WDH noise

[fishguy_40]

Hello! I've been researching WDH w/ sway control and have seen a few mentions of them being noisy. I was curious, is the noise all the time? Only when backing?

Please provide more info on what brands are noisy and when the noise occurs.

Thanks

[Dave_Mck]

I have a Reese that will make god awful metal on metal screeching sounds, popping sounds and loud crashing sounds. I take a can of WD-40 and spray where the bars go into the hitch, the end of the bars where they may contact the frame, the chains up and down and chain hooks on the snap up brackets, and pretty much every place where metal meets metal and the sounds instantly stop. I have to do it maybe two or three times a year.

[humblerb]

Curious what hitch the OP has??
We use the trunion with sway control bars (2).
All were noisy when new. After a little wear, not as noisy.
I did twist a chain once and knew it immediately as we left the park.
Straightened it out and everything was fine.

[Passin_Thru]

Yes use some grease on the WD bar pivot points and the ball. on heavy tongue weight applications it is OK to use a very light coating of silicon on the cams. this is per Reese`s web site!
With mine our 30 ft doesn't move when Trucks pass.

[Hannibal]

DutchmenSport wrote:
I've got an Equal-i-zer and I "suppose" it makes some noise. I bought the plastic pad that fits on the L-bracket where the bars slide. Truth be told, I've never heard any noise. I think that's because my diesel engine drowns any noise it makes clear out!:S

Could you tell any difference towing with the pads installed as far as sway? Just my humble opinion but the Dmax is the best sounding diesel of the three. Like a turbocharged big block with solid lifters. The exhaust note is sweet!

[Hannibal]

We just spent the better part of a week in a campground. One of my interests as people come and go are what hitch they use. My Reese HP trunion style and my two cousins' straight bar non WDH's for their 24 and 26' travel trailers were the only hitches other than Equalizer. Watching them back in didn't produce any more noise than my brakes clapping and springs groaning on my swayless rig. Even on the interstate it's almost exclusively Equalizer as we pass and others pass us. For your trailer, I would want a WDH only if tongue weight exceeds your receiver's rated capacity. That's the only reason I have mine. My Reese has cams integrated into the spring bars incase I decide to add the sway control arms later. So far at a year of use, I have no desire to add them. It tows straight and stable. Snapping the chains up on the Reese is probably the easiest part of packing up to go. Snapping the bars up on the Equalizer appears to be just as easy. A little light oil on the friction points of the Equalizer or Reese dual cam will quiet them down. I use a drop of mobil-1 on my ball, trunnion sockets, chain and chain brackets. Just my what works for me $.02.

[aftermath]

I have an Equalizer and have used this hitch on two trailers. It is easy to hook up and easy to unhook. The hitch head is heavy and you do have to lubricate it so it can get a bit dirty to handle.

Mine did make noise early but after having checked with the factory, once you put a little lubrication on the head and the L brackets, this noise all but goes away. On my current set up it is lightly dialed in and makes almost no noise. My set up is level and I have yet to experience any sway in close to 40K miles on my current trailer.

Way back when I purchased my first Equalizer I was pointed in this direction because I did not want to have to disconnect before backing and I didn't like the idea of snapping the chains in place. Today's hitches are much better and these two issues are no longer big concerns.

Don't avoid the Equalizer because of the sound. I understand that others make as much or more noise as an Equalizer. There are a lot of good hitches out there today. Good luck finding one that works for you.

[coolmom42]

downtheroad wrote:
Noise is the topic here so I will comment on that only.
We had an Equal-i-zer brand hitch on a previous trailer. The hitch worked as advertised....but it was NOISY. Wife hated it....Squealed, popped and even screamed during back up and even when turning.

Now have a Blue Ox SwayPro. Absolutely silent, very easy to set up and dial in, no exposed grease (has two zerk fittings), excellent sway control.

All Equalizer hitches will make noise until they get a little wear on them; and even then, occasionally. It is slightly annoying, but worth ignoring if you find a good deal.

That said, I would not buy another one, simply because there are easier hitches to set up, as above comments state. Also the Equalizer head is pretty heavy and large.

[camp-n-family]

The noise means it's working. I never found my Equil-i-zer to be annoyingly noisy. Just the right amount to give comfort that it was doing its job. My current Hensley, although expensive, makes no noise. I don't find it any more difficult to hitch either.

[gmw_photos]

Another user here of the BlueOx swaypro. Quiet and "clean". Almost 50K miles of towing with it, two different trailers, works as it's supposed to.

[DutchmenSport]

I've got an Equal-i-zer and I "suppose" it makes some noise. I bought the plastic pad that fits on the L-bracket where the bars slide. Truth be told, I've never heard any noise. I think that's because my diesel engine drowns any noise it makes clear out!:S

[fishguy_40]

Wow, those Hensley's are spendy. Thanks for the replies.

Anyone using the Reese steadi-flex system?

A little background on my TV and TT...

TV - 2013 GMC 2500HD crew cab/short bed
TT - 2015 Jayco Jayflight 26BH (approximately 4500lbs unloaded)

I towed it home about 130 miles driving in about 15mph headwind and noticed very little sway to begin with. The trailer was riding nose down and I could flip my hitch to get the ball about 4-5" higher which would probably level the trailer. My front wheel wells barely changed height at all.

I'm curious if I have a level setup by just flipping the hitch do I even need a WDH setup?

[downtheroad]

Noise is the topic here so I will comment on that only.
We had an Equal-i-zer brand hitch on a previous trailer. The hitch worked as advertised....but it was NOISY. Wife hated it....Squealed, popped and even screamed during back up and even when turning.

Now have a Blue Ox SwayPro. Absolutely silent, very easy to set up and dial in, no exposed grease (has two zerk fittings), excellent sway control.

[samsontdog]

I have the 4 point Equalizer and very happy with it. It makes a little noise at slow speeds but it works well. I have the Hensley and I did not like the problem hooking it up. I still have it in my shop but haven't used it in 8 or 10
yrs. I have used many different kinds of WDH hitches over the last 55 yrs of towing and I like the 4 point Equalizer the best

[jmtandem]

Hello! I've been researching WDH w/ sway control and have seen a few mentions of them being noisy. I was curious, is the noise all the time? Only when backing?

Please provide more info on what brands are noisy and when the noise occurs.

Thanks

Not all hitches are noisy. Check into the Hensley or ProPride. Both quiet. On the other hand, perhaps the most annoying for noise is the Equalizer. It pops, crackles, creaks, groans, and alerts everybody within ten campsites from yours that you are moving the trailer.