# My Hitch



## jitch388 (Apr 19, 2008)

My hitch makes terrible noises around the hitch ball. I have pulled it around the neighborhood without the distribution chains, sway bar........ It is the hitch ball. Anyone else have this problem?


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## aantolik (Apr 8, 2005)

jitch388 said:


> My hitch makes terrible noises around the hitch ball. I have pulled it around the neighborhood without the distribution chains, sway bar........ It is the hitch ball. Anyone else have this problem?


Do you lube the ball? I generally lube it before each trip, if I don't I will get noise from the ball.


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## jitch388 (Apr 19, 2008)

aantolik said:


> My hitch makes terrible noises around the hitch ball. I have pulled it around the neighborhood without the distribution chains, sway bar........ It is the hitch ball. Anyone else have this problem?


Do you lube the ball? I generally lube it before each trip, if I don't I will get noise from the ball.
[/quote]

Good ole' lithium grease. Yep, think I'll try it next trip.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

jitch388 said:


> Good ole' lithium grease. Yep, think I'll try it next trip.


...that should solve your problem.


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Heck, I thought my brakes were squealing like crazy once, the set-up squealed so bad--I took it to the dealership to have them fix it. Discovered it was the hitch itself. Result.....lithium grease here, too. I also use some on my W/D bars.

The Equalizer is very noisy.

Mark


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## compass49 (Feb 4, 2008)

mswalt said:


> Heck, I thought my brakes were squealing like crazy once, the set-up squealed so bad--I took it to the dealership to have them fix it. Discovered it was the hitch itself. Result.....lithium grease here, too. I also use some on my W/D bars.
> 
> The Equalizer is very noisy.
> 
> Mark


Should you grease the WD bars on an Equalizer??? I thought that part of the anti-sway portion of this setup relied on friction to help reduce sway. If grease is added, won't it decrease the friction??


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> Should you grease the WD bars on an Equalizer??? I thought that part of the anti-sway portion of this setup relied on friction to help reduce sway. If grease is added, won't it decrease the friction??


That's what I thought, but from what I've been told, there is so much weight on these bars a little grease won't hamper the friction control.

Mark


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I give a shot of silicone spray on the equal-i-zer brackets when I hook up, makes things much quieter and is less messy than grease.

Mike


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## GarethsDad (Apr 4, 2007)

I thought thats how you knew that it was working. James


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Since jitch388 mentioned chains and a sway bar in his original question, I assumed this wasn't an Equalizer hitch...


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## jitch388 (Apr 19, 2008)

Man!! A cheap shot from skip.....


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

compass49 said:


> Should you grease the WD bars on an Equalizer??? I thought that part of the anti-sway portion of this setup relied on friction to help reduce sway. If grease is added, won't it decrease the friction??


You still grease where the bars go into the hitch head.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

jitch388 said:


> Man!! A cheap shot from skip.....


Yeah, but was I right??









And yes, we do grease our hitch ball, w/d bar sockets (top and bottom) and the "L" brackets on our Equalizer


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## jitch388 (Apr 19, 2008)

skippershe said:


> Man!! A cheap shot from skip.....


Yeah, but was I right??









And yes, we do grease our hitch ball, w/d bar sockets (top and bottom) and the "L" brackets on our Equalizer








[/quote]

If I want this kind of abuse, I'll dance in front of my 14 year old and her friends.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

jitch388 said:


> [
> 
> If I want this kind of abuse, I'll dance in front of my 14 year old and her friends.


That's not abuse...that is payback to THEM for all the things they've put you through over the years.

Embarrass my kids by dancing in front of their friends...PRICELESS.


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## advancedtel (May 7, 2008)

Oregon_Camper said:


> [
> 
> If I want this kind of abuse, I'll dance in front of my 14 year old and her friends.


That's not abuse...that is payback to THEM for all the things they've put you through over the years.

Embarrass my kids by dancing in front of their friends...PRICELESS.
[/quote]

Agree!


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

skippershe said:


> Man!! A cheap shot from skip.....


Yeah, but was I right??









And yes, we do grease our hitch ball, w/d bar sockets (top and bottom) and the "L" brackets on our Equalizer








[/quote]

X2. I grease the bar sockets, the ball, and the horizontal and vertical friction surfaces of the L-brackets on the Equal-i-zer hitch. Sway control is still great, and hardly any noise!

