slvr993

Quick question

I have a 2013 Ecoboost F-150 4x4 Screw. I tow an aluminum Trailex car trailer that when loaded weighs 5500lbs. The tongue weight comes in at 650lbs. Can I install a Curt or similar hitch thats rated above 650lbs to haul my trailer without a WD hitch? ( Current hitch says Tongue limit is 500).

Trailex advises against WD setups on the aluminum arms of their trailers.

Thanks
Jeff

jeffinthebag

No, Changing the hitch does not transfer any weight back to the front end of the truck. Steering and braking can be affected. To me, 650 lbs tongue isn't to bad. Can't you just move something in your trailer towards the rear a bit to lighten the tongue?
The hitch is rated for up to 1050lbs. Ford recommends anything over 500lbs requires WDH to transfer some weight back to the front of the truck.

PerryB

I'd like to know their reasoning behind disapproval of a WDH. I wonder if they are worried about electrolytic corrosion between the aluminum frame and the steel brackets. I'd call them and find out, because a WDH seems like a no-brainer in that situation.

smokeywren

No, not if you enjoy living. Exceeding the weight capacity of your hitch is not a good idea. Your hitch says tongue weight (TW) limit is 500 pounds with a weight-carrying (WC) hitch. But it also says your TW limit is 1,000 pounds or more with a weight-distributing (WD) hitch. Curt makes both kinds of hitches, so I assume you mean a Curt WC hitch (also called a shank and ball mount).


But Ford (and most towing authorities) also says that any trailer with hitch weight more than 500 pounds requires a WD or fifth-wheel hitch.



I don't know what an "arm" is, but it you mean the A-frame or tongue of the trailer, then maybe you need to beef up the tongue before you tie onto a trailer with more than 500 pounds hitch weight. Then with the stronger tongue, add a good WD hitch.


Any decent welding/blacksmith/fabrication shop should be able to add heavier-duty angle metal to beef up your tongue.

slvr993

Thanks guys - I just wasn't sure what the limiting factor is. Is it the hitch itself - I can buy a higher tongue weight hitch. This whole thing confuses me. I can't understand why the carry weight would be less that many SUVs unless its just the hitch itself.

Jeff

smokeywren

You misread something, somewhere. SUVs have no more WC hitch weight capacity than pickups, and most have less. Whether pickup or SUV, the receiver's hitch weight limit is 500 pounds without a weight-distributing hitch.


It's not just the receiver hitch. You certainly don't want to exceed the weight limits of your receiver, but upgrading the receiver to one with more WC hitch weight capacity is not a good idea.


The 500-pound rule comes from the way the tow vehicle handles the hitch weight. The WC ball mount in the receiver is about 4 feet behind the rear axle. Think of the rear axle as the fulcrum point on a see-saw. When you add 500 pounds to the ball way back there behind the rear axle, that picks up the front end of the tow vehicle. That reduced weight on the front axle affects the steering and handling of your tow vehicle. Reducing the weight on the front axle too much can result in a tow vehicle that is dangerous to drive - not controllable in emergency conditions.


A weight-distributing hitch moves about 20% to 25% of the hitch weight off the rear axle to the trailer axles, and it moves another 20% to 25% of the hitch weight off the rear axle to the front axle of the tow vehicle. With a WD hitch properly set up and adjusted, your steering and handling of the tow vehicle will be much closer to "normal" - the way the chassis engineers designed your tow vehicle.