Bigger hitch capacity or weight distributing hitch?

[Dmace]

The WD hitch takes 5 minutes longer to hookup since you have to connect the trailer (requires lowering and connecting to ball) You have to do this with any trailer so that cannot count against the extra time needed to hook up a WD hitch. Unless you have a trailer that does not require "lower and connecting to ball"... :laughing:
take weight off ball by jacking trailer back up while hooked to truck,
I don't get why people do this, you do not need to jack up the trailer after it's connected to the truck. You can just as easily connect the stabilizer bars BEFORE lowering the trailer onto the truck.
connect the WD arms,
and then lowering the trailer back down (winding tiongue jack up).
Again, unnecessary step if you know what you are doing.

Note that you will need to remove the WD arms if driving the truck/trailer without the tractor since it will lighten your truck rear.
It can't take more than 30 seconds to remove them anyways but you can just as easily leave them on. You could even set the chain at a lower link which is even easier than removing them.
Also when unloading the trailer the WD hitch will make your truck rear lift more when the tractor drives off the trailer -- definitely block the rear of the trailer so it does not lift the truck.
When I unloaded my tractor off the trailer it did not lift the truck at all. The chains/stabilizer bars stop the tongue from going down but do not stop it from going up, that's why it's a chain and not a solid bar. The front of the trailer went up just as much as normal while unloading and the chains slacked as the bars didn't move but there is no way it would have lifted the truck. Again if it does, it would take about 20 seconds to remove the chains from the mounts and leave the bars on the hitch.

See RED text for my responses.

 

[Egon]

On my set up there will be upward lift on the ball as the tractor is being loaded or unloaded. I have some rear jacks to block up the trailer.:thumbsup:

 

[Dmace]

On my set up there will be upward lift on the ball as the tractor is being loaded or unloaded. I have some rear jacks to block up the trailer.:thumbsup:

True but a weight distribution hitch has no effect on it. roamerr said "when unloading the trailer the WD hitch will make your truck rear lift more". That's what I was disputing not the fact that the trailer can cause the truck to lift.

 

[roamerr]

I have a Weight Distributing hitch on my Toyhauler (Travel Trailer) and hooked and unhooked it multple times this past week.

It does add time for me vs a non-WD hitch trailer. If there is a way to do it quicker I am interested.

Steps and reason:
1. Hook up trailer. This requires lowering the jack on my travel trailer so I can lock the ball on the hitch. I basically back under the ball and then lower the trailer down onto the ball. I then release the ball lock but it will not lock. I then must put pressure on the ball by pulling the truck forward 1" or so till I hear the ball lock click locked. I then place my padlock in the ball realease lock. TO THIS POINT NO EXTRA TIME FOR WD HITCH.

2. I now have to jack the trailer tongue up while hooked to the truck. This takes the weight off the ball. If I do not do this I can not hook up my WD bars. I use 1000 lb bars and can not connect them without removing the tongue weight. I would love to see someone do this with the weight on the ball. Maybe with an empty utility trailer but not with a Travel Trailer. Trying to release the WD bars with the weight on the bars would be a recipe for disaster. This step is why many Travel Trailers now have power jacks on the tongue. THIS ADDS MAYBE 2 MINUTES VS NO WD HITCH.

3. Now I connect the bars and chains. Easy enough. I do try to be careful since my bars are greased at the connection end. Without the grease they will pop and snap and groan. Count on getting some grease on you occasionally. THIS ADDS 1 MINUTE, MAYBE 2 since I walk around the truck due to grease and ball height. I have to count the chain links (I use 6 links); pull the retainer pins, and reinstall them. Yep 2 MINUTES AT LEAST.

4. I now lower the trailer and I am ready to go. Again some extra time. If it's 95F outside even more. Let's say 1 MINUTE added.

I'll stick with my 5 minutes. That does not include the special hitch that will always be greasy and having tio switch hitches since my other trailers do not use WD hitches. The WD Hitch is set-up with the ball at an angle so do not use that hitch for non-WD trailers since the fit is different. The WD hitch also has some other issue such as where to put the bars and hitch when not in use. I basically chain them to the trailer.

As for the unloading the tractor with WD hitch bars. The bars work like a wheelbarrow handle. They lift the rear of the truck and put more weight on the truck front axle and the trailer front axle. With the trailer empty they will lift the truck rear by the amount of pressure on the chains.

