Trailer Which Hitch?

[gotrocks]

I'm ready to purchase a trailer for my 2910 with 402 Fel.
The brochure show 2910 at 1763# but I can't find wt of FEL. I'm guessing my 5ft Howse cutter will run 500#. Balast in tires adds ???# The trailer man said his 16x6 trailer is 1500#. Now the question, Chevy Astro book says it will pull 5100# but the dealer installed a class II hitch that shows 3500#. I assume the 3500# rating has some margin for overload but would like some feed back from this great knowlegable group. Should I replace the hitch with class III which is supposed to handle up to 5000#? Thanks for all thoughts and input.

Norris

 

[hazmat]

Norris,

Absolutely repace the hitch. When engineers use a factor of safety, it is to account for simplifications in their calculations and also for fatigue. We want to be sure something will work at the rating in 10 years from now too.

A new hitch should run you $100-$200. Cheap insurance. If you were ever to be in an accident with the trailer exceeding the hitch capacity, you could be in trouble.

 

[HalseyGreen]

Since you are already over the rating of your hitch, I would error on the safe side and upgrade to a Class III hitch. The extra margin will let you tow with greater confidence in your equipment.

 

[MarkV]

Norris,

Kubota does a strange thing and lists their tractor weights as what the crated shipping weights are. This does not include tires, wheels, ROPS, or fluids, which are installed in the States. When tractor weight has a direct comparison to performance this does not make much sense but Muhammad has confirmed it with Kubota so take that into account when calculating weight. Your FEL is in the 1200 lbs range and your filled tires (R4) around 350 lbs. These are not exact numbers but are consistent with my B21, which is of similar size.

MarkV

 

[k8ny]

Upgrade the hitch to be on the safe side, a class II just won't cut it.

 

[rocky2]

A strong hitch makes all the difference.

 

[ronjhall]

Norris
My FEL manual shows the LA402 at 617 lbs. 60” bucket weighs 181 lbs. 54" bucket weighs 174 lbs.

 

[MarkV]

Ron,
Thanks, I stand corrected.

MarkV

 

[ronjhall]

Norris
I pull my tractor with an AWD Astro Van. It has a factory installed hitch. I have no problems towing.
BUT__________________. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif
The best advice I can offer is to use a weight-distributing hitch.
GM recommends this type of hitch when pulling loads over 2,000 lbs.
Even if you get a class III/IV hitch for your Astro Van you will need to use a weight-distributing hitch with sway control to tow over 3,500 lbs.
I use a Draw-Tite also has some good information.
My Astro Van owners manual gives weight loads according to rear axle ratio.

2WD

3.23 4,500 lbs
3.42 5,000 lbs
3.73 5,500 lbs

AWD

3.42 4,500 lbs
3.73 5,000 lbs

 

[gotrocks]

Stephen, Halsey, Mark, Bob, Dave & Ron; Thanks to all of you for confirming my thoughts, I expected some resistance from the Chevy dealer but was pleasantly surprised. They agreed to replace the II with III.
Dave that is some photo, is there a person in the pickup?
And I hope that was not your rig. May I pass the pic to other friends?

This site is several "sites" better than anything I've found on this "inter mess" thing. Thanks again. God Bless US All!