jwal

Hey everyone,

So, just as the title states.. When I am pulling my trailer I hear a high pitched squealing coming from it. It sounds almost like a piece of gravel stuck in my brakes but there isn't anything there and the noise isn't constant. It will stop for a short time and then if I hit a bump in the road it will start again. Once I drop the trailer the noise is gone.

All of my brakes are 3 months old and the trailer is brand new. Its a 32 foot Aspen Trail (6400lbs) I just picked up last week.

My wife backed my truck up into a guard rail two days prior to picking up the trailer and caused some body damage but everything underneath looks to be in good shape so I don't think it could be the cause unless something shifted? She hit hard enough to push the bumper into the body and break the bumper brackets on the driver side.

any help is appreciated.

spotdog14

Its most likely your weight distribution hitch making noise. They all make noise.

jwal

spotdog14 - would the noise be continuous while moving? The noise is very similar to a worn break pad or a stone on the rotor and is constant. The hitch does squeak from time to time.

I should mention that the first time I hooked up the trailer to pull it there was a strong shuddering in the truck that accompanied the squeal but the shudder only lasted about 300 yards.

spotdog14

No it is not constant, unless you are on a crappy road. Below is a picture of the WD hitch one of our trailers. The bars slide back and forth making a grinding noise. You could try maybe adding some lube to your bars and ball to see if that makes any difference?

old_programmer

If you have an Equal-i-zer hitch like above the squeal could be the bar sockets moving in the friction plate. The squeal is normal and decreases over time as the parts wear in. The bars will generally groan and pop.

PerryB

My money is on something like a piece of grit or a shoe clip inside one of the drums on the trailer. I had the same thing happen on my Montana when it was on about its third trip out.

jwal

so, I took the camper to the dealer and they examined the brakes and determined that all is in order there. There wasn't any squealing on my trip home at all. I can't figure out what it could be at this point. I did find some scratches on my front rotor of the truck but it feels like something there would happen with or without a trailer and why would hitting a bump trigger it?

I'm using a hitch very similar to this one - my bars are removable and i have a sway bar -https://www.amazon.com/Eaz-Lift-48058-Elite-Weight-Distributing/dp/B005SB6S3Y/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_263_bs_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=C 8NPBH2KHJ1RMY7CWXRE&th=1

Thanks for all of the help! I'm gonna dig into my trucks u joints and the front rotor this weekend. I'll let you know if I find anything.

spotdog14

Could be something stuck in your sway bar, or perhaps its too tight?

acdii

Are you sure you didn't stick a pig? Nothing worse than the sound of a stuck pig, or maybe there is, the wife is calling. BYE

jwal

Well, Nothing appears out of place with the truck brakes. I'll be pulling it for our first camping trip this weekend. Maybe it was something stuck in my brakes... who knows. I'll keep it updated.

thanks everyone!!