Air ride hitches?

[Pegasus]

We get a lot of bouncing between the TV & TT when going over expansion joints on the freeway. I have added shocks to the trailer and Bilstein shocks on the truck, all without making any real difference.

Has anyone tried an air hitch and solved this problem? Am I the only one that has this problem? Here is a link to one of the manfactures of air ride hitches. http://www.airridehitch.com/
At around $1000 a copy it seems like an expensive solution if indeed it does the job.

Looking for answers!

2003 Chev 2500HD Dmax
29 ft Wilderness trailer

[Pegasus]

We get a lot of bouncing between the TV & TT when going over expansion joints on the freeway. I have added shocks to the trailer and Bilstein shocks on the truck, all without making any real difference.

Has anyone tried an air hitch and solved this problem? Am I the only one that has this problem? Here is a link to one of the manfactures of air ride hitches. http://www.airridehitch.com/
At around $1000 a copy it seems like an expensive solution if indeed it does the job.

Looking for answers!

2003 Chev 2500HD Dmax
29 ft Wilderness trailer

[Bushman512003]

I have a 5er with a air pin box big difference to the good.I would think the same for a TT .And good things have a price..Bushman.Eh

[jperry29]

I have an airridehitch and would not trade for it. I can look in the mirror when going over rough roads like I-10, I-20, I40 (well, you get the idea) and bridges and such and watch the truck and trailer move independently. It really does look like the trailer is "floating" and I do not feel any of the herky-jerky action that you "get used to" with a fixed hitch.

BUT, there is one big adjustment that you have to make. Because all four corners of the hitch are on air bags they have no choice but to respond to the applied load. This means that when you start from a stop the load shifts rearward on the hitch, compresses the back bags and extends the front bags. Since there is a limit to how much vertical travel there is, the front slide bars eventually 'THUNK' up against the top of their frame. The same is true when you apply the brake. Everything is reversed and you get a corresponding thunk when the back rails top out.

The first couple of stops after hitching up for the first time in a few weeks or months can make your heart jump. But after that you barely notice.

[FiverBob]

An Air Ride hitch will help immensely. If you can't afford that, MORryde rubber kingpin does amazing things to help cushion the fore/aft chucking.
Bob

[Barney & Cheryl Fife]

Another vote in favor of the air ride. I wouldn't tow with out one. Airhitch makes em for TT, Goosenecks and 5vrs. some of the best money i ever spent.

[Moder2]

I have no experiance with the air hitch, however with a past trailer I was tempted too purchace one also... I was told that unless you were dealing with significant tounge weight it was a waste of money. At the time I only had about 700lbs, and the dealer said it wasn't going to be enough, because my bounce was really coming from having "Too much" spring.

I could be way off base here... This is what I was told, but now that I went with a heavier trailer the ride is 10 times better. I do have airbags on all 4 corners of the truck, which I feel helps ruduce the spring rate when loaded. I orginally added the airbags because I have the wonderful Ford split front axle design which with the diesel tends to weaken the front springs, and the camber of the front wheels was way off. The airbags in front corrected that, the ones in the rear cust down a lot of sway.

J

[Okie-Go]

I have an air ride hitch on order. I know wo people really well that told me it is some of the best money they spent. I can't waait to try mine out. I also put a kingpin on my gooseneck trailer. I can use one hitch for both trailers.

[JRMora]

I have both the Trail Air pin box and centerpoint suspension. The coach came with the pin box installed, but the centerpoint wasn't available when I picked up my coach. It's on there now.

As for the pin box, this is our first fifth wheel, so I can't compare, but looking in the mirror you can see the pin box moving, an that means it isn't pitching the truck as much. The centerpoint is great, too. Even over rough roads, nothing moves when we travel.

This is by far the smoothest trailer I have towed.

Juan

[kelstr]

the EASYRIDER air ride hitch is the only way to go, once you use one you will see,

the airride hitch is a spin off copy ,

the easy rider uses huge tko bearings ( not plastic rubing blocks )
and the hitch does not clunck foward and backwards on braking and deceleration

these easyrider units are so good , it is unreal

i can't believe it when i see somebody hauling with a ridged hitch, it just makes me pucker up.

and the ridged hitches ruins your trailer and all your stuff.
and beats the **** out of your truck and you !

i also have a trailersaver, and have used the trailair pinbox,

and these do not come close, the easeyrider works so much better !

[Pegasus]

I find it very interesting that the 5th wheelers are the ones using the air hitches. Would have thought that having the weight over the rear axle would have given the best ride. I never have owned a 5er but have pulled a TT since 1976. Didn't have a big problem with the old trailer as it was a 20 footer and fairly light. Got a 29ft Wilderness last year which is almost twice the weight. Wonder if anyone is using an air hitch on a bumper pull TT?

Sure do appreciate the responses so far, keep them coming.

[RAM³]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pegasus:
I find it very interesting that the 5th wheelers are the ones using the air hitches. Would have thought that having the weight over the rear axle would have given the best ride. I never have owned a 5er but have pulled a TT since 1976. Didn't have a big problem with the old trailer as it was a 20 footer and fairly light. Got a 29ft Wilderness last year which is almost twice the weight. Wonder if anyone is using an air hitch on a bumper pull TT?

Sure do appreciate the responses so far, keep them coming. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>If I had a bumper-pull trailer I'd have one of these to pull it with.

As it is, I'll just have to make do with my AR20K from EasyRider.

Go to their site and ask for their video.