Air ride pin boxes??

[steved]

Do they work well?



I'm considering buying one, but it will almost double the value of my 5vr!



I've got about 450#s of pin weight, so it isn't really enough to compress the suspension, but its enough to cause a harsh ride on anything but the smoothest roads.



Would it be worth the investment? Is there anything to watch for? Any particular brand to look into or avoid?

 

[jelag]

I was passed one day by a guy who had one and I was really surprised at how the trailer and truck moved differently...

I than went to buy one and found out how much they cost... .

I later picked up a PacBrake Air Bag and built one... I copied the features I liked from 2 manufacturers... .

I drew the plans and had the parts water jetted out... welded it up and put a pin and bushing in it..... I can't even begin to tell you how much the 5er moves up and down when I go down the road... . its always sort of swaying but swaying isn't the term... sort of moving up and down based on the ruts and stuff the 5er wheels are hitting or the trucks wheels are hitting... .

I really feel it helps... My total cost was something like 175. 00 - 200. 00 for all the parts... the hardest to find was the shock...

SO yes its worth it..... my 5er is close to 14K lbs. . my air bag in the hitch works great at 45 lbs of air...

 

[steved]

Maybe in the near future I'll pick one up... as far as cost, $800 for a hitch, that will go onto a camper I paid $1600 for... it hurts.

 

[steved]

What really gets me, is the fact I passed on one in Albuquerque about 6 months ago for $250 on Craigslist...

 

[CUMMINZ]

I have a TrailAir pin box and I added a second shock to mine. It works great.



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[Okie-Go]

I know this may not be the right place but I have a brand new fiver hitch I need to sell. It fits the reese rails and you use your own head.

 

[steved]

Depends on the price... :-laf

 

[HBarlow]

Do they work well?



I'm considering buying one, but it will almost double the value of my 5vr!



I've got about 450#s of pin weight, so it isn't really enough to compress the suspension, but its enough to cause a harsh ride on anything but the smoothest roads.



Would it be worth the investment? Is there anything to watch for? Any particular brand to look into or avoid?

Steved:



Air hitches are normally purchased and used by folks with MDTs pulling 20k pound fivers. You might want to investigate a little further with the manufacturer to learn what range of king pin weight they are designed to work with. My guess is with only 450# of kingpin weight your fiver won't be sufficient to flex it properly and the ride might be as stiff as a conventional hitch.



It may almost double the cost of your fiver but it won't double the value. At time of resale the buyer might appreciate having it but will be unlikely to want to reimburse you the purchase price when buying a modestly priced used trailer.

 

[steved]

A member has offered a TrailAir that will fit my application... the price is right, so I figured if it is in good condition, I might try it for nothing else than to ease the banging on the trailer.



I would assume that since it is an airbag, the air pressure could be almost infinitely adjusted??

 

[HBarlow]

Yeah, you're probably right. The pressure should be adjustable and maybe with very low air pressure you can make it work with your kingpin weight. I wonder about the shock valving. If it is selected for heavy loads it might work against you.

 

[steved]

Any give is going to help... even if it is stiff...



I thought about the shock, and figured I could buy one with a softer valving if needed.

 

[Jack in Alaska]

Steved... ... ..... do it. You will not regret having an air pin box. I have a Trailair that I installed myself and it works great.

I plumbed the air so I could access it from either side and I have a gauge on top of the "T", actually a cross fitting, and can watch the pressure in my mirror.

 

[BPINE]

I have an extra TrailAir for sell, fits an Atwood pin box.

 

[steved]

I have an extra TrailAir for sell, fits an Atwood pin box.

Your a little far...

 

[steved]

Well, I picked it up last night... big thanks to jam1on1 for selling it to me!



Looks like a well designed unit, definitely overkill for my 5vr! In fact, its probably going to increase my pin weight by 1/3!!!

 

[steved]

Well, other than I forgot my camera at my parents, I tore this hitch apart this past weekend, stripped, and painted it. I used a chemical stripper to pull the old paint off... it was a sprayed enamel, no primer... I decided it would be best to remove all the old paint and start over, using a primer this time. The paint was so cheap that just touching the paint with stripper caused it to come off, no waiting needed.



These hitches are really simple, there is literally five main components: the hitch plate, the top support, the shock, the bag, and the pivot shaft. It took less than 3 minutes to completely disassemble the hitch. Basically two bolts for the shock, two for the bag, and one for the pivot shaft retainer.



There were two things that I found particularly interesting... the "bearings" are short brass/bronze bushings and the pivot points had almost no grease. To counter premature wear, and sticking of the bushings, I intend to drill/tap the pivot tube and install a zerk. I'm also going to paint the pivot shaft (it is bare steel, showing rust).



I also found this will make installation of the hitch a breeze... the individual components are light enough to handle alone, but together the hitch is too heavy.



I'll post pictures when I get my camera...

 

[steved]

I also found it interesting that TrailAir is no longer owned by TrailAir... they were sold. They are owned by:



Lippert Components Inc.



I found this out trying to order new emblems... and their customer service already sucks. I called at noon, have yet to receive a call back from them...

 

[surfbeetle]

I was passed one day by a guy who had one and I was really surprised at how the trailer and truck moved differently...



I than went to buy one and found out how much they cost... .



I later picked up a PacBrake Air Bag and built one... I copied the features I liked from 2 manufacturers... .



I drew the plans and had the parts water jetted out... welded it up and put a pin and bushing in it..... I can't even begin to tell you how much the 5er moves up and down when I go down the road... . its always sort of swaying but swaying isn't the term... sort of moving up and down based on the ruts and stuff the 5er wheels are hitting or the trucks wheels are hitting... .



I really feel it helps... My total cost was something like 175. 00 - 200. 00 for all the parts... the hardest to find was the shock...



SO yes its worth it..... my 5er is close to 14K lbs. . my air bag in the hitch works great at 45 lbs of air...

I am intrigued by your cost of 200. 00. Would you mind posting photos, plans or elaborating on how you did it? I am interested in building my own as well. Thanks.

 

[steved]

I would guess he bought a used hitch, an airbag, and simply made it into a pivoting type with some extra parts (shock, pivot shaft, bearings).

They are a simple concept...

 

[steved]

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