New 5er Install ?????

[sshelly]

I just installed my new Reese 16K Slider and pulled my new (new to me) 1999 Jayco Eagle 263. Question I have is: Is it normal to hear some (a little) banging when I go over a bump or have to slow down quickly (and then let of the brake)? The sound is what I guess a hitch pin that is to small in the 5er hitch would sound like (it sure is hard to put into words what I'm actually hearing). I'm used to pulling a gooseneck and am not familiar with my new sounds.



I want to make sure what I'm am hearing is normal. I installed with the kit that Reese offers for the '03 Dodges and it was really straigth forward. Everything tighted right up and I've rechecked everything. Are there different pin sizes?



Hopefully what I'm hearing is normal and no problems, but I just want to may sure!



Thanks for any help.

 

[Whitmore]

By chance is it your overload springs making the noise? I had this happen to me once so I rebalenced my load on the flatbed forward so the overloads were touching all the time.



I would recheck all the bolt torques and look for any areas of stress as well.



Cheers, Kevin

 

[PRout]

My reese slider always makes 1 good clunk on my first stop after hooking up. It used to scare me a bit, and I posted a query/thread on the IRV website asking if it was normal. The replies were that it is normal, and the theory was it is due to the hitchpin moving around in the hitch. I dont know if I buy that theory, as it could be the slider mechanism seating in, but whatever it is, I dont worry about it now, as its been through some pretty good stresses, and hasnt ever given me a problem.



It usually only clunks once or twice at the beginning of a trip.



It still wouldnt hurt to double-check everything though.

 

[klenger]

It's hard to tell from your description how severe your "clunk" is, but mine seems always make some noise when going over rough roads. Usually not very noticable.

 

[Steve M]

Mine clunks and bangs too. It's worse right after I lube everything up real good. The slight amount of play in the pin along with side to side slop in the hitch where the head sits in the saw horse is the most likely source. Slide the head back and forth with the handle without the trailer hooked up. There's alot to bang around on it. I don't pay any attention to it as long as I know everything's torqued down properly and in good shape.

 

[Larry Willard]

Go back and check the bolts, on my '01 where the brackets bolted to the frame the bolt stuck out just enough that the over loads were hitting it. A little filing fixed it.

Larry

 

[hirschjn]

I would guess you have a shot box because you installed a slider? When you installed your slider how many inches from the back edge of the box did you measure, I am currently looking at a short box 3500 2x and the measurements that Reese gives puts the king pin 2" in front of the axle. Seems a little close in the turns (on paper). Any advice or help will aid in my decision.

 

[Sarge]

The way the Reese jaws lock, there is bound to be some bumping around. Some of the other manufactures use a different style locking mechanism that closes much tighter. Along with a teflon disk on the pin, there is nary a sound... ..... Sarge