Finally got a Scamp! Axle/suspension perhaps needs work

[Byron Kinnaman]

I'm not familiar with your tug, but if you have a receiver, I found a lot of noise disappeared once I put on one of those little clamps that keeps everything tight.

What little clamps, if may ask?



(I deleted unrelated copied text to save space)

[Benny K]

Howdy, I run car tires on my 13' Boler and it rides as good as my truck, and my truck rides like a large car, unless I`m on a highway with concrete break sections....normally towing it seems as if there is nothing attached to the truck.....I would weigh the trailer axle and tongue and try 12-15 % of your trailer weight on the tongue when you you load the trailer up.....as someone mentioned earlier, it sounds as if your tongue is too light and bounces, lifting against your ball.....this will make a lot of noise, because the the hitch coupler has some play in it, unless you use an equalizer, and bouncing type action pulling up on your Element TV.....your trailer looks real good.....hopefully the under carriage is in the same shape......Benny

[Pete Dumbleton]

What little clamps, if may ask?

Here's one.

Here's another.

Here's still another.

Yet another.

And still another.

All found on the Ballmount Accessories page at ETrailer.com

Looks like a growth industry!!!

However, being as frugal as I am, I would be inclined to drill a hole in the side of my receiver, tap it and put in a short bolt. If it tore out, I would have the hole all ready for one of the J-bolts above.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I'm bring this topic back to life as I'm sick of bumping up 99. (The return home is much better as the road has been paved, but California roads are likely to be getting much worse before they get better.)

From what I gather from this discussion, I might be able to improve the ride by:

1) Putting more load in the front of the trailer

2) Putting some kind of anti-rattle device on the hitch. All the ones shown were for 2", do they make them for 1 1/4?

3) Not having the trailer tires at max inflation.

Anything else?

Bobbie

[Pete Dumbleton]

If all else fails, tap in some wedges made of wood.

[John Perry]

I'm bring this topic back to life as I'm sick of bumping up 99. (The return home is much better as the road has been paved, but California roads are likely to be getting much worse before they get better.)
2) Putting some kind of anti-rattle device on the hitch. All the ones shown were for 2", do they make them for 1 1/4?
Anything else?
Bobbie

I had a rattely hitch several years ago. I took a 1/2 inch bolt and nut, drilled a hole in the side of the receiver tube large enough for the bolt to go through and had a welder weld the nut to the receiver tube. When the draw bar was installed I tightened the bolt against the draw bar and the rattle was gone.
You might also check the adjustment on your coupler. After you have hooked your trailer to the TV try to lift it up. if it is loose and rattles when you lift it up you might want to tighten it up. Look up underneath the coupler and you should see a nut that increases the tension on the ball when the coupler is engaged. With a socket wrench tighten the nut {just barley enough} to eliminate the rattle. You don't want it so tight that it restricts the free movement of the ball inside of the coupler when you are turning.
I lived in the Fresno, Merced are for years. For some reason when Cal Trans repaves a section of 99 it only takes about 6 months before the pot holes return.
Hope this helps,
John

[Bobbie Mayer]

It really does not seem to be the hitch. The trailer bounces and the ride is transmitted to the car. I'm going to try loading more weight on the tongue and see if it helps.

Bobbie

[Pete Dumbleton]

You can measure your tongue weight by just putting it on a bathroom scale.