of leveler bars that dont make racket like mine do?

[Javi]

Depending on the type of WD hitch it is the cracking and popping is most likely normal. Many folks don’t mind the noise and run the friction points between the round bars and the hitch ball mount dry as it helps them keep clean and some think it helps with sway control.

I apply a little high temp grease to the zerk fittings and the ball which quiets them nicely… but I grew up working in machine shops and don’t mind the smell and a little grease under my nails…

[therink]

I had a Reese dual cam weight distribution hitch in my last TT and had the same problem. To solve it, I lightly greased the points where the spring bars connect to the hitch receiver head. For me, that eliminated most of the popping sounds.
Steve

[lorax614]

We have a EZ Lift WD and sway control on our TT and find the creaking and groaning at low speed anoying. When not towing at highway speeds we usually back the sway control way off, a tip i picked up from a fellow camper when I asked why his identical setup didn't sound like it was destroying itself. A little lub on the ball and WD helps, but NEVER ON THE SWAY CONTROL BAR.

[Freebirdusa]

Thanks Guys. I guess I could use the method I learned with my first clunker car at 16 yrs old. Just blast the radio wide open to avoid hearing parts breaking lol

[SteveC7010]

Originally Posted by Freebirdusa

I have just quit using the levelers and sway bar. no popping at all that way.?

Really? No sway control and no weight distribution on a 9,400# GVWR travel trailer? That's a recipe for disaster whether you travel 75 miles or 7,500 miles. TT's are not 18 wheelers. They don't behave the same. They don't drive the same.

As several others have suggested grease up the noisy spots of the WD and use it and the sway control each and every time you tow. The safety of you, your family, and the rest of us who share the road with you depends on it. As has been pointed out before, if you ever get in an accident without the WD and sway control, it's pretty much a certain thing that you'll lose the lawsuit that follows.

[Freebirdusa]

Great point Steve. Thanks

[campingcpl]

We use the Equal-i-zer brand hitch with our trailer and they are notorious for making lots of noise at slower speeds because of the way the sway control works on this type of hitch. It's just something you get used to.

[rrohrer]

mine pops and makes all kins of noise too. sounds like everyone else at the campground does the same so i didn't get too worried.

[jbsmith]

There are a couple of other threads regarding noise from various WD hitches. Equalizer makes a set of plastic pads designed to quiet the noise. It will slightly reduce sway control, but I never noticed a significant difference pulling a 24' trailer with a short wheelbase SUV. The pads were MUCH cleaner than grease. Some have even suggested using dish washing detergent as a lubricant on the bars.

[Clanton24v]

The Andersen W/D hitch doesn't pop or creak

[jbsmith]

The Andersen operates on a different concept, relying on chains instead of the steel trunion bars of the EQ hitch design.

I've gotten used to all kinds of strange noises while trailering...it's the new, unexpected noises you gotta worry about!!!

[fla-gypsy]

Not using sway control and WD is not a good idea. Address the source of the noise but use the equipment, safety is not just a buzz word, it matters.

[ls1mike]

I have the Equalizer E2. It is noisy in the campsite, but on the road with the windows up I don't hear it at all. I just put oil where the manual says to. The pivot points on the hitch for the sway control/load leveling bars.

[Freebirdusa]

I have the EAZ Lift Elite withe the chains on it and a Reese friction sway bar