How have you stopped hitch rattle

[bigdee]

My hitch rattle was very loud and annoying. This is especially true on unibody vehicles because there is zero isolation from receiver. My solution was to drill and tap for two 3/8-16 bolts, one on bottom of receiver and one on side of receiver. I tighten them to take out the play. Works great and it was a $1 fix....used jam nuts to lock them in place.

 

[Maclin]

If I understand "hitch rattle" from the limited description, and if you are referring to a loaded situation, Tongue weight is a factor, keeping the receiver and ball loaded up, if it is correct then rattling should not be present just going down the road. The only noises should be from navigating through rises and bumps.

If you mean with no load then, well, remove the hitch from the receiver...?

 

[bigdee]

If I understand "hitch rattle" from the limited description, and if you are referring to a loaded situation, Tongue weight is a factor, keeping the receiver and ball loaded up, if it is correct then rattling should not be present just going down the road. The only noises should be from navigating through rises and bumps.

If you mean with no load then, well, remove the hitch from the receiver...?

With trailer....and proper tongue weight. Very loud on my Grand Cherokee, not so loud on my pickup because frame isolates the noise from transferring to body.

 

[Bondo]

[h=2]How have you stopped hitch rattle[/h]

Ayuh,..... Turn the radio up louder,.....

 

[Scott Danforth]

Curt brand of receivers rattle the most based on my experience. I put UHMW tape on the draw bar to eliminate the rattle.

 

[bigdee]

Curt brand of receivers rattle the most based on my experience. I put UHMW tape on the draw bar to eliminate the rattle.

I tried UHMW shims but the bolt trick eliminated it for good. Plus the hitch is easier to remove by just loosing the bolts. Mine is Reese but still too much play IMO.

 

[Scott Danforth]

boat in salt water and leave the draw bar in for a summer.... rattle will be gone..... you may never get the draw bar out again, however rattle will be gone.

 

[roscoe]

Great if you can drill and tap those holes.

The rest of us are stuck with something like these.
Some are cheap $12, some as high as $75.







These are under $15.

I really never experience much rattling as long as my tongue weight is good.
And, my brakes are electric, so the receiver isn't getting slammed into.

 

[dingbat]

Guess I’m lucky.

Never had an issue with either trailer. Any hitch noise is a signal the brakes need attention. Electric on the horse and surge on the boat, no difference.

Maybe a weight thing. Both trailers are well over #5000 when loaded.

 

[Snowfish]

I feel your pain. Even with proper tongue weight, they still can rattle.
I've been using this style of anti-rattle hitch pin for years.

No substitute for proper tongue weight. But this set up will virtually eliminate any residual rattling.

 

[oldjeep]

You get yourself a decent hitch on the truck and something better than a $5 receiver from autozone. A decent hitch with a quality receiver and pin that fits doesn't rattle.

 

[fishrdan]

I once glued some thin SS sheet material onto the sides of a tow bar with 3M weatherstrip adhesive, worked well to fill the gap so it didn't rattle/clunk.

I don't worry about it anymore, don't even notice the noise, if it's happening...

 

[bigdee]

You get yourself a decent hitch on the truck and something better than a $5 receiver from autozone. A decent hitch with a quality receiver and pin that fits doesn't rattle.

and what that be? I have a category III hitch and receiver made by Curt. Same hitch brand is on truck and it don't rattle. I think it is the unibody of the Cherokee. Maybe rattle is wrong term....loud knocking over bumps in road. There was play,play= knock which transfer directly into body. Truck has frame and body is isolated with rubber mounts,hence...no noise.

 

[alldodge]

If you always leave it installed even when not using, you could weld the two together.

 

[oldjeep]

and what that be? I have a category III hitch and receiver made by Curt. Same hitch brand is on truck and it don't rattle. I think it is the unibody of the Cherokee. Maybe rattle is wrong term....loud knocking over bumps in road. There was play,play= knock which transfer directly into body. Truck has frame and body is isolated with rubber mounts,hence...no noise.

Something like an Andersen aluminum or stainless receiver and one of their pins. If you can put the pin in either the receiver or hitch and wiggle it up or down then it is no good. Most of the class 4 stuff tends to fit tighter than the class 3 but any of the 3 pieces can cause rattling.

 

[bigdee]

If you always leave it installed even when not using, you could weld the two together.

I do leave it in all the time. Like I said it is held tight with two setscrews on each axis so it takes an extra step to remove it. It has caught a few shins by surprise including mine...lol. I posted this because my solution fixed the problem and thought someone might find it useful.

 

[redneck joe]

Ayuh,..... Turn the radio up louder,.....

Car Talk classic answer....


My brother used a sock, replaced as needed. This is what you do with all the lonely socks your wife finds.

 

[bassman284]

I have a 2008 Grand Cherokee with factory hitch and there is a lot of play in them. I don't think any amount of tongue weight will matter. My 97 had the rust-in-place type receiver and never rattled. I got one of these about 5 years ago although I didn't pay anywhere near what they're asking now.

https://www.amazon.com/Roadmaster-0...60&sr=8-3&keywords=roadmaster+062+quiet+hitch

 

[bigdee]

I have a 2008 Grand Cherokee with factory hitch and there is a lot of play in them. I don't think any amount of tongue weight will matter. My 97 had the rust-in-place type receiver and never rattled. I got one of these about 5 years ago although I didn't pay anywhere near what they're asking now.

https://www.amazon.com/Roadmaster-0...60&sr=8-3&keywords=roadmaster+062+quiet+hitch

Glad someone else with a Grand Cherokee replied on this. You can vouch about hitch noise transferring into the car's body!

 

[bassman284]

Glad someone else with a Grand Cherokee replied on this. You can vouch about hitch noise transferring into the car's body!

Yeah, I bought it in 2013 and the first time I pulled the boat I got out after about a quarter mile to check that everything was actually hooked up correctly. The first thing I tried was driving a wood wedge between the ball mount and the receiver. That lasted for about a mile driving 25-30 before it chewed right through it. the factory hitch looks to be a Hidden Hitch. It sure has a lot of play in it. Probably why there are so many products online to deal with it.