Should I upgrade my factory receiver to avoid needing WD?

[pat32rf]

These trucks are called 1/2 tons for a reason. A 1000lb ATV weighs 1/2 ton.
I've found that our travel trailer may weigh 1/2 as much as my loaded tractor float (an old tandem 10,000lb boat trailer frame) but the travel trailer seems to have much of its mass (weight) at the ends and is a pig to tow. With the tractor most of the weight is right above the axles and I just pull the tractor ahead enough for suitable tonque weight. The front of the FEL is about 6' behind the hitch....The front of the travel trailer is 3' from the hitch

 

[Diamondpilot]

This is pretty much what I was thinking. I don't see how a WD setup wouldn't work. The WD setup I was going to get was the round bar Reese WD only setup from etrailers.com. It uses the exact same snap up brackets that DMace refers to in his post. I couldn't fathom how they would not work on an equipment trailer or car hauler.

As for my truck, it's a 2009 Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Z71. It has the shortest (5.8 feet) bed length, so that it is the same overall length as an extended cab regular short (6.5 feet) bed. I do believe that it is sprung pretty light in the rear as was its predecessor my 2005 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab Z71. These have been the nicest riding trucks I've ever been in. Frankly they ride even nicer than the extended cab models with the slightly longer bed. The heaviest thing that I put in the bed is my ATV generally, so I don't mind losing a little payload capacity, since basically what I want is a 4x4 sedan with decent ground clearance, a bed to haul my ATV or a single snowmobile and be able to pull a trailer. So my current rig gives me the best overall compromise for my lifestyle. Maybe when my new house is complete and there is more garage space and parking space in general, I'll look into picking up a used 1 ton regular cab, long bed 4x4 pickup with a diesel to have as a work truck. We currently live in a city so parking space is at a premium and even if I could justify the cost of another pickup I wouldn't have a place to keep it.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Hey, if it works for you then its the best fit.

Are you sure about your trucks tow rating? I am a trailer dealer and have access to towing data going back a good 10 years. If you give me your engine and gear ratio I can give you all the data. Just a quick looks shows a 09 GM 4x4 5.5' bed Crew Cab ranging from the low end of 5,400# and the high end at 10,400# but there are 2 gear options, 4 engine options, and tow package equipped or not.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

These trucks are called 1/2 tons for a reason. A 1000lb ATV weighs 1/2 ton.

While I agree with you this is not the fact anymore.

For example I have 3 trucks.

2008 Nissan Titan 1/2 ton has 1,700# of payload capacity when you subtract the actual weight from the scale I took it across minus the GVWR.

2006 F-350 1 ton has 3,900# when you do the same.

2004 F-250 3/4 ton has 2,500# when you do the same.

This was the case 30 years ago but today's trucks are so much heavier and to win bragging rights they keep upping the capacities.

Chris

 

[mrennie]

I can't think of any reason you couldn't put a WD hitch on an equipment trailer...you should be able to install one on any trailer, as long as the tongue is a "V" style and the snap up brackets fit over the channel or tubing.

I don't believe simply upgrading the hitch to a class IV is good enough....while it may result in not requiring a WD hitch to connect the trailer, on a 1/2 ton any decent load over 5000 lbs requires a WD to ensure you do not exceed your RAWR.

I have a 2001 GMC Sierra and a 2008 B26 (4200 lbs) and a 16" car hauler trailer (1800 lbs). Without a WD hitch I am 200 lbs over my RAWR and the rear end is dragging, and the factory hitch is overloaded. With a WD hitch the truck sits level and I am 180 lbs under the RAWR.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I would be wondering about your trailer dealer. One of the good thing about WD hitches is safety. If you have ever pulled a trailer and hit a dip in the road , the truck and trailer porpoise and you can easily loose control. With the WD the truck and trailer go go up and down as one. I pull a 18' flat bed and a 28' enclosed and have WD on both and use it loaded or empty.
Bill

 

[zzvyb6]

A 'Real' WD hitch has multiple attachment points along the truck's frame so that the WD bending moments in pitch about the ball are transferred to the entire frame. This adds a good fraction of the trailer tongue load to the truck's front wheels. Some aftermarket receivers are just bumper hitch attachments. The best/ideal/optimum settup is a WD hitch with the truck frame ending up level. You need to be sure you don't overload the truck's max rear axle load capacity though. Set the truck's tire pressures up to the max recommended for hauling. Then you will be just fine. The other part of the WD hitch is the yaw damper, either a set of lobes on the WD bars or a friction plate deal. If its the friction type, crank the thing up as tight as you can. It will groan a bit but that's the way it is supposed to be.

Towing capacity is more than just bumper weight. Its cooling, stopping distance, differential temperature, transmission load, engine mounts, frame strength, trailer wiring capacity and collision stamina.

Your worst enemy in the whole rig will be the trailer's tires. Little used, sit a lot out in the open sun, pressures leak down, curb impact damage, poor initial quality and no speed rating.

 

[Lt CHEG]

Hey, if it works for you then its the best fit.

Are you sure about your trucks tow rating? I am a trailer dealer and have access to towing data going back a good 10 years. If you give me your engine and gear ratio I can give you all the data. Just a quick looks shows a 09 GM 4x4 5.5' bed Crew Cab ranging from the low end of 5,400# and the high end at 10,400# but there are 2 gear options, 4 engine options, and tow package equipped or not.

Chris

According to my owners manual I'm good for 9,500 I believe, but I wouldn't mind a second look as owner's manuals have been wrong before. My truck is equipped with a 315 horsepower 5.3L flex fuel V8. It has the 6 speed automatic transmission, towing package and 3.42 gears (I think the Z71 package was only available with 3.42 gears). My owners manual references a heavy duty cooling package but I think that the heavy duty cooling package was part of the towing package. Thanks for double checking for me.

 

[Dmace]

According to the Chevy website, if you have the LT 1LT or LTZ 1LZ package which looks to be the only two in that configuration then you have the 10,400lb tow capacity and the V8 4.8l WT 1WT (work truck) model has the 9,500lb capacity.

Check your driver side door for the ID sticker and it should list the GCWR on it, if it's 14,000 then you have the higher tow capacity vs the 11,000 GCWR package.

 

[Diamondpilot]

According to my book a 2009 Crew Cab Short bed 4x4 5.3L 3.42 gears with tow package/HD cooling its 9,500#

Chris

 

[jwstewar]

I use a 1000# Curt WD setup on my 16+2 utility trailer with my '99 Chevy 1500 ECSB 4x4 w/ the 5.3 and 3.73. Works great with it. I then run a 1200# Reese System on our 36' Jayco camper. It also works great. Before I had my utility trailer, I borrowed my cousins 10k 16' trailer. The snap up brackests for the WD wouldn't fit over the frame so I couldn't run it - even though I really needed it hauling his Toyota skidsteer. I would like to be able to run the WD with our stock trailer but I can't. The tongue of it isn't open and it also has a very short tongue since the front of it is rounded, so no WD is used on it.

BTW, I will also use the WD bars when pulling the utility trailer behind our Suburban - unless for some reason I want it to squat -going some place that I know the dovetail is going to want to drag. I need to get a shank with more drop. Just haven't found one yet that I'm willing to pay once I include shipping.