jcsteele Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 So I just bought this for pennies on the dollar and was pretty excited about it (truck has been grounded for awhile waiting on a hitch) until I started doing some deeper research. Someone on the Facebook HDT group ask if the pins were still good (they appear to be pretty tight) and that got me digging deeper. I have a triple axle (18K GVWR) Travel Supreme and am wondering if the small airbags are going to cushion enough, and if my pins will wear out... I feel pretty discouraged... unfortunately, an ET hitch just is not in the budget. I am doing the HDT route simply because I travel 50K+ miles a year AND want to be safe hauling my "mobile" home, not because I am retired and can do whatever I would like :-) Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark and Dale Bruss Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 My Travel Supreme checked in at 20,000 lbs and my pin weight (measured by RVSEF) was 4500 lbs. That is in the range of a two air bag TrailerSaver hitch (5000 lbs). You can add the third air bag for a 7500 lb pin capacity. Please click for Emails instead of PM Mark & DaleJoey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel SupremeSparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019 Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info atwww.dmbruss.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreyandSusan Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Trailersaver makes different models with different ratings so if you provide the ratings and the model number a better analysis could be given. As Mark said, on some TS hitch models the vertical load rating can be increased by the addition of a third air bag (if your measured pin weight exceeds the pin weight rating). Pin weights can vary greatly depending on how an individual owner loads their vehicle, so you need to measure your trailers pin weight to determine the actual load on your trailer. Susan & Trey Selman | email | HDT: '01 770 VED12 | 5er: '02 40' Travel Supreme RLTSOA | '16 Piaggio MP3 500 | '15 Smart Cabrio | Personal Blog | HHRV Resource Guide | HHRV Campgrounds | Recreation Vehicle Safety & Education Foundation | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 I ran the heavier Trailersaver for 10 years with an HDT with up to 6500 bs pin weight and varying GVW up to 22,000 lbs. I had no real wear on the hitch. We were full timers all that time, and double towed most of it. If you have the right one, and maintain it you should have a successful experience would be my opinion. Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billr Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 To check the head pins for wear, use a steel ruler and measure the vertical and horizontal play in the pin bushings. I remember 0.25 allowable tolerance. Contact Hensley to get the correct tolerance for the binkley head Bill and Joan and 3 Collie pups 2001 Volvo VNL 770 "The Doghouse" Singled short, "ET" hItch VED12 465HP Gen 1 Autoshift 3.58 ratio 2005 Mobile Suite 38RL3 2011 Smart Passion loaded piggybacK Weigh-It Portable RV Scales http://www.weighitrv.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSeas Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 I believe this is the model the OP has.....A previous "older" model with the built-in shocks. http://www.trailersaver.com/product/ts3-air-ride-hitch/ This is the model most folks use that tow heavier trailers.....some with the "third" air bag. http://www.trailersaver.com/product/tslb2h-air-ride-hitch/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueLghtning Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 jcsteele, I was the one that brought up about the pin wear on the HDT group and only because I had done some reading on it and it was brought up in some of the seminars an the HDT rally on why many of the other hitches used on HDT's are getting away from the binkley head. It's still a good head and I would think it takes a long time to wear one out, but they can wear out. I didn't post it to have you stress over it, just something to be aware of. You got a great deal on your TS3, but it also appeared to be an older unit, so just something to keep in mind if it had been used a lot, but maybe it hadn't. I bought a used TS3 that also has the shocks on it and it didn't seem to have much wear. I'm carrying about 19k lbs on it after we got weighed at the rally and I'm not worried about excessive wear. My trailer rides great on my TS3 and I'm very happy with it and you are in the same range as me. My binkley head seems pretty tight and if it ever needs replaced way down the road I can decide then if it's worth it or maybe a updgrade to a different hitch at that time? I'm definitely not stressing over it. Dan (Class of 2017) - 2012 Ram 3500 & 2005 Alpenlite Valhalla 29RK Contact me at rvsolarconsulting.com or Two Wheel Ramblin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcsteele Posted October 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 1 hour ago, BlueLghtning