Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

stiles watson · 02-16-2007, 03:23 AM

Hitch pin, king pin = the round pin hanging down under the front of your Monty. The pin box = the metal (usually black) out of which that king pin hangs. It is held to your Monty with bolts.
Hitch = the hardware you put in the bed of your tow vehicle to connect to the king pin.

You have a long bed truck so you don't need a slider hitch, so ignore all discussion of a slider hitch.

Some people want to have a softer ride when pulling their rig. There are two approaches to making this happen. (1) Changing out your pinbox to one with some shock absorbing technology or (2) putting a shock absorbing hitch on your truck.

Mohr/ride use rubber technology to address mainly horizontal shock although it has some vertical shock capabilities. Airborne uses a combination of springs and air cylinders to deal with both horizontal and vertical shock as do some other "air pinboxes". Trailair is a hitch using air cylinders and springs to handle the shocks. There are some other brands, but these are the main ones thrown around.

Shock absorbing pin boxes ($650 to $1000) are less expensive than shock absorbing hitches $2000 to $4000). Everybody thinks they did the right thing so you won't get agreement about what to buy. You do not need both a shock absorbing hitch and a shock absorbing pinbox.

If you don't choose to use a shock absorbing hitch, then you need to decide whether you want a hitch where the plate on top of it simply tilts forward and backward or whether you want a four way tilt. The four way tilt gives a little more flexibility in making up you connection on uneven awkward ground. I have not needed it.

My thoughts on these technologies:
Air hitch:
Probably gives the smoothest ride. It stays with the truck if you change RVs. Hard to remove from the TV bed to make it usable otherwise. Double the cost or more than the air pinbox.
Air Pinbox:
Price is a plus. Gives significant shock absorption. Even though it stays with the RV, buy the time I trade or sell, I expect the technology to be upgraded and I will want the better technology on the newer rig.

02-16-2007, 03:23 AM	#9
stiles watson Montana Master Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Leona Posts: 6,382 M.O.C. #2059	Hitch pin, king pin = the round pin hanging down under the front of your Monty. The pin box = the metal (usually black) out of which that king pin hangs. It is held to your Monty with bolts. Hitch = the hardware you put in the bed of your tow vehicle to connect to the king pin. You have a long bed truck so you don't need a slider hitch, so ignore all discussion of a slider hitch. Some people want to have a softer ride when pulling their rig. There are two approaches to making this happen. (1) Changing out your pinbox to one with some shock absorbing technology or (2) putting a shock absorbing hitch on your truck. Mohr/ride use rubber technology to address mainly horizontal shock although it has some vertical shock capabilities. Airborne uses a combination of springs and air cylinders to deal with both horizontal and vertical shock as do some other "air pinboxes". Trailair is a hitch using air cylinders and springs to handle the shocks. There are some other brands, but these are the main ones thrown around. Shock absorbing pin boxes ($650 to $1000) are less expensive than shock absorbing hitches $2000 to $4000). Everybody thinks they did the right thing so you won't get agreement about what to buy. You do not need both a shock absorbing hitch and a shock absorbing pinbox. If you don't choose to use a shock absorbing hitch, then you need to decide whether you want a hitch where the plate on top of it simply tilts forward and backward or whether you want a four way tilt. The four way tilt gives a little more flexibility in making up you connection on uneven awkward ground. I have not needed it. My thoughts on these technologies: Air hitch: Probably gives the smoothest ride. It stays with the truck if you change RVs. Hard to remove from the TV bed to make it usable otherwise. Double the cost or more than the air pinbox. Air Pinbox: Price is a plus. Gives significant shock absorption. Even though it stays with the RV, buy the time I trade or sell, I expect the technology to be upgraded and I will want the better technology on the newer rig.