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Timer
08-28-2001, 03:53 PM
I'm tired of living with this thunk every time I start out from a stop sign while towing my boat. The trailer tongue has the slot that the tongue slides along and I'm assuming that when I start moving, it slides to the end of the slot and makes the thunk.
I talked to a trailer shop and they took it for a tow ride and said it was normal. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

rivercrazy
08-28-2001, 03:59 PM
Its normal. Its part of the actuator that engages the trailer brakes. Ig the thunk is really bad, you probably either have air in the brake lines or the brakes need adjustment (at the brake drums as the shoes have worn)

BLOWNDRAGBOAT
08-28-2001, 04:23 PM
Its normal dude....you can always do what i do......CRANK IT UP A LITTLE LOUDER!!!!!! The clunk will eventually be drowned out. LOL

spectras only
08-28-2001, 04:39 PM
Timer,sorry to say but it's not OK to have a "thunk" .If you have a surge brake system like Atwood,the thunk comes from the actuator hitting at the end of travel,caused by a depleted shock absorber [oil dissipated trough the seal],can't believe that trailer shops couldn't figure it out.

Timer
08-28-2001, 04:51 PM
rivercrazy, the brakes were just replaced and the lines bled, etc. by this trailer shop.
BLOWNDRAGBOAT, I used to have another boat with trailer brakes and it never did this, althouth it didn't have the more modern trailer tongue on it (with a slot).
spectras only, yes it's a surge brake system. The trailer shop said it wasn't the damper (shock absorber). They didn't replace that when they earlier replaced the brakes, so they had an incentive to say it was bad, but they didn't; so I assumed that they were giving me the real scoop.
I'm thinking there is something wrong. It's got to be the damper which is the only thing that works when the tongue is lenthened when starting to accelerate, right????

spectras only
08-28-2001, 06:32 PM
Timer ,I still think it's your little tubeshock.When you brake, the master cylinder cushoning the actuator from hitting hard ,but when you pull again the actuator just slides too quick ,hence the clunk.If you locked the actuator out [stopping it from moving] you won't hear a clunk.You can remove that shock easily and check for resistance by pushing and pulling on the rod,it should be a two way damping.
[This message has been edited by spectras only (edited August 28, 2001).]

Timer
08-28-2001, 06:48 PM
spectras only, so what you're saying is that the damper (tube shock) is what cushions the pull so it won't thunk? So if I remove it and test it by hand, I'm probably going to find that it's easy to pull open if it's bad?

rivercrazy
08-29-2001, 07:59 AM
Some amount of thunk is normal in actuators made by UFO. It shouldn't be excessive though. Travel on the actuator should be roughly 1/2 on hard braking.

spectras only
08-29-2001, 09:38 AM
Timer, that's it!

Timer
08-29-2001, 11:06 AM
spectras only, I thought of something since yesterday: It's very difficult to pull the trailer tongue forward by hand. Won't it be just as hard to extend out the tube shock by hand once I remove it from the tongue??
(I guess no matter what the answer is, you're suggesting I replace the tube shock.)

phillyray
08-29-2001, 11:19 AM
Timer,many years ago I had the same noise coming from the trailer.I even had the tube shock in hand and all day long I thought it was fine! Not so,installed a new shock and what a difference!!!Also what I did to stop some of the little clunking noise from the trailer was just drill a new 5/8 hole for the pin,things are nice and quiet back there now.

al cole'holic
08-29-2001, 11:26 AM
Funny thing, when I tow with my Navi and a straight hitch the clunk makes me crazy..yet when I pull with my F-350 and a 12" drop hitch, I dont hear a thing??? Figure that one out...

spectras only
08-29-2001, 12:46 PM
al cole'holic, Check the ball height on your Nav,and compare it with the 350.You may notice a height difference .The 350 may alter the angle of the trailor tounge,thus causing a little binding on the actuator,and subdue the clunk .

Timer
08-29-2001, 03:23 PM
Hmmm, I just took apart the actuator to get to the tube shock. What a pain if it's the first time you try it -- little things falling all over the place. Should be interesting getting it back together.