Is this safe?

shalomtoday wrote:
We recently got a 5th wheel and love it! Question is should there be a banging sound at every stop and take off? Very noisy! It feels like there is movement and the 5th wheel is moving back and forth slightly. Can't say I have heard this when other 5th wheels have taken off. We have a Pro Series 15K hitch. Thanks.

I have the same hitch and i get the same noise depending on how hard i hit the gas or the brakes.

Thanks for the replies. Yes we have the slider bar. We now see that this setup is going to be noiser. Should have done our home work. But the space where the king pin sits appears to be too large. Our concern there is so much banging in that area it puts a lot of shock load on the truck and trailer. Can this be safe over time on these units? Sure is great to have access to all the information seasoned rvers have learned!!!

Is your hitch a slider hitch? They seem to be a little noisier.

Check all the bolts in the brackets, rails, hitch and pinbox. Then...

If possible have someone else stand outside the vehicle and start/stop gently or until they hear the sounds you are referring.

I made these out of an old bicycle tube and put them between the bed rails and bottom of the hitch. They did help reduce some noise. You could double-up these but it may take more pressure than the 5th wheel being connected. There really isnt as much space as you may think.

Have that 'clunk' too. Always been there. Over 60,000 miles, & hundreds of hitchups later, never gotten any worse. The only trick you might try is a gentle start before pouring the power on so the jolt is not so strong.

You might also get the clunk if the trailer brakes are pulling more than the truck brakes & the kingpin moves back.

Thanks sdetweil, we noticed there is a lot of slack where the king pin goes into. The hole is too square for the pin so it seems.

shalomtoday wrote:
We recently got a 5th wheel and love it! Question is should there be a banging sound at every stop and take off? Very noisy! It feels like there is movement and the 5th wheel is moving back and forth slightly. Can't say I have heard this when other 5th wheels have taken off. We have a Pro Series 15K hitch. Thanks.

sounds like your hitch is loose in the tow vehicle.

my B&W Patriot rail based hitch was loose and made noise.
I put some small innertube patches under the hitch legs into the rails to take up the extra space. absolutely silent now.

I bought an innertube at tractor supply for $7 to cut up.