Suspension popping and creaking in sharp turns

[David-and-Cheryl]

When we make a tight turn with our rig, the suspension makes loud popping and creaking noises. It sounds terrible, but I assume it's just from the side forces on the dual axles. Is this normal, or something I should be concerned about?

 

[farside291]

I hit my leafs with a blast of dry lube before we take off. Stops the creaking and popping. It sure gets the attention of the neighbors when you go around a corner in front of their spot.

 

[David-and-Cheryl]

OK, thanks. I figured it was normal, but like farside291 said, it sure gets your attention!

 

[TravelTiger]

We have the same issue with a rig 41' long, it seems it pops and creaks and squeaks a lot more than our 37' previous rig. Due to trees and one tight turn to get out of our RV park, I walk behind the rig as he tows it out to watch for "danger". It sure does sound "old" for such a new rig.


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[Bones]

Mine does the same thing. The tires spin independently on the axle. no need for any type of differential.

 

[farside291]

My old Reese 15.5K fifth wheel hitch used to pop and creak as well. That used to concern me. Put in the Reese Titan with the urethane bushings and the creaking of the hitch went away.

 

[justafordguy]

Correct, the noise is coming from the springs and shackles.

 

[danemayer]

You'll want to keep an eye on the shackle links as the OEM parts are light weight and can wear out and break. Also, the bushings where the spring eye bolts hold the springs to the hangars are prone to wear out and are not readily lubricated. The noises could be an early warning of things that need attention.

 

[rhodies1]

When we make a tight turn with our rig, the suspension makes loud popping and creaking noises. It sounds terrible, but I assume it's just from the side forces on the dual axles. Is this normal, or something I should be concerned about?

This could also be a sign of worn bushings especially if they are nylon, if the bushings are worn and the bolts are setting against the spring knuckle you will get a this noise. The bolts are smaller than the opening and when you have steel on steel you will get this noise when you turn because you now have play in the spring hangers. How old is your unit.

 

[TravisG]

I'm not sure how old his is, but I brought mine home last Friday brand new and it creaked like crazy when turning. I thought that maybe it was the weight distribution hitch but I will take a look at these things.

 

[Nbomar]

Mine has always creaked and popped when turning tight. It's a triple axle though so those axles look like they are going to pop out on tight turns.


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[David-and-Cheryl]

This could also be a sign of worn bushings especially if they are nylon, if the bushings are worn and the bolts are setting against the spring knuckle you will get a this noise. The bolts are smaller than the opening and when you have steel on steel you will get this noise when you turn because you now have play in the spring hangers. How old is your unit.

It's a 2013 model year, manufactured in late 2012. We bought it used in mid-2015 and have put only about 4,000 miles on it. It didn't look very heavily used when we bought it.

Are the bushings and shackle links things that I can easily inspect visually? If so, what exactly am I looking for?

 

[danemayer]

Shackle links develop elongated holes before they fail.

 

[TravelTiger]

Here's a before/after of our shackles and suspension on our 2010 ElkRidge. This TrailAir was actually an upgrade we added in 2011.



The repairs were done ourselves in Oct. 2014. In Aug 2014 on a trip, we had a shackle break, so we knew we needed to change them all.

Note the bolts in the before pic do not look centered, compared to the after pic.

Here's a comparison of the old vs new shackle:



Oh and BTW, the ElkRidge does not come with shocks. And no, we were not overloaded. Probably about 8-10K miles a year.

 

[rhodies1]

It's a 2013 model year, manufactured in late 2012. We bought it used in mid-2015 and have put only about 4,000 miles on it. It didn't look very heavily used when we bought it.

Are the bushings and shackle links things that I can easily inspect visually? If so, what exactly am I looking for?

As shown in the pics by another owner,the shackles will be elongated, the bolts in the spring will not be centred if the bushings are gone,you should be able to look st the spring ends and determine if the bushings are worn out,the bolt will not be centred in the spring. If your unit has a lot of use, they could be getting worn,if you have mechanical ability ,you can change them out,it's not as difficult as it looks.
Good luvk.

 

[Bones]

it looks like a good way to tell is if your bolt heads have moved to the outer edge of the shackle.

 

[TravelTiger]

As shown in the pics by another owner,the shackles will be elongated, the bolts in the spring will not be centred if the bushings are gone,you should be able to look st the spring ends and determine if the bushings are worn out,the bolt will not be centred in the spring. If your unit has a lot of use, they could be getting worn,if you have mechanical ability ,you can change them out,it's not as difficult as it looks.
Good luvk.

Although it's not as difficult as it looks, it takes a lot of muscle and lying on the ground on your back. The first side took us all day, the second side took half a day, since then we knew what we were doing and what to expect.


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[David-and-Cheryl]

Thanks Tony, those photos were incredibly helpful. Before seeing them, I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for.

I'll check out our shackles and bushings tomorrow. Hopefully they're not in immediate need of repair, but if they are I'll get them fixed.

Our trailer tires will age out next spring, and we're going to Alaska in the summer, so we'll be logging a lot of miles. Since I have to replace the tires anyway, I'm thinking about upgrading all the running gear to larger wheels, H-rated tires, and MOR/ryde independent suspension, all for better safety, higher CCC and a smoother ride. I'll keep my fingers crossed that all the existing components last until then!

 

[TravelTiger]

Thanks Tony, those photos were incredibly helpful. Before seeing them, I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for.

I'll check out our shackles and bushings tomorrow. Hopefully they're not in immediate need of repair, but if they are I'll get them fixed.

Our trailer tires will age out next spring, and we're going to Alaska in the summer, so we'll be logging a lot of miles. Since I have to replace the tires anyway, I'm thinking about upgrading all the running gear to larger wheels, H-rated tires, and MOR/ryde independent suspension, all for better safety, higher CCC and a smoother ride. I'll keep my fingers crossed that all the existing components last until then!

Glad to help!

Erika

P.S., Tony is MrTravelTiger!


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[David-and-Cheryl]

P.S., Tony is MrTravelTiger!

Ah! Sorry, no sexism intended--I just saw Tony in one of the photos and assumed he was also writing the post. But you know what happens when you assume...