Here is the situation. We are towing a light weight, i.e. less than 8,000 pound fiver with our 02 F350 dually. The combination is fine when the road are fine and not so much when the roads are not. In much of the Southeast, it is no problem, but we got hammered around Columbia, S.C. on some stretches coming back from the beach two weeks ago.

I have intended to upgrade the pin-box, but having called Mor Ryde, I was told not to even consider it unless the fiver weighed at least 10,000 pounds at a minimum and it does not. I am betting Trail Air tech support will tell me the same thing, thus I am on the search.

I am considering Sulastic (Sulastic) shackles on the truck, along with upgrading the shocks to Bilsteins and changing the fiver suspension to Mor Ryde CRE/3000 (MOR/ryde Suspensions) thinking this combination may make up for the ongoing deterioration of our highway infrastructure.

Any other ideas or things you have tried and found helpful? We don't want a bigger fiver given we like to camp in primitive campgrounds where the sites are often small and going with a newer truck that might ride a bit softer seems kind of drastic.

Steve

 

I'm wondering about your pin weight maybe being a little less than it should be. Can you transfer some load to the front? Where is your fresh water holding tank? Also if the pin itself or the locking jaw(s) in the hitch might be worn..

 

Hi Randy,

There is no way to transfer weight as we just don't have much and no compartments to put it in if we did. I have two 5,000 axles and a loaded weight of about 7,700 pounds max. Mor Ryde said not to order their product unless I had at least 10,000 pounds in tow as it would not be enough weight to make things work in their product. I am going to reweigh just to make sure I have things right.

This fiver is just 26-feet long and is only a medium profile height in the bedroom so no stand-up height. It does have a dinette-couch slide and fits our needs very well, but it is absolutely not big!

I agree more pin weight might help, but I hate loading the bed of the truck with unnecessary weight. I worked on a fiver one time where the owner loaded ten 80 pound tractor weights into the frontmost bay of the fiver to get more pin weight, but I don't want to do something like that.

The hitch is brand new and the fiver is older, but had the same owner since 2005 and was only towed twice a year 25 miles to the park and back home. The pin doesn't show any wear I can see, but all good thoughts.

I had debated switching trucks and changing my service truck to the dually and towing with my F150, but hate dropping down to the smaller power plant here in Appalachia.

 

Wow Steve.. Quite the conundrum you have there...

Sounds like you have the ideal trailer for your needs, but it tows terribly at times.. I am presuming that it has always been like this..

Obvious methods of weight shifting would not be easy - such as relocating axles.. But..
What about raising the pin box. That would put more load on the front axle and your truck.
Another thing might be to relocate the hitch or use a sliding hitch to move the weight further back on the truck. Keep in mind though - what you transfer to the rear wheels of the truck, you take away from the fronts.. It would be easy to get carried away..

Another thing to check is the condition of the spring bushings and bolts.. Any compliance there can start an oscillating action that will exaggerate any poor road conditions..
I'll keep noodling on it and let you know if I have any more dumb ideas...

 

Randy,

We are on the same track, which is how to get more spring action from the suspension or smooth out what there is. I still remember back years ago when some of the fiver manufacturers were disputing warranty coverage if their product was towed with a medium duty truck because the pin box welds were being broken due to a lack of suspension movement. Ours is not that severe, but it is a heavy truck/small trailer syndrome.

 

I might add here I have researched this topic a fair amount and have found some folks are changing the spring pack, but I am a little leery to do that as I am unsure as to the outcome and it would be a pain changing it back.

 

Trailair makes pin boxes for as little as 800# of pin weight, so I think you might find something there. I have a Trailair on my trailer and it does help. I found this year that by upgrading to a heavier tire on the trailer it also helped with the chucking/handling of the trailer.

I also found that there are some highways (stretches of I-35 in Oklahoma, for example) that are just so horrible that I don't think there is a thing you can do other than just slow down some.

 

I can tell you the last two 5er's have had the trial-air and it's a winner...

the current one has the 'tri-glide' option and it has 9 zerk fittings on the part that slides forward and back...
when we first got the current 5er it was not greased and it would slam forward and back...

added axle grease and now it dampens the forward and backward movement to where we feel it only on the really, really BAD ones...

and with the trail-air air bag at about 60 lbs, it's something to watch all the movement of the hitch and 5er and have 99% of it not transferred to the truck !!!

I won't have another 5er without the tri-glide...

 

Go with the Anderson Ultimate Hitch..... hard pill if you had just already put on a new hitch..... But it sure ELIMINATED the chucking in mine!

 

I had a fair amount of chucking with the B&W and the Companion fitted to the Ford 5er option. I had adjusted the 4 corner pins according to the B&W installation sheet but it clanked/chucked. The fix was as simple as snugging those bolts down - and it's now back to quiet. I wonder if what you are hearing is some looseness in the hitch to chassis.

 

Lot of good ideas to consider and more research to do. I am going to call Trail Air and see what they have to say. I also will check bolts, etc., but I suspect they are good as I did the install myself and I am pretty compulsive.

hadn't thought of an Anderson to reduce chucking.

Thanks all,

Steve

 

I was amazed to find how QUIET my Anderson was ..... weird, that wasn't the reason for choosing it but it sure was a very pleasant plus. It now feels like I am towing the trailer and not the trailer pushing me down the road!

 

Anyone ever seen one of these or know anyone using one? I haven't seen them before.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AirSafe-Airbox-Fifth-5th-Wheel-for-Reese-15K-Pro-Series-Crossmember-24150-/351205368172?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item51c578a16c&vxp=mtr

 

That's a new one on me Steve... Looks like some sort of suspended fifth wheel hitch.. I think I would be more comfortable with a Trail Air sort of pin box system.

 

I have continue to come up with possibilities by searching the Internet and this is just another one of them. I think the Trailair is great and have read countless positives about it as well as the Mor Ryde.


The greatest concern I have with those options is our fiver has a Leland pin box. It is not an orphan, but it nowhere near as common as a Lippert which supplies 50% of the fiver market with just one model. That mean when we change trailers I likely would let the whatever mod I attached to the fiver go with it rather than try to sell it as I suspect the market for it would be extremely narrow. There goes quite a few bucks as I know us well enough to know this will not be our last fiver!


If I can find something that goes in the truck or on the hitch itself, the likelihood is great we would have it a good while. Now the Hensley Trailer Saver is great, as are it same type competitors, but man, talk about pricey and I can't find one used on the Internet so far (although I intend to stay in the hunt on that one).


Then I stumbled on this thing when I was searching in the wee hours this morning.


Steve