New receiver to avoid WDH setup?

[Highbeam]

So I haul RV trailers and my PJ 10k rated equipment trailer but not at the same time. In the past the ball height was very similar for both of these trailers and I used the same WDH setup on them. I replaced the RV with a modern one which is much much taller. The ball height is way at the top of the grave digger drop shank. This is unacceptable for my equipment trailer and I am now looking at buying a seperate WDH setup for 300$ for the equipment trailer. I will NOT be raising and lowering the ball height on my current WDH setup each time I want to tow.

Even on a big honking diesel F350 the factory receiver is not rated to tow the equipment trailer without a WDH system. I believe the weight carrying hitch max was only 500# tongue weight.

So I discovered that it is actually cheaper to replace the Ford receiver with a class 4 or 5 receiver rated for a 1000 lb tongue and 10,000 lb trailer without a WDH and then buy a hitch and ball that can also be found rated for 10,000#. This will mean that my receiver is more substantial for RV duties, and also it will be easier to hitch up the equipment trailer.

What is the boards opinion on upgrading the factory receiver instead of buying a second WDH setup?

 

[Highbeam]

The new trailer. We love it but boy is it tall.

 

[Sterff]

I also have a F350 and when I upgrade mine Im going with this 2 1/2" model...

Titan Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class V - 2-1/2" Reese Trailer Hitch 45297

When used with a WDH it's rated for 18K and 2500 tounge weight. I think that would be beefy enough to ease any worries.

 

[Dmace]

Personally, I would buy another hitch ball and set it to the height for the camper with the WDH and leave it with the camper. You may get away with a heavier hitch and no WDH but you'll miss it.
I've hauled my camper and a few trailers without the WDH because the tongue weight was low but every bump really made the rear bounce and that's where the WDH shines!

 

[Diamondpilot]

My F-350 has a 2.5" hitch and its rated for 12,500# without WD and 15,000# with. I tow more than that all the time and have never used a WD hitch with it and no issues.

I do use a WD hitch some times on some of my other trucks but my F-350 just does not need it.

Chris

 

[Dmace]

My F-350 has a 2.5" hitch and its rated for 12,500# without WD and 15,000# with. I tow more than that all the time and have never used a WD hitch with it and no issues.

I do use a WD hitch some times on some of my other trucks but my F-350 just does not need it.

Chris

How much tongue weight does a boat trailer really have...?

Also, didn't you break a hitch right off a brand new truck? Still "no issues" overloading...

I broke the factory hitch on my brand new 2004 F-250 Powerstroke in the first year I got it.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...18-14k-bumper-pull-questions.html#post2472919

 

[timswi]

How much tongue weight does a boat trailer really have...?

Also, didn't you break a hitch right off a brand new truck? Still "no issues" overloading...

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...18-14k-bumper-pull-questions.html#post2472919

I'd use a WD when pulling a TT with anything...As you stated before, you know it when you get on washboards with a TT and no WD.

 

[Diamondpilot]

How much tongue weight does a boat trailer really have...?

Also, didn't you break a hitch right off a brand new truck? Still "no issues" overloading...

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...18-14k-bumper-pull-questions.html#post2472919

My big boat has 1,800# tongue weight. I can barly lift it with my FEL on my tractor. Its rated 2,000# at 4' lift. My small boat has 860#. I posted weights with it behind my Titan when I went and got it a year ago. At that time it was only 820# tongue weight but I have since added a spare tire mount and a ladder to the winch crank.

Yes, I did on a brand new F-250. It was only rated at 6,000# and 10,000# with WD hitch. I broke it with 14,000# plus behind it. Totally my fault. I replaced it with a Reese Titan like someone posted above. Its a 2.5" unit and never had a single issue after that till we sold it last fall.

Chris

 

[David_Kb7uns]

The answer is near you in Sumner Washington at Torklift.

Torklift.com | Home of Torklift International

Have 2005 dodge Ram 3500 and needed to tow a #13000 Weekend Warrior toy hauler plus have both a #14000 Load Trail tilt deck trailer and dump trailers.

