King pin vs. truck hitch - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Raytronx · RV-Dreams Family Member

King pin vs. truck hitch

EggerMar · RV-Dreams Family Member

It's me again with yet another newbie question.

The fifth wheel that we are buying comes with a king pin that has round donut looking things filled with air which from what I am reading will help with chucking and provide a smoother ride. My question is, do we also need to get an air hitch for the truck bed or is having both overkill? Would a regular hitch for the truck be sufficient?

Do they both do the same thing with regards to helping with both forward and backward jerking as well as up and down jerking?

We have decided on an 8 foot bed dually for a tow vehicle.

Thanks,

Marilyn

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

No need to buy an air hitch for the truck bed unless you plan on getting another 5th wheel soon. If your hitch and king pin are setup properly and lubricated you won't get a lot of forward backward jerking even without an air hitch.

The air kingpin/hitch helps smooth out the bumps caused by rough roads.

Good choice on tow vehicle, it will be very stable.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Marilyn,

Not knowing what brand of RV and what pin box it has, allow me to show you the Trailair pin box. Besides being an air ride pin box, it is also equipped with that is called "Tri-Glide." The air bladder and shock absorber are to help smooth out the up and down motion of the trailer while the bottom "plate" is the Tri-Glide part which is what helps to eliminate the "chucking."

Our Mobile Suites has this along with an air ride suspension system at the trailer axles. It is very smooth pulling without having an air ride fifth wheel hitch, even though the Mobile Suites trailers are heavy. The only time we've experienced any "chucking," on our limited instances of towing it, are on a couple of elevated sections of Oklahoma's turnpike system, which are of concrete construction. In those cases, slowing down to about 45 mph eliminated it. Fortunately, those sections of roadway aren't very long, being 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile in length.

As far as the fifth wheel hitch itself, you will want to purchase one with a weight rating that exceeds the weight of the trailer you will be buying. For instance, our Mobile Suites has a GVWR of 18,500 lbs and the Reese hitch we bought is rated at 22,000 lbs. Having a heavier rated fifth wheel hitch will also be beneficial should you decide to trade up to a better/heavier trailer.

Terry