twochicksandarv
USA
New Member
Joined: 04/17/2011
View Profile
 Offline
|
Hi,
We are new to the forum and we just purchased our first travel trailer (Wildwood 18BH) over the weekend. I just have one question for now. We had a hitch installed on our car, and we added SC and WD. Is it common initially for these components to be really squeaky when you are driving? The technician who did the PDI with us said the squeakiness is typical with everything being brand new and to expect it for the first couple hundred miles or so and that it will eventually go away, but I thought it’d be helpful to also to solicit feedback from some TT owners.
Thanks,
Polyandesther
2011 Wildwood 18BH Back Pack Ediition
2009 GMC Sierra 1500 5.3L V8/3.73 Extended Cab, Long Bed
|
skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
Senior Member
Joined: 12/17/2003
View Profile
|
Weight distributing systems and anti sway devices sometimes can be a little noisy. Hard to imagine what ELSE would be making noise. Perhaps new brakes might squeal but that would soon go away. Where do the noises seem to be coming from? If it's from the trailers suspension you might try some light weight machine oil on shackles (if your trailer has traditional running gear). With Rubber torsion style axles there really isn't anything to MAKE noise.
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR -
2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles)
2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
|
downtheroad
Pacific Northwest
Senior Member
Joined: 02/18/2003
View Profile
|
Are you using a little grease on the ball and where the weight distribution bars connect to the hitch head? This might help a little.
Do not grease the anti-sway components.
"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane"
GMC Duramax/Allison (LBZ)
Komfort .... Our Rig Picture>>Click.
Reese Dual Cam HP
|
Turbo Diesel Dude
Green Mountain, NC
Senior Member
Joined: 01/10/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
If you have the friction sway control, only lube the BALL ends! On the WD, a little dab will do ya. JMHO
charles weidman
|
BarneyS
S.E. Lower Michigan
Moderator
Joined: 10/16/2000
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
You should be greasing the coupler ball and the bars where they insert into the hitch head. There is a terrific amount of steel on steel pressure at these points and to avoid rapid wear they should be greased. It will also make your hitch much quieter.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch
2002 Ford F250 Super Duty, 7.3L PSD
Visit our website here
|
|
|
twochicksandarv
USA
New Member
Joined: 04/17/2011
View Profile
Offline
|
The noise is coming from the hitch & ball area so I think the grease will take care of it. This was very helpful...thanks for the feedback!
|
ShadySkins
Douglassville, PA
Senior Member
Joined: 04/01/2011
View Profile
Offline
|
From Reese:
"DO NOT GREASE THE CAM AND CAM ARMS. The Dual Cam was designed to use metal-to-metal friction. Heavy
greasing of the cam and cam arm surfaces with affect performance. If noise is offensive, a very light coating of
lubricant, such as Vaseline, may be used. Tongue weights over 1,200 lbs. may require a light coating of grease to
reduce friction and prevent excessive wear."
2011 KZ 321BHS
Pulled by a 2007 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 5.7
Connected with a Reese Dual Cam
Stopped by a Tekonsha P3
|
aftermath
Washington State
Senior Member
Joined: 09/18/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
What kind of hitch do you have? Lubing an Equalizer is different from the Reese.
2008 Toyota Tundra, Double Cab, 5.7L V8
2006 Airstream 25 FB SE
Equalizer Hitch
Prodigy Controler
|
AJR
Close to Madison Wisconsin
Senior Member
Joined: 07/28/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Driving straight down the road with a greased hitch ball and greased WD torsion bar sockets there really should be no noise from the hitch. Now with a friction sway bar you will get noise turning at low speeds and that is good. Just remember to back off the sway bar brake when entering campgrounds so you do not get funny looks as you turn, been there, done that. 
2002 Damon Challenger 348
W22 8.1 Vortec
2010 Escape toad
|
BarneyS
S.E. Lower Michigan
Moderator
Joined: 10/16/2000
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
ShadySkins wrote:From Reese:
"DO NOT GREASE THE CAM AND CAM ARMS. The Dual Cam was designed to use metal-to-metal friction. Heavy
greasing of the cam and cam arm surfaces with affect performance. If noise is offensive, a very light coating of
lubricant, such as Vaseline, may be used. Tongue weights over 1,200 lbs. may require a light coating of grease to
reduce friction and prevent excessive wear."
That warning is for the Dual Cam anti sway system and not for the hitch itself. However, the OP said nothing about having a Dual Cam system, and from their post it sounds to me like they have a standard WD hitch and a simple friction anti sway bar.
If you read the installation instructions that come with just about every standard WD hitch, including Reese, you will see that they emphasize greasing the ball and the bars where they attach to the hitch head. They recommend grease on the round type bars and oil on the trunnion points for the trunnion style bar.
Barney
|
|
|
