Worrying about creaking

QWe’re new to caravanning and recently enjoyed our first trip away. We noticed a creaking sound when towing, which became worse in slower corners, although it went away when driving in a straight line. We also had a new towbar fitted, and our neighbour said the paint on the towball could be to blame, but someone on site said it could be the hitch. I’m now confused and unsure if we should ask the towbar fitter to double-check everything or take the caravan to be serviced? Help – we don’t know where to start. PS: we had a swan neck tow ball fitted if that makes any difference.

AFear not – I think I know what the problem is, and there’s a relatively simple solution to fix it. The problem could be caused by a combination of new towball and/or grubby hitch pads within the stabiliser hitch head. New towballs tend to come with a black painted finish and, if left as it is, can contaminate the hitch pads, leading to a squeaking/creaking noise on slower bends. First, get some 400-grit sandpaper and remove the paint from the towball itself – just the ball, nothing else – and clean with brake cleaner on a clean tissue. It’s worth buying an aerosol of brake cleaner from eBay, or similar, as this will allow you to keep the towball clean on future trips. Moving to the caravan, and assuming you have an Al-ko hitch, prise out the black circular caps on either side of the hitch and find a screwdriver that fits into the hole underneath. Tap the screwdriver with a hammer, and a mushroom-shaped hitch pad should appear. Sand lightly with 400-grit sandpaper until any dirt/paint/contamination is removed and clean with brake cleaner. Then, the pad should push back into place. Repeat for the other side. Two additional pads sit within the hitch head, although the pads to the side are the most likely offenders. Replace the plastic caps, and your problem should be sorted.