10,000 LB HITCH

[bjess8]

Ok you all know I am pretty new with pulling trailers so here it is.
My friend has a 10,000 lb trailer i am geussing it's GVW But anyhow he asked me what for hitch was on my 05 chevy 2500 diesel,of course I did not know so when I got my trailer break box put in I ask the trailer place and they told me it was rated at 7500 lbs.Now does this mean I can not pull a trailer that is rated at 10,000
My friend says I can not pull his unless I had a 10,000 lb hitch.why do they not put a 10,000 lb hitch on them from factory?OH also my friend has a 99 f150 and put a 10,000 lb hitch on it and says he is legal and I would not be.
any info would be great and again I am still really new with trailers and pulling and alot I learn is from this sight.
thanks

 

[Highbeam]

There is a sticker on your hitch. It will say that you can attach a trailer with a certain tongue weight and a certain total weight with and without a Weight Distribution Hitch assembly. The 750/7500 is likely the allowable trailer that can be towed with just a plain old ball hitch inserted into your receiver. To legally tow the higher WDH rating you need to acquire a WDH from a company like EZlift or Reese.

If the trailer is unloaded and doesn't actually weigh 10,000# then it is safe to tow it with the lower rated hardware that corresponds with the actual trailer weight. I don't know if it is legal or not though.

An S-10 pickup could tow that trailer empty since it will only weigh 2500# or so.

A standard class 3 hitch is rated to tow 10,000 with the WDH. It is OEM on most every full sized truck sold. The GM hitch on your truck is a piece of crap that actually bolts to the bumper for support but it has high ratings. Find the sticker and read it.

I use a WDH on my F350 to tow my 10,400# rated trailer.

 

[WantedWolf]

Remember theres always a weak link, and when you upgrade that link, another weak link comes to play.
Someone here will know for sure, but you can find a 10000# 2+5/16 ball.
Not saying that your hitch tubes/reciver/mounts are up to the task.

But the trailer your talking about cannot weigh 10k itself, Id just guess for example sakes its 3000# empty, that just means with your 7500#rated setup
your good to load that trailer with 4500#. Remember not to exceed your tounge weight, tire load rating etc.

 

[bjess8]

I have a Kubota grand L 3130 with a loader and it has fluid in the tires ,I am geussing it should not be over the 4500 lbs,just guessing though.
thanks for the info.

 

[Skyco]

Remember theres always a weak link, and when you upgrade that link, another weak link comes to play.
Someone here will know for sure, but you can find a 10000# 2+5/16 ball.
Not saying that your hitch tubes/reciver/mounts are up to the task.

The ball is easy, the one I use is rated at 25,000 lbs! Got it at Tractor Supply.

2 5/16 in x 1 1/4 in x 2 1/4 in Trailer Hitch Ball - 0189943 | Tractor Supply Company

 

[George2615]

Highbeam is right. There should be a sticker on your hitch. My 07 2500 Dmax V-5 receiver is rated for a trailer weight of 7500# with 1000# tongue weight without a WD hitch or a trailer weight of 13,000# with 1500# tongue weight when using a weight distribution hitch.

 

[wkpoor]

The GM hitch on your truck is a piece of crap that actually bolts to the bumper for support but it has high ratings. Find the sticker and read it.

Bingo Highbeam! I've been mentioning this in several threads. And to add, those hitches with big ratings might be on TrailBlazers too. Thats why I take those ratings with a grain of salt.

 

[Groo]

...The GM hitch on your truck is a piece of crap that actually bolts to the bumper for support but it has high ratings....

What it wrong with tieing into the bumper? I think its a smart idea. Do you know why they arated incorperating reciver hitches into the bumperbeams of some newer vehicles? because the bumper has to be so strong to work, it can handle it. look at all the tralier that were pulled with just a bumper back in the dat. The GM ties into the bumper and the frame. as far as I know, I haven't heard of any problems with it.

 

[sandman2234]

Interesting, as I have an old '91 Chevy p/u in the driveway that was purchased new to pull a travel trailer with. It was rated as high as they came back then, at 7500 pounds, which is a LOT for a half ton p/u. The Reese style hitch came on it and is tagged at 10,000 pounds. Interesting that my half ton p/u hitch is rated at more than the one on your 3/4 ton p/u.
David from jax

 

[wkpoor]

My original hitch on my 1ton van had a sticker that said 500/5000 or 1000/10,000 WD. I've seen those tubular hitches that tie to the bumper on TrailBlazers say 600/6000 or 1000/10,000. Without being an engineer I think it would be obvious something is wrong with those stickers. I called Valley the hitch Mfg and they just say you have to abide with what ever the the sticker or vehicle mfg says. I know the law has been debated a zillion times on the forum but I can take my truck to a fab shop and have them make me a hitch that I know will withstand the load and it leaves with no sticker on it. Just like dump trucks that get the plate welded on the back. No rating, just know it will work.