The Ram stock hitch is good for #10000 WD and #6000 non WD. The Super Hitch adds a second 2 inch receiver below the stock one on the Ram or on some applications replaces the stock receiver hitch entirely. With the Super Hitch the ratings go up to #15000 non WD and #17000 WD on either the top or bottom receiver and #12000 at the end of the 48" Super Truss double stinger if you have a camper on the truck.

Install on the Ram was easy to bolt on underneath otherwise the bed must be lifted to remove the stock hitch which I was looking at if I instaleed the 2 1/2" Reese Tow Beast. Having two receivers at different heights also give more versatility in having one stinger to use between the utility trailers and the toy hauler as they have different hitch heights. Also found the Reese Pro SC a good hitch to use as it combines weight distribution and sway control without using the cam system that can break in tight turns.

David Kb7uns

 

[dawzie]

I had to do the same thing with my GMC 2500HD. As mentioned, you may want to keep a WDH for the camper. I would, mostly for the sway control.

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks guys. I absolutely will keep and use the WDH for RV towing in any case. As you can see in the photo I have set up the hitch system for that tall RV trailer and now need something else for the EQ trailer. I have no problem finding adequate receivers and hitches to carry the EQ trailer without WDH.

I've just always used WDH with heavier trailers in order to obey the ratings. If I upgrade the receiver so that the WDH is not required then I can skip the WDH on the EQ trailer but will still use it on the RV for the normal WDH benefits.

Was avoiding the 2.5" receivers since then you need to either buy a bushing or the very expensive 2.5" stuff and since my trailers GVWR is 10,000 I don't need the 2.5.

Has anybody replaced the receiver on a superduty, mine is a 2000, and did it require bed removal? The factory hitch is very simply bolted to only the bottom flange of the frame rail with 4 regular bolts on each side. Seems pretty wimpy too.

 

[slowzuki]

I put the factory 2.5" hitch on my SD a couple of years ago, everything is done from underneath. My truck is a 2001, I got the hitch off a 2009 dually that was having a wheel lift installed.

I tow up to about 16,000 with it without WD and it seems ok, but the WD sure smooths out the ride when the tongue is heavy. BTW cheap class 5 welded receivers bend nicely with too much tongue weight, the forged ones are much better.

 

[Highbeam]

Aren't all receivers welded? Do you mean the actual forged hitch that the ball bolts too? I have seen welded and forged hitches but the receivers all seem to be welded.

Great idea on the OEM take offs. I would prefer Factory equipment and if people really are putting on these super double hitches and dumping their OEM 2.5" hitch then I might be able to snatch one up.

 

[slowzuki]

Sorry yes, talking about the ball holder/hitch/tang, people around here always call them a receiver even though its wrong.

 

[RobertN]

I still have the stock hitch on my '01 Ram 2500. I do not haul very heavy, so it has been ok. It is a bit disappointing though, to see some of the low ratings for towing without a WDH.

I was surprised, when I got rearended some years back, that when the car more went under the truck, it bent both the Reese 4" drop hitch I had installed, and bent/bowed the receiver frame. Fortunately, the truck frame was fine.

The other thing I have found, is there is a real mix of components out there, so a buyer has to pay close attention get what they really need. For instance, I have seen a variety of weight ratings for 2" ball. And, for reciever inserts; they range all over the board. I really notice this at Wal-Mart and the general auto parts stores.

It is pretty easy to just buy a 2" or 4" drop hitch, a 2" ball, and then find they are only good for 3000lbs...

So my super duper 3/4 ton heavy duty truck, is limited by the reciever hitch. That can be further limited by the actual hitch insert. Which can the be limited by the ball.
So the truck really can not haul my 7000lb dual axle trailer loaded to capacity without WDH. Which still needs a properly specced hitch. And ball. and safety chains.

I wonder how many people out there towing really do not know what they actually have and are using.

 

[timswi]

I still have the stock hitch on my '01 Ram 2500. I do not haul very heavy, so it has been ok. It is a bit disappointing though, to see some of the low ratings for towing without a WDH.

I was surprised, when I got rearended some years back, that when the car more went under the truck, it bent both the Reese 4" drop hitch I had installed, and bent/bowed the receiver frame. Fortunately, the truck frame was fine.