said: jcsteele, I was the one that brought up about the pin wear on the HDT group and only because I had done some reading on it and it was brought up in some of the seminars an the HDT rally on why many of the other hitches used on HDT's are getting away from the binkley head. It's still a good head and I would think it takes a long time to wear one out, but they can wear out. I didn't post it to have you stress over it, just something to be aware of. You got a great deal on your TS3, but it also appeared to be an older unit, so just something to keep in mind if it had been used a lot, but maybe it hadn't. I bought a used TS3 that also has the shocks on it and it didn't seem to have much wear. I'm carrying about 19k lbs on it after we got weighed at the rally and I'm not worried about excessive wear. My trailer rides great on my TS3 and I'm very happy with it and you are in the same range as me. My binkley head seems pretty tight and if it ever needs replaced way down the road I can decide then if it's worth it or maybe a updgrade to a different hitch at that time? I'm definitely not stressing over it. 6 No, don't feel bad, I was just mentioning that after you brought that up, I got to researching more. I only found 2 things in my research and it was: that the small airbags dont cushion enough on heavier trailers and that the pins wear out. So, I was just getting opinions from a larger group. I appreciate all your info! 1 hour ago, MrSeas said: I believe this is the model the OP has.....A previous "older" model with the built-in shocks. http://www.trailersaver.com/product/ts3-air-ride-hitch/ This is the model most folks use that tow heavier trailers.....some with the "third" air bag. http://www.trailersaver.com/product/tslb2h-air-ride-hitch/ Yes that is my picture! Does it not show up on my original post??? I does on my end.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcsteele Posted October 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 I will mention too, besides having the shocks, you can definitely tell its an old model because it says it only has a GVWR of 22K but a pin weight of 5K.... wonder what else changed to raise the overall rating but drop the pin rating in the newer model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueLghtning Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 1 hour ago, jcsteele said: I will mention too, besides having the shocks, you can definitely tell its an old model because it says it only has a GVWR of 22K but a pin weight of 5K.... wonder what else changed to raise the overall rating but drop the pin rating in the newer model? Yeah, that's interesting because mine is only rated at 4500 pin weight and GTW of 20k. Mine has the shocks also but they are oriented in the opposite direction as yours? Mine has the bult in air compressor and height adjustment. That's what that little bar is on the back with a magnet on it to set the ride height at the white line Interesting enough, when I bought mine, it was acutally mounted in a slider frame so it could work in a short bed pickup. Dan (Class of 2017) - 2012 Ram 3500 & 2005 Alpenlite Valhalla 29RK Contact me at rvsolarconsulting.com or Two Wheel Ramblin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 The fifth wheel mounted on that Trailer Saver looks like an off the shelf Holland model FW001 8000 lbs pin 30,000 lbs trailer weight capacity? My truck has one with 300,000 miles on it ... RV work shouldn’t wear it out too bad... "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcsteele Posted October 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 4 hours ago, BlueLghtning said: Yeah, that's interesting because mine is only rated at 4500 pin weight and GTW of 20k. Mine has the shocks also but they are oriented in the opposite direction as yours? Mine has the bult in air compressor and height adjustment. That's what that little bar is on the back with a magnet on it to set the ride height at the white line Interesting enough, when I bought mine, it was acutally mounted in a slider frame so it could work in a short bed pickup. Another interesting difference is that mine has a slanted back on it.... hmmm Have you found a good way to grease the pins in question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted October 20, 2017 Report Share Posted October 20, 2017 1 hour ago, noteven said: The fifth wheel mounted on that Trailer Saver looks like an off the shelf Holland model FW001 8000 lbs pin 30,000 lbs trailer weight capacity? My truck has one with 300,000 miles on it ... RV work shouldn’t wear it out too bad... Trailersaver down rates the pin weight to 7500lb on the 3 air bags, or 5000lb on 2 air bags. But they increase the tow rating to 32k. Might be in the mounting system. My Trailer Saver is an ancient model, 2002 era. It's getting a little play in the head itself. The swing arm, pins and frame are in great shape. Alie & Jim + 8 paws 2017 DRV Memphis BART- 1998 Volvo 610 Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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