When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Yesterday i got into a bit of an argument with a gentlemen that wanted to pull a fairly large boat (>20ft) with a jeep grand cherokee. I told him he needed at least a half ton truck, not some unibody short wheelbase baby "suv". After some reading i was appalled to see that the max tongue weight on the GC was listed at 720lbs while the f-150 is only 500lbs without WD.
Then i went to the chevy and ram towing guides. Neither state anything about a 500lb weight carrying capacity on the hitch. In fact, i cant find any other case where a vehicle has a tow capacity above 7,000lbs but can only carry 500lbs on the tongue. Is there something inherent in the f-150 suspension design where it cant handle tongue weight like other similar trucks?
I agree based on other trucks and even small SUV's the 500/5000 limit seems low for the F150 platform. It's one of those things where it is what it is and is most likely driven by multiple factors. Part of it has to do with Ford establishing a single rating for the F150 platform regardless of cab or box configuration. I also tend to think the demands of ride quality from people who seldom use their truck as a truck has resulted in a suspension designed with ride quality as a primary goal with weight carrying capacity being the compromise.
I also think that while ford is very optimistic with their overall towing capacity numbers they are a bit conservative when rating the truck to only handle 500lbs on the ball. I regularly tow our boat which scales at 550 on the ball and 6800 total weight with no problems.
One of the areas of concern I have on my '18 with the Max Tow pkg is the extremely short length of the receiver tube. I haven't measured it but it seems very short compared to other receiver-type hitches I've had on various vehicles. I presume it's due to the location of the rear-mounted spare. Anyone else think the receiver tube seems short for the rated weight?
The rating makes sense when you think of driveability and safety. The rear axle is essentially a fulcrum point that when weight is put on the hitch, makes the front end lighter. With 500 lbs without a WDH, the truck will still be firmly planted on the ground. If the 500lbs is exceeded, the truck may not be able to steer, brake and control the load as well.
However, if you put the WDH bars on, the tongue weight can go up to 1000lbs+ and the truck can still safely tow that. Why? Because the weight lightened from the front axle is reestablished and it allows the truck to still handle the larger load safely.
I suspect they all have it, its just not well known. I had a 2004 Ram 2500 and if you read the fine print, it also had the 500/5000 without a WDH restriction.
IIRC, the ratings for the 1500 Chevy/GMC are 700/7000 without a WDH, 1500 Ram is 500/5000 without a WDH.
Jeep is a bit more complicated. From my wife's 2017 Grand Cherokee owner's manual:
Trailer Towing Weights (Maximum Trailer Weight Ratings)
The following chart provides the maximum trailer weight
ratings towable for your given drivetrain:
Engine ---------- Model -- Frontal Area ---- Max Trailer Wgt --- Max Tongue Wgt
3.6L (Std Cooling) 4x2 55 sq ft (5.11 sq m) 3,500 lbs (1,587 kg) 350 lbs (158 kg)
3.6L (Std Cooling) 4x4 55 sq ft (5.11 sq m) 3,500 lbs (1,587 kg) 350 lbs (158 kg)
3.6L (HD Cooling) 4x2 55 sq ft (5.11 sq m) 6,200 lbs (2,812 kg) 620 lbs (281 kg)
3.6L (HD Cooling) 4x4 55 sq ft (5.11 sq m) 6,200 lbs (2,812 kg) 620 lbs (281 kg)
5.7L (Std Cooling) 4x4 55 sq ft (5.11 sq m) 5,000 lbs (2,267 kg) 500 lbs (226 kg)
5.7L (HD Cooling) 4x4 55 sq ft (5.11 sq m) 7,200 lbs (3,265 kg) 720 lbs (326 kg)
WARNING!
If the gross trailer weight is 5,000 lbs (2,267 kg) or more,
it is recommended to use a weight-distributing hitch to
ensure stable handling of your vehicle. If you use a
standard weight-carrying hitch, you could lose control
of your vehicle and cause a collision.
Not sure I'd consider 1k low tongue capacity. The 150's of the early 90's were limited to 3500/5000lb total trailer weight, dependent upon the engine/transmission combo you had. Total towed weight, as in, no 7500lb trailers with WDH's. And 5k was iffy because the brakes sucked. The good ol' days of needing 3/4 mile to get to 60mph and 1/4 mile to get stopped.