 

[Highbeam]

You can replace the crappy GM hitch, that has been known to twist off, with a name brand aftermarket hitch that includes its own ratings label. Like any piece of the towing equipment chain you can have a seriously heavy duty receiver hitch with ratings that are way way higher than the actual truck it is attached to. That's why your truck has a sticker as well and ratings that must be followed.

I have not found a receiver hitch that is rated to 10,000lbs without a WDH system but I haven't looked to hard since I actually like using the W/D hitch system.

Oh and you still need the 10,000# ball for that trailer.

 

[wkpoor]

Actually the factory hitch was a decent hitch ( not round and attaching to bumper) but square stock and frame mounted with 8 bolts with doublers in the full box frame. I believe it was Valley. My problem was the sticker. However I went to the Titan and they are rated to 12K without WD.

 

[bjess8]

You can replace the crappy GM hitch, that has been known to twist off, with a name brand aftermarket hitch that includes its own ratings label. Like any piece of the towing equipment chain you can have a seriously heavy duty receiver hitch with ratings that are way way higher than the actual truck it is attached to. That's why your truck has a sticker as well and ratings that must be followed.

I have not found a receiver hitch that is rated to 10,000lbs without a WDH system but I haven't looked to hard since I actually like using the W/D hitch system.

Oh and you still need the 10,000# ball for that trailer.

what is a WDH system and a W\D hitch system?
I do have a 10,000lb ball it's a tow and stow rated at 10,000lbs but not the hitch.

 

[Highbeam]

This thing is a WDH, meaning weight distribution hitch. It is not a sway control device. The purpose of this device is to distribute the tongue weight over both truck axles. If you think about it, the ball on your truck's hitch hangs way back and loading it heavily will tend to lever the front end of your truck off the ground. This contraption counteracts some of the lever effect.

Please ignore my shoddy tie down methods. I now go straight from tractor frame to trailer frame. I was trying to be clever and restrain the loader. That was an old picture from my old GM.

 

[wkpoor]

How in the heck would you put a WD on this? That ball mount in the pic is not what I use now. I have upgraded since then to a 14K/2K mount. Also would the AirLift bags create some WD affect?

 

[Skyco]

How in the heck would you put a WD on this?

You weld or bolt the brackets on.

Weight Distribution Chain Hanger Kit - Bolt On 58305 : Trailer hitch bike rack and trailer hitches - etrailer.com

You'd probably have to have a spacer under the bracket to get it out past the channel, something like 2x4x1/4 box tubing.

 

[bjess8]

what would be the best thing for a 6x10 dump trailer?Should I look into the WDH for the trailer?As you can tell I am really new with pulling trailers but I will learn,thanks to you guys.

 

[Duffster]

what would be the best thing for a 6x10 dump trailer?Should I look into the WDH for the trailer?As you can tell I am really new with pulling trailers but I will learn,thanks to you guys.

What is the GVW of the trailer and what are you towing it with?

 

[devildog1]

Most of the trailer hitch manufacturers sell what they call "heavy duty hitch" are class IV type. Meaning the maximum weight will be 7,500 lbs. along with a 750lb. tongue weight. This is without the weight distribution setup. The diameter of the receiver tube is 2" square stock, which accepts from a ball 1 1/2" up. Now the Reese Titian class V Hitch which I have on my F350 Super Duty Diesel has a rating of 12,000lbs. and uses a 2 5/16" ball to match weight. The difference is that the class V Titian is made of 2 1/2" square stock along with an insert to make up the different size.Now this setup along with the weight distributing bars and receiver and 12,000 ball gives you a rating of 12,000 along with 1,500 tongue weight.Remember though this is a setup for a one ton pickup and not a 1/2 or 3/4 ton pickup.There is a New Manufacture of Heavy Duty Class Hitches out there, I believe the name is"Curt", being sold and installed at Camping World RV Centers.Hopes this helps?
DevilDog

 

[PA hayseed]

after reading this thread I went and checked the label on my chevy 2500. It has both 7500 and 10000 listed on it.

I don't know, I looked at the hookup on my hitch, and it looked much better than the old one I had on the last stock truck.