Suggestions how to stop Chucking

[Hiller]

The discussion about airbags has led me to bring up another question. This one about chucking. I have towed a lot of travel trailers but am new to the world of 5th wheels
I am getting quite a bit of noise from the 5th Wheel to trailer pin connection when I come to a stop or when on a rough road. A condition I understand is called “chucking”. I have a standard Reese 5th wheel hitch, a solid pin box and as you can see below a fairly stock 2009 GMC 2500. Any suggestions from the long time 5th wheel owners ?

[awaywego]

Do you use the nylon lube plate? I have never experienced the chucking in either fifth wheel I have had but I use the lube plate

[BB_TX]

Chucking is actually the jerky push-pull motion you can sometimes get while towing along the highway. A noise like you describe is more likely something loose or some play in the hitch.
It could be play in the side to side cradle allowing it to slide back and forth slightly each time you start and stop. Or it could be loose bolts where the rails are bolted to the floor. Or loose pins holding the hitch to the rails if you have those.
With the trailer unhitched, get in the bed and try to move the hitch in all directions. You should be able to tell if there is play somewhere allowing movement and the associated noise.

[DQDick]

If what Bill said doesn't do it you can change the pin box. Many of our rigs came with the Mor/Ryd pin box which will eliminate a lot of that. Others use an air ride pin box and they eliminate even more. It all depends on what you want to pay. The next chucking noise could be your empty wallet hitting the floor.

[Ozz]

This works super, it has rubber to flex back and forth to absorb that start-stop chucking. You need to get the right one for the weight of your 5er.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MorRyde-Fifth-Wheel-Pin-Box-Any-MorRyde-Model-Fast-Free-Shipping-/400288624743

Good luck!

[HOOK]

Moryde pin box does not come standard on the Mountaineer. It is well worth the money. Also if your fifth wheel has a straight bar behind the pin, and not jaws that fit the pin more precisely, it will be more noisey.

[Rainer]

I'll chime in with a recommendation of the MorRyde pin box.

After our 500 mile trip home from the dealer and then the 1000 mile shakedown cruise, it became evident to me that I didn't like the chucking. So I opted to replace the existing pin box with the "MorRyde 5th wheel Pin Box Type:*Lippert 1716 Long Style." I can tell you after our 9000 mile trip once around the U.S. this summer, it was a worthy investment. Made all the difference in the world!

[dieselguy]

Like said ... technically ... chucking is the fore and aft jerking movement you feel in your truck while pulling your fiver down some roads. A clunking upon starting and stopping is something different. I've ran the standard Reese hitches for several years until I went with my current Curt hitch. If you have the Reese style that simply has a bar behind the pin, it will always be a bit noisey as it doesn't fit as tight and all the way around the hitch pin like the newer "clam shell" hitches. Reese does make the clam shell types as well. If you have one of the entry level Reese 15000# hitches that has a side to side pivoting head ... the pivot pin could be worn. I went thru two of them as there is no bushing for the pivot pin on the head and there is no real way of lubing the side to side pivot pin other than squirting lubriplate or something similar down into the pivot area. If you have one of these hitches, simply get in your pickup bed and pull up and push down on the pivoting head ... you will immediately notice the movement "IF" the pin is worn.

[Irlpguy]

I have the Mor/Ryde pin box on my 3402RL and do recommend it, there are other pin boxes that are not rigid that make the ride smoother for the RV as well as the TV.
I had clunking when stopping and starting, that clunking will not be coming from the pin box unless the bolts are loose. As has been mentioned about the different hitch jaws on different models, that can be the cause of some noise.
I have a Reese 20K which is only a couple of years old. It has the locking jaw, not the bar and there did not appear to be any play there and no wear. It took a while to figure out where mine was coming from, with the dealer operating my unit and me in the back to determine what was happening.

