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Best RV Pin Box [Reese, MORryde, Lippert & More]

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Buying the pin box for your RV is important. Not only do you need to ensure that towing capacity is safe and correct, but the model you buy also needs to offer the stability and comfort you need for a more enjoyable ride.

However, with so many options on the market, knowing which pin box to spend your money on can be confusing. That’s where we aim to help.

Below you will find 5 carefully selected RV pin boxes that we consider to be among the best available today. They cover a range of budgets, features, and sizes to suits the needs of most RV owners.

For our findings at a glance, just head to the table below. For a comprehensive review of each of our picks, plus a detailed buyer’s guide, keep on reading.

Best RV Pin Box – Top 5

NAME
IMAGE
DETAILS
TOP PICK:
MORryde
Pin Box System
[14-18K GVWR]
18,000lbs
Capacity
Lippert
Components
Flex Air Pin
Box-Long Jaw
18,000lbs
Capacity
Reese 5th
Airborne Wide
Air Ride
21,000lbs
Capacity
GENY GH-8050
Torsion-Flex,
Fifth Wheel
King Pin
30,000lbs
Capacity
Lippert
328330
Rota-Flex
Pin Box
18,000lbs
Capacity

RV Pin Box Reviews

RV-pin-box-reviews

The following pin boxes have been selected based on construction quality, performance, ease of installation and price point.

Our testing method involves a combination of the above criteria, plus recent customer reviews and feedback on performance, as well as analysis of how each of the models fares against others on the market.

1. TOP PICK: MORryde Pin Box System [14-18K GVWR]

Our top pick pin box system for 2020 is the excellent RPB72 from the ever-reliable MORryde.

If you are looking for a solution towards a more comfortable experience while towing your RV, this is surely it.

The list of issues that the MORryde Pin Box solves in regards to towing a 5th wheel RV is vast. At the risk of diving into hyperbole, the drive will never be the same again.

Okay, let’s bring it back down to earth.

The MORyde RPB72-1621HD-05 Pin Box System is built with an advanced rubber shear spring mechanism, that is designed to absorb the extensive back and forth jerking motion that is inherent in RV towing.

The Pin Box is able to cushion the tow vehicle against the instability of uneven roads, while also ensuring starts and stops do not inflict uncomfortable jolts to passengers.

The end result is a smoother, more enjoyable in-cab ride.

While the Morryde Pin Box caters for the majority of pickups and tow vehicles, if in doubt, you can leave compatibility questions on the Amazon sales page where a Morryde representative will get back to you.

Furthermore, after purchase MORryde also provides quality support along with installation instructions in a way that makes the process of buying and installing the pin box system a breeze.

Pros of the MORryde RPB72-1621HD-05 Pin Box System
  • Reduces back-and-forth jolting while towing a 5th wheel RV
  • Minimizes vehicle stress caused by uneven roads
  • Enables jerk-free start and stops
  • Increases in-cab comfort considerably
  • Good support and easy installation
The Cons
  • The 14-18K GVWR towing ability means those with larger RVs will not be able to safely use this pin box

Bottom Line

Overall the MORryde RPB72-1621HD-05 Pin Box System is a must-have for 5th wheel RV owners.

If you do not have a pin box system installed, the chances are you are experiencing a less than perfect drive while towing your RV. This unit from Morryde will put a stop to the majority of this.

Affordable, with high quality performance and easy to install. What more could you need. A 5 star offering that gets our top pick pin box choice for 2020.

2. Lippert Components Flex Air Pin Box – Long Jaw

The Lippert Components 328492 Flex Air Pin Box is another high quality unit that can be considered more technically advanced than our top pick from MORryde, however this doesn’t necessarily lead to greater performance.

Let’s take a closer look.

Firstly, the Trailer ride technology is at the heart of the Air Pin Box.

This is Lippert’s take on 5th wheel towing shock absorption, incorporating their Rota-Flex pivoting head in the attempt to reduce the ‘vertical tug of war’ between tow vehicles and 5th wheel RVs.

The Flex Air system uses an airbag as well as traditional rubber compounds to cushion the movement between the tow vehicle and RV.

This, of course, helps to provide a more comfortable ride by absorbing vibration in both the road and the jolting induced by towing, stopping and starting.

As this is this long jaw version it designed for short bed truck towing vehicles and has a capacity of 18,000lbs. (A medium jaw version is available that is suitable for long bed trucks).

The system also has an integrated oil shock absorber to aid in dampening kickback.

All of these components work very well indeed, however, this offering from Lippert does come at an increased price point when compared to our top pick.

