New Pin Box - Montana Owners Club

Cat320 · 12-06-2006, 11:27 AM

Tomorrow I'm having my new 5th Airborne pin box put on. For those that have done this, what did you do with the old one? Get some money off the new one using the old one as a 'trade?' Sell it? Gathering dust in your garage? Give it to the dealer?

indy roadrunner · 12-06-2006, 12:54 PM

Bert, I have my OEM one in the garage. I think I will keep it and if I ever trade, put it back on and keep my TrailAir, just might fit on the new one I trade for. Who knows. The standard pin box shouldn't be worth much to anybody unless they had a damaged one or something. But I dang sure am not going to give it to my dealer out of the goodness of my heart. I would sell for scrap metal before I would do that.

bsmeaton · 12-06-2006, 01:00 PM

Ebay? I really don't want one hanging around.

Bert - let us know your first impressions of the ride change! I relying on your input to help me decide on the new Monty.

Tom Gina 06 · 12-06-2006, 01:43 PM

Mine is gathering dust for now in the motorcycle trailer. Thinking about keeping it account I can put it back on if we ever decide to change up. I think I would come out better if I e-bayed the 5th Airborne then the original pin box. Probably have to do it account evolution with new frames and fitting. Just get a new one for the new Monty Big Sky if that day ever comes a few years down the road.

Remember the..............

Clyde n Deb · 12-06-2006, 03:13 PM

Mine's hidden around. Not saying where. Figured it's not worth anything to anybody but me if I decide to take the MorRyde off for some reason. Worth more to me if it's here in case I need it than if it's gone.

JimF · 12-07-2006, 05:14 AM

I have the 5th aribourne, love it. The old pin box, have no space for trash these days now that we are getting rid of everything for full-timing it. Wasn't worth the fuel to take it to the recycle spot so left it where it sat when replaced... We felt that by the time we get a new trailer there will be a new "latest and greatest" pin box out there so why bother.

bsmeaton · 12-07-2006, 05:39 AM

Jim - That is probably good logic (new technology). All that storage time just to find out you didn't use it anyway.

Trailair is supposed to announce a new version. Of course this was supposed to happen last month, so they must be having trouble. Don't want to be thier test case, so looking strong at fifth Airborne.

rickfox · 12-07-2006, 04:12 PM

With all the trouble we had putting the Glide Ride pinbox on, its going to stay there. I threw the cheap Lippert tin can hitch that was on the Monty in the company trash bin. I don't mean to degrade the lippert pinbox, but it really is cheap compared to the Glide Ride.

dieselguy · 12-07-2006, 11:07 PM

I guess each installation is different ... my son and I took the Lippert pin box down and slipped the GlideRide back on in less than 1/2 hour. I measured from the ground to the Lippert lower flange and matched the GlideRide accordingly ... no guessing on which holes that way. Aside from just putting the bolts in the holes, I had to drill 3 small holes ... 2 for the electrical box underneath and one for the breakaway switch on the side. The Lippert went in the box the GlideRide came in ... I'll make a decision from there some rainy day.

rickfox · 12-10-2006, 03:17 PM

On my Monty, the hole at the back where the pinbox fits in, was almost 1/8" on the small side. The Lippert pinbox was force fitted in there (its constructed with much thinner material). The same could not so easily be done with the GlideRide. It took almost 3 hours of hard work, bottle jacks etc. to get the GlideRide to fit.

The GlideRide worked as advertised!

rickfox · 12-10-2006, 03:27 PM

Cat320,

I saw in a 5th Airborne ad that the the internal shock is advertised to reduce chucking - the fore and aft jerking problem. However, the hinge bolt at the very front seems to allow for no fore to aft movement, and the shock seems to be mostly for damping the up and down movement associated with the internal airbag - much like the Trailair.

As I understand the MorRyde pinbox, it utilizes a rubber mounted kingpin to allow for fore and aft movement. Does the 5th Airborne also have this? Or does it utilize some other type design?

bsmeaton · 12-10-2006, 09:42 PM

Steve,
What what I understand of both the 5th airborne and the trailair is they rely on the pivot of the hitch to reduce chucking, the pin box rolls fore and aft slightly with the pivot.

Cat320 · 12-11-2006, 06:51 AM

Rick,

Basically it works like Brad said. The hitch pivots at the very front, but the shock absorber is at an angle with the high side being forward and the low side being aft. So as the vehicles try to 'chuck' the shock is at such an angle as to dampen that movement. FYI...max capacity is 21k, 60 day money back for any reason guarantee, three year overall guarantee, the airbag is a Firestone, with an estimated life of 200k to 500k. Also the airbag can be adjusted, based on the pin weight, to keep it at the correct level for towing.

My old pin box is now gathering dust in the garage.

8.1al · 12-11-2006, 01:14 PM

I'm with Steve. While I won't dispute 5th Airborne's claims I cannot see how a pinbox that pivots up and down and is solid fore and aft can soften fore and aft movement.

Cat320 · 12-12-2006, 12:59 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by 8.1al

I'm with Steve. While I won't dispute 5th Airborne's claims I cannot see how a pinbox that pivots up and down and is solid fore and aft can soften fore and aft movement.

It does it by the angle of the shock. It is not vertical, more of a 45* angle with the high side forward. I'll look at it more closely the next time I go to the rig. They have a video on the web site you might want to check.

8.1al · 12-12-2006, 06:11 PM

Evidently when the pin is subjected to a fore or aft force it is somewhat translated into a vertical motion. It would be nice if someone like trailer life would do a real life comparison of the 3 leading pinboxes.

simonsrf · 12-18-2006, 08:15 AM

We had a Fithairborne pinbox installed about 2 months ago. We don't notice any chucking, not sure how it works, but it is very wonderful. Rarely do we experience ANY jerking. Everything on the inside of the 5er stays in its place, before doors were coming off their hinges!

This add-on was well worth the price.

Sandymom · 12-20-2006, 02:13 PM

Just had a 5th Airborne pinbox installed (800 miles ago) by CW and the difference is very noticeable! Chucking is reduced substantially as is up and down motion from the TV. Much smoother ride.....

Would like to have compared the GlideRide, but can't afford to buy two pinboxes and switch for comparison. Suspect that the GlideRide might be better (?) on chucking, but not better for overall ride.

Mike

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