Poll: Standard, Trailair or other Pinbox

What type of Pinbox are you using with your Heartland 5th Wheel?

  • I am using the Standard Pinbox that comes with the Heartland

    Votes: 9 47.4%
  • I am using the Trailair Pinbox that I ordered with or added to the trailer

    Votes: 10 52.6%
  • I am using something else and will post details about it

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    19

jbeletti

Well-known member
What type of Pinbox are you using with your Heartland 5th Wheel?

If other than the standard pinbox or the Trailair pinbox, please post with detail of what you are using.
 

merlinb

Retired
Hi All,

I do not own a Heartland RV but in working as an RV transporter I have delivered two Landmark 5er's from the factory to dealers. The first one went to Oklahoma City. As soon as I pulled out on the road I could tell that this trailer was riding much smoother than what I was accustomed to. Then I discovered it had the "Mor/ryde" suspension system. It made a big difference in the ride in my truck. The second one went to Mesa, AZ. It had the "Mor/ryde" suspension and a "Trailair" pin box. Again, a much smoother ride than other trailers I have pulled but the "Trailair" was kind of disappointing. I could look in my rear view mirror and see the pin box flexing up and down as I went over bumps in the road so I am sure the trailer was riding smoother due to the vertical dampening provided by the "Trailair" pin box.

The thing about the ride that I find most irritating when I am pulling my own trailer (36' Thor Signature) and other trailers over 30' is the fore and aft jerking (or chucking) transmitted through the hitch particularly when travelling over interstates that have the concrete segments and wide expansion joints. I did not find that the vertical dampening of the "Trailair" provided much relief from that. So...I have purchased a "Mor/ryde" rubber pin box for my own trailer. Plan to install it this week and can't wait to get out on the road and try it out.

Link is here: http://www.morryde.com/php/products/pin_box.php
 

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jbeletti

Well-known member
Hi Merlin,

Welcome to the forum! I am excited that we have an RV transporter on the forum - especially one who is an RV'er!

I appreciate your comments on the Mor/Ryde Suspension and TrailAir Pin Box. I was disappointed to read your comment that the TrailAir Pin Box still does not eliminate the chucking. I will be very interested in your assessment of the Mor/Ryde Pin Box on your own trailer once you have pulled it over a road that has been known to chuck with your rig.

Heartland has now made the TrailAir Pin Box standard. If it does not eliminate chucking, I will be bummed. I guess the vertical dampening is still a good thing but maybe the Mor/Ryde does as well??

By the way, what are you pulling with (brand, model, srw/drw, diesel etc.)?

Take care,

Jim
 

merlinb

Retired
Hi Jim,

I have been off work for a couple of weeks and I was not aware that Heartland had made the Trailair a "standard." As I said previously, I definitely had a smoother ride in the truck with the trailer that had only the Mor/ryde suspension. But, I could not detect any significant improvement in the ride when the Trailair was added to the mix. I am certain that the ride in the trailer must be significantly smoother as you can see the vertical dampening action of the pin box when you are moving down the road, however, since I don't ride in the trailer, I did not find the effect on the truck to be all that great. In fact, I was very disappointed with the Trailair because I had read so many great comments by owners on the Trailair web site and other forums. I was seriously considering getting one for my own trailer.

Then I saw the Mor/ryde "Rubber Pin Box" in the Dec Trailer Life Magazine. I looked at their web site and I went to the factory in Elkhart. I talked to one of their designers and looked at a cut-away model that they have on display. I also talked to another owner who has one on a 38' fifth wheel and he was very pleased with it. If you look at the animation on their web site you can see that it provides the dampening primarily in the longitudinal axis which is exactly what I am looking for. I can't wait to try it out and I will be glad to give you a report when I do.

My TV is a '02 GMC 2500HD SLT Duramax/Allison Crew Cab Short Bed with the heavy duty tow package. I have a Reese 16K sliding hitch and a Prodigy brake controller. I have an "Equalizer" (brand name) hitch for towing travel trailers, office trailers, boats, etc. I have 121,000+ miles on the truck and have just started having some problems with the fuel injectors. Due to a known problem with the '01 and '02 injectors GM extended the warranty to 7 yrs or 200,000 miles. My dealer's service tech says my injectors don't meet the specific criteria of the TB for warranty replacement but it is close enough that they think GM will allow it. I have four that are definitely bad and the other four are just waiting to go bad. There is a nationwide shortage of injectors right now so I am waiting for the new ones to come in before I go back to work. I can still drive the truck but my mileage is really crappy and any time I stop and idle I put out a cloud of gray smoke that makes people look around to see where it is coming from. Embarrassing!
 