To visualize how a WD hitch works just think about you using a wheelbarrow. Pretend the chains are your arms on the wheelbarrow handles and the rear truck tires are the rear wheelbarrow stand. The trailer tires are your feet. Lift your arms up and the wheelbarrow stand weight transfers to your feet and front wheel of the wheelbarrow. The chains on the WD hitch work exactly the same. The WD hitch can not add weight to the rear axle since chains can not push but they can lift. Now - if you have WD connected and go to back your tractor off the trailer you will have the normal tractor weight lifting the rear of the truck along with the WD hitch lifting the rear by whatever the chain tension allows. This is not much of an issue if your trailer has the axles near the rear (of course closer the axles are to the rear the greater the tongue weight). I just mentioned this point since there are many stories of tractors being unloaded and truck/trailers rolling. I always recommend a jack or blocks under the rear of a trailer when unloading a tractor -- the stress on the ball/hitch is very strong when the tractor is on the rear of the trailer.

Most cargo trailers and utility trailers try to avoid WD hitches. No matter what anyone tells you they do have issues. For an RV/Travel Trailer they work well since the load stays basically the same. On a utility trailer the load changes and the one thing you do not want is too strong of bars on too light of trailer. A light rear end on a truck is bad. I can not access it currently but there are old Reese video's of WD Hitches that show a front wheel drive car with no rear wheels pulling a trailer. That was filmed as a demonstration of how a WD hitch works.

EDIT: I Just went back and re-read DMace's comments and he is correct. I can probably hook up the WD bars on the initial connection to to the ball. I have never tried it since I have to lock the hitch on the ball at some point. I'll try it next time (this weekend). If it works and I feel good about it I will do it from now on. The original directions I was given showed the extra step of jacking the trailer up to release weight on ball. That step stinks in 95F weather...

 

[dstig1]

How does the truck sit when the load is attached and supported only by the hitch? Does it squat more than level? When you go down a bumpy road does the front end get light as the weight pushes harder on the rear?

All these problems would be solved with a weight distribution hitch and it would be much easier to install vs. a whole new receiver. It's no more difficult to hook up vs. a standard hitch except the one extra step of hooking up the bars which is even easier than it sounds.
[/URL]

Dmace thanks. I haven't noticed any obvious lightness in the front end - no issues steering or anything like that. The worst I feel is that the whole rig tends to get "bouncy" on the freeway with the way they screed the concrete. Sort of a pogo-ing fore and aft, and it depends on speed somewhat as there is a sweet spot you want to avoid.:confused2:

Distig1, I just went through exactly the same dilemma that you're going through right now, except I am pulling with a Chevy C2500 diesel. I think you F250 will have a good deal more power than my old Chevy, but I don't see that as the main problem.

Knowing that I was overweight bothered me as well as being a little short on trailer length. I also see that you're having to load your equipment by backing on, and I suspect you aren't able to distribute the weight evenly. And isn't that a 7K trailer? So, regardless of whether you decide to upgrade your hitch or go with a WD hitch (cost isn't much different), I'm thinking you really need to think about a bigger, heavier trailer.
I upped mine to a 10K (20') trailer and the upped the hitch to 12K throughout.

Jim - I am pretty sure it is rated higher than 7k, but I am trying to find for sure. If it is 7k, I am probably pretty close- maybe 5-600 lbs over or so at the worst. I'm not real keen on that, but it isn't much off and I haven't been able to find a suitable 18' or 20' in decent shape used - and buying new is not in the picture at this point. For how much I use it and how far I go it is hard to justify much more. Getting a proper hitch will be 95% of the battle here I think.

I have a Weight Distributing hitch on my Toyhauler (Travel Trailer) and hooked and unhooked it multple times this past week.

Most cargo trailers and utility trailers try to avoid WD hitches. No matter what anyone tells you they do have issues. For an RV/Travel Trailer they work well since the load stays basically the same. On a utility trailer the load changes and the one thing you do not want is too strong of bars on too light of trailer. A light rear end on a truck is bad.

I agree as that is one thing I noticed with looking at WD setups - if the load is variable, that could cause a lot of problems in the setup. In my case I can consider it pretty much fixed as the tractor is what this trailer carries and is the heaviest thing I would put on it. So I could set up for WD with that and then just eliminate the spring bars for other uses (all of which would be lighter and under the rating of the receiver).

Thanks again ,guys! I need to sort through this and decide which way to go.

-Dave

 

[Diamondpilot]

99.9% of the time 6 lug trailer wheels are on 5,200# or 6,000# axles. Looking at that trailer I would say its a 10,000# trailer with 2 5,200# axles.

Some call them 9,900# trailers for legal purposes and some list them at 10,400# or a few more.

Chris

 

[Dmace]

I agree as that is one thing I noticed with looking at WD setups - if the load is variable, that could cause a lot of problems in the setup.

