Groaning Sound from Sway Bars

[Jenturnr]

We have a new reese hitch w/sway bars that moan and groan everytime we make a slight turn. We disturb the peace when arriving in a campground

Any ideas on what is causing this? We thought it was hitch at first, but after alot of white grease, the groans continue. Coming down our road I drove (swerving left to right) while Reid walked alongside looking for the source. It is definitely coming from the sway bars.

Your comments are appreciated.

Jen & Reid

[jcanavera]

Jen & Reid, that is the sway bars doing their job. You have metal to metal friction going on which is creating the noise. Be careful what components you lubricate and with what since you could negate the friction necessary to control your sway.

Jack

[Jenturnr]

Is their no way to get rid of the noise? We know not to lubricate the
sway bars - but the noise is awful.

Thanks for the reply.

Jenni

[ctdair]

Are you using a dual sway bar set up ? search for sway control and you should find there is a self contained hydraulic unit available. I found that my wd bars where generating a lot of noise as the chain moved/popped?. used dry graphite lube and that helped on the wd bars. wanted better sway control and ended up going to hensley , very exspensive but it really does work. Of course the sales dvd is over the top but stil a good product. try driving slo and walk along side with the sway control off and you may find alot of the noise may be the wd bars.

[jcanavera]

Here is what Reese says about lube, from their website www.reeseproducts.com

What kind of maintenance do I need to do to the weight distributing hitch
WDH and sway controls?

Lubricate the ballmount sockets and spring bar trunnions to prevent rapid wear. When hooking-up, place one drop of oil on the top and a second drop on forward side of upper trunnion. Place a third drop on the rear side of lower trunnion before inserting trunnion into ballmount. Use a heavy oil such as "REESE ON THE BALL". Don't forget to lubricate the hitch ball with one or two drops also. Trunnion should be lubricated each towing day. It is not necessary to unhook the spring bars however, as there are two oil holes in the ballmount top plate for upper trunnion lubrication. Lubricate lower trunnions with one drop at contact point between trunnion and lower socket. Excess oil, dirt, and grit should be wiped out whenever trailer is uncoupled.


Can I grease the Dual Cam Sway Control (DCSC)?

Do not grease the cam and cam arms. The Dual Cam was designed to use metal-to-metal friction. Heavy greasing of the cam and cam arm surfaces with affect performance. If noise is offensive, a very light coating of lubricant, such as Vaseline, may be used. Tongue weights over 1,200 lbs. may require a light coating of grease to reduce friction and prevent excessive wear. The Dual Cam Sway Control DCSC is not to be lubricated on the cam arms when the tongue weight is under 1,200 lbs. Instead you will want to apply a thin coat of a petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline. This will act as a poor lubricant, but works well to dampen the sound. For trailers with over 1,200 lbs. tongue weight you should apply a couple of drops of an 80/90 gear lube to the cam arm to prevent excessive wear caused by the increased tongue weight.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Greasing the Reese "trunions" and "cam and saddles," is highly recommended.

In field research, in 1970, proved that greasing those parts had little to no effect on their performance.

However, a lowering of performance was obvious on those that had little to no tension to start with.

If the torsion bars are bending at least "1 to 1 1/2 inches", performance will not be affected.

If the bars are bending 1/2 inch or less, performance "will" be reduced.

The key to it all, is that the bars "must" bend at least 1 to 1 1/2 inch.

If they do not, then either the bars are too heavy, an overload spring is in use, air shocks or air bags are over inflated, or some of the tongue weight has been decreased, perhaps by not loading the trailer correctly.

These tests were conducted by Caravanner Insurance Company, the old insurance division of Airstream. I headed up the testing crew.

Andy

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

If noise is offensive, a very light coating of lubricant, such as Vaseline, may be used. Tongue weights over 1,200 lbs. may require a light coating of grease to reduce friction and prevent excessive wear. The Dual Cam Sway Control DCSC is not to be lubricated on the cam arms when the tongue weight is under 1,200 lbs. Instead you will want to apply a thin coat of a petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline. This will act as a poor lubricant, but works well to dampen the sound. For trailers with over 1,200 lbs. tongue weight you should apply a couple of drops of an 80/90 gear lube to the cam arm to prevent excessive wear caused by the increased tongue weight.

it really works, too. I learned about this here on the forum a while back, and gave it a try...I was shocked at how well it actually worked. no sound at all from the cams now. Also, I have still yet to notice even the slightest hint of sway, even with the vaseline. and there were some 18-wheelers this weekend that seemed to be in an awful hurry to get past me on the highway, too. no problem-o.

[Ferroequine]

Originally Posted by Jenturnr

We have a new reese hitch w/sway bars that moan and groan everytime we make a slight turn. We disturb the peace when arriving in a campground

If they are the friction type anti-sway bars, then just disconnect or loosen them before entering the campground. Ours groans too, and I don't need it when going 10mph in a campground