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Old 02-17-2015, 06:45 PM   #1
C130
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Concrete Roads And Jerking/Bouncing Motion

I have a question regarding 5th wheel towing and alleviating the jerking motion that results from the joints in concrete roads. Is it possible to totally eliminate it or at least the majority of it? Around Houston most all of the interstates and many highways are concrete. I just upgraded trucks to an F450 and can still feel the jerking motion though it is better than with my F250 it is definitely still very noticeable. Not only do the joints in the concrete cause issues but concrete roads seem to get a lot of unevenness in them, lots of little ripples.

How much would a Trailair King Pin Box or something similar help? I know I've read about them before but seriously thinking about buying one. Alleviating this jerking motion just seems as though it would be much less tiring on longer trips and we plan on putting some miles on the truck and toy hauler this summer. I don't want to waste any money but want a comfortable, smooth, safe ride also.
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Old 02-17-2015, 07:09 PM   #2
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Depending upon the specific stretch of concrete highway, porpoising is fairly common when towing 5th wheels. Some sections are worse than others and you can end up with a very uncomfortable ride.

Two popular pin boxes that will help reduce the bouncing and jerking are the Mor/ryde and the Trailair Tri GlideAir Ride (Lippert). Members who have installed these pin boxes have reported generally good results with both brands. You can, with help, do the installation yourself and I would recommend that you do get someone to give you a hand.
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Old 02-18-2015, 06:12 AM   #3
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I have the trailair rota flex on my 5er. The concrete roads around me that used to cause constant chucking to the point of extreme annoyance are no longer an issue. No they don't take away everything, but a considerable reduction, probably about 80% was enough. The pin boxes really do help. The rota flex is about half the price on the air bag style boxes. I can't tell you how much better the air bag style would be and if the extra $500 is worth it.
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Old 02-18-2015, 06:38 PM   #4
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Keep an eye on CraigsList, I bought a 1 year old Mor/Ryde for my Alpine for $325... I had to drive an hour out of town but it was worth it.
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Old 02-19-2015, 03:36 AM   #5
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Trail Air pin box cut down the bouncing over those concrete slabs by 50%. Worth the money.

Experiment with air pressure, my unit didn't work well till I started to run with less air pressure than the manufacturer recommended. My 5th wheel is on the low end of their weight range.

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Old 02-19-2015, 04:51 AM   #6
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Thanks, sounds like they are worth the money. I've been looking on Craigslist and hopefully I'll find one. We aren't going on any long trips until June so I'll give it another couple of months before I buy new unless I find one on sale at a great price.
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Old 02-19-2015, 05:21 AM   #7
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Pin boxes are different so make sure you get the right one for your 5er.
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Old 02-19-2015, 10:46 AM   #8
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Call around before you go to Craigs list for used. I checked on line and around Houston and got the lowest price I could find on a new Airborne, then called PPL and Channelview RV Supply. Channelview got very close to the best on line price I could find. If I remember their install labor was a few bucks less than PPL. I went with them because I've done business with them for 30 years. Mom & Pop type place. They're a ways from you but a good place to keep in mind.
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Old 02-19-2015, 02:14 PM   #9
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Thanks, I'll look at Channelview and will check PPL again also. I've bought some stuff from PPL before and got a decent price. I tried for several months about year ago to buy a used one locally but could not get it for what I thought was a fair price and the guy wouldn't budge. It was listed for a year I think and not sure he ever sold it and I gave up. Now, I'm thinking I want one for sure and prefer to get it by June as we'll be traveling to Tennessee and maybe back through Destin if I can get an RV spot. I have a Lippert 1116 pin box so it looks like I need the M19 Trailair.
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Old 02-19-2015, 06:06 PM   #10
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One more question. It appears the Tri-Glide has been replaced with the Flex Air, anyone tried this pin box?
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Old 03-01-2015, 10:56 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by C130 View Post
I have a question regarding 5th wheel towing and alleviating the jerking motion that results from the joints in concrete roads. Is it possible to totally eliminate it or at least the majority of it? Around Houston most all of the interstates and many highways are concrete. I just upgraded trucks to an F450 and can still feel the jerking motion though it is better than with my F250 it is definitely still very noticeable. Not only do the joints in the concrete cause issues but concrete roads seem to get a lot of unevenness in them, lots of little ripples.