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jbeletti

Well-known member
Hi Merlin,

I too have the Equal-i-zer hitch for my TT. Nice hitch. It was even nicer after I added an electric tongue jack. Then I was able to effortlessly lift the truck body up enough to not have to use the tool to lift the bars onto the hitch bar brackets. What a back saver that was. But alas, the TT is for sale to make way for a new Heartland :)

Thanks for the truck update. Hope you get those injectors replaced soon. I am pretty set on getting a Dodge RAM 3500 4x? QC Dually. Going back and forth on 4WD or 2WD though. Don't "need" 4WD but it would be "nice to have" and would help at resale (ever see 1 ton dually that was 2WD on a new or used car lot in the midwest!). I don't want to end up trying to sell or trade an oddity. We'll see.

Good luck on the Mor/Ryde installation. Take some pictures to post to this forum along with your results.

Jim
 

merlinb

Retired
Got It Installed

O.K. I got the Mor/ryde pin box installed. It turned out to be a bigger job than I planned on because the top of the Mor/ryde pin box is thicker than the original so I had some clearance problems. I had to cut a strip out of the side of a rectangular aluminum piece that runs across the area above the pin box so I could bend up the bottom to give me enough clearance to raise the front of the Mor/ryde pin box far enough to line up the bolt holes. I hope that makes sense. I have some photos but I can figure out how to display them in this message.
Maybe, if you go here you can take a look.
That thing weighs 140 lbs. My son helped me lift it into the back of my truck and mount it on the hitch. Then, after I removed the original box, I just backed my truck under the trailer and lined up the bolt holes.

I can't wait to get it out on the road and try it out but it will be a while before I get a chance to do that.

BTW, I am heading back to Elkhart tomorrow. Will be picking up something and heading out to somewhere on Monday. The company I work for is located right next to the Heartland factory. Maybe I will see you there.
 

BluegrassMan

Well-known member
Trail Air Pin Box

Does any one want to trade their EARLY model 8ft bed model Trail Air, for a current model used by Heartland. it is the extended pin that can be used on a 6ft bed.:(

When I ordered my trailer I thought that Iwas getting the short model with the shocks on each side, I got the New one that is now being put on at the factory. Scott said this is the only one they are using now. I was non-plused to see that I got that one. Trade Even Steven Any one ???????????

Denny:rolleyes:
 

merlinb

Retired
Hi Blue Grass Man,

Just curious; Is your pin box an actual "Trail Air" brand or is it perhaps the "Isolator" brand? The last time I was at the Heartland factory I noticed some trailers had the "Isolator" pin box installed and when I asked why they were using those I was told it was because Canada would not approve importing units with the "Trail Air." I did not recognize the gentleman who told me that but I thought it was one of the management people.

Now, the rest of the story: My next Bighorn delivery was to Leduc, AB. Yes, that's in Canada. When I approached the front door at the dealer where I was making the delivery, the first thing I saw was a big poster on the door advertising "Trail Air Pinboxes." What? Nobody there could tell me why they wouldn't be approved for import because they sell them all the time.
 

cdbMidland

Past Michigan Chapter Leader
Jim, you stated earlier that Heartland has now made Trail-Airs standard. Might that just be for Landmarks? My Big Horn that was produced just 3-4 weeks ago does not have the Trail-Air on it.

Chuck
 

BluegrassMan

Well-known member
Trail Air Pin Box

My Grand Canyon Has a Trail-Air on it. It's just not the one that I thought that I was getting. I was disappointed when I did my walk through upon taking delivery.:cool:
The Dealer wasn't a Heartland Dealer yet. I was his first party interested. The Factory was trying to get them to take on Landmarks. I think that I got the only one that he will ever sell. He Didn't take HeartlandRV's franchise on . He remains an Alpenlite dealer.:(
 

Rick

Member
I am using the trail-aire pinbox that came with my Golden Gate and I love it. It really takes the chucking out of the ride. I will still get some movement every once in a while but for the most part it does a great job. Rick & Sandi (TIN CAN TOURISTS)
 

BluegrassMan

Well-known member
Your Trail Air Pin box

I haven't used my trailer as much as ya'll. but I feel that you should double check that the air is up to the full arrows before you pull out. I didn't check mine once and it bottomed out on big dips. I pulled into a service area on the Pa turnpike and pumped it up. Things were much smoother, now that is on my check list.;)
 
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