Rear Kitchen

[Crodad]

I have a Silverback 31RK(rear kitchen). I'm having things break in the cabinets, even the glass plate in the microwave broke. I ordered a Trailaire pinbox that is on backorder and I'm starting to wonder if that will really help.

Will a Trailaire pinbox help the ride in the rear of the camper?

trailair Pinbox

or should I get a Rota-Flex Pinbox?

[rhagfo]

larry barnhart wrote:



I really disagree with the above post because we have had an airhitch since April 2001. The reason is the alpenlite floats up and down softly. That means the jerk from steel to steel would make items bounce harder. this is so easy to notice looking back in the rear view mirror or any mirror. The trailair pin box should do the same.

chevman

Well did your Alpenlite come with the Trailair Center Point Suspension?
If so I would say that has more to do with no breakage than the Aithitch.

I have watched some these 5er's from behind, and some bounce like a yoyo! one needs to control the bounce at the axle, the bounce at the pin is going top have less effect.

[rhagfo]

Crodad wrote:

SteveB wrote:
We pack up the breakable stuff. We had stuff break on our 1st trip.

Yea, we have packed stuff with bubble wrap, moved glassware to the center, etc.. But every time something else breaks.

we don't pack a single thing, just sits in the cabinets as when we are using. we have two wine tumblers with very thin lip, and no issues.
As stated earlier the only time we have had breakage was hitting a road buckle that was the size of a parking lot speed bump, before the shocks. Now I hardly slow down at all for a rough section of road, because of how smoothly the 5er rolls over the rough spots with almost zero bounce.

[Crodad]

SteveB wrote:
We pack up the breakable stuff. We had stuff break on our 1st trip.

Yea, we have packed stuff with bubble wrap, moved glassware to the center, etc.. But every time something else breaks.

[SteveB]

We pack up the breakable stuff. We had stuff break on our 1st trip.

[larry_barnhart]

rhagfo wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
Does your SB have shocks on the axles? If not add them.

ACZL wrote:
Trailer susp ugrade. Independant suspension, Equa-flex, Mor-Ryde. I think shocks come w/ CC's (at least they used to). IMO, don't think a air ride pin box will help you in keeping rear bounce down.

Pin box is going to do S*** for your breakage issues, might make your ride better, but the 5er is still back there beating its self to death!!

See the two post above, level the 5er so it isn't trying to hop over bumps. SHOCKS!!! this will make the best improvement, and wet bolts. If it isn't current set up for shocks Lippert makes a kit with shocks (made in China) well the brackets are good!! :S I got about two years out of the shocks, just replaced with Monroe 555001's and we are back to a very smooth ride.
This is with a standard pin box.

Keep in mind too many go for the "quick Fix" which really isn't a fix at all it just mask the issues the 5er has.
One really needs to fix the 5er, then think about the ride in the TV, because once the 5er is fixed, the TV ride will be much better also.

I really disagree with the above post because we have had an airhitch since April 2001. The reason is the alpenlite floats up and down softly. That means the jerk from steel to steel would make items bounce harder. this is so easy to notice looking back in the rear view mirror or any mirror. The trailair pin box should do the same.

chevman

[ScottG]

Does your fiver have shocks? They help a lot with bounce.

[rhagfo]

donn0128 wrote:
Does your SB have shocks on the axles? If not add them.

ACZL wrote:
Trailer susp ugrade. Independant suspension, Equa-flex, Mor-Ryde. I think shocks come w/ CC's (at least they used to). IMO, don't think a air ride pin box will help you in keeping rear bounce down.

Pin box is going to do S*** for your breakage issues, might make your ride better, but the 5er is still back there beating its self to death!!

See the two post above, level the 5er so it isn't trying to hop over bumps. SHOCKS!!! this will make the best improvement, and wet bolts. If it isn't current set up for shocks Lippert makes a kit with shocks (made in China) well the brackets are good!! :S I got about two years out of the shocks, just replaced with Monroe 555001's and we are back to a very smooth ride.
This is with a standard pin box.

Keep in mind too many go for the "quick Fix" which really isn't a fix at all it just mask the issues the 5er has.
One really needs to fix the 5er, then think about the ride in the TV, because once the 5er is fixed, the TV ride will be much better also.

[JTrac]

We have had our rear kitchen model for 6 years now, towed it around 35K miles over much of the country and part of Canada. We have never had a broken dish or anything else. Things do move sometimes but that is to be expected with the roads we have. Lots of things can cause your problem like overinflated tires, suspension, weight distribution, etc.

To answer your question, I would think the Trail Air pin box would more beneficial as it will add some cushioning between the truck and the trailer. I would also look at adding shocks if that did not get the results you want. Ours came with them so not sure how much of an improvement they would be. A little bit of overkill, but about 3 years ago I decided to do some upgrades that I thought might help extend the life of our fifth wheel. I added a Center Point air suspension system which was a Trail Air product before Lippert bought them which did help smooth out the ride even more. Later I sold the B&W and got a Trailer Saver BD3 air ride hitch which really cuts out the jolting interaction between the truck and the trailer. In addition, I had a set of Air Lift air bags from a previous truck so I put them on the GMC for no good reason other than I had them. I'm not sure if they would help with your situation or not.

I think you are on the right track by trying to isolate the truck and trailer with the Trail Air. You didn't say, but if you have some bucking or chucking, which is not good for a rear kitchen, or any other type for that matter, the Trail Air can help with that. My honest opinion is that an air ride hitch would be more beneficial, but, it costs more. If that fails you may have to look at the trailer's suspension. There are a lot of options for things to try but they also can cost a bit. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[ACZL]

Trailer susp ugrade. Independant suspension, Equa-flex, Mor-Ryde. I think shocks come w/ CC's (at least they used to). IMO, don't think a air ride pin box will help you in keeping rear bounce down.

[donn0128]

Does your SB have shocks on the axles? If not add them.

[azdryheat]

It might help a bit but you're not not going to stop the rear of your trailer from bouncing down the road and breaking things. Perhaps why the vast majority of trailers have their kitchens over the wheels.