The other thing I have found, is there is a real mix of components out there, so a buyer has to pay close attention get what they really need. For instance, I have seen a variety of weight ratings for 2" ball. And, for reciever inserts; they range all over the board. I really notice this at Wal-Mart and the general auto parts stores.

It is pretty easy to just buy a 2" or 4" drop hitch, a 2" ball, and then find they are only good for 3000lbs...

So my super duper 3/4 ton heavy duty truck, is limited by the reciever hitch. That can be further limited by the actual hitch insert. Which can the be limited by the ball.
So the truck really can not haul my 7000lb dual axle trailer loaded to capacity without WDH. Which still needs a properly specced hitch. And ball. and safety chains.

I wonder how many people out there towing really do not know what they actually have and are using.

I got hit really hard from behind where the car went under my '97 Chevy with an OEM Class 3 and lifted the rear of my truck off of the ground...No damage whatsoever to my truck/hitch/spare tire...Can't say the same for the Camery that I need 4X4 to pull off of The truck was probably 10 years old at the time.

 

[RobertN]

The car slid far enough it bumped the back tire on the driver side, and left paint down the back side of the left leaf spring. It actually pushed me in to the car in front of me.

And yes, the drop hitch shredded the hood and fender of the car. I had left it in, becasue later in the morning I was suppossed to pick up a buggy of concrete readymix.

It was obvious looking at the back of the truck, that the drop hitch was tweaked to one side a little. First thin I asked the body/repair shop, was to check the frame... Which was fine.

I got hit really hard from behind where the car went under my '97 Chevy with an OEM Class 3 and lifted the rear of my truck off of the ground...No damage whatsoever to my truck/hitch/spare tire...Can't say the same for the Camery that I need 4X4 to pull off of The truck was probably 10 years old at the time.

 

[Highbeam]

The good news is that each of the hitch components is clearly marked with its rating. It is very easy, if you choose, to check the specifications and be sure that you know what your weak link is. Ignorant bliss is the other method and I agree that too many people are ignorant to the fact that most heavy duty trucks on the road can't tow a little car hauler trailer without a WDH hitch.

I am unimpressed that the manufacturers of trucks don't supply the receivers with ratings that are on par with the rest of the truck. The F350 should have a more substantial revceiver than an F150 for example.

For a couple hundred bucks, I can have a class V 2" hitch bolted up and fix this. The new receiver will not look any different but will have the all important sticker on it allowing huge amounts, way over what my truck can legally tow, to be towed without WDH.

My new weak link will be GAWR of the rear axle which is quite high on an F350. I should have replaced this receiver long ago.

 

[56FordGuy]

Was avoiding the 2.5" receivers since then you need to either buy a bushing or the very expensive 2.5" stuff and since my trailers GVWR is 10,000 I don't need the 2.5.

This is a good idea. I put a 2.5" receiver on my truck and in hindsight, it was a poor decision. If you're using a 2" drawbar (like most WD hitches I found are) then you have to use a spacer bushing. That just introduces more slop into the hitch. Most of them still use a standard 5/8" pin, but with the walls of the tube being 1/2" further apart than a 2" hitch, the pin is not supported as well and will flex more. It may never actually fail, but flexing like that can't be good for it.

Not sure if it's related, but the hitch pin holes on my hitch (a Curt) have begun to slightly elongate/ oval out. It's hard to tell by just looking, but you can feel it with your hand and see where the paint is starting to crack. I haven't towed heavily on it, biggest load was probably around 9,000 lbs. Nowhere near the 18K it's supposed to be good for. Not sure if it's worth contacting them about, as I moved on to a gooseneck trailer.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Most of the times I have seen the pin hole elongate its due to the pin design. The standard pin with a bend in the last 3rd are the biggest culprit.

I give all my customers Cat 0 top link pins. They are 5/8" just like a standard hitch pin, are nice gold plated, have a square shoulder, and cost just $2 at TSC.

I have ran nothing but for 20 years and they work great plus the lynch pin seems to be more secure than a standard pin clip.

Chris