Chucking vs Banging

Elevatorman

Active Member
Yes it's my first fifth wheel, brought it home yesterday, and yes it's empty. I just don't think the loud banging noise is normal. I can best describe the noise as "someone hitting the bed of the truck with a 2x4, or the puckering of a piece of sheet metal under pressure. The Dodge duelly shifts hard on tow haul so the brake controller has been backed down a bit, almost to the point of not feeling the trailer brakes. I have also installed a teflon disk. I have a Husky 16K, hooked to a BC 3500RL.
Should I re-torque, or could it be the pins where the hitch mounts to the rails? Nothing is loose to the hand grab, so to speak.
Or.....do I just have a real loud "chuck" to my hitch? Looking for some secrets I guess!
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Elevatorman, is your hitch the type that a bar slides across the rear of the pin? If so, these type hitches are normally a bit "looser" than the type that has "claws" that grab the pin. Your brake controller should have no effect on on the shifting being hard. You should set the controller according to it's instructions. I have some noise in my hitch but it's normally only when stopping or accelerating too hard from a stop. I try and leave a stop slowly until the "play" in the hitch pin is gone then accelerate normally. On real bad roads chucking is normal and can only be reduced by special hitch pins.
 

Elevatorman

Active Member
Thanks Ray! This hitch has claws that wrap around the pin. I think I found the culprit. This hitch has a large removeable (1 1/2") pin, front to back, that the head pivots on side to side. I can grab the hitch plate at the front (forward) edge and pull up and rearwards sharply. The noise is slop in the rocking arm on that pin. I was able to duplicate it exactly. It seems that there would be a bushing in there of sorts to reduce the play. Movement is only 1/16", but on that pin that's a lot!
Looks like more pin weight is the call for less noise. I'll get the DGF to pack more clothes. .......I didn't say that did I?
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Thanks Ray! This hitch has claws that wrap around the pin. I think I found the culprit. This hitch has a large removeable (1 1/2") pin, front to back, that the head pivots on side to side. I can grab the hitch plate at the front (forward) edge and pull up and rearwards sharply. The noise is slop in the rocking arm on that pin. I was able to duplicate it exactly. It seems that there would be a bushing in there of sorts to reduce the play. Movement is only 1/16", but on that pin that's a lot!
Looks like more pin weight is the call for less noise. I'll get the DGF to pack more clothes. .......I didn't say that did I?
I understand exactly what you're referring to. I don't know if our Reese has that much play but 1/16 would certainly be enough to cause the problem. Maybe you could make a large washer to take up the slack.
More clothes? Yeah, that's the ticket.:D
 

Bob&Patty-DW

THE BOSS OF THE OUTFIT
Bottled water and bowling balls work also. You might also look into getting a aftermarket pin box. I have the Mor/Ryde pin box. Sure made alot of the chucking and noise go away. Bob or could be Patty...........you pick:D:D
 

ChopperBill

Well-known member
I have noticed lot of trucks going down the road empty and the hitch flopping around making a bunch of clanking noise. Cant help but be noisy when hook to the trailer.
 

Delaine and Lindy

Well-known member
Huskey...

I had the Huskey 16,000 lb 4 way pivot head but it also had a adjustment which helped with the banging noise. But if you get a Trailer Saver Air ride hitch you want have that problem. I your 5th wheel will Love you, the TS takes all the stress out for the 5er's frame. GBY....
 

timdebs

Well-known member
I have the same noise and chucking, we are going to a rally next weekend and am hoping some of the 5'ers will have the pin you are talking about so I can see it. DW keeps telling me something is wrong, I told her it was part of towing a 5'er. She did not like that answer.
 
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