The fact the MORryde works so well does bring into question why you would spend close to double the amount of money on the long jaw.

If you are using a short bed truck as a towing vehicle, the extended maneuverability and the extra shock absorption ability of this Flex Air Pin Box is recommended.

Pros of the Lippert Components 328492 Flex Air Pin Box
  • Advanced features incorporated in order to reduce jarring and jolting when towing
  • Airbag helps to absorb road shock ensuring no damage comes to the RV during transit
  • Integrated oil shock absorber built in to dampen kickback
  • Includes Rota Flex pivoting head to help control and reduce chucking
The Cons
  • Almost twice the price of our top pick pin box from MORryde.

Bottom Line

There’s no denying that the Lippert Components 328492 Flex Air Pin Box is a high-quality option that will absorb much of the road based stress involved in 5th wheel RV towing.

This long jaw version is designed for short bed truck towing vehicles and the advanced dampening features will certainly be appreciated while in transit with your RV.

3. Reese 5th Airborne Wide Air Ride

Reese are no stranger to RV accessories, in particular their line of pin boxes for 5th wheel RV towing have proved immensely popular in recent years.

This premium offering doesn’t disappoint in terms of performance either.

Similar to the Lippert Components Flex Air Pin Box, the 5th Airbourne features an airbag built-in.

This is positioned at the top of the pin box instead of the more common position at the base. A smart move that actually makes it easier for the user to adjust in line with the demands of your towing scenario.

The function of the airbag remains the same; to reduce chucking (Reese state by as much as 60%).

Vertical shocking experienced during transit is also said to be reduced by up to 40% using the Pin Box.

The result, of course, is a much more enjoyable in-cab journey, as well as less wear, tear and stress on both the tow vehicle, the RV and all the components housed within.

The unit has been rated SAE/CSA weight capacity up to 21,000lbs, which certainly covers a wide range of 5th wheel RVs.

Pros of the Reese 5AB-S500-700 5th Airborne
  • Airbag shock absorption to minimize chucking and vertical shocks
  • Reposition of airbag for easy filling and adjustment
  • Vastly improved towing experience
  • SAE/CSA rated 21K towing capacity
The Cons
  • Difficult to fault this offering from Reese. However, if your RV falls below 21k in weight, our top pick from MORryde remains the more cost-effective option.

Bottom Line

The Reese 5AB-S500-700 5th Airborne is another high-quality pin box with advanced functionality in order to reduce RV towing stress across the board.

The performance is great, however the price point is high. That being said the 21k rating is also high and will suit RV owners that need such a capacity.

4. GENY GH-8050 Executive – Torsion-Flex, Fifth Wheel King Pin

Now we come to the daddy of our top 5 in terms of towing weight capacity. A massive 30,000 LB can be towed with the GH-8050 5th Wheel King Pin in place.

Not only that, but the unit is built to withstand a hitch, pin weight up to 4,500lb. If you have an oversized RV for towing, you may well have found your solution in this.

The specifications are shaping up to be impressive here. So what else does the GENY have to offer?

Well in a move apart from the Reese and Lippert options reviewed above, this premium pin box does not use an airbag.

Stated by the manufacturers as one less component to maintain, the design of the GH-8050 incorporates a hard connection hitch for increased control and stability.

Essentially, with the pin box the tow vehicle and RV track reducing sway and trailer bounce.

Fabricated from heavy-duty steel, GENY actually utilized Solid-works, (one of the world’s leading engineering software design packages) to help engineer the blueprint for the GH-8050)

They state that this has helped them achieve a performance level up to 90% smoother than a towing experience without a pin box. (You may want to take such a marketing copy with a pinch of salt, however.)

Pros of the GENY GH-8050 Executive - Torsion-Flex, Fifth Wheel King Pin
  • Superior engineering resulting in a smooth, jolt free towing experience
  • No airbag to maintain
  • Hard hitch connection for increased driver control
  • Huge 30,000 LB Towing capacity (4.5K Hitch/Pin Weight)
The Cons
  • Yes, it is expensive, however, if you need up to 30,000lbs towing ability for larger RV’s the Geny is one of the best options around.

Bottom Line

Another premium offering with the price tag to match.

The 30,000lb towing ability is impressive however, and if you need to improve your towing experience with a very large 5th wheel RV, this is the pin box to do it with.

5. Lippert Components 328330 Rota-Flex Pin Box

The final pin box in our top 5 review round up is an offering from Lippert that competes closely in terms of specifications to our top pick from MORryde.