When I haul my travel trailer which is pretty tongue heavy, my WD bars are set at the 4th chain. Plus my truck bed is usually full of fire wood, chairs, bicycles, etc... When I haul my tractor on an equipment trailer where there is much less tongue weight I only set the bars on the 1st or 2nd chain. It's not like you have NO adjustment at all and are stuck with one setup, that's the point of the multi-link chains.

I can probably hook up the WD bars on the initial connection to to the ball. I have never tried it since I have to lock the hitch on the ball at some point. I'll try it next time (this weekend). If it works and I feel good about it I will do it from now on. The original directions I was given showed the extra step of jacking the trailer up to release weight on ball.

That's the only way I've ever done it, hopefully it works just as well for you and saves you some time. :thumbsup:

 

[saltbranch]

So after reading the recent thread on hitch capacity, I decided to look into mine more closely. I have the stock OEM receiver on my 2005 F250, and the sticker says 5000 lbs/500 tongue load carrying or 10,000lbs/1000 tongue weight distributing. Right now I am running a plain old ball in the reciver, so that is weight carrying, as I understand it. The 2 5/16" ball is rated for 10k and the stinger is rated for 7500 lbs.

So the dilemma.... I start adding up weights of my trailer and tractor, and I am surely over 5k....
Tractor Kubota 3130 HST: 3005 lbs
Loader LA723: 1058 lbs
Light material bucket: 300 lbs
Farmi Skidding winch on 3pt: ~350 lbs
Rimguard in 14.9/24 rear tires: 500 lbs, ea, if I read it correctly

Add that all up and we have 5713 lbs in the tractor. Call it 5800 with fluids. Obviously this is already over 5k, and we haven't talked about the trailer.

So the trailer is a bit of a question mark. I bought it used and haven't had much luck getting a response from the builder as the nameplate/sticker is totally faded. It's in the attached pic and is 16'L x 7'w, dual axle with brakes on both axles:

Wheels are 15" tires and 6 bolt pattern. Not sure the bolt circle size right now. I'm guessing it has an 8-10k GVWR and probably weighs 2000-2200 alone. so 5800+2200 = 8k. Ayep, I'm over the hitch rating, and really didn't realize it.

So I have 2 options it seems: 1- buy a higher rated receiver, 2- add a weight distributing hitch to the trailer.

#1 is "easier" in that I would be able to just keep doing everything else "as is" and just using a normal ball.

#2 is the one I have more questions about. Since the cost is pretty close to the same either way, are the advantages to the WD hitch significant? I could keep my existing receiver and pretty much everything else. Are these things particularly difficult to connect up to the receiver? I've never dealt with one so I'm not sure how they work. If I have to line up and slide in the tongue on the trailer into the receiver, that sounds like a major exercise in frustration. So how are these things to connect up to the truck? And if I use the trailer for something substantially lighter (which I have already done) does that mess the system up and require adjustments or something?

Thanks for any help and advice you all have. This really is a great bunch of people here that are always helpful. :thumbsup:

-Dave

Typically your trailer will weigh in around 1500lbs, its a basic car hauler with 2- 3500lb axles as I read your description( 6 hole rim,15" and I am guessing 6 ply tires ). THE best thing you can do is weigh the truck/trailer empty.Then weigh it loaded with the tractor, then dolly the trailer down on the scale, JUST the trailer jack sitting on the scale with the tractor loaded. That will tell you what you need to know. Find a truck scale in your area, look for truck stops, CO OPS etc.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Landfills and scrap dealers also have scales. I think it would be easier to unhook the trailer on the scale while it it empty vs. loaded.

Your trailer looks to me like a 7000 lb car hauler fitted with heavier axles. Your axles are further forward than most equipment trailers so the way you backed onto the trailer might be necessary for good weight distribution. With the hidden ramps you must have to block the rear of the trailer to drive on.

10,000lb trailers typically have a heavier jack and ramps with built-in supports to prevent lifting the vehicle while driving on. My 7000lb, 16' equipment trailer has the heavier ramps and fenders, 5" c-channel frame, and weighs 1470lb according to the mfg. (When I asked what it weighed he said he priced them at $1.00 per lb.)
I don't have a great picture of it but here it is:

 

[some zilch]

my buddies 7k car trailer has 6 lug 15 inch rims, just like yours, and there is no way 10klbs belongs on top of them. that is your typical 7k car hauler-type trailer.

i just bought a 16klb receiver hitch for my truck to upgrade from the factory 5klb hitch, it was under $140 shipped. it was made by Curt Mfg, and bought from jcwhitney. no need to pay $400 for a hitch. there is also no need for a WD to pull that tractor around on a f250. WD hitches are just a band-aid for something not being correct.