Troubleshooting Excessive Noise from Pro Series Friction Sway Control # 83660

Updated 06/22/2011 | Published 06/19/2011

Question:

I recently received a friction sway controller with our new travel trailer. To attach it to the hitch I had to loosen the handle to slide it to fit. I retightened the handle and proceeded to pull the trailer... I heard all kinds of terrible knocking and pinging noises... so I loosened the handle on the sway control and the noises disappeared. The second time I attached the control I hear creaking when turning... My question is, How do I eliminate the noises? AND How tight, or what position should the handle on the control be?

asked by: Bruce

Expert Reply:

The noise you hear will be a result of how tight you have the Friction Sway Control, # 83660. The tighter it is, the more resistance there is which can lead to a lot of noise depending on how much force is being applied to it.

If you want the sway control active, move the handle to the on position (tilted back towards the trailer. To turn it off, pull the handle back towards the vehicle. The nut below the handle is for adjustment only. It sounds like you have too much tension and need to loosen the tension bolt.

You mentioned having to loosen the handle to slide it to fit the trailer. The instructions state that the center of the ball on the ball/plate assembly should be 24 inches from the center of the hitch ball when the trailer is connected. If you positioned it at a different length, this could be causing the problem by putting additional stress on the unit. I have included a link to the installation details for reference.

You can lubricate the balls but make sure not to lubricate any other components. You will need to make a few test runs before getting it set just right. If you have a trailer that weighs over 6,000 pounds loaded, you would need to use 2 units.

expert reply by: Michael H