With a towing capacity of 18,000lb and a similar price point, this is squarely aimed at medium-weight 5th wheel RV owners.

Much like the Long Jaw review above, this unit has the airbag installed. Designed to act as a buffer between the tow vehicle and RV, the absorption properties of the airbag component are effective.

The Rota-Flex also has the inbuilt Pivoting head function, installed to reduce the fore-to-aft coach movement. This leads directly to a better in-cab riding experience.

Again, as with the Long Jaw, the 328330 features an oil shock absorber designed to control rebound action, while dampening kickback.

Furthermore, the rubberized torsion compound included as part of the construction of the pin box, is there to absorb the vibrations of general road transit.

Pros of the Lippert Components 328330 Rota-Flex Pin Box
  • Inbuilt airbag designed to dampen shock movement between vehicle and 5th wheel RV
  • The pivoting head helps to control fore-to-aft coach movement
  • Oil-based shock absorption to reduce rebound action
The Cons
  • Some customers have complained about Lippert’s lackluster support service and the fact the pin box is badly packaged for delivery.

Bottom Line

The Lippert Components 328330 is a good option for small to medium-sized 5th wheel RV owners.

The 3 pronged method of reducing shock, jolts and vibrations (via airbag, rubber compound absorption, and oil-based shock absorption), is definitely effective.

However, with the MORryde available at a similar price point and maximum towing capacity, our opinion is that your money is better spent there.

A Short Pin Box Buyer’s Guide

rv pin box

What to consider when buying a Pin Box

When you are looking to buy a pin box there’s a few factors you should take into consideration first.

Details such as the weight of your RV are clearly important, as is the nature of your towing vehicle (short or long bed truck).

There’s also your available budget and potential compatibility issues with your 5th wheel hitch.

To ensure that when researching to buy a pin box you have all the information you need, here’s a quick list of issues you should be thinking about.

Details of your RV & Towing vehicle

As we mentioned above, knowing the make, model, and weight of your 5th wheel RV is important.

Pin boxes are classed by towing capacity so you must ensure that the model you are interested in can safely tow the weight of the RV.

Also if you plan to tow using a short-bed truck, clearance will be an issue.

For this, you will need to look for ‘long jaw’ style pin box solutions in order to provide the necessary clearance.

Conversely, a long bed truck will not have such a problem so a medium jaw pin box will suffice.

Overall Performance

comfortable 5th wheel Rv towing

The reason you are fitting a pin box in the first place is to reduce the jolting and jarring that can be inherent in towing an RV without sufficient shock absorption.

The pin boxes on the market today go about providing the buffer between the tow vehicle and RV in different ways.

Airbag shock absorption is one popular method and is extremely efficient at reducing the fore and aft jarring known as chucking.

Oil or compression air-based absorption is another method.

The design varies too, with some models providing greater control and enabling a tighter turning radius by creating more room in your pickup bed, (as achieved by long jaw models).

Pin placement, rubber compound cushions, tilt plates, and another form of shock absorbers all amount to an improved ride.

Whatever form of absorption the model pin box you plan to buy has, you should ensure (either by testing or if buying online looking at reviews and customer comments) that the performance level is there.

Air Bag vs Rubber Shock Absorbers

Out top-rated pick from MOR/Ryde does not feature any kind of airbag but instead opts for a rubber shear spring.

The benefit of this is that it resists movement not only fore and aft but also side to side.

One of the reasons the MORryde pin box received our highest vote is that this style of damping is maintenance-free and is versatile across a range of trailer weight ratings.

That doesn’t mean to say that airbag dampening isn’t effective. Most of the other models in our top 5 take this approach and perform very well.

The benefit of airbags is that they allow you to change the ride quality according to the current load of the trailer. This is done by changing the air pressure of the unit.

The negative here is that more maintenance is required and you do need to consider the amount of air in your pin box each and every time you tow.

Price Point

Fifth-wheel RV

The budget will always be a concern when buying a relatively expensive component such as an RV.

Clearly you need to buy the highest quality model you can afford, however, this doesn’t always mean dipping into your pockets for the most expensive pin box around.

Compatibility checks and towing capacity are the first variables that need to be considered. The fact is, if you have a very large 5th wheel RV you will need to spend more to buy a pin box that can safely handle the weight.

Smaller RV owners will have a wider choice, however, and their reviews and customer feedback will help you decide on an appropriate model.

Referring once again to our number one pick, it was of the least expensive options in our top 5, however, if you have an RV weighing less the 18,000lbs and below, it will make a massive difference to your overall towing experience.

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