Smoothing fifth wheel towing

[bstannard]

We are currently towing an Eagle 321RSTS behind a 350 dually with Blue Ox Super Ride hitch and Morryde pin box. We hardly ever feel any fore/aft chucking thanks to the Morryde, and I’m certain the Super Ride takes out some of the vertical jounce, but looking for something to cushion the sometimes suspension bottoming bounce that occurs going on or off (sometimes both) interstate bridges and still controls chucking. Comsidering some of the air cushion pin boxes or hitches, and would appreciate hearing the experience of anyone who has made the upgrade. We have a Pinnacle 36SSWS on order which will have more pin weight so want to get this last upgrade right. Really appreciate any help.
Thanks
Bill

[robkelly]

Another option to consider is air bags on the truck. If your suspension is bottoming out with the Eagle, it definitely will with the Pinnacle. I couldn’t be happier with the bags on my truck, and believe it or not, I have a better ride even when empty.

[bstannard]

We had air bags on the Silverado 2500 and didn’t think it helped this problem much at all. I’m not certain 350 is totally bottoming on the stops (Could crawl under an look at the stops I guess), but it is still a pretty good jar when it starts bending the helpers. Maybe there’s no help other than slowing to 40 and getting rear ended!
Thanks
Bill

[Magnolia Tom]

The smoothest combination I’ve ever had, is the MorRyde pin box with a trailer saver air ride hitch. The trailer saver is a heavy beast and pricey but it is the best. If you use your truck for other duties, make sure you have something or someone to help with removal.

I have heard good things about the Reese goose box too. It has an air bag and you would use a gooseneck ball in the bed. I have heard of some that have voiced complaints about chucking but I can’t confirm that.

[TxLoser]

I doubt your bottoming out the suspension. I’ve got 3500 SRW, and I’ve not felt the jolt of a bottomed out suspension with my 321RSTS. I consider our setup to ride really well, but a big expansion joint or other large road imperfection will be cause for a couple vertical oscillations. That hitch mentioned above may help, but I’ll add that if you have another trailer on order, I’d wait till I have the new one before changing any setup. May tow a little different or even better with the added pin weight.

[rkelly]

What really seemed to help me was adding shocks on the 5th wheel and put Bilstein 4600 shocks to the truck. The Bilstein shocks made a big difference over the oem

[Joan617]

Bill, we have your rig now, albeit the year is 2019. My limitation in helping you is that this is our first rig so I do not have the experience or context. We get the vertical bounce on the expansion joints but mostly we feel it's a smooth ride, judging by the contents of our closets and pantry after travel. Worst ever was I-10 westbound through Shreveport but that was just an exceptionally crappy road. I do not believe that we have ever bottomed out, and we've had some pretty good jolts from bad roads.
Good luck with your new Pinnacle 36SSWS; we love ours as a home.
Angus

[bill3kirk]

I installed the Roadmaster shock system and it definitely improved the ride for the 5th wheel. Although I did find that at least on the 2018 377's Jayco added a 2x3 piece of tubing under the I-Frame (welded) to mount the suspension. That eliminates the ability to install the upper shock brackets as shown in the installations to the I-Frame. I went to a spring shop and had them weld the upper shock mounts.

[bstannard]

Yep, shocks on the Eagle and had Bilsteins on the 2500. Pinnicle will have the Roadmaster kit on it before it leaves the dealer

[mikensue]

I pull a 321 with a 350 diesel 8ft box crew cab, and the anderson ultimate. I have a air lift 5000 kit on it. Absolutely no chucking and a smooth ride. The longer wheel base makes a lot of difference in the ride.

[Radar57]

Originally Posted by bstannard

Yep, shocks on the Eagle and had Bilsteins on the 2500. Pinnicle will have the Roadmaster kit on it before it leaves the dealer

You might check to see if installing shocks affects the warranty. Just a thought.

[Joan617]

Originally Posted by bstannard

Yep, shocks on the Eagle and had Bilsteins on the 2500. Pinnicle will have the Roadmaster kit on it before it leaves the dealer

Just so you know, I was told by Jayco that adding the shocks would void the warranty. Many have done it anyway and I've gotten incorrect information direct from Jayco before, but something to factor in. We are still considering it.


