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Old 12-07-2013, 04:45 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by rockintom View Post
Trailer Saver hitch I have no experience with so don't know. I've had 3 Demco pinboxes and thought they've done a good job. I've had some issues over the years, but Demco has been great about sending me all the parts to freshen them up. No Charge, no resistance at all. I know some folks put bags on their duallys........and I don't know why. I never felt the need for them. rockin'
10-4! Appreciate all you help and info!
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Old 12-07-2013, 06:43 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stryker13 View Post
Sometimes I feel like I am about 2 logs short of a load!
Let me throw another question out there. Will order the Glide Ride Pin box and plans are for a Trail Saver Air Hitch. Would there be any benefit to the
ride, or any other aspect of the new F350 dually, by installing air bags on it???
Greg
Greg, so far you are doing everything right. As for the Trailer Saver Air Hitch. I don't think you will gain much from that. The springs of your truck are soft enough to not tear up your pin box. For those of us who pull with a MDT or HDT a air hitch is a must as their suspensions are to stiff and will tear up the pin box on most rigs. Plus rearrange the inside of the rig.
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Old 12-07-2013, 07:21 PM   #17
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Greg, so far you are doing everything right. As for the Trailer Saver Air Hitch. I don't think you will gain much from that. The springs of your truck are soft enough to not tear up your pin box. For those of us who pull with a MDT or HDT a air hitch is a must as their suspensions are to stiff and will tear up the pin box on most rigs. Plus rearrange the inside of the rig.

That would certainly save some $. I am assuming then the Glide Ride pin box would absorb all the shock and chucking motion, much the same as the air hitch.
Thank You for the advice. Feedback from experienced people like yourself
is very beneficial and appreciated.
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Old 12-07-2013, 07:41 PM   #18
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If I were buying an air ride 5th wheel hitch I'd get an Air Safe 25k with a Holland head:
25K 5th Wheel Air Hitch
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Old 12-07-2013, 08:07 PM   #19
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Greg,
Welcome to the forum!!!
If you can justify the cost of an air ride hitch and the Glide Ride I say go for it. After running the last three seasons with this combination I wish I would have done it years ago in my 1-ton DRW trucks. The Trailer Saver Air Hitch has been a great hitch with no problems at all. The Glide Ride had to be repaired with a new head/links and bushings. Demco was great to deal with. Here is a picture of the current setup which has been sold waiting for a new 2014 Volvo factory order. The new truck will have a new ET 4 air bag hitch with auto leveling.

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Old 12-07-2013, 08:21 PM   #20
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Hey Rick,

What's the deal of the black mustache painted on the Demco side plate? Bored minds wants to know!!! rockin'
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Old 12-07-2013, 09:06 PM   #21
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If I were buying an air ride 5th wheel hitch I'd get an Air Safe 25k with a Holland head:
25K 5th Wheel Air Hitch

Russell
Thanks for the info! Did not know about this brand of air hitch. I will check it out. Do you happen to know if it will work with the 5th prep package from Ford??
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Old 12-07-2013, 09:40 PM   #22
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Greg,
Welcome to the forum!!!
If you can justify the cost of an air ride hitch and the Glide Ride I say go for it. After running the last three seasons with this combination I wish I would have done it years ago in my 1-ton DRW trucks. The Trailer Saver Air Hitch has been a great hitch with no problems at all. The Glide Ride had to be repaired with a new head/links and bushings. Demco was great to deal with. Here is a picture of the current setup which has been sold waiting for a new 2014 Volvo factory order. The new truck will have a new ET 4 air bag hitch with auto leveling.

Rick
Appreciate the feedback. Hensley has made good hitches for some time. I
have been told the Trail Saver will fit right into the 5th prep package in the new Fords. The Air Safe Russell mentioned in his post I did not know about. It looks well designed as too. I don't know about working with the
Ford 5th wheel prep package however. I will check into it.
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Old 12-08-2013, 01:12 AM   #23
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It looks like the Trailer Saver adapter is a an easy install for the Ford. I had the hitch prep on my 2011 F-350 and would have gone this direction if I didn't have so much trouble with that truck.

Ford Adapter
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Old 12-08-2013, 06:36 AM   #24
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Yes, Gregg, you are interpreting the numbers I gave correctly.