I also use the Sway Bracket Jackets, which quiet down the hitch, also. I was solicited, and am field testing some experimental Sway Bracket Jackets, for the manufacturer. And so far, they've held up fine. At the very least, it will be less wear on my own pair of Sway Bracket Jackets.

Mike


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## folsom_five (Jan 10, 2008)

Scoutr2 said:


> Man!! A cheap shot from skip.....


Yeah, but was I right??









And yes, we do grease our hitch ball, w/d bar sockets (top and bottom) and the "L" brackets on our Equalizer








[/quote]

X2. I grease the bar sockets, the ball, and the horizontal and vertical friction surfaces of the L-brackets on the Equal-i-zer hitch. Sway control is still great, and hardly any noise!

I also use the Sway Bracket Jackets, which quiet down the hitch, also. I was solicited, and am field testing some experimental Sway Bracket Jackets, for the manufacturer. And so far, they've held up fine. At the very least, it will be less wear on my own pair of Sway Bracket Jackets.

Mike
[/quote]

Mike-
What are the sway bracket jackets you are referring to? What do they do?
--Greg


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

folsom_five said:


> Man!! A cheap shot from skip.....


Yeah, but was I right??









And yes, we do grease our hitch ball, w/d bar sockets (top and bottom) and the "L" brackets on our Equalizer








[/quote]

X2. I grease the bar sockets, the ball, and the horizontal and vertical friction surfaces of the L-brackets on the Equal-i-zer hitch. Sway control is still great, and hardly any noise!

I also use the Sway Bracket Jackets, which quiet down the hitch, also. I was solicited, and am field testing some experimental Sway Bracket Jackets, for the manufacturer. And so far, they've held up fine. At the very least, it will be less wear on my own pair of Sway Bracket Jackets.

Mike
[/quote]

Mike-
What are the sway bracket jackets you are referring to? What do they do?
--Greg
[/quote]

Sway Bracket Jackets are heavy-duty plastic (or nylon, not sure) pads that slip over, and sit atop the horizontal surface of the L-brackets, on an Equal-i-zer brand WD hitch. They were sold on the Equal-i-zer website for a while, last year, and were designed to lessen the hitch noise (as the WD bar slides on top of the L-bracket). I bought a pair when I ordered my hitch. They have worked great for me, making a big difference in the noise level.

But some folks here on Outbackers, had some trouble with them. There were reports of them tearing and in some cases, ripping apart and coming off (at about $15 a pair). The manufacturer quit selling them shortly thereafter.

I have not had any problems with the pair I bought, and so far, on my test-bed pair that the manufacturer sent me. We drove 360 mile RT a week ago, to the Outbackers Rally in Galena, IL. The hitch was really quiet and the sway control worked great - and believe me - it was VERY windy all the way there and back! And they didn't show much sign of wear. Too bad I have to send them back at the end of the season. Then I'll have to go back to using mine!

If the test "jackets" work out OK, you might see them back on the market again. But I don't know for sure. (If they had no intention of bringing them back, whay would they be experimenting?)

Hope the explanation helps.

Mike


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

My hitch is usually fairly quiet, but this last trip was quite noisy. As I backed the trailer into the driveway, I thought I was going to wake the dead with squeaking, groinking and groaning. I removed the bars from the hitch, and found that some dirt had found its way in there and had embedded itself into the metal. There were two small beads of metal sticking out, and the cylinder where the bars go into the hitch were scored. So I took some emery paper and sanded the beads out, then cleaned up the cylinder scoring and sprayed dry lube into the holes, and onto the bars. Before I tow again, I will ensure that I check the holes and the bars before assembly.


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## jitch388 (Apr 19, 2008)

But do you dance in front of your kids friends.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

jitch388 said:


> But do you dance in front of your kids friends.


Trust me...when our son is old enough to be embarrassed, I WILL dance in front of his friends! 
Disco lives on!!!


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## jitch388 (Apr 19, 2008)

skippershe said:


> But do you dance in front of your kids friends.


Trust me...when our son is old enough to be embarrassed, I WILL dance in front of his friends! 
Disco lives on!!!








[/quote]

Shake your booty......shake your booty......


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## n2striper (Jul 21, 2007)

Be sure to keep your ball lubed at all times.


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