Hello!

I have been lurking here for a while now, but now have a question.

I just bought a new 2010 F150 King Ranch truck with the MAX Tow Package and integrated brake controller. The truck came with the Ford Class 4 hitch. I have been trying to figure out which Ball Mount to use with my trailer. The trailer is a tandum axle enclosed cargo trailer with a GTW of 7000#.

The trucks OM states the max trailer weight is 9600# or 11200# with MAX Tow package. The hitch reciever says that it is rated at 500# tounge weight and 5000 TW. But it states that the vehicle specs may be different.

All of the hitch sites state that the Class 4 hitch is capable of towing a 10,000 trailer with a 1,000# tonge weight. Depending on which site you read they state that any trailer over 5000 requires a WD hitch while others state that you can pull 8000 without a WD setup.

Can someone tell me if i can pull my 7000# GVW trailer without using a WD hitch since the Tonge weight will be 700#.

I understand that the 700# tonge weight counts against the trucks GVAW.

Thanks you for any info you can provide.

Dave

 

You need a WD hitch. The hitch is rated to 500lbs tongue without it.
Yes the 700lbs needs to be included when figuring GVWR, just like any passengers, cargo etc. Also you need to stay withing you GAWR (axle ratings) and GCWR (weight of vehicle and trailer).
With the max tow though, I don't see any problems with any of those numbers as long as you do have a WD hitch.
The 9600 or 11200 are nice numbers, but unrealistic when you have to take into consideration the others. Only able to tow that much with no cargo, driver only, stripped down model, etc. Best thing you can do is weigh the truck with normal passengers to get your starting point.

 

You'll want weight distribution anyway. 700 pounds on a hitch that far back from the rear axle will raise the front a lot. It will look bad and drive worse. Light steering, poor handling. sometimes uncomfortable. But people do it anyway.

 

I use WD for my TT that only weighs #5000, but it has a #625 or so TW.

I've seen aftermarket hitches rated for #750/#7500 direct weight and #1200/#12000 with WD..

But, as was stated, with that much TW, it'll sag the rear and take weight off the front end and won't be a fun tow.

Mitch

 

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your input. I will start another thread to request input on WD hitches.

Thanks again,
Dave

 

I can attest that 700 to 800 lbs on the hitch will squat the rear end about 3.5 inches and raise the front more than an inch. With the WD hitch, I get a 1.5 inch squat in the rear and am able to keep the front end from raising. Need a lever to crank up the chains on the trunnion bars though.

I've towed without the WD hitch only short distances (less than five miles) on flat roads and only with no cargo other than me (when I need to move the trailer from where it's stored to my house). Otherwise, I use a WD hitch (which I have to borrow from my buddy). It's on my Christmas list though.

The trailer is a storage trailer for camping gear for a Boy Scout troop.

I have 2010 FX4 SCREW with long bed and max tow package.

 

The reason you want a Weight Distributing (WD) hitch is to equalize the load on each axle of the Tow Vehicle (TV).

Yes, without a WD hitch, the back sags and the front lifts and some people put air lift suspensions on the rear axle to compensate and bring the front down, but - that HUGE load is still on the rear axle! (It's probably overloaded, which is not good for your tires or anything else attached to it).

The WD hitch actually shifts, through an ingenious "lever arrangement" the tongue load forward on your TV so that it's applied equally to the front and rear axles (if set up properly).

With a WD hitch, you are hopefully going to stay within the GAWR rating (which you find on your door sticker) of your TV.

A 7000# trailer set up to transfer 10-15% of the load to the tongue will have a tongue weight of 700-1050#. You most definitely need a 1000# WD hitch, and, you may find that you are overloading your TV's axles even with that.

I strongly urge you to take the TV and trailer to a CAT scale and have the combination weighed. You want to know the weight on each of your TV's axles (and the trailer's axles) - which gives you the Combined Weight.

- Jack

 

Jack,

Thanks for the info. I am in the process of researching different WD hitches and will take your advise and look for a 1000 Lb version.

Thanks again,
Dave