Blue ox noisy

[Matt14]

Hi, towing a 32bhds. Went with the blue ox hitch and 1500# bars. I have two questions,
1. The trailer dealer said I didn’t need the underslung hitch head, and sold me the normal one, saying that’s what they always do.
I can only get the 6th link (from end of chain) into bracket and it’s hard to get that. Everything I’ve read/seen show like 9or10 links

2. When turning a corner, can hear the sound of something starting to bind, then when I straighten out a loud snap/bang noise. So bad that it can be felt through the truck. Is it possible that the underslung head would help any of this?

Sorry for long post. Thanks

[morleyz]

I would disagree with your dealer that you didn't "need" the underslung head. You have an underslung coupler, you should have the right head. The difference is the angle of spring bars vs. the horizontal of the ball. Contact Blue Ox, their support is great. I have heard of them swapping out heads before after a dealer did something like this.

1) The actual number of links shouldn't matter. It's just suggestions for a starting point. You really should set this hitch up using a scale. You want to set the number of links to try and return as much weight as possible back onto the front suspension. If you need to get "more links", you can use the trailer's tongue jack to support the weight of the trailer while hooking up the spring bars. On my old trailer, I even had to use the trailer tongue jack to pull the rear up slightly to get the right spring setup. It gets significantly harder to do if you try to hook up the bars with the truck at full "sag". Also, keep in mind that you want to get close the same setup when disconnecting. If you connect on a raised tongue and then try and disconnect at full sag, you'll be in for a big surprise when those springs release. Get yourself a breaker bar and socket and toss the Blue Ox "wrench" in the trash.

2) Mine creaks around corners and when backing around a corner, but I don't recall ever feeling anything. Have you greased the spring bar holders? When you turn, it creates a twisting force on both of the bars and they pivot in the bar holders. I'm not sure if the wrong head type would actually cause your issue, but it wouldn't surprise me that the wrong angle would lead to a greater pinching force at the bar holders and cause them to bind.

I love my Blue Ox but I liked it a lot more after I used a CAT scale to set it up better. The scale by me charged $8 for the first pass and $3 for each subsequent pass. For around $20, I was able to set it up perfectly.

[Matt14]

Thanks for your reply, I’ve been in contact with blue ox. They confirmed what you have said, they are great to deal with and that I need the other head. When hooking up I have near all the weight of the truck almost lifting rear tires. And can barely get the 6th link in. Every picture I see of these hitches shows way less links under the latch. I’m ok with normal noises , but this noise is definitely not norm.
I’m using air bags in rear springs, which is another item to try and set up with the hitch for everything to work together!

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Matt14

Thanks for your reply, I’ve been in contact with blue ox. They confirmed what you have said, they are great to deal with and that I need the other head. When hooking up I have near all the weight of the truck almost lifting rear tires. And can barely get the 6th link in. Every picture I see of these hitches shows way less links under the latch. I’m ok with normal noises , but this noise is definitely not norm.
I’m using air bags in rear springs, which is another item to try and set up with the hitch for everything to work together!

Morleyz hit the nail right on the head.

And the noises you describe are not at all "normal" IMO.

My Blue Ox made a little noise every now and then. A little groan here or there. Certainly nothing I could feel in the seat.

Dealers are notoriously bad at proper WDH selection and installation. For the dealer to say something like "nah, you don't need the underslung hitch head" borders on criminal negligence IMO. It's simply not the right piece of equipment for the application.

I had GREAT customer service from Blue Ox too, so I anticipate they'll get you squared away one way or another. But I'd be going back against the dealer for insisting on selling you the wrong hitch, even after you questioned it. That's just not okay IMO.

Also, I would download the installation instructions and go through them to make sure the dealer installed everything correctly, and also that you're doing everything correctly per the instructions.

Blue Ox makes good stuff, and my Sway Pro was/is a good piece of kit.

[Matt14]

Thanks, I mean the trailer and truck are pretty level and tows alright.
Don’t get me started on our dealer, why are in a battle over other things and the wrong hitch is gonna be my ace in the hole!

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Matt14

Thanks, I mean the trailer and truck are pretty level and tows alright.
Don’t get me started on our dealer, why are in a battle over other things and the wrong hitch is gonna be my ace in the hole!

Remember that when you're setting up your hitch, the goal is not "level" rig and truck. The goal is to return lost weight to the front axle of the tow vehicle. Truck being level is a side effect of a good setup, but is NOT the goal.

You want your trailer to be level OR SLIGHTLY nose down, and you want the weight on the front axle of the truck to be the same hitched as it is unhitched.

Again, read and understand the instructions for your hitch. They are available on the website, and there are at least a few YouTube videos produced by the manufacturer.

Sorry you have a bad dealer, it is an all too common problem in this world.