Mor/ryde Rubber Pin Box
Hi All,
I would like to suggest another option you may want to take a look at. First of all, I want to be sure we are on the same sheet of music. The original question asked about "Trail Air" and then said, "air ride hitch." Then some responders also said they have an "air ride hitch." Just to clarify, Trailair does not make an "air ride hitch." They make an "air ride pin box coupler." They also make the "Center Point Suspension" system but that is another issue. An "air ride hitch" is something like the "Trailer Saver" or "Easy Rider" hitches that mount in the back of your truck and provide air cushion dampening on both the vertical and longitudinal axes.
I will assume what you all are talking about is the "air ride pin box" and try to share some experience I have had with them. The first Landmark trailer I pulled had the Mor/ryde suspension but
did not have a Trailair pinbox. The ride in the truck was much smoother because the suspension absorbed the vertical bumps so the trailer did not transfer as much bumping to the truck as one without the Mor/ryde suspension. I was very impressed with how much the ride in the truck was improved. Later, I pulled a Landmark that had both the Mor/ryde suspension
and a Trailair pin box. I could not tell that the air ride pin box provided any significant improvement in the ride in the truck. You can watch the rear view mirror and see it flexing in the vertical axis and understand that it must be providing a better ride in the front end of the trailer. In fact, Racerguy stated above, "When we arrive at our site everything is still in place." And I think he is talking about the inside of the trailer. But, I don't ride in the trailer.
My biggest irritation with the ride in the truck has always been the fore and aft (longitudinal) jerking or "chucking" as some call it. I have a 36 foot fiver and I have pulled it to Colorado and back three times and it just beats me to death on the rough interstates such as the WV Turnpike, some places in KY, IN, and IL where they have those giant cracks between the segments of pavement. I have driven some of these same interstates with trailers that had air ride pin boxes and I honestly could not feel much improvement in the longitudinal jerking. I also once pulled a 35 foot Potomac from Elkhart to Monroe, NC, that had "The Isolator" brand of air ride pin box installed and I was very disappointed with it. I could not feel any difference in the ride compared to a solid pin box. BTW, Heartland is installing "The Isolator" on some of their Landmarks now. In fact, if you look at the Trailair product test report on their web site, at the bottom of the right hand column they have some graphs which address only vertical dampening. In the paragraph above they have one sentence about "fore and aft oscillations" which doesn't really say anything because there is no data to support it.
Trailair Product Test Report
Anyway, after I saw a picture of the Mor/ryde "Rubber Pin Box" I went to the factory in Elkhart and looked at one in person and talked to a satisfied user who was there also. I ordered one for my trailer and installed it last spring. I just returned from my latest trip to CO and back, about 4,200 miles, and I have to tell you
I am very pleased with the improved ride in my truck. I drove over the same roads as the first two trips and I never had the sharp longitudinal jerking that I experienced the first two times. When the road is rough, I still feel some fore and aft motion but it is a gentle rocking motion adn not the sharp jerking. Bottom line? I can highly recommend the Mor/ryde rubber pin box if you are looking to improve the ride in your truck. Mine cost $795.00 and I feel it is one of the best improvements I have made to my trailer.
Mor/ryde Rubber Pin Box
Full disclosure: I have no financial or other interest in Mor/ryde. Just a satisfied user.