Noise from pin box area while towing?

[kingdaddy]

Just noticed a noise coming from the pin box area while towing today that I've never heard before! Kind of a creaking, groaning type sound when going over even slightly rough sections of roads. Could really hear it when I opened the sliding rear window...
Also noticed it somewhat while braking too...
We hit some very rough sections of I-5 in California heading north and I'm concerned that the "wings" that attach the frame to the pinbox may have suffered some damage (cracked)?
Nothing visible, and while watching the pinbox for movement in the rearview mirror while driving, I didn't really see anything moving around.
I have a Reese Goosebox so it has "suspension" (airbag and twin shocks) so there should be a little movement in the section where the Goosebox attaches to the hitch ball and the upper part that attaches to the frame "wings".
The only thing I thought I might have seen is a very small bit of movement between the front edge of the trailer body right above the pinbox when going over bumps.
I know I'm probably not describing this very well...but what I want to do now that we're settled at an RV park for a few days is to open up the "cover" under the front overhang and take a look at the frame where the pinbox attaches to see if I see any cracks or damage.
Anyone done this before? And any advice on how to go about it?
Thanks!!

[rohrmann]

Some years ago we had a broken frame in front of the drivers side propane compartment. We arrived at the Lake Siskiyou RV Park near Mt Shasta and there was strange noise as I was setting up. That’s when I found the damage. I ended up having a mobile RV repair guy come out, who was also a welder, and he was able to make the repair. Before putting the Filon back up under the front, he inspected the frame where the pin box attaches, and found numerous cracks in the welds, which he was able to weld up. Sounds like you may have some frame damage.

[phillyg]

It sounds like you have some possible frame damage that will require removal of some Filon skin to properly assess.

[kingdaddy]

I was thinking along those lines, thanks for the feedback. I'm very thankful I made it safely to the RV park where I am currently in Oregon!
I was already planning on being here for 5-6 days anyway, so now I will be looking for a mobile RV repair.
I may try to remove the "skin" under the nose to take a look at the pinbox mounting area...
There's NO way I am going to tow this anywhere (other than a nearby RV repair) with the sounds I was hearing!
Looks like the Filon (I was wondering what that was called) "skin" just has some screws under the nose and also the vinyl trim around the perimeter holding it in place. If I can remove that, I should be able to see up into the pinbox/fame attachment point and the frame, correct?
Of course, I can't repair it myself anyway but would be nice to know what was going on... Hoping the RV park will allow a mobile RV guy to come in and at least take a look, even if I have to take it somewhere for the repair.

[phillyg]

There should be screws in the metal corner channels that are visible after you pull off the vinyl insert. You may as well pull it off so your mobile repair person has less work to do. Use a strong light to find cracks in the framing around the pinbox mount, and look along every frame member, particularly the joints. I recall, but haven't verified, that Lippert (who probably made the frame), provides a country-wide welding service for this particular problem. Lastly, I'd tell the CG you're having someone come in to look at a potential major breakdown; I doubt they will balk.

[kingdaddy]

Looked inside the front storage, battery area, both propane compartments, basement and as much as I can see around the pinbox and frame mount "wings".
No signs of any cracking anywhere, the trim and silicone sealant around the trim and joints shows no signs of movement that I can see...
I'm thinking of hooking the trailer up to the truck, putting the weight on the pinbox and getting some before and after measurements and just "eyeball it" to see if it looks like there is any flex or movement.
Also got permission from the camp host and a name of their favorite mobile repair guy... stay tuned for further developments!

[rohrmann]

These are photos of when we had the repairs made. The first three are around the pin box area. He had already ground the areas needing welding at the pin box. We used our grill behind the Filon to support it so it didn't break from being folded down too far. The last photo was inside the driver's side propane compartment. Circled is where that heavy tube had completely broken in two. Where the arrow is was the only weld on that gusset and the tube, and it had failed. He was able to weld that on the bottom, front and back, but not the top due to the bedroom floor above it. He also welded front and rear at the big gusset and added those two small gussets. Haven't had any issues since and that was since 2016.

[kingdaddy]

So you had to remove the vinyl trim and the metal trim to allow the Filon to drop down. On mine there are a number of screws into the bottom of the overhang (bedroom floor) that also support the Filon material.
I have stuff to do while I'm here in Oregon or I would start removing this material myself so I can see up into the frame area where the pinbox support wings mount.
Really curious if that is the problem because the creaking and groaning noises were pretty significant! It wasn't just an occasional squeak or something!
Hoping the RV repair guy can come by tomorrow...

