Best Pin Box?

[BurbMan]

Since we had such a great discussion about hitches, what's the consensus on the best pin box?

[garyhughes]

The consensus on the best pin box is that it depends on what you need. Many people recommend the Morryde and Trailair pin boxes because they provide a smoother ride and reduce stress on your trailer and truck. If you're looking for something that can help with storage, a small kraft box is handy for keeping all the small parts and accessories organized.

[JTrac]

We had a Demco on our Excel and had to replace the bushings a couple of times in the 7 years we owned it. Combined with a Trailer Saver BD3 air hitch it rode pretty good. The aging process was making it more difficult for me to remove a heavy hitch from my truck bed so when we got the Pinnacle I had the dealer install a 20K Reese Goosebox Gen 2. I'm not sure how much the Reese contributed as we changed trucks at the same time but the ride is the best we have had in our 40 plus years of owning an rv of some sort.

[bucky]

After solid and TrailAir I went to Morryde and won't go back. It really smoothed out the ride.

[n0arp]

BurbMan wrote:
Leaning now toward an air ride hitch like the Trailer Saver with a standard pin box...thoughts?

I loved that system when I had it. I've run several hitches and pinboxes, and that would be one of my top two picks. The other would be the Reese Goosebox V2.

[BurbMan]

Leaning now toward an air ride hitch like the Trailer Saver with a standard pin box...thoughts?

[dieseltruckdriv]

We have the Morryde that TXiceman linked to, and like it. It surprises me how much that thing will move when I look at the dust on the pin box. It came factory on our Arctic Fox, and I am pretty sure if it goes bad, I will replace it with another.

[Second_Chance]

TXiceman wrote:
You will get a lot of "opinions" on this, and many will be from a person with experience of the only pin box they have ever had on their first trailer. We have had several 5ers with different pin boxes. Some have had a rigid pin box. The current trailer had a Demco Glide Ride.

With the Demco, it reduces chucking but the links need replacing after about 20,000 to 30,000 miles. The link bushings wear and you start to get clunking when you start or stop, and it has some side play. We are using a Trailer Saver TS3 air ride hitch in the truck.

The best pin box we have had was a Mor/Ryde pin box. It helps to reduce chucking and is durable.
https://www.morryde.com/products/rubber-pin-box/

Some people who use the air ride pin boxes are happy with them, but it stays with the trailer when you sell it. With an air ride hitch, you can use it in different trucks and different trailers.

Ken

I have experience with both the Demco Glide Ride and the MORryde (current pin box). The Demco performed well and we didn't have the issues with link wear that TXiceman describes (though with more miles, it could have). I am extremely happy with our current MORryde pin box.

Rob

[Cummins12V98]

Happy with this combo. Full-time use since 2015 and 6k pin weight.

Fore and aft plus up and down absorption. YES 9 grease Zerks on Pin Box. I use AMZ/OIL grease maybe that's why mine has not failed being used with 24k RV attached.

YEP bag does loose some air but I give it a shot along with the tires prior to heading out.

[BurbMan]

This is what it says on the e-trailer product page:

"It is recommended that if sitting idle for more than a week, the air springs should be drained to relieve pressure on the system."

[BurbMan]

This is what it says on the e-trailer product page:

"It is recommended that if sitting idle for more than a week, the air springs should be drained to relieve pressure on the system."

[RCMAN46]

I have a 5th Airborne going on 10 years. Never had a problem and like a car tire I do not air down for storage.

[ACZL]

Burbman,

I've never deflated the air bag on my 5th AB until she went into storage. I do check every time we take a trip to make she it's at proper psi.. Run w/ B&W Patriot, but you should eb gooooood to go w/ the More Ride

[BurbMan]

Thanks for the input guys...so after selling the TC last week we started looking and pulled the trigger on a 2008 Heartland Big Country 3250TS. Needs some TLC but not nearly as much as the Lance needed...Missing items that the dealer promised to resolve include the bathroom faucet and pin box...I guess it got scavenged sitting on the lot. Of course the dealer is getting the cheapest box he can find, so I asked if he would let me pay the difference to upgrade and he agreed.

I called Heartland and they confirmed that the original pin box would have been a Lippert 1621, so I'm going to go with Mor-Ryde. I like the idea of air cushioning, but also agree about the air bag. The Reese advises that you deflate the bag when not in use, meaning one more thing to check when you hitch up. I liked the TrailAir but same issue plus having the bag exposed to UV does not equal longevity. thanks for the feedback about the Mor-Ryde, i'm going to go with that one. GVWR on the trailer is 14k.

Now to buy a hitch.

Here's the floorplan:

[Veebyes]

I have had two on the same model 5er, both Alpenlite 34RLR.

The first one had the Trailair pinbox. We lost that trailer after 2 years use that included a trip to Alaska to a Wyoming blowover. The second 34RLR came with a 5th Airbourne pinbox. Still have that trailer.

Without question the Trailair pinbox was better riding. The reason is simple. The Trailair allows much more travel than the 5th Airbourne. The Trailair hinges forward. The 5th airbourne hinges back (not much travel at all).

The only negative about the Trailair is that the airbag is exposed to the elements. Sun & dry rot is a real concern. Sun cannot get at the 5th Airbourne at all.