MorRyde Pin Box Install Good and Bad

[Steven@147]

Our 2019 Solitude came with a standard 1621 Lippert Pin box. Now GD 2020 models come with a MorRyde pin box. Anyway we get a little chucking now and then so I've wanted to replace it with a MorRyde. For our Solitude we would need a MorRyde RPB72-1621HD-05, which is the unit up to 18K GVWR. Our RV GVWR is 16.8K.
Been checking prices and found new pin boxes for $620. Anyway I happen to check Craig's List for the Austin area and a RV owner had one posted for sale for $300, only a couple of years old that came off his Jayco Northpoint. His RV has only been towed @ 150 miles using the pin box so its barely used. He had to switch to a different pin box because of his Ram bed tool boxes.

The pin box looked great so I bought it. Now comes the part of removing the Lippert box and installing the MorRyde pin box. Its only the wife and I doing this install at home. The MorRyde is a heavy beast and severely front end heavy.
Hitched the truck to the Lippert box. We have a companion hitch. Use my impact gun and zipped the 10 bolts out. Using the RV front landing gear, raised the RV off and clear of the pin box. Now to detach the Lippert box from the companion hitch. The wife and I were in the truck bed, opened the hitch lock handle, slid the Lippert box out of the hitch and set it in the truck bed. The Lippert box is not all that heavy but is kind of cumbersome for one guy to handle. All is well so far.

Now the bad - When the wife was getting out of the truck bed, she was setting on the tailgate, then to hop off the tailgate she misjudged the distance to the ground and face planted herself in the middle of the gravel driveway. Broke her glasses which took a gouge out of her nose and bleeding, banged and skinned her head and knees and jammed her right wrist. Needless to say it was a bad scene. There in the middle of the driveway my wife was laid out. Took some time to get her calmed, get her back in the house and cleaned up. Took her to the emergency room to get her arm and wrist xrayed. She is OK, Nothing broken, just a severe wrist sprain. Scarred the crap out of both of us! Got her back home and stayed with her all afternoon to make sure she was OK.

But now here we are, banged up wife, I'm feeling horrible that she got hurt, no pin box on the RV so no way to move it. This all happen in the early morning. Same day in the early evening, assured she is OK, I go out to the RV to size up the situation. Now I have to get the MorRyde box on the RV and its a heavy beast.. All along I had planned to use my portable engine hoist to pick up the box, slide it into the truck bed, grab a hold of it, slide it into the companion and lock it into place. Then back the truck with the MorRyde box hanging off the companion back under the RV and get it bolted in place. I'm just about to pick up the MorRyde box with the engine hoist, I turn around and there is the wife back out to help me. I ordered her back in the house but nothing doing she is gong to help. Truth be known she is probably back out there to see that I do not hurt myself doing something stupid. But the wife is a real trooper even with her arm in a sling and a skinned up face! God bless her!!

The wife got in the truck and backed it up enough for me to maneuver the engine hoist with the pin box into the hitch and locked into the companion. Then I backed the truck under the RV, getting the new box dead centered under the RV. Using the front landing gear lowered the RV onto the MorRyde pin box, then used a jack under the pin box to raise it into position, used a drift to align the holes and installed the 10 bolts. DONE!

Please be careful out there when working on your Rigs. One misstep can have bad consequences!

[JColeman]

Glad your wife was not hurt badly.

Have you had the rig out since the install? How does it ride?

[Canyonlight]

Oh gosh Steve I'm hurting just reading what happened to Tami.....OUCH !!! So sorry to hear about her injuries and pain that she is dealing with......and your emotional pain. When someone gets hurt helping us we feel really REALLY bad. Hope she gets better soon and you both can get out and try the MorRyde and be laughing over the camp fire sharing the story.

Dan

[Steven@147]

Glad your wife was not hurt badly.

Have you had the rig out since the install? How does it ride?

Haven't tried it yet. This all happened yesterday. People say it makes a difference, we will see.
I need to get it out though and check clearance and ride. The MorRyde box is a little over 2 inches longer than the Lippert even though I bolted the MorRyde in the same place. A lot of things have changed since we last towed the RV so I have to check everything out. When we had the Lippert I had the companion set on the top position and had @ 8 inches of bed clearance and weight over the rear truck axle. I had lowered the companion to the middle position because the RV nose was a little high and more weight on the RV rear axle. The covid crap hit and I never got the chance to tow the RV with this set up and didn't have a chance to check the bed clearance.
Then found the MorRyde. With everything that happened swapping the pin box I forgot what the pin height to ground was on the Lippert. Now with the MorRyde being a little longer it most likely changed the pin height to ground and changed the center of the hitch weight behind the truck axle. It is possible I may need to raise the companion back up to the top position for bed clearance and then adjust the companion arms forward to get the center of the pin weight back over the rear truck axle. I'm going to try and get the rig out today for a little test drive to see how she rides.

