Simnut

That won't make me sell my Ford!!!

acdii

These ratings are based on the assumption that you will have at least 10% of the trailers tongue weight on the ball.

10% of 5000 pounds is of course 500 pounds.

This can also be considered max dead weight load.

Anything over 500 pounds, as determined by Ford, will raise the front axle past acceptable limits and create poor driving conditions for the driver. Other manufacturers will have their own limits, such as GM with the 700 pound ball.

However, that all goes out the window when there is little to no tongue weight involved, and the stress of towing is all on the pin used to connect the trailer to the vehicle. That is your weakest link at that point.

GCWR kicks into play when towing a non weight bearing trailer since they for the most part, do not have brakes, and you have to stop with just the trucks brakes. The max rating is based on gearing, and wheelbase for acceleration, but all trucks have the same stopping power, so any truck can stop a GCWR of the highest rated truck, but not pull as the highest rated(based on Ford).


Pretty sure most of us posting here regularly know that we could never actually tow a trailer to the GCWR limit of our trucks as we would run out of payload first, but those who do farm work would know that they can pull a farm wagon at GCWR.

So the one outstanding question is, when you have a trailer, such as a boat trailer that doesn't fall into that 10% rating, what is the maximum towing weight, the actual GTW, that can be pulled. Is it the max tow rating with WDH, even though one is not required?

Simnut

This falls to my point. That receiver that is rated for 2 scenarios is still the same receiver in both scenarios. The pin is the same pin in both situations. The tongue weight has a higher rating with a WDH...how can that be if that tongue weight is still there? Still the same receiver!

dodgeman1

With a WDH isn't some of the weight lifting up on the draw bar? Doesn't this in fact lesson the weight on the hitch by doing this? I don't know this answer, just speculating. Another thing to keep in mind is trailer brakes. It seems like most states have a requirement at something like 2500 lbs or more they need brakes.

8100hd

Yes the upward force reduces hitch load.

Simnut

The weights added to the axles weights of the truck are there because of the weight at the receiver and hitch. They don't remove the weight there. If you don't have the weight at the receiver/hitch...you won't have the weight added to the axles. Does that make any sense? This , again....tells me that this rating is there to protect Ford and the truck from mismanaged loads and loading of vehicle axles.



What if a person was to mount that receiver/hitch to a solid structure, not a vehicle. Now, based on a 750/7500 lbs trailer setup....what is the weight on the hitch and receiver with and without a WDH? The same, right? The solid structure will "absorb" the weight differently..but the weight is still there at the hitch setup.


Now...in typing this...I have a glimmer of light maybe. A WDH removes the weight of the tongue from the most rear of receiver tube...towards the front of it. Is that the weak link on these receivers?

Simnut

Well, straight from the horse's mouth.....the CVSE (Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement) here in BC.


I'm to carry on doing what I'm doing, regarding my equipment trailer. If I'm within all my weight ratings of the vehicle and trailer, standing level with both....I'm good to go without a WDH. My receiver will take the load regardless of the Ford sticker on the hitch itself. Their words.....you don't need a WDH...you're traveling legal.


So...........I'll go this way until something else tweaks my thinking! lol

8100hd

There is a difference between what’s legal and liability. You can be under the ratings for the truck yet still be over the hitch weight carrying capacity.

https://www.hardworkingtrucks.com/to...-still-needed/

Simnut

This from that article.


"The end goal is to have the truck remain near its normal level stance with minimum drop on the rear axle and rise on the front, while the trailer remains level on its axles. This setup provides the best vehicle and trailer handling."


This is what I've accomplished. If I put one on...it would only be for window dressing.....$500 for just looks? I won't be able to put the required stress on the torsion bars to create the effect of weight distribution. LOL. I guess I could add 50lbs maybe to the front end. That would be $10 a pound!!



I'll keep researching this thing....no worries there. I'll get some info from the RCMP here also on this. Would be interested in seeing what they have to say. I do have a WDH i can use for over the winter without have to buy one at this point. It will have to be reconfigured though. My wife kind of pointed this out to me lol.



I get where you are coming from....I'm coming from another angle.....and where the twain shall meet....who knows

8100hd

“The weights added to the axles weights of the truck are there because of the weight at the receiver and hitch. They don't remove the weight there. If you don't have the weight at the receiver/hitch...you won't have the weight added to the axles. Does that make any sense? This , again....tells me that this rating is there to protect Ford and the truck from mismanaged loads and loading of vehicle axles.”

Yes you are making sense.

Remember there is a hitch rating and there is the truck rating. The truck rating may be lower than the sticker on the hitch, which you follow the lowest rating. I looked up your truck tow rating and I see the TWR is 7500 with a WD hitch. It appears that in 2014 they were not using SAE j2807 so the 10% tongue is not specified in the rating. So you are limited to 500 tongue weight and 5000lbs trailer weight without WD.

Don’t spend $500 on a WD, get a lower priced standard basic round bar setup.