Jerky trailer ????

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merlinsquest

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Just got my trailer back from being serviced...... and its still making the car jerky. We thought the brakes may need seeing too, but apparently not
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Great news as the bill was small, but pants if its going to keep jerking.

Has anyone had this before.... Its an Ifor Williams 505 and I tow with a Kia sorento.

It just feels like its jerking back on the car. car does not struggle to pull it at all and sometimes it tows beautifully.

Makes no difference if the horse is in there or not.

Anyone got any ideas
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I tow my trailer off a jeep grand cherokee and have no trouble at all, borrowed a friends car to tow off ( also a jeep but newer than mine) and that was jerky think it is to do with the height of the tow bar being wrong??
 
They looked at the tow bar today too, as they said it could be loose (it wasnt obviously) and didnt say anything about the height (they hitched it up for me).

Also sometimes it has been fine which I suppose might rule that out
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Thanks though..... keep the ideas coming...

I suppose to be able to tow another trailer and tow mine with another car would be a good test!!!!
 
When this happens it does usually mean the brakes on the trailer are a bit rusty so they start grabbing! it is usually if you leave your trailer unused with the hand brake on, we now leave ours parked up when not used without the brake on but with a brick under the wheel, this has stopped the jerking but did have the brake sanded first to remove the rust.
 
But it has only been serviced today
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And in three years of owning it, I have only ever used the handbrake once....... the first time it sat on my drive...... It locked solid
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Have never used it since.

The guys at the service centre were convinced it would be the brakes too, said they thought a shoe could have come adrift. They were stumped too!!!
 
I think Silverskye is right, your towing height may be a problem and at least if you put in on another car you can know that it is something to do with your settings.

The other thing that you need to check is your towbar, we had a dixon bate adjustable one on a landrover once that was ajustable by moving a plate, as it got older it moved and felt much like you are describing. Plus we had a friend who had a detachable one that had worn fixings that unfortunatley detached while towing!

The brakes can stick and going down hill your braking system can cause this type of effect, however as it's not doing it there, the only other thing is if its not doing it all the time, the road? We used to go down the A3 and there's a bit near Liphook that was juddery, we now have a stretch on the A12 the same.
 
But if the tow bar height was wrong then it would do it all the time wouldnt it???, and it doesnt
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Towbar was only put on the car when i got it on the first of march too......

I am going to take it down the A3100 tomorrow which is smooth and level and see what it feels like there
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It may just be that the last two journeys have been on bad roads
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Does make you worry though... and now its serviced, at least I know that it isnt going to fall apart
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Its only 5 years old and has done very little mileage.... but having been sat under trees for the best part of a year looks terrible... its all green, but hopefully that will all change tomorrow.
 
My trailer felt like it was banging into the back of the car and it turned out to be the plunger on the hitch, we got it fixed and it's fine now. It might be worth getting this looked at if it sounds similar to your problem.
 
My Ifor used to feel like it was bouncing on normal roads (fine on a motorway??) but then a Richardson was fine, I put it down to the IW having leaf springs as the Richardson had independant suspension and was so smooth.
Someone said to me that my problem was the height of my tow bar though.
Maybe it is the height, cos its fine on hilly roads but shows up much more on the level. Has it always been like this?
You could possibly ring IW direct and ask, they may hear these problems and be able to help you.
 
Funny you should say that..... it was the only ray of hope for me today.

Picked it up from the service and they said they had lowered them!!!!

I was suprised as I knew they were correct as per the inside of the jockey door description..... 65psi. But they said they had lowered them to about 55psi as 65 was a bit too high.... like hitting concrete apparently.

I was hoping this would cure it as nothing else was found, but alas it didnt!!!!
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Used to tow with a Disco and never found a problem with it. It is only since I got the Kia......

I am driving out to Frensham on monday, the slower smoother route
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and will see if it is like it then
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Lots of people have now said this..... so do I go back to the Kia garage that had it fitted????

How does it affect the running of the trailer...... just so they dont laugh at me and fob me off
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The pressure on the door is that the pressure required when loaded or unloaded??? Actually didn't you put more air in your tyres recently (like before the jerking started)???.................but then again did it still jerk on the way home from the service??
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I assume its unloaded pressure..... as you cant always have a load on there??? Merlin would take off if he heard the hiss as you take the air thingy off the valve!!!!

It did seem to start when I pumped them up.... althought the first time I tried it out after such a long break (without merlin in it) it was just as bad.... and the pressure as you know was 35psi at that time
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Its really frustrating as all the things mentioned should have been checked in the service....... except the tow bar, but they knew the problem and hitched it up, so would have expected that they might have said something.

Can you have the towbar at different heights anyway???? I thought they just stuck it on at the appropriate point on the back of the car????
 
Not sure if they can adjust them or if you just get different hitches for different trailer heights. You need to hitch up and check your trailer sits level, when on level ground. If the front dips the hitch is too low and if the back dips its too high.
 
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