How much would a Trailair King Pin Box or something similar help? I know I've read about them before but seriously thinking about buying one. Alleviating this jerking motion just seems as though it would be much less tiring on longer trips and we plan on putting some miles on the truck and toy hauler this summer. I don't want to waste any money but want a comfortable, smooth, safe ride also.
Have you done everything to fix the rood cause??

Do you have 20% pin weight?
Do you have shocks on your 5er?
Do you have top quality shocks on the TV?
Does the 5er sit level when towing?
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Old 03-02-2015, 03:37 PM   #12
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Have you done everything to fix the rood cause??

Do you have 20% pin weight?
Do you have shocks on your 5er?
Do you have top quality shocks on the TV?
Does the 5er sit level when towing?
I'm not sure what the average pin weight is but I typically don't have a lot of weight in the garage, maybe 400-500 pounds at the most. I have been keeping the fresh water tank (rear of toy hauler) full and usually have one of the two gas tanks at least 1/2 full on the toy hauler. Not a lot more I can do as far as pin weight, it is what it is. My 2011 Fuzion 322TE is completely stock and I'm pulling it with a brand new F450 so the shocks on the truck are good. While I have not measured it for exactness, the 5th wheel appears to be level and if it's off it's not of by much at all. I just got the new truck and I have pulled the trailer about 4 hours total. Pulls great, which it should with the F450, but with so many rough concrete roads around here I'd like to improve the quality of the ride.

Lippert has stopped selling the Tri-Glide and has replaced it with the Flex Air. One problem is Lippert has not come out with all of the models yet and they don't currently have one for the 1116 king pin. There are still Tri-Glides for sale from retailers but I'm assuming it's just the inventory left because Lippert told me today they don't sell it any more.

I've read about the Morryde but any feedback on the 5th Airborne?

One more question, what is a fair price for me and the seller on a 3 year old Trailair Tri-Glide? I think it's been sitting outside, it isn't made any more by Lippert. Seller is a member here on the forum and about 1 1/2 - 2 hours from me. I'll also add that I buy quite a bit of stuff used but only if I can get a great deal otherwise I prefer to buy new so I know what I'm getting and with a warranty. Free shipping on a new one also so I don't have to spend a day plus the gas to pick it up.
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Old 03-02-2015, 08:07 PM   #13
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I don't think that you will ever get completely rid of the jerky ride with what's on the market at this time.

I found that air bags on the truck helped, because it got the load up off of the stiffest spring members. That turns some of the sharp jerks into more like bounces. Take a look at your leaf springs as you transfer the weight onto you F450 and see if all of the spring members end up taking weight. If so, air bags may help even on your truck.

The Trailair Tri-Glide also helped, especially with the fore and aft chucking.

If you ever get to the south side of H-town, maybe we could meet up and I can demonstrate with and without air in the bags so you can feel the difference.

The combination is good enough for my family, but everyone has their own tolerance level.
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Old 03-02-2015, 10:24 PM   #14
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The back and forth movement or "jerking" is often caused by improper weight distribution - not enough weight on the pin. Sometimes you can reduce this "chucking" by redistributing the weight so that your pin weight is increased. Sometimes there is too much movement between the hitch and the hitch pin ---- it feels "loose".

The up and down movement or porpoising is most often caused by the truck moving in one direction while the 5th wheel is moving in the opposite direction. Porpoising is not the same as chucking which is a back and forth or lateral movement while porpoising is a vertical movement. The causes for each are different as well as the solution.

