Newbie question on fifth wheel hitches

W5CI wrote:
My Cedar Creek came with the TrailAir hitch, this is my first 5r, but it really rides smooth

What you are referring to is a Pin Box.

Didn't mean to infer that you wasted your money on the Trailer Saver. Wish I could afford one both $$$ and ###:)

My point and I should have asked the question first, have you done the necessary home work work to eliminate basic chucking.

I would say you have with the exception of the 18% pin weight. I am just over 18% with a dry water tank, right at 20% with it full, and I can tell the difference when it is empty.

Don't forget that there are =pinbox= options as well as hitch options. Just sayin'...

Lyle

X2 on that. I also have Bils on my truck and the trailer has shocks. But the roads in this country can be pretty bad so I'm doing what I can to help my truck AND my trailer survive.

rhagfo wrote:

Durb wrote:
Welcome. I bought my first 5er last year and went through the motions of installing a very popular hitch in my Ram 3500. The ride was so terrible that the wife said to sell the 5th wheel. We were bouncing up and down plus her head was bouncing off the headrest (chucking). I ended up with a TS3 and it is now a pleasure to ride in the truck when towing. I wish I didn't have to spend the 3 grand to fix my problem. That being said, you won't be unhappy with an air hitch.

This is a good forum, I suggest you pick out the trailer you want and your truck and post to see if others have the same. They will reply regarding their towing results with various hitches.

Well you spent $3,000 on a hitch that smoothed your ride, but did NOTHING to correct the ride the 5er is experiencing :S!!!

So your 5er is bouncing and banging behind you, the Air Ride hitch is just hiding it from you.

I tow an 12,360# GVWR 5er with a 2001 Ram 2500, and have a standard Reese hitch and standard pin box. I have near zero chucking because my 5er rides smooth it's self!

#1 Reason for chucking is too light of pin 20% minimum for a 5er 22% is better. I always run with FW tank full as it is forward of the axles.

#2 Fiver as near level as possible, our 32' might now be at most an inch nose high.

#3 Great shocks on the TV, Bilstein's on ours.

#4 Shocks (working) of the 5er.

#5 Wet bolts and heavy duty shackles on the 5er.

Please don't imply I wasted my money. My pin weight is 18% and has not changed since chucking (Patriot) and not chucking (TrailerSaver). I did lower my ride height with the TS3 and am about 1" nose high. I do have Bilsteins on my truck. I have independent suspension on my 5er as I have Dexter Torflex axles. Shocks are not an option and I have no shackles.

The air hitch does mask the bouncing from my trailer which is what I paid for. It also masks the bouncing the truck sends to the trailer. The stuff that used to shift around in my cabinets before now stays in place. Smoother ride all around. Money well spent.

We have a TrailerSaver BD3 - the name says it all!

Durb wrote:
Welcome. I bought my first 5er last year and went through the motions of installing a very popular hitch in my Ram 3500. The ride was so terrible that the wife said to sell the 5th wheel. We were bouncing up and down plus her head was bouncing off the headrest (chucking). I ended up with a TS3 and it is now a pleasure to ride in the truck when towing. I wish I didn't have to spend the 3 grand to fix my problem. That being said, you won't be unhappy with an air hitch.

This is a good forum, I suggest you pick out the trailer you want and your truck and post to see if others have the same. They will reply regarding their towing results with various hitches.

Well you spent $3,000 on a hitch that smoothed your ride, but did NOTHING to correct the ride the 5er is experiencing :S!!!

So your 5er is bouncing and banging behind you, the Air Ride hitch is just hiding it from you.

I tow an 12,360# GVWR 5er with a 2001 Ram 2500, and have a standard Reese hitch and standard pin box. I have near zero chucking because my 5er rides smooth it's self!

#1 Reason for chucking is too light of pin 20% minimum for a 5er 22% is better. I always run with FW tank full as it is forward of the axles.

#2 Fiver as near level as possible, our 32' might now be at most an inch nose high.

#3 Great shocks on the TV, Bilstein's on ours.

#4 Shocks (working) of the 5er.

#5 Wet bolts and heavy duty shackles on the 5er.

I have been using a BD3 since I started full timing over 2 years ago. These hitches are wonderful. They work as advertised. They get rid of almost all of the up and down jerkiness that results from potholes, railroad tracks, etc.

I also have the Mor/Ryde pinbox. This is basically a rubber doughnut around the king pin. It works to absorb all the back and forth chucking that can be experienced. These are relatively cheap.

Between these two devices, I get a very nice ride going down the road. I can look in the rear view mirror and watch the hitch pin jiggle around but none of the motion is transferred to me or my truck. And it works in reverse, which is good for the trailer. When my truck hits a bump it does not get transferred to the fiver.

If I was doing it over, I would buy them both again. No complaints.

Welcome. I bought my first 5er last year and went through the motions of installing a very popular hitch in my Ram 3500. The ride was so terrible that the wife said to sell the 5th wheel. We were bouncing up and down plus her head was bouncing off the headrest (chucking). I ended up with a TS3 and it is now a pleasure to ride in the truck when towing. I wish I didn't have to spend the 3 grand to fix my problem. That being said, you won't be unhappy with an air hitch.

This is a good forum, I suggest you pick out the trailer you want and your truck and post to see if others have the same. They will reply regarding their towing results with various hitches.

My Cedar Creek came with the TrailAir hitch, this is my first 5r, but it really rides smooth