5th wheel jerking
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Lead Driver
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5th wheel jerking
This drives me nuts. When stopping or starting, the 5th wheel clunks, jerks, makes noise. It is a Curt A20. Is this normal for 5th wheel hitches? Would I be better off with a different brand? Would the Q20, which I have in the barn, be a better hitch or do the same thing? Would a Moryde pinbox with the sliding pin suspension resolve it? The hitch is only two years old, so no wear other than some scratches.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,351
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From: North Florida
My first fifth wheel setup was a Reese hitch and a cheap pinbox. It was rough on stops and starts and made a lot of noise. After that I had a Moreride pinbox with a B&W hitch which was worlds better. So much smoother. My current setup is a Reese Goosebox, which is even better.
Lead Driver
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From: Itinerant
My first fifth wheel setup was a Reese hitch and a cheap pinbox. It was rough on stops and starts and made a lot of noise. After that I had a Moreride pinbox with a B&W hitch which was worlds better. So much smoother. My current setup is a Reese Goosebox, which is even better.
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Joined: May 2004
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From: Home Base Nebraska
This drives me nuts. When stopping or starting, the 5th wheel clunks, jerks, makes noise. It is a Curt A20. Is this normal for 5th wheel hitches? Would I be better off with a different brand? Would the Q20, which I have in the barn, be a better hitch or do the same thing? Would a Moryde pinbox with the sliding pin suspension resolve it? The hitch is only two years old, so no wear other than some scratches.
The reason you are getting a bump when applying the brakes is your trailer is moving forward when the truck brakes are applied because the trailer brakes aren't coming in hard enough or not at all and then you get the clunk when taking off when the trailer pulls back on the hitch taking up the play.
Denny
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Lead Driver
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OK, after much observing and looking over, here is what I found. First, the puck locks were sloppy. so the entire hitch was rocking a bit. Found some thin bushings and all four are tight. Clunk is gone. The SKRUNK noise was the jaws rubbing metal on metal on the pin, some grease on the pin and inside the jaws solved it, noise is gone. Jerking is all that is left and that is due to the head being on rubber isolation mounts that allow the head to move fore/aft and side to side. Part of the jerking is of course the trailer brake gain. I have it down to 7 since the ACC will tend to hit them really hard when it has to slow abruptly which was causing a pull. When I had it at 8.5 it would lock the trailer brakes up if using the ACC on the highway and got cutoff. Now the entire rig brakes smoothly, but it does allow for movement when stopping and starting. The pin is tight in the jaws, so no movement there, base is tight to the pucks, so no movement there, the only movement is via the isolators between head and base, so thats where the jerking happens.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jul 2014
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From: Eastern Panhandle of WV
By looking far down the road, and thinking ahead, by feathering in both brakes and power, you can make this disappear most of the time. Be smooth as silk. Or be like me, and ignore it.
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Lead Driver
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Thankfully on my trip home from the last camp ground, I didn't have the moron who doesn't speed up to the speed limit to merge get in front of me to activate the Adaptive cruise brakes. Had quite a few of those going through Dallas, one where I locked up all four axles.
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Considering it is only 2 years old and used 3 times, I would HOPE they are not worn out! It is stored in the barn when not in use, so no direct sunlight to age it either.