From what I can tell the rv industry must build their 5th wheels to match up with the heights of the vehicles manufactured that year. Where you get in trouble matching up is when you have a new truck and an older 5 th wheel. I had an 05 Alfa that I had to raise 5" in order to match up with an '11 Duramax.

As far as being slightly nose high, I have never heard an argument I bought as long as your axle capacities aren't exceeded.

As far as pulling a large rig with a 3/4 T truck, there are a lot of them out there overloaded but that doesn't make it right. Stated capacities are there for a reason and I imagine many attorneys and insurance companies are keyed into this.

My experience with most sales people is that they will tell you anything to make the sale. Most of the time they just don't know and won't admit it. Problem is they don't deal with the consequences of their bad information.

Based on my experience the best one bit of advice I would give someone getting a heavy rig is to go with disc brakes and 17.5" tires

Take care,
Gary
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Old 12-08-2013, 09:39 AM   #25
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If I were buying an air ride 5th wheel hitch I'd get an Air Safe 25k with a Holland head:
25K 5th Wheel Air Hitch
Bought mine in 2008 love to watch it work,very nice ride.Not cheap but to me it was worth it.
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Old 12-08-2013, 11:03 AM   #26
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Yes, Gregg, you are interpreting the numbers I gave correctly.

From what I can tell the rv industry must build their 5th wheels to match up with the heights of the vehicles manufactured that year. Where you get in trouble matching up is when you have a new truck and an older 5 th wheel. I had an 05 Alfa that I had to raise 5" in order to match up with an '11 Duramax.

As far as being slightly nose high, I have never heard an argument I bought as long as your axle capacities aren't exceeded.

As far as pulling a large rig with a 3/4 T truck, there are a lot of them out there overloaded but that doesn't make it right. Stated capacities are there for a reason and I imagine many attorneys and insurance companies are keyed into this.

My experience with most sales people is that they will tell you anything to make the sale. Most of the time they just don't know and won't admit it. Problem is they don't deal with the consequences of their bad information.

Based on my experience the best one bit of advice I would give someone getting a heavy rig is to go with disc brakes and 17.5" tires

Take care,
Gary
Gary
Good info on TV vs. coach height. I had not heard that. Helps resolve one
issue I was concerned about.

Thanks for the advice on the disc brakes and tires. When we originally spec'd out our coach to get a ballpark price I had them included in the options. Excel told me it was overkill on the 31 & 34's. It is an expensive
option and you can save the cost of an air hitch by going without. So I have been back and forth on that one. However, recently I have decided
it's better to go without unnecessary options than a feature that would
make the trailer safer to pull. Even if it is overkill!

Thanks'
Greg
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Old 12-11-2013, 06:14 AM   #27
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Greg,

Great questions and answers from all so far. Consider this, fluctuations in pin weight is caused by weight and placement of items in the rig. When you have your "gold bars" stored in the front closet or generator box the pin weight is more than when they are stored in the back of the rig or in a slide cabinet. It's a balancing act at best. The Excel rigs can handle weight distribution really well. It's just how many "gold bars" are you going to put in it?

Many people NEVER weigh their loaded rig because they think they know their weight. I guess that's bliss. Others will weigh once and never again, thinking that everything stays the same. That's bliss for them. Then there are those of us who will weigh their rig once a year or so, just to check that things are all OK. It costs $11 to do this for us to have peace of mind. You can then decide what needs to be done.

When the pin gets too heavy, it takes too much weight off the steers and can cause instability in steering. With a good balance, you have good stability. The Excel rigs are well known for their stability while being pulled.

When we had our dually, we had a 20K Reese hitch, Demco GlideRide, and rear air bags on the truck. We never had problems with our stuff being thrown around the rig. I congratulate you on your choice for safety. Many more need to consider this when making their purchase. Today, we still have a Demco GlideRide on the trailer. Our truck has the TrailerSaver hitch with air bags on the hitch and truck. The rig rides very smooth. We know this because it's rare to have things shift around in the rig.

Congratulations on your choices and welcome to the Excel family.

Tim & Roseann
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Old 12-11-2013, 10:46 AM   #28
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Hey Rick,

What's the deal of the black mustache painted on the Demco side plate? Bored minds wants to know!!! rockin'
It was a factory option!!!
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