[RMcNeal]

Ours came with the TrailAir Rota-Flex pin box. I started noticing a popping noise when stopping and starting some time ago. Scared the bejesus out of me when it happened the first time. As it turned out, rust has started behind the pivot point on the sides where it is bolted together. A little silicone spray and the noise stopped.
The pivot point is in this picture where the circular sticker show "Rotaflex" with arrows pointing around the bolt on each side.
https://www.campingworld.com/trailai...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Since then, I spray it occasionally just to keep it from happening again and I made sure and re-torque the bolts all the way around. I can't remember now where I found the torque specs for the pin box. Maybe on Lippert's site?

[Baldicon]

kingdaddy, please keep us updated on what you find, and good luck!

[laverdur]

Damaged welds are the worst case scenario. I get creaking from my hitch when it needs to be lubricated. White lithium grease applied to the surfaces where the skid plate rests on the hitch arch is all it takes to make it stop creaking.

[Coronabob]

I am kind of with laverdur . I have the goosebox too. Is your ball lubricated? Is the goosebox inflated to correct pressure. If it is dry it will make noise.

[kingdaddy]

So I had a mobile RV guy that the place we're staying in (Twin Rivers RV Park in Roseburg, OR) recommended very highly.
We worked together on diagnosing the sound and looking for problems with the frame. No, we didn't take down the front overhang cover (Filon?) and check up inside.
We decided that it would be helpful to put the weight of the trailer on the truck and look for any movement or deflection as we transferred the weight from the landing gear to the pinbox.
No movement whatsoever, our before and after measurements were well within specs.
Next, he asked me to slowly move the truck forward as he stood next to the bed/pinbox area to listen and watch. As he heard the creaking sound- even with that small movement forward and backward-he was pretty sure he could identify the Goosebox itself as the noise source!

There is a large through pin at the front that the two pieces of the Goosebox pivot on, and it was as dry as a bone (from the small amount we could see).
There isn't really any way to lube it without taking it apart, BUT we were able to spray some good lubricant on the outside of where the pin bolts on each side of the "nose" of the Goosebox, and let it work it's way into the pivot joint and pin. Sprayed all around the two large flat washers and bolts VERY thoroughly!

Tried moving the truck and it seemed to do the trick...BUT I was still a bit skeptical that the noise was all coming from that area! Just seemed like something more serious.
I'm usually pretty good at identifying the source and type of noises, but I admit this time I was fooled!

I also sprayed some silicone lube into the ball shaft hole on the B&W hitch and on the ball shaft itself. Also on the ball locking pin.
So this morning I buttoned up the Monty and took it for a spin around the block.

Voila! NO NOISE AT ALL!! Problem solved!

A couple of "takeaways"... Remember the troubleshooting rule #1: ALWAYS start with the simple, most obvious things first. Then move on to the more obscure and/or serious potential causes.
I know this rule VERY well, but in this case I was willing to jump to conclusions. Fortunately, I didn't go too far...and I give two thumbs up and full props to Frank, the mobile RV guy for identifying the noise source!

Second, for anyone with a Goosebox...LUBRICATE THE PIVOT PIN AT THE FRONT!! Just spray the heck out of it from the outside with WD-40 or whatever kind of spray lube you prefer!
And YES, I do lube the ball with some very good grease every time I hook up.
SO THANKFUL that the solution was a simple one, and I'm happy to pass along the info in the hopes that it helps someone else.
Lubricate all pivot points and just about anything else that moves!

[kingdaddy]

Originally Posted by Coronabob

I am kind of with laverdur . I have the goosebox too. Is your ball lubricated? Is the goosebox inflated to correct pressure. If it is dry it will make noise.

To answer your questions...yes, and yes. The one area I did NOT lube (see above post) was the pivot pin at the nose of the Goosebox. Never occurred to me to do that, but that was the source of the noise (and it was quite a bit of noise!).

[RMcNeal]

That pivot pin on the goose box sounds very much like the pivot point on my Rotaflex I mentioned above. If you have trouble getting lubricant in there, try Seafoam Deep Creep. Like WD-40, it's not really a lubricant but it is a penetrant and does a better job of getting in there compared to a water displacer.
Glad it wasn't more serious!

[mhs4771]

Sounds like a grease zerk is needed.

[Montana Man]

Thx for the update, good to know stuff. I have seen many times where a mobile rv repair guy gets the job done. Much preferred over a dealer.