Caught in a bind - '08 F-150 & Aluma 7818

[nikdfish]

I find myself in somewhat of a catch 22. We bought an 1100 lb., 18' Aluma car hauler w/ tandem 3.5K axles. We have a 2008 F-150 that came with the factory tow package, including the hitch. The F-150 hitch indicates a max of 500 lb. tongue weight & 5000 lb. towed weight unless weight distribution is added, which bumps the numbers to 900/9000. We should be able to carry up to 3900 lb. on the Aluma without exceeding the non-WD numbers and so far this has been a non-issue as we have only been transporting the 1025R FILB. We should also be OK (although closer to the non-WD max) in transporting the 3038E w/FEL & loaded rear tires & a "light" attachment like box blade or finish mower.

I got to thinking about hauling the 3038E with one of the heavier attachments like the 60" tiller, chipper or rotary cutter and figured weight distribution might be a good thing to consider to get a bit more breathing room. I did some searching to see if anyone had posted their experience with the Aluma's and WD and ran across a posting on the Aluma-KLM website "forum" where an owner asked about WD recommendations for use with an 8218 (similar to mine, but with a tilt bed). The response from the moderator was "We don't recommend that." Nothing more, no explanation. It may have to do with the aluminium construction & the architecture of the hitch assembly, but that is just guessing.

I then thought about finding an aftermarket hitch that had better numbers for non-WD towing & found several that could accomodate up to 900 lb tongue weight & 9000 lb. towed weight without WD. Sounds good, right? The only problem is that none work on an '08 F-150 with a factory hitch. Ford used different bumpers when the factory hitch is installed & the hitch is designed to function as the mount for those bumpers. Drop the hitch & the bumper goes also. The aftermarket F-150 hitches are not designed to function like the '08 factory hitches.

It is the wife's truck & she likes it so trade-in really isn't too likely.

Nick

 

[timswi]

Get a WD...I paid $350 for mine *Reese Pro Series, whatever that means*. An extra 10 or less minutes to connect and well worth it if needed. Can't speak to your specific needs as I'm not a Ford guy.

 

[nikdfish]

I would prefer to do WD if it is a viable option, but not sure if there is something that would make it a bad idea for an Aluma aluminium trailer. Hopefully I misinterpreted the moderator's comment on their website & "don't recommend" only meant they don't do specific brand recommendations. I've got an email in to the Aluma folks, but haven't heard anything back yet. I'm hoping someone has first hand knowledge about the Aluma + weight distribution thing.

Nick

 

[Reg]

Sounds like Ford has deliberately PRECLUDED a heftier hitch.
As to why,,, there might be VERY GOOD reasons, but I can only speculate - I could exceed several thousand words on it.

BTW, a couple of 3500 lb axles with suitable tires SHOULD be able to support 5,900 (if it weighs 1100).
SOME trailer manufacturers leave it at that, others regard the tongue load as being carried by the truck (which it IS) so figure another 10 to 15 percent.

Upgrading the bits at the back of the truck doesn't alter the geometry of the truck, i.e. the wheelbase is what it is and the distance from the hitch ball to the rear axle remains the same, so tendencies toward such FUN conditions as light/vague steering are just as likely as before. This just might be Ford's #1 rationale - MAYBE.
I wouldn't mess with it, better to buy a beater truck just for hauling equipment around and keep the wife's truck purdy.

 

[94BULLITT]

I think it also has to do with what the truck can take. A WD hitch puts weight on the front axle. With out one you will probably overload the rear axle and the front axle will be light and the truck won't handle or brake properly. I would call the trailer manufacturer and see what they say about a WD hitch on your trailer.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using TractorByNet

 

[Ken45101]

Partly it depends on how you are using the trailer, IMO. Once or twice a year hauling the tractor 5 miles on slow, straight roads, no big deal. Hauling the trailer, fully loaded 50 miles, every week, on curvy, hilly, traffic busy highways at 55 mph? That's a different story. The big difference there is the speeds and the quality of the roads.

Also, how well can you property balance the tractor on the trailer? If you have extra room, you can position the tractor for the proper 10-15% on the tongue. However, if you don't have the room and it only fits in one spot where the weight distribution is wrong, then you need a better setup (or a bigger trailer.)

I used to occasionally haul my M4700 with loader and bushhog on a car hauler with a half ton pickup. It was a nerve wracking experience. Later, when I got a 3/4 ton truck, it was worlds better. Now I have a gooseneck and haul heavier loads with a 1 ton dually and I don't even notice the trailer back there!

 

[Reg]

I don't think swapping out the Ford hitch for some aftermarket one with a higher rating is wise.
That would ONLY upgrade the hitch itself (at BEST, though more likely just the ball mount).
Everything else would stay pretty much as it was, e.g. stresses on and throughout the truck.

As far as the trailer itself is concerned a (so called) WDH could be a very bad idea IF the trailer's A-frame can't take the bending stress - which (if it is "aluminum") may be the rationale behind the moderator's statement that they (Aluma) "don't recommend that".
I assume the mod is an Aluma company employee.

BTW WDH is a misnomer - no way does the "WEIGHT" get distributed by lift bars on a hitch, the WEIGHT stays right there on the trailer wherever it was - the resultant "hitch LOAD" does become distributed (kinda/sorta).

 

[nikdfish]

FWIW, 7k is well within the tow capacity of the truck as configured (per Ford). Ford is the source of the requirement for weight distributing equipment when towing 5k+ loads. Still waiting on a response from AlumaKLM to an email query regarding whether or not WD is officially "not recommended" for my trailer model.

There is no prohibition on WD hitch use in the Aluma documentation. The only reference I was able to find to WD hitch use in the trailer user manual was regarding the use of commercial truck scales to check tongue weight and a passing comment regarding use of individual axle weights to verify that a WD hitch is properly adjusted so as to preserve the front/rear proportional weight distribution of the tow vehicle when the trailer is attached.

Nick

 

[Reg]

Perhaps significant only in their absence, I didn't find any ad space for WDH on Aluma's web site.
Can't say I searched their site thoroughly, but had expected to find them under accessories - nope.

 

[handirifle]

I would say find out what the tongue weight will be, and if a WD hitch is called for, CALL THE TRAILER MFG, and find out if they recommend against one.

Worst case scenario, they say no, and you have to load it light.