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Old 06-04-2019, 01:38 PM   #1
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They can hear me before they see me

I have a 2019 Flagstaff E-Pro 19FBS and I pull it with a 2018 Honda Ridgeline. It has been set up with the sway bars on either side of the hitch. Every time I barely turn, the squeeking and creeking noises are embarrassingly loud. I tried white lithium grease on the ball and hitch with no success. Then I tried greasing along the sway bar where it attaches near the hitch and that didn't make a bit of difference either. The rep at the dealer where I bought the trailer told me to never grease the sway bar where it sits on the trailer. So now I'm out of ideas. I don't feel like I hear the other trailers making all kinds of racket as the come and go out of the campground, so what else can I do to reduce the squeek (and not have it be so LOUD)?
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Old 06-04-2019, 01:43 PM   #2
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Which hitch do you have?
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Old 06-04-2019, 01:46 PM   #3
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Some sway and load distribution hitches are inherently louder than others. I'm guessing you have a friction bar for sway control and not a 4 point sway control hitch. You can release pressure on the sway control as you enter the campground, this may reduce noise. Also, the more tension you have on your load bars, the louder they will be. I wouldn't worry about it too much. It always sounds louder to the owner at first than those around you.
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Old 06-04-2019, 01:52 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by 007matman View Post
Which hitch do you have?
I'm not sure. I'll have to take a picture and post it but I'm not in a position to do that until I get home later today. It's big and heavy and was set up by the RV dealership.
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Old 06-04-2019, 02:08 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by HollySpringsDan View Post
I'm not sure. I'll have to take a picture and post it but I'm not in a position to do that until I get home later today. It's big and heavy and was set up by the RV dealership.
I see you have just a few posts. Welcome to the forum!

As mentioned, many loosen the sway bar at the campground entrance to avoid a bunch of squeaking as it really isn't needed at slow speeds entering your campsite. I've even seen some drop the tension on the weight bars too.

One thing you'll likely want to do with your hitch and other important components of owning a travel trailer and that is, familiarize yourself with what it is that you have and how it works... and what different adjustments can/can't do for your towing experience. It is all part of learning.

I only say that because of your statement of you're not sure what you have other than "It's big and heavy and was set up by the RV dealership."

Enjoy!
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Old 06-04-2019, 02:09 PM   #6
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X2 if you have the friction style sway control take a little tension off the friction arm. They only need be tight enough to prevent sway. I remove mine when in campgrounds and tight maneuvering like backing in.
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Old 06-04-2019, 02:10 PM   #7
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Hitch

If it is an Equal-I-zer, they have nylon pad you can put on the bar hangers that minimize this They have no effect on any of the WDH features. Same w/ Fastway. It does wear in, but mine sounded like I was crushing rocks when turning slow corners in the camp grounds. This was even after cleaning and polishing all the wear areas on the Equal-I-Zer.
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Old 06-04-2019, 02:14 PM   #8
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Thank you all for the excellent feedback and suggestions

Thank you all for the excellent feedback and suggestions
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Old 06-04-2019, 05:30 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HollySpringsDan View Post
I'm not sure. I'll have to take a picture and post it but I'm not in a position to do that until I get home later today. It's big and heavy and was set up by the RV dealership.
Always a good idea to know what you have and read the manual that comes with it. If the dealer didn't provide one (which they should have) you could ask them or download one.
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Old 06-04-2019, 07:19 PM   #10
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Check out the store for the Equalizer Hitch, Here is a link to the accessories page:
https://www.equalizerhitch.com/store/hitch-accessories

On here you will see some grease that they recommend that you use for the hitch. On this page also is the wear pads that work great.
Hope this helps.
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Old 06-05-2019, 07:42 AM   #11
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Folks..

I'm not seeing where the OP has responded with the brand/make/model of hitch yet..

Let's see what he has first before making recommendations.

OP- a photo would probably suffice too.
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Old 06-05-2019, 10:17 AM   #12
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Update from the newbie:
Thank you all for your suggestion to start learning what I really have. Turns out I have a Fastway E2 Trunnion Style hitch with a max tongue weight of 600 lbs. I spoke with a representative there and he confirmed that I could lubricate the stabilizer bars where they attach near the ball but do not use the Equilizer brand "jacket brackets" as it is the only friction point (they're only designed for the Equilizer brand). I'm also considering getting a Capacity Tongue Weight scale so as to double-check the loading job before we head out on our camping trips.
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Old 06-05-2019, 11:33 AM   #13
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I have the E2 and use the bracket jackets. It works well and really quieted the hitch down.

Lube the pins and the ball as well.

Do not put lube on the L-bracket or load bar surface.
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Old 06-05-2019, 11:43 AM   #14
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I have been told that Honda says NOT to run a WDH or Sway bars on the older Ridgelines as they are a unibody construction, don't know if the new one are unibody, may be that is part of the issue
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Old 06-05-2019, 12:00 PM   #15
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Plenty of vehicles out there that are unibody and use a WDH. Not going to argue with Honda. However, I wonder what the logic is.

I used to tow with a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
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Old 06-05-2019, 12:15 PM   #16
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I don't know, have a friend that tows with an older Ridgeline and he tells me his Honda dealer told him not to use a WDH fortunately he has a small Jayco and can get by with out one
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Old 06-05-2019, 12:19 PM   #17
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FWIW, we have an E2 hitch, and yes, it's pretty loud. I can also say that I've been very happy with the hitch; once it was dialed in, the TT tows great. I should also mention that our dealer set the hitch up fine for the empty trailer, but I've adjusted it twice now that the TT is loaded.
Have fun,
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Old 06-05-2019, 12:59 PM   #18
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We have a Husky Centerline, dealer installed - with the same loud noise issue. we read the manual and re-measured the setup and found that the dealer had set the brackets too high and too far forward on the frame causing much higher tension on spring bars. BUT, the fix was to put lithium grease on the two receivers that the spring bars fit into on the hitch itself. Removed nuts, greased, reinstalled and Re-torqued them as described in the manual. Now we have a "stealth" hitch that can quietly sneak into any campground.
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Old 06-05-2019, 01:32 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 007matman View Post
I have the E2 and use the bracket jackets. It works well and really quieted the hitch down.

Lube the pins and the ball as well.

Do not put lube on the L-bracket or load bar surface.
Same here, E2 and I use the bracket jackets. Not completely quiet but less noise than before. I don't notice anymore sway with or without.
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Old 06-05-2019, 01:49 PM   #20
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You greased your sway bar (tension bar)?

Be sure to clean all the grease off because, as your dealer says, never grease it.

The reason you don't grease it is you elmate the friction and then it doesn't work as designed.
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