How to Identify 5th Wheel Pin Boxes

Pin boxes help reduce jarring and shocks when towing the trailer.

Fifth-wheel campers use specialized hitches to tow the rig. A full-size pickup is used to tow the heavy and lengthy trailer via a hitch receiver mounted onto the bed of the pickup truck. A hitch ball on the trailer clips into the receiver hitch and allows the trailer to turn and move with the truck. Due to the heavy weight and hitch style, there is frequent jarring from the trailer during stops, starts and when it rolls over bumps. Pin boxes attach to the receiver hitch in the truck bed to help alleviate much of the jarring.

Instructions

1. Detach the fifth-wheel from the truck's receiver hitch, and pull the truck out from the trailer. Place wheel chocks under the tires of the fifth-wheel. Park the truck.

2. Go to the trailer's hitch and ball. Look for a long, metal rectangle with a wedge shape at the end, near the ball. This is the pin box.

3. Check the hitch-ball area, and inspect the metal wedge. Most pin boxes surround the cradle-ball. There is a small space between this box and the ball, allowing the ball to connect to the receiver. Look for metal springs that act as suspension coils to alleviate the jarring of the trailer and hitch. This is the pin box.

References

• tweety's: 5th Wheel Pin Boxes