how much difference will a wt hitch make in keeping the truck ok to tow.....ie. my truck weighs 5840 lbs. looking at 26 or 27 ft. travel trailers with hitch weights of @ 500-700 lbs. by adding me and my wife another 300 lbs or so total, then putting a 600 lb vmax in the bed of the truck etc......i won't be traveling with the bike all the time but it looks as though i am maxing out the 7200 rating of the truck......it is an 04 fx4 with 5.4 engine and 3.73 gears at the rear....hd tow package etc......even the weight of the hitch can be another 100 lbs i believe.....am i in la la land thinking about doing this......was looking on comprimising with a smaller tt and a 26ft is as small as we want to go. any advis really welcomed at this point. i can try to find a lighter tongue weighted trailer i guess, but they all seem to be in that range. help!!!!!!!!!!!!!hahaahhaha......tia
jim

 

The weight distribution hitch will make a difference, like your headlights on the road instead of in the trees! LOL

Once installed and properly adjusted, the ride with the WD setup is excellent! It does provide a great margin of safety, as opposed to the tongue on the bumper or only the receiver hitch and you can also add the anti-sway dampner that attaches to the hitch and the trailer..

However comma:

5840 and the 7200 trailer weight puts you at 13,040 pounds. I would say you should have an F250 to do this one. You have the F150 now and I would guess you would exceed the gross combined weight rating for the half-ton truck. Check your owner's manual to be sure; I have a 1999 F150 and 12500, I believe, is the GCWR for my model year.

Curt

 

You'll be exceeding your GCWR by a bit; however, you should be fine by using the Weight Distributed Hitch. For added safety and comfort, I would install some Firestone Airbags to help, especially if you plan on putting anything at all in the bed while towing your TT.

BTW, I beleive the GCWR of your truck is 13,500lbs.

Good luck,

Sackett

 

cliles55, the weight of the trailer wasn't 7200#'s that was the gvwr of the truck (what the truck can haul, payload......the trailers we are looking at are closer to 6000 lbs....thanks for all the imput guys.....

 

Towing more than 4000 pounds regularily should use a WD hitch. There will be a huge difference. And, the hitch you get to keep for any truck you use.

 

i know this is kinda off topic, but i didnt want to open a new thread for such a simple question. Anyway, what is the point of a pintle hitch, or a military hitch. can you haul more with them etc..., any info would be great.

 

Also, I belive the OEM hitches are class III rated for 5000 pounds unless combined with a WD setup that makes it a class IV to your tow rating.

Pintles are stronger than ***** and generally are rated much to handle more weight.

 

I have same type vehicle, with same question....but what interpet from the ford brochure is the maximum towing is 9300 lbs, which i think does not include the gvwr? what say yee? thanks.

Joe K.