Towing Tractor to Doctor

Harleymsn · Feb 3, 2005

Class III hitches are rated for a max towing weight of 5000# (Less than your tractor alone weighs) these are great for small boat trailers but not this. The bare minimum is a class IV or better yet a Class V.
Soundguy, this is not just a whim, but the actual ratings by the manufacturers. If you pull that 7000 trailer with a class 3 and are involved in an accident, your insurance carrier could refuse to pay based on your negligence.

Bird · Feb 3, 2005

( Class III hitches are rated for a max towing weight of 5000# )

I'm not going to disagree that a Class IV hitch would certainly be "better", but according to both Reese and Draw-Tite the class III is good to 6,000# without the load distributing bars (sometimes called "lift bars) and up to 10,000# with the bars. Of course, I'm not sure of what the tractor and trailer in question would weigh.

BB_TX · Feb 3, 2005

Hitch FAQs

ThistleKop · Feb 3, 2005

The bare minimum is a class IV or better yet a Class V. 

Harleymsn,
Reminds me of the guy who went boot shopping. He wears a size 9 but a 10 felt so good that he bought an 11. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

TK

frdtrukman · Feb 3, 2005

Thanks for all the advise!!!! I'm thinking it would be cheaper to pay my neighbor with his F350 to haul it over there for me. I honestly didn't think my truck could really handle that kind of load. I pulled a 21' Airstream with a equalizer hitch from Vicksburg, MS. , now that was a miserable drive.

Thanks Again!!!!!!

JR

Harleymsn · Feb 3, 2005

( The bare minimum is a class IV or better yet a Class V. 

Harleymsn,
Reminds me of the guy who went boot shopping. He wears a size 9 but a 10 felt so good that he bought an 11. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

TK )
No Thistlekop, actually, I'm the guy that pulled a 7000# trailer with a truck similar to the original poster. Until I found that they 7000 trailer broke the welds on the factory class III hitch on my '98 F150. When I complained, they showed me the documents from all the major hitch manufacturers showing that a class III should never exceed a 5000#gvw trailer.
Kinda like your boots, I wear a 9 1/2ee so even when the 8d is on sale, it just won't do the job.

I now pull that 7000# trailer, as well as my 12000# trailer with my F250 with a class V hitch.