I have a 5th Airborne but if I had to do it all over again, I'd choose one of the other two ---- MorRyde or TrailAir. The Airborne does a reasonable job and does reduce the porpoising. The jury is still out for me about its effectiveness with chucking.
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Old 03-03-2015, 03:29 AM   #15
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Before I dropped 1500 on a new pin box I'd keep in mind that the Cat scale is your friend. The pin weight has to be a minimum of 15% and should be a little higher to get a great ride. If you have time weigh it all out and get back to us.
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Old 03-03-2015, 06:06 AM   #16
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I have found minor "jacking/porpoising" acceptable, as long as I'm comfortable.
More "jacking/porpoising", and the ride gets uncomfortable, fast.

I slow down to a speed where I am comfortable with the ride.

I recently traveled on I 10 in Louisiana and around the mile marker 100 where the road is all bridge over a bayou. I think this lasted for about 20-30 miles. I slowed down to 50 mph (speed limit 70), turned on my emergency blinkers and enjoyed a pleasant ride. Everybody, got around me.
After the rough area, I sped back up to my hwy speed.
I know I caused a traffic slow down. I did my best to warn others.
These stretches of rough road, usually, do not last long. Although, it seems so.

I'm not about to cause excessive wear and tear on my rig.
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Old 03-03-2015, 06:19 AM   #17
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Mayor Parker is fixing those Houston potholes as fast as she can!! LOL
There are some really bad roads that I don't think any hitch can fix. The Atchafalaya swamp bridge on I-10 as mentioned, eastern Louisiana around Paragon Casino, and possibly the worst around Birmingham AL.
The 5th Airborne helped some but hasn't been tested enough, yet. I'm easily confused, but when I was researching hitches, it seemed the same hitch was called different brands by the same manufacturer.
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Old 03-03-2015, 06:33 AM   #18
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Mayor Parker is fixing those Houston potholes as fast as she can!! LOL
There are some really bad roads that I don't think any hitch can fix. The Atchafalaya swamp bridge on I-10 as mentioned, eastern Louisiana around Paragon Casino, and possibly the worst around Birmingham AL.
The 5th Airborne helped some but hasn't been tested enough, yet. I'm easily confused, but when I was researching hitches, it seemed the same hitch was called different brands by the same manufacturer.
I noticed how rough the roads in Houston were during the holiday trip with our trailer. Some of the potholes were truly impressive. Our Andersen hitch smoothes out the chucking, but the "texture" was still noticeable. Play around with the load balance a bit and see where the rearend squat is in relation to the overload spring portion of your rear springs. I don't know your spring configuration on the F450, but it might be worth an evaluation.
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Old 03-03-2015, 07:06 AM   #19
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I don't think the pin weight is the issue if we're talking about needing more pin weight. I've had it weighed once and was loaded with what I carry 90% of the time and the pin weight was heavy, more than Keystone's advertised pin weight. My ride isn't bad, I just want to improve it some but as others mentioned there's not a lot of hope in Houston. Heck, if I get through Houston without flat tires I'm doing good with some of the potholes around here.

I really didn't have much porpoising with my F450 when I pulled the trailer, just a little chucking on some of the concrete road joints. From what I've researched and read I think the right pin box would alleviate a lot of what I experience. Might not totally take it out and I understand that but I think it would greatly improve the ride. It seems that most of the people that get one of the air ride or similar pin boxes swear by them.

One thing that did improve with my new Curt hitch is accelerating from a stop is smoother and I think the hitch pin is tighter than my previous Pullrite. I don't feel the slight play that I had before though I did adjust the Pullrite and had it pretty good.
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Old 03-03-2015, 07:09 AM   #20
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Having CAT scaled my TV/5er several times I run 18.2%, or 2,700 lbs, tongue weight on my F450 and it doesn't even engage the helper/overload spring when hooked up. I have the Mor/Ryde (actually on my second one for this unit) and still experience "some" chucking, especially across the expansion joints on long bridges. But otherwise it is a dream to tow. My wife plans her conference calls around this one particular section of Hwy 76/576 outside of Florence when we go out to the beach because you cant hardly carry on a conversation for the 5 min it takes to cross that bridge
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