Ironically, If we had added them before, perhaps we might not have gotten the stress crack that Jayco had to pay (40 hours labor) for repairing.


Angus

[Shokyle1]

I would recommend sumo springs. Installed them on the rear of my f250. Noticeable reduction in chucking over bumps and bridges. Low cost and quick install.

[bstannard]

Joan617,
That is part of the reason I am having the dealer install the shocks-warranty is his problem to handle. Think anything that smooths the ride will help the life of the trailer.

[bstannard]

I agree that the Trailer Saver/Morryde combo looks ideal but I only have a goose ball and the TS requires either rails or the puck system. What experience has anyone had with the Lippert Flex Air pin box.
Thanks
Bill

[Hobo Huddy]

Prior to picking up our 36SSWS last July, I researched and purchased a Hensley Trailersaver BD5 hitch. It has three airbags, four shocks and is rated for 28k lbs. It is overkill but the BD5 fits our 2019 Ram 3500 DRW OEM puck configuration. Hensley included the onboard compressor at N/C.
I can only relay my experience with the BD5 and I have to say, it is fantastic! Expensive, but worth it IMO.
We plan to go full time so the Pinnacle, Ram and hitch, were researched and purchased as I wanted the most capable, safest and comfortable ride, we are not disappointed.
The Trailersaver BD5 protects your truck and 5th wheel from getting beat up as you go down the road. I feel the extra cost is well worth it to protect our signifcant investment.

[qs271a]

I believe your problem might just be the pin bouncing up and down in the jaws of your hitch. I had the same thing happen to me with our 317rlok. It was sugested that I use a lube plate over the pin. Viola it stopped immediately. It was explained to me that sometimes there is an excess of gap in the vertical measurement of the pin where it locks in the jaws. Using a lube plate fixed it for me. Might work for you to.

[weezer]

I had a similar problem (see signature for my vehicle/trailer). With the trailer hooked up the overload springs were touching their bearing "pylons" only on the front. The rear of the springs was not touching. As a result any sudden jounce felt like I was bottoming out because the overloads engaged suddenly as opposed to somewhat gradually (relatively speaking). I added air springs and, with 55 PSI inflation, returned the truck to it's unladen height when the trailer is hooked up. Problem gone! FYI: I was, in my previous life, Sr. Project Engineer in charge of RV/bus suspensions for a leading manufacturer of air/mechanical suspensions for 30+ years. I do have a wee bit of experience setting up vehicles for a smooth ride :-) Not saying that's your problem but it sure fixed mine!

[fsimms]

We have a 2020 Pinnacle 36SSWS that we tow with a 2013 Ram dually. For previous RV's we always used Air Lift airbags but this time around we ditched the airbags in favor of Timbrens which we are really pleased with how our rig handles the heavy Pinnacle. We replaced the traditional Reese hitch with an Anderson Ultimate which is the best hitch we've ever had. Between the Timbrens and the Anderson I feel like we have the ideal setup that works great for us. The Ram suspension can't bottom out with the Timbrens and we have no chucking or unexpected bouncing.

[Mad5581]

There are so many options to help with this issue. I know of people that live by each option. I personally like the suspension airbags with onboard air compressor. With an aux air tank. It has multiple uses. You probably didn't have heavy enough rated airbags of it didn't resolve your bounce issues. I personally have a 3500 srw with a np 377rlbh and I have the 7000# bags and they all but completely eliminated squatt and bounce. My next upgrade will be a bit stiffer shocks over oem. I think that will get rid of all bounce with exception to the roughest roads. And the onboard compressor makes tire pressure changes really easy and convenient. I've been told the airbag hitches and air pin boxes on jayco products are not recommended. Not entirely sure why but have been told by multiple rv technicians to not do it.

When I look at upgrades I look at big rigs. They don't use ball hitches, they don't use air hitches or air pins. They use air ride cabs, and air ride suspension. Why? They are economical, effective, and last a long time. They also get over 250k miles on the shocks. Just something to think about.