[Steven@147]

Just got back home from a 25 mile test trip and put the RV back to sleep. Its windy here today 14 mph gusts to 20 in Central Texas 88 and humid. Glancing at the hitch in the truck rear view mirror the MorRyde pin box moves around a lot more than I am use to with the Lippert rigid 1621HD box. Driving with the truck back window open I did not hear any noises coming from the hitch which is a good thing. After we got back home I looked at the pin box and based on the tracking in the dust on the plate I estimate it moved fore and aft from center a little over and inch while on the test trip. The MorRyde box helped. It did not eliminate the chucking, probably nothing will totally based on road conditions, but it did substantially dampen it. We could tell the difference so it was worth it.

Now for the clearances. I am at 7 inches bed rail to bottom of RV instead of 8 like we were. So I lost an inch by moving the companion to the middle height position and with the new MorRyde box. Still in good shape and standing back looking at the rig while hitched she is level - not slightly nose high like it was. We were at 13.6 feet in height by the Escapees measurements so I estimate now we are @ 13.5 where it should be and most likely the weight is more balanced on the RV axles. We were rear axle heavy before. I don't know about the pin weight centered over the truck axle. The truck did not seem to squat anymore than it did before but I am sure there is probably 100# or so more on the pin than there was. The MorRyde box is quite a bit more heavy than the stock box. The rig seemed to tow great so I'll leave it alone.

[Steven@147]

Oh gosh Steve I'm hurting just reading what happened to Tami.....OUCH !!! So sorry to hear about her injuries and pain that she is dealing with......and your emotional pain. When someone gets hurt helping us we feel really REALLY bad. Hope she gets better soon and you both can get out and try the MorRyde and be laughing over the camp fire sharing the story.

Dan

Thanks all, yup, the wife was laughing about her klutziness today. We are in our mid 60s and she forgot we are not as spry as we once were. She actually got out there today and helped get the RV all hitched up! Can't keep her down she just bounces back and keeps going on. Just another story for our kids and grandkids throughout our 42 years of marriage!

[CoChris]

@Steven@147. First so glad Tami is OK. The fact that she can laugh about it and is right back helping is a true testament to her spirit. Keep it up!

On the pin box, is the Lippert you removed the fixed style or the Roto-flex? I am not sure which they use on the S class. My Solitude 310GK has the Roto-flex, and I am debating on swapping it for the MorRyde.

Thank you
Chris

[Steven@147]

@Steven@147. First so glad Tami is OK. The fact that she can laugh about it and is right back helping is a true testament to her spirit. Keep it up!

On the pin box, is the Lippert you removed the fixed style or the Roto-flex? I am not sure which they use on the S class. My Solitude 310GK has the Roto-flex, and I am debating on swapping it for the MorRyde.

Thank you
Chris

It was the fixed style not a rotoflex.
Sent from iphone

Added from desk top,
I should add I downloaded the installation, owners manual, parts breakdown and maintenance documents from the MorRyde web site.

[Txfivver]

Wow that's crazy Steve, so glad she's ok! I have looked at that MorRyde pinbox for my Solitude but have noticed it's rated at 18000 pounds max, my current Rotoflex is rated at 20K, not sure if that's an upgrade or not. I plan to have their IS and disc brakes added within the next year which I understand adds considerable weight to the trailer. That could push me over 17K pounds so that's even less cushion with the MorRyde pinbox. Is yours the 18K model?

[Steven@147]

Wow that's crazy Steve, so glad she's ok! I have looked at that MorRyde pinbox for my Solitude but have noticed it's rated at 18000 pounds max, my current Rotoflex is rated at 20K, not sure if that's an upgrade or not. I plan to have their IS and disc brakes added within the next year which I understand adds considerable weight to the trailer. That could push me over 17K pounds so that's even less cushion with the MorRyde pinbox. Is yours the 18K model?

Hey Jeff, Yes it is the 18K model. RPB72-1621HD-05. I remembering seeing something on MorRydes web site pin box guide that they have one that goes over 18K. I believe it is the RPB72-1621HD-06 which they list as 18,001 and over.
Can check it out here http://www.morryde.com/uploads/downl...it%20Chart.pdf

Great upgrade for you with the IS and Disc. I think Rob posted in another thread that it adds something like 400# when he had it done to their new Solitude. I might be dis-remembering his post, i can't find it right now. Said he just mentally subtracts approx 400# from his cargo number.