Ca-chunk when towing

[nU7OuxIx]

I'm very new to towing so I'm trying to figure out what's normal and what isn't. I have a lock n load articulating hitch and I'm towing an overland style trailer. Tongue weight is about 290 and not sure of the trailer weight; I would guess around 2k pounds. When attaching it, the jeep sagged a bit. What I did this weekend was install a set of 'air bags' so it wouldn't sag as much.

When I filled it up to 35psi it looked good. I measured it and I think the sag was maybe about a half inch lower from stock. But when I drove it, it seemed like something was wrong....I'm no expert, but it sounded like there was some sort of drivetrain ca-chunk. It happened when I was going over bumps at about 25 to 35 mph. It also happened when I started to accelerate and turn from a dead stop. You could feel it when driving.

I came back home and lowered the psi in the air bags to 15psi. It seemed better, but there's still a ca-chunk in the rear....which, I think, may be the hitch making noise.

Being that I'm new to towing, are these noises normal? Is it normal to feel the noise? I *think* it may be....and come to think of it, I think my 35psi air bag test drive was maybe the normal noise, but it just seemed and felt like there was something else going on with it.

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[Jim1964]

Is that maybe a “Lock N Roll” hitch?

I’m not familiar with it, but I’d start by checking every element of the connection between the vehicle and trailer for any slop or loose motion. Any play in the connection between tow vehicle and trailer will be felt by a perceptive driver, usually felt even more than heard.

 

[Heimkehr]

checking every element of the connection between the vehicle and trailer for any slop or loose motion.

+1, doubly so because the OP mentioned hearing a ca-chunk sound when going over bumps while driving at lower speeds.

This can feel, or at least sound, like it's coming from the drivetrain, due to the effect of irregular movement of the towed weight pushing on the entirety of the tow vehicle.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

+1, doubly so because the OP mentioned hearing a ca-chunk sound when going over bumps while driving at lower speeds.

This can feel, or at least sound, like it's coming from the drivetrain, due to the effect of irregular movement of the towed weight pushing on the entirety of the tow vehicle.

With what you said about the irregular movement of the towed weight pushing on the vehicle...is this safe and normal?

 

[nU7OuxIx]

Is that maybe a “Lock N Roll” hitch?

I’m not familiar with it, but I’d start by checking every element of the connection between the vehicle and trailer for any slop or loose motion. Any play in the connection between tow vehicle and trailer will be felt by a perceptive driver, usually felt even more than heard.

I've checked and double checked everything and it's as it should be. I'm also a very perceptive driver as well, even moreso when towing, just because I have no experience.

With the lock n roll, there's two little pegs that fit into the receiver hitch. When in there, there is a little bit of play which makes some noise when pushing/pulling it by hand. Also, when pushing the bar that fits into the hitch left/right, there's definitely play and I would say it's the same noise that I'm hearing.

Is this normal?

 

[Heimkehr]

With what you said about the irregular movement of the towed weight pushing on the vehicle...is this safe and normal?

It's a regular occurrence, in my experience, based on travel speed, the weight of the loaded trailer and especially the condition of the road. Smooth asphalt can minimize or hide its effects. Bumpy roads, which are not unknown to us here in PA , can sometimes amplify the driver's perception of trailer movement.

The noise bothered my wife so much that I purchased this "silent" hitch pin to tame things a bit. It really worked, even if the cheap chrome finish began to rust too soon for my liking.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

It's a regular occurrence, in my experience, based on travel speed, the weight of the loaded trailer and especially the condition of the road. Smooth asphalt can minimize or hide its effects. Bumpy roads, which are not unknown to us here in PA , can sometimes amplify the driver's perception of trailer movement.

The noise bothered my wife so much that I purchased this "silent" hitch pin to tame things a bit. It really worked, even if the cheap chrome finish began to rust too soon for my liking.

I just looked up that link and saw a youtube video. It's funny because the guy was like "tired of your hitch making a ca-chunk". :-D I also saw that they make this u-bolt thing you can put around the hitch.

Reading about it, seeing the play in my hitch, and this thread makes me think that it's an issue with the play in the hitch. When I brought the trailer home I didn't remember this being an issue, but it was an empty trailer. Now my next thing is I wonder if the air bags I installed contributed to this issue. I wouldn't think so, but it seemed like it was there more with it pumped up more.

 

[cornercanyon]

I have a LockNRoll hitch, 8" extension, and an Extreme Off Road Hiker Trailer. Ca-Chunk is normal if after checking each pin, chains, and confirming your jack is up out of the way when going over bumps (rail road crossings, cross swales and such). We take our trailer everywhere and she follows right behind. Here is a video with the trailer on a rough section of trail—

 

[garykk]

Try this, works well. https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Anti-Rattle/Blue-Ox/BX88224.html

 

[BUSHRVN]

Increasing the air bag pressure made the rear of the Jeep more firm on bumps and thus it would heave the tongue weight upwards causing some of the clunking your hearing as it plays with the play within the receiver hitch. Normal, but can be mitigated some with devises as already mentioned.
I wish receivers and bars had a tighter fit tolerance so there would be less play.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

Thank you all for the responses. I ordered that aero hitch pin last night so we'll see how it works. I did see some u-bolt ones but to me it looked like the u-bolt style would only lock it with up/down movement, not right/left movement. Then I saw that Blue-Ox one that was posted this-morning and it looks like it locked it down both directions.

The video was also helpful, thank you. It sounded similar to the noise but I suppose the more concerning part was that it was felt throughout the jeep. Thinking about it though, the hitch is directly connected to the chassis without any dampening so I can see how it would be felt and heard.

And lastly, your explanation of the increased pressure makes sense with the air bags. I think I'll have to play around to see what the best feel is. I think that it's also important to make sure the jeep is level vs getting the rear back to the almost factory point. When I first hooked it up, I increased pressure to 35psi to get it close back to factory. I think that in some way, the front was then sagging down when I did this. I'll have to play around with it more but it's something that myself (and maybe others reading this) should think about too.

On the trailer side, there are bolts that are under the hitches so that you can tighten them to reduce noise/rattle. It's another thing to check because I'm not sure that bolt was tight. I also have jack stabilizers in the back that fit in with hitch pins. That's another bolt I should check to make sure that's tight too. I think all this adds to the noises that are heard and felt.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

The noise bothered my wife so much that I purchased this "silent" hitch pin to tame things a bit. It really worked, even if the cheap chrome finish began to rust too soon for my liking.

Well, I just got done from take my test trip with this hitch pin. It was my longest tow; over 100 miles round trip.

The installation was OK but I messed it up. I didn't know if the little pin sleeve was a security feature or what. When I put it on it only made it through the hole on the hitch, not the hole through the thing that the ball/lock n roll connects to. It was almost like it needed to go on a little bit further so I can get it to lock. I got annoyed so I cut about 1/4" off that sleeve and it fit. Later that night, it turns out that you need that sleeve so the bolt doesn't sheer. The hitch pin hole on the lock-n-roll hitch has tight variances so it was not easy to get it all the way through. Once I did though, it made much more sense.

So, don't be like me and cut that sleeve. It's there to fill the gap up in the hole because the supplied hitch pin is small on the other end.

That was my only complaint. It quieted things down A LOT to where I couldn't hear anything driving there. On the way home, when I was leaving, I heard some noise but it seemed to quiet down in a few minutes. Not sure if it was the road or something else.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with it. WIshed they put a warning on it or say something about how the sleeve is there to prevent pin shearing, which it did on their web site. I'll probably buy another one so that it isn't messed up, then I have a second pin when it starts rusting.

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