Airsafe 32k Hitch Help

[chooseopen]

I bought a used HDT last fall and we are just about to buy a 5th wheel camper to go with it.  The truck came with an Airsafe 32k hitch but I am having trouble figuring out how to use it.  Their instructions refer to a retractable locking pin that somehow helps you set ride height but I am not certain how to use it.  Attached is a screen shot of the relevant portion of their manual.  They mention that it should auto retract but looking at my unit I just don't see how that is supposed to work...  Guidance anyone?

https://goo.gl/photos/p6EHyDF9iDc8hMa37

https://goo.gl/photos/RGvBFrBAjW8pKzjj9

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

The pin might be stiff and a little corroded.  You could bleed the bags and work on freeing the pin.  The rotation of the handle locks the pin out or in.  You rotate the handle until it lines up with the slot.   In my years, the pin seldom retracted on its own.  But you should not have to work hard at sliding the pin in and out.

The correct position for ride height is, with the trailer weight on the hitch, the pin should just slide into the lock hole.  That is the place the hitch should be.  Add or remove air from the bags to have the pin slide in.

The Air Safe Hitch is designed to have the bags with enough pressure to have the plate at midpoint.  That is where the pin slides in.  You should not adjust the bags from that point.

Since the normal position of the hitch is with the pin in the locked position, the hitch is at the correct height, unless the bags have deflated.  If the bags have deflated, they should be inflated to at least where the pin is holding the hitch.  I usually start at 50 psi if the bags have been deflated.

To unhook, slide the pin in to lock the hitch.  Sometimes on a hot day, you may have to bleed the bags just enough to stick the lock pin in.  Then raise the trailer enough to take pressure off of the hitch plate. Then pull the hitch from under the trailer.  

If you forget to lock pin, the hitch plate will popup when the trailer comes off of the plate.  If that happens, deflate the bags until you cna get the pin in, and then re-inflate the bags.

 

[sclord2002]

I appears that this pin is supposed to retract or allow you to manually lock it when the hitch itself is at the proper ride height. Your trailer may or may not be at its proper ride height when the hitch is in this position.  If the frame of the trailer is level when the hitch is at its proper ride height, all is well.....if the trailer is not level when the hitch is at its proper ride height, then adjusting the pin box height or the height of the base of the hitch may be required to have both the hitch and the trailer at their proper ride heights. The proper ride height of the hitch is probably mid up and down travel of the fifth wheel hitch head and the proper ride height of your trailer is when it is more or less level. I hope this is not too confusing.  Be safe,   Charlie

[remoandiris]

If all else fails, you can always call Air Safe.  The few times I have called they were helpful.  They may have changed designs, but they still know how their products are supposed to work.

http://airsafehitches.com/

 

[chief916]

Gee Whiz...after reading all this "and no disrespect intended" I've got nothing to complain about my TS3.

 

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Sorry but an Air Safe Hitch is far superior to a TS3.  

I have seen the steps to hitching and unhitching a TS3.  For the iAr Safe Hitch, it is as easy as: connect the trailer, lock the pin out.  Lock the pin in and remove the trailer.  Can't get any easier than that

[TXiceman]

Mark and Dale, been running the TS3 for 3 years now and never a problem hitching or unhitching.  Straight forward and positive.

Ken

[Tahoe Shark]

Can you point me to the research that indicates an Air-Safe is far superior to a TS3?

[On The Road]

I use an airsafe hitch.  I removed the pin completely .  I control my air from the cab.  My hitch up camera stays on the hitch after it is attached.  I run about 80 lbs in mine.  I found the pin to be more of a problem.  When I park and run the front jacks down, I release the pressure from the cab.  I do not know if it is superior to a TS3 or not but it works for me.  What I do like about it, it is a low profile and I was able to mount the plate on top of the truck rails. 

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Air Safe is the only hitch with lateral damping.  Write the operations for a TS3 in one sentence.

[Ronbo]

If you are running 80 psi in the air bags you have almost no benefit of an air ride hitch. You almost have a solid block of rubber. That is why I went with the ET Junior.

[SIBERNUT]

I have the AS & like it. Pin failed on mine too. I use a $4.95 horrible freight regulator and a gauge at the hitch, with a relief valve to drop it when unhooking. Similar to cab control but simpler.

[On The Road]

11 hours ago, Ronbo said:

If you are running 80 psi in the air bags you have almost no benefit of an air ride hitch. You almost have a solid block of rubber. That is why I went with the ET Junior.

You might be correct but from what I see in the camera it sure moves a lot to be on a "solid block of rubber"  I have a lot of up and down movement while I am going down the road. How many inches of up and down movement would you say would be needed for a good hitch?

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

11 hours ago, Ronbo said:

If you are running 80 psi in the air bags you have almost no benefit of an air ride hitch. You almost have a solid block of rubber. That is why I went with the ET Junior.

 

It all depends on the specifications of the air bags used.  If they are using a bag rated at 4000lbs at 100 psi then yes it would be a hard block.  But if they use a 6000lb bag at 100psi then you would use less air to maintain the correct "height" for the hitch.  Henry uses the 4k bags on several of his hitches, but he also uses the single bag for others.  Its all dependant on the design.

[Scrap]

I had it all cross referenced and posted when I had to replace a bag and the front heim joint long ago.  I'm sure I've lost it all but basically the bags used are from one of the air helper spring setups.  My pin is always the first thing rusted too.  I put on a leveling valve that dumps and use that instead.

[HERO Maker]

23 hours ago, Ronbo said:

If you are running 80 psi in the air bags you have almost no benefit of an air ride hitch. You almost have a solid block of rubber. That is why I went with the ET Junior.

It really all depends on how much pin weight you have.  Heavy front weight will require more air to get it to ride height.  The bag will work just fine then.  After all, it is rubber!  Lots of earlier discussions regarding this.  And everyone is seeing more air needed to get the hitch to ride height, or you make bag changes.  But builders of the TS hitches will tell you they are OK with more air needed to get it to correct ride height.  It will then work as intended.  Installing ride height valves just let the valve add more air if the pin is a heavy one.  Most people don't add pressure gauges if installing the height valve.  That is why we see statements that their cameras show the unit working as intended.  It's rubber and it expands to meet the need.  Just think about it - one fat arse sitting on a tire inner tube will get closer to the ground then one non-fat arse in a tube with the same air pressure in it.  Add more air and the big guy will get raised!  And there will still be "bounce" in the bag.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Mr ET Hitch will point out that air bags are not linear in spring action and all bags used in this application range have a 0-100 psi range.  The 50 psi point is the ideal loading of a bag.  80 psi is near the upper end of the air spring and is approaching acting like a solid hunk of rubber.

Proper design and loading says the normal position of the trailer should be with the bags as near 50 psi as possible.

 

[NoDirectionHome]

This should give you a better picture of how an airbag reacts to a given static load

[Big5er]

uh...yeah....what Steve said. I'm all good with what that chart says.

 

(  Pssst: Steve, what the hell does that show? )

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

As we so often get off topic, did choseopen get his answer on how to operate the Air Safe hitch?

[NoDirectionHome]

You try to operate in the "white" range.  The load it will support is down the far right. (times 100)
Just to the left of that is the pressure in the bag to support that load.
Along the bottom is the height of the bag which in this case wants to live in the 16-20" tall range.

If you stay in the design height range you DON"T ever get that hard as a rock suspension as you can see the spring rate is very flat.