air ride pin box vs hitch

[gobears]

I thinking of getting a air ride pin box or hitch for my rig. We are planning on returning to Yellowstone this summer and quite frankly, I-90 aross viking land is the worst part of the trip. I cant find any discussions on which of these would be better. I see the hitch is way more expensive, is this because it is a better solution?

thanks, and GO BEARS!

[8.1al]

Both would help but I believe the hitch may work better. That said, the hitch is heavier than the pinbox but the hitch will work with any fifth wheel you may have. If cost is not a factor and you believe you may have more than just this fifth wheel I would go with the hitch

[helmick]

We have the Trail Air Tri Glide Fifth Wheel Pin Box. What a difference it made, sometimes I forget the Montana is behind us.

[BB_TX]

We have the 5th airborne pin box and the ride is great. But I would guess the air ride hitch is even better.

[gobears]

thanks, I didn't think about another 5th wheel. I see they make the pin box for your specific model, guess i thought it might be more universal and could swap it back when we get a new 5'r. Our current unit has the rear bunks and the kids are not coming along forever, but that said, from what i've seen in pricing, I could probably buy 2 pin boxes for the price of one 5th airborne hitch....

[pineranch]

I was considering the Trail Air Tri Glide Fifth Wheel Pin Box but saw a disclaimer in their advert stating that the pin box may extend the hitch longer that 6" causing additional leverage on the frame which may void the manufactures' warranty. Any thoughts on this????????
Mike

[dieselguy]

Pin boxes are for the most part brand specific and not interchangeable. Even in the Montana line there are 2 - 3 different pin box models. The lengths and rises are different and the bolt patterns are different. I was planning on swapping my Glide Ride hitch from my 05 Montana to my 2011 ... wasn't even close. If you plan on trading fivers in the future ... although pricey, the hitch would be the way to go.

[exav8tr]

I swear by the TrailerSaver Air Ride Hitch. This is the one that many HDT trucks use and I can see why. I have the in cab controller and can raise and lower the entire unit if I need to, for extra clearance from time to time. I also have a MorRyde hitch pin. Now I did tow with a solid hitch and a standard OEM Lippert hitch pin. This combination beat us to death. We switched out the hitch pin first and made a real difference in "chucking" (back and forth motion you feel on the highways). Then we went to a new truck and added the TrailerSaver hitch. As the saying goes "What a difference". We then went to MorRyde Independent Suspension and now feel we have the ultimate ride. Of course, it did cost us quite a few bucks, but we wanted the best ride possible for longevity of trailer, truck and selves. I feel, and have been told by others, that a rigid hitch and a rigid hitch pin will tear up a trailer over the long run. Too many forces working against each other. The movable, floating hitches and hitch pins are the best. I have no experience with any other hitch so can't give any help on them. Seems people that own an aftermarket hitch and pin are usually quite proud of their ride, as I am.

I feel you need to weigh the differences in cost verses ride, determine your camping style (highways or backroads) and possibye how long you plan on RVing. If you're in it for the long haul and travel often (we are fulltimers), then you might consider upgrading both components. If only for a few years of weekending and a few extended trips, I might not make the same decisions.

Good luck in your decision and I hope this has helped somewhat......

[Ozz]

I absolutely love my air ride hitch, it has 2 Firestone air bags in it, the only thing that needed improvement was the 'chucking' back and forth horizontally. I put the 'Habeas grab-us' on Stiles' old rubber-bushing pin box when he traded his trailer in, then found that it had too heavy of a bushing, so I sent off for a bushing that matched the weight of the Montana 3400RL that I have. I changed it, and I have a really good ride now.
Here is the slideshow for the pin box rubber bushing change, not a bad job to do:

http://tinyurl.com/Pinboxchange

[helmick]

[quote]Originally posted by pineranch

I was considering the Trail Air Tri Glide Fifth Wheel Pin Box but saw a disclaimer in their advert stating that the pin box may extend the hitch longer that 6" causing additional leverage on the frame which may void the manufactures' warranty. Any thoughts on this????????
Mike

Trail Air is owned by Lippert Componenets, I bought mine from Lippert. It did not extend my pin box. It was put on at theTrail Air Service Center. I don`t think Lippert would make a pin box that would void their own warranty. They told me it would help the frame
last longer by taking the stress out of the frame with the smoother
ride.

[BB_TX]

quote:Originally posted by pineranch

I was considering the Trail Air Tri Glide Fifth Wheel Pin Box but saw a disclaimer in their advert stating that the pin box may extend the hitch longer that 6" causing additional leverage on the frame which may void the manufactures' warranty. Any thoughts on this????????
Mike

Must be due to the difference in the design. I don't think my 5th airborne air ride hitch was much, if any, longer that the original.

[mlh]

I have the Trail Air pin box and have been very pleased with the quality of the pin box and how much better my truck rides, even on I90. It now comes in 2 lengths. I wish I had the short one.
Lynwood

[gobears]

thank you all, good information. Sounds like I can't go wrong on either decision..

[gobears]

quote:Originally posted by Ozz

I absolutely love my air ride hitch, it has 2 Firestone air bags in it, the only thing that needed improvement was the 'chucking' back and forth horizontally. I put the 'Habeas grab-us' on Stiles' old rubber-bushing pin box when he traded his trailer in, then found that it had too heavy of a bushing, so I sent off for a bushing that matched the weight of the Montana 3400RL that I have. I changed it, and I have a really good ride now.
Here is the slideshow for the pin box rubber bushing change, not a bad job to do:

http://tinyurl.com/Pinboxchange

Well I went out and bought the Air Box like Ozz's. I looked at the trail air pin box with tri-glide, it listed for 1,295.00. The Air Safe, Air Box Revolution 18K hitch was on sale for 1,695.00 with shipping, no brainer, went with the air box. Yellowstone trip won't be nearly as long this year, we hope! Thanks for all the help.

[helmick]

I paid $635.00 for the Trail Air Pin Box.

[gobears]

quote:Originally posted by helmick

I paid $635.00 for the Trail Air Pin Box.

the standard trail air i found was listed under 800, but with the tri glide option it was over 1200. It combines the shock absorber/air bag with a slide plate similar to the mor/ryde pin box. If you found it for 695 please send me the link.

this is what i was looking at:

TrailAir Tri Glide Fifth Wheel Pin Boxes
Your Price: $1,244.33
Item Number: L053G
Manufacturer: TrailAir
Manufacturer Part No: L05

[helmick]

[quote]quote:Originally posted by gobears

Originally posted by helmick

I paid $635.00 for the Trail Air Pin Box.

the standard trail air i found was listed under 800, but with the tri glide option it was over 1200. It combines the shock absorber/air bag with a slide plate similar to the mor/ryde pin box. If you found it for 695 please send me the link.

this is what i was looking at:

TrailAir Tri Glide Fifth Wheel Pin Boxes
Your Price: $1,244.33
Item Number: L053G
Manufacturer: TrailAir
Manufacturer Part No: L05


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