The good ol' days of when a half ton was a half ton. My sticker say my 2015 150 is a 3/4 ton.
Don't get butt hurt by a Grand Cherokee having a higher non-WDH tongue weight than the F150. The distance between the GC's rear axle and the tongue is less than half that of the F150 (short bed), so the front end rises less for the same amount of weight, giving it a higher non-WDH weight. However, it has lower payload capacity, and also lower weight, which means it has a lower towing capacity and reaches it's sketch limit sooner for most drivers.
Not sure I'd consider 1k low tongue capacity. The 150's of the early 90's were limited to 3500/5000lb total trailer weight, dependent upon the engine/transmission combo you had. Total towed weight, as in, no 7500lb trailers with WDH's. And 5k was iffy because the brakes sucked. The good ol' days of needing 3/4 mile to get to 60mph and 1/4 mile to get stopped.
The good ol' days of when a half ton was a half ton. My sticker say my 2015 150 is a 3/4 ton.
Don't get butt hurt by a Grand Cherokee having a higher non-WDH tongue weight than the F150. The distance between the GC's rear axle and the tongue is less than half that of the F150 (short bed), so the front end rises less for the same amount of weight, giving it a higher non-WDH weight. However, it has lower payload capacity, and also lower weight, which means it has a lower towing capacity and reaches it's sketch limit sooner for most drivers.
A Grand Cherokee without a WDH towing a 6800# trailer with 700# tongue weight would be a bitch to steer, sway all over when a bus or truck passed and bounce to high heaven. I used mine to pull my TT for over a year so I know. It took 3 trips before I got the WDH right then all was good on the road. Even still pulling in mountainous regions through Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina convinced me I need to explore the eastern seaboard for awhile. The motor will pull and the trans is smooth as butter and I have to say I love driving it. The problem is the rear gearing isn't right for that kind of towing. Even though it had the power, running those kind of revs up an incline heated things up.
Last edited by Wicked ace; 11-16-2018 at 07:45 PM.
we put about 7-10k miles on that set up all over MI. With some load monroe levelers, HF round bar WDH and friction bar and prodigy p3 brake controller it drove like a dream, bit slow off the line with the gutless 4.7 but once you got it spinning it was fine. Braked damn near as well as unloaded with the p3 and well maintained drums, spoiled me because my current trailer don't brake for crap. Boats only 21', great pulling it with the jeep because of how much quicker it turns than with the truck for getting around idiots at the dock. And all with in spec.
Ford has their reasons, im sure some over paid lawyer somewhere had something to do with it. Also the hitch class ratings are what they are using it looks like, so yeah it does apply to all brands, but ford is the only one stating it for the truck itself. Not sure why they didn't go with 15% of 5k instead of 10% since that's the minimum.
Class IV
5000-pound non- weight distributing
12,900-pound maximum weight distributing
1290 lbs. tongue weight
Largest travel trailers made for recreation
Weight-distributing hitch is required; as indicated by each weight classification
we put about 7-10k miles on that set up all over MI. With some load monroe levelers, HF round bar WDH and friction bar and prodigy p3 brake controller it drove like a dream, bit slow off the line with the gutless 4.7 but once you got it spinning it was fine. Braked damn near as well as unloaded with the p3 and well maintained drums, spoiled me because my current trailer don't brake for crap. Boats only 21', great pulling it with the jeep because of how much quicker it turns than with the truck for getting around idiots at the dock. And all with in spec.
Ford has their reasons, im sure some over paid lawyer somewhere had something to do with it. Also the hitch class ratings are what they are using it looks like, so yeah it does apply to all brands, but ford is the only one stating it for the truck itself. Not sure why they didn't go with 15% of 5k instead of 10% since that's the minimum.
Class IV
5000-pound non- weight distributing
12,900-pound maximum weight distributing
1290 lbs. tongue weight
Largest travel trailers made for recreation
Weight-distributing hitch is required; as indicated by each weight classification
I have the same camper and it makes my F150 sag. I used to pull it with a Suburban and it seemingly was a better fit.
My boat isn't as big as yours but I notice it with the 100 hp hanging off the back and very little tongue weight.
11-15-2018, 10:54 AM
Why is F-150 tongue weight capacity so low?
