I was wondering if the manufacturers are taking into account the WD hitch when rating the receivers? In other words ours is rated for 990#, is that with or without WD?

Our trailer with the added 6volt batteries, full LP tanks, cargo is 1050# and with the WD hitch, we are at approx. 800#.. I guess my question would be are we over our trucks receiver rating according to the manufacturers recommendations?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

http://www.fordvehicles.com/assets/p...vF150sep09.pdf

see page 4 ....

I know it's for a 2010 but it's not that far off...

Not sure where you are getting your #990 number from ?

 

"Most" hitches on trucks will have TWO ratings for them.. One is for just plopping a trailer on the hitch and going and the other is when a WD setup is used.

Generally, it's #500/#5000 and #1000/#10,000 respectively for "most" Class 3 / 4 hitches.

Well, that's what my factory OEM hitch ratings are...

Now, just because your hitch is rated at "X" amount, is not what your truck will necessarily be able to tow... That goes without saying, but I felt I needed to add that little disclaimer to my statement!

Mitch

 

Oh, I should also add that not all Class 3 2" square hitches are rated for WD either... So, watch for that as well!

Mitch

 

Thanks for the info, how far off do you think the 2010 numbers are from the 2006 model though?

I pulled that 990# from a label on the receiver on our truck? Did I misunderstand what that number is? I was reading the label upside down...LOL

So with a WD hitch are we within the receiver ratings? So many numbers to consider and I hated math...LOL

 

I'll let Mitch answer this - he's the towing veteran - I'm a noob

Take it away, Mitch

 

Well, I'm not so much up to speed on the 'new' F150's.... They have a totally different designed hitch setup then the old ones... Also there were many design changes on the 2010 rigs related to towing..

My hitch had a sticker on it that had specific info for "dead load" towing and "Weight Distribution" towing... And the #'s were as I stated above. Plain as Black and White.

Your's must have more info on it then just "#990 tongue weight"??

My best 'guess' is that would be with a WD hitch setup, but that's only a guess, so really no meaningfull conclusion there.....

A member here by the name of "Colorado Osprey" works with this kind of stuff for a living and might chime in here with better info... Or you might try sending him a PM??

I tried searching around on Google and Bing, but couldn't really find any info specific to the hitch itself... All I found was the meaningless 'tow ratings'......

But, if you think about it.... If they have these 'tow ratings' in excess of #9000 these days, then the factory hitches "must" be able to accomodate hitch weights in excess of #900 and the only way you can do that with an F150 IS to use a WD hitch setup..

Heck, my trailer is only around #600 TW and I need the WD to level out and stabilize the rig!!

Mitch

 

Maybe i can help.

If you look at the factory bumper where the step is, it states this:

------------------- max gross ------------ max tongue
------------------trailer weight lbs. -------- weight lbs.

weight distributing ------ 9900 --------------- 990
weight carrying ----------5000 --------------- 500

this on an 05 F150 with the factory hitch

to answer your original question, 990 is tongue weight max with wd hitch but as mitch said that doesnt mean you can tow that much. thats only the hitch's rating, not truck. if you add the wd hitch with your set-up your ok. without, then your over your hitch's rating.

 

05crewzer is right on. My '08 has a sticker on the hitch that says exactly what crewzer's says. The first value is for the weight the receiver can handle (both tongue weight and trailer weight) without using a weight distributing hitch and the second value is for use with.

If your tongue weight is 1050 then you are over your hitch's capacity. It doesn't matter what weight is on the hitch after you setup the WD bars You still have 1050 going through the hitch, some going to the front of the truck and some going to the trailer. And don't forget to add about 75lbs more for the WD hitch head and bars. But being so close to the rating, I doubt you will have any issues as there is likely some margin for error built in the the rating.

Just be sure to check your hitch regularly. I have read at least one factory F150 hitch cracking at the receiver welds. I'll try and dig that one up or maybe someone can provide a link as I think I read it on this forum.

 

for some reason i assumed the tongue weight was #800. being #1050 , yeah its over the rating of the hitch.

but thanks YDM. didnt think about the additional weight of the wd hitch, propane and such. good lookin out.

 

I could use some help here also.. Im looking at buying a tt and the person is including a 1200lb/12000lb wd system. My question is, since its 1200 lbs wd system, does that actually mean it puts 1200lbs of force on my receiver? Or it depends on the tounge weight of my camper? Or can I adjust the wd system to put 1000lbs force on my reciever? The tounge weight of the camper is about 650 dry and loaded up will be around 800 lbs. I have a 05 f150 so I know the receiver is rated at 1000 lbs.

Thanks,
Chris

 

The tension on the bars is determined by how 'tight' you set the chains.

The #1200 bars will be a bit stiffer then say some #1000 bars, but for the most part you can adjust it to meet your specific needs.

The higher rated bars will be able to handle more tongue weight, but you don't have to set them up that tight.

I've got #1000 bars on my setup and I can set them tighter or looser. When I set them any tighter, they actually start lifting the rear of the truck! Set them too loose and it bounces more over the bumps.

Mitch

 

Thanks for the info.. I believe he said he has a Reese system V5 with 1200 lb. spring bars for the setup. So even though my receiver is rated for only 1000lbs I can set the 1200lb setup to put 800 to 1000 lbs on my receiver correct? Also does it tell you in the manual on what each link in lbs it puts on the receiver?


Thanks again,
Chris

 

No, you won't really know exactly what the tension is in terms of 'pounds'.. All you can do is adjust to what seems right for your specific rig.

The bar ratings relate to the tongue weight of the trailer and how you adjust it will determine the stiffness. My guess would be that you won't have to set the tension that high to get the proper weight distribution for your setup. I only have 3 links hanging out of a total of 9 links on my setup. My tongue weight is probably only around #650.

What you ultimately want to have happen is that any sag the tongue weight of the trailer produces on your truck, after setting the bars, your truck should have most, if not all of that sag removed. If it lifts the rear end higher then when you started, then you have too much tension. If it still sags or is bouncy when you test drive it, you can add another link of tension.

Mitch

 

Ok.. thanks for the info.. I just did not want to put too much on my receiver since its rated at 1000 lbs. If I buy the camper with the w/d I will start at the first link and take measurements on the rear to see how much it changes before and after tensioin adjustments. I will try to have it level to about a inch or so of sag.

Chris