When stopping the hitch itself was raising in the rear rails and the clunk was the pins hitting the top of the rails and then the hitch back down on the rails. When taking off this happened in the front rails and again was the cause of the clunk. I have not yet figured out how to eliminate the problem.
The dealer has no idea how to solve it. I plan to try a solid rubber strip under the hitch pins so they are kept closer to the top of the rail and see if that solves it.

You might want to check this possibility as your source of noise.

[Hiller]

Thanks for all the quick replies. This is a great group with a lot of product knowledge not only about Montana’s but also towing. In general.
Sounds like a MorRyde Pin box may be the way to go. But I am also going to re-torque all the Reese 5th wheel bolts just to make sure nothing has loosen up. I checked most of the bolts when I got the truck home from the dealer , it’s a trust thing with these dealers you know.

[BB_TX]

If you have chucking in addition to the noise the MorRyde pin box, or in my case the 5th Airborne pin box, will help reduce or eliminate that chucking. I did not have a lot of chucking to begin with. But the 5th Airborne eliminated most all of what I did have. In addition, since it has an air bag it also greatly reduced the shock between the hitch and the trailer on bumps making the ride smoother for the truck and trailer.
But the noise is a different issue all together. A noise like that is because pieces of metal are bumping against each other. I think you will find something loose or some excessive play somewhere. My new Reese Elite hitch has a small amount of play where the cradle mounts to the base. It could slide front to back only about a 1/8". But that was enough to make a "clunk" each time I started and stopped. I added a thin nylon shim in between and all but eliminated that noise.

[Phil P]

Hi

Ours makes a noise when you take up the slack in the pin when pulling ahead. It also will make noise when you make a panic stop. It is normal.

I have had the same noise in the semi trucks I use to drive.

It sounds like you have a lot of loose fit in the pin and hitch jaws. However it is not abnormal and the trailer actually moves very little it just makes enough noise to make you think something is coming apart.

On the semi's the brake shoes on the trailer axels have enough movement on their mounts that if you start to move and then apply the brakes for some reason the trailer rocks back and forth enough to make that clunk noise several times.

As for the recommendations about checking bolts and fasteners of the hitch and the Mor/ryde pin box is very good advice. I do this every oil change. I have the dealer torque the bolts that hold the hitch to the frame and then I look the hitch over to make sure the fasteners above the truck floor are all in place and tight.

We have the Curtis 20K hitch. It is designed to be able to easily remove it from the truck. One thing I have gotten in the habit of doing is looking at the 4 pins that hold the hitch to the rails to make sure they are in place every time I walk by the truck. Even with the trailer hooked up some of those pins are loose and could easily be removed or fall out if the safety pin is missing.

Phil P

[Captain Joe]

I had a Reese hitch with a 5th Wheel without a Mor/ryde pin box. I had chucking all the time. When I traded in that RV for a Montana with a Mor/ryde pin box, all the chucking went away. I had the same truck and Reese hitch. Go with the Mor/ryde. Perhaps your dealer can make you a deal since he should have known when he sold you the RV and knew what hitch you were using.

[Trailer Trash 2]

I installed the Ultra-fab Trailair Air Ride King Pin - Lippert 1621 - 21k. I have been happy with its performance and it has help reduce the chucking to almost nothing. it also has reduced the shock the pin box was transfering to the cross members in the front frame area where the supports are for, and where the bin box attaches to.
Code Item Quantity Price/Ea. Total
________________________________________
UF35-946203
rate it
Ultra-Fab Trailair Air Ride 5th Wheel King Pin - Lippert 1621 - 21,000 lbs 1 $724.95 $724.95
CARGO-BOX: ResidentialAddress $100.00 $100.00
Shipping: UPS Ground: $162.96
FreeShipping: ($162.96)
Sales Tax: $0.00
________________________________________
Total: $824.95



I purchased it from Etrailer.com I believe I got a good deal. free shipping too.

[WeBeFulltime]

I had the same problem. After selling the Reece and replacing with a B & W had no more problem. Net cost was $120. Very happy now.