Hi all,I'd like to put a front hitch on my truck to make the sharp right turn into my my driveway. However, the front receivers are rated for 500lb vertical and 5000lb pull, and the tongue on my trailer weighs 720lbs.How realistic is this rating? Because in fact, all front receivers I see have this same rating:Curt 31078 for 2017 Ford F-350 Super Duty - 500lbs vertical / 5000lbs pullCurt 31071 for 2017 GMC Sierra 3500HD - 500lbs vertical / 5000lbs pullCurt 31067 for 2017 Ram 3500 - 500lbs vertical / 5000lbs pullCurt 31077 for 2017 Nissan Titan XD - 500lbs vertical / 5000lbs pullHas anyone used a front hitch for low-speed maneuvering (<5mph) into a driveway? If so, what's your tongue weight, and do you remove the weight distribution bars before you do it?Thanks!

Exceed manufacturer’s specs by 44%....sure, all will be well...no problem!

IMO, all manufacturers build a safety factor into their ratings.Nobody knows what that safety margin is, and they more often than not won't tell anybody.Yes, the receiver will handle more than it is rated to handle. The "Breaking Strength" is not advertised, as it is on rope, cable, and chain.If it were me, I would go ahead and use the front hitch to slowly move the trailer. If the hitch broke, I wouldn't even bother to tell the manufacturer. Exceeding the ratings voids any warranty, it would make no sense to bother Customer Service with it!

I've stalled a Warn 8000lb winch on a front hitch with two wraps of cable on the drum. My trailer has 1k of tongue weight and is 6k before toys. I can't imagine you having an issue.

boogie_4wheel wrote:I've stalled a Warn 8000lb winch on a front hitch with two wraps of cable on the drum. My trailer has 1k of tongue weight and is 6k before toys. I can't imagine you having an issue.This kind of data point is exactly what I'm after - thank you!Mind if I ask the details of your tow vehicle and front receiver?

05 3/4t Dodge with Curt (if I remember correctly). I've pulled the sticker and repainted it over the years. 90% sure it's a Curt.

Front receivers - is there any margin in the ratings?

Lwiddis
Explorer II
Aug 05, 2018
Exceed manufacturer’s specs by 44%....sure, all will be well...no problem!
mowermech
Explorer
Aug 05, 2018
IMO, all manufacturers build a safety factor into their ratings.
Nobody knows what that safety margin is, and they more often than not won't tell anybody.
Yes, the receiver will handle more than it is rated to handle. The "Breaking Strength" is not advertised, as it is on rope, cable, and chain.
If it were me, I would go ahead and use the front hitch to slowly move the trailer. If the hitch broke, I wouldn't even bother to tell the manufacturer. Exceeding the ratings voids any warranty, it would make no sense to bother Customer Service with it!
boogie_4wheel
Explorer
Aug 06, 2018
I've stalled a Warn 8000lb winch on a front hitch with two wraps of cable on the drum. My trailer has 1k of tongue weight and is 6k before toys.

I can't imagine you having an issue.
chrispitude
Explorer
Aug 06, 2018
boogie_4wheel wrote:
I've stalled a Warn 8000lb winch on a front hitch with two wraps of cable on the drum. My trailer has 1k of tongue weight and is 6k before toys.

I can't imagine you having an issue.

This kind of data point is exactly what I'm after - thank you!

Mind if I ask the details of your tow vehicle and front receiver?
boogie_4wheel
Explorer
Aug 06, 2018
05 3/4t Dodge with Curt (if I remember correctly). I've pulled the sticker and repainted it over the years. 90% sure it's a Curt.
demiles
Explorer
Aug 06, 2018
I used a front hitch to set my trailer in a tight spot in my yard. Tongue weight was in the 700-750 range, the truck was a 2500 Silverado EC LB. It really depends on how well the front suspension can handle the weight.
chrispitude
Explorer
Aug 06, 2018
boogie_4wheel wrote:
05 3/4t Dodge with Curt (if I remember correctly). I've pulled the sticker and repainted it over the years. 90% sure it's a Curt.

demiles wrote:
I used a front hitch to set my trailer in a tight spot in my yard. Tongue weight was in the 700-750 range, the truck was a 2500 Silverado EC LB. It really depends on how well the front suspension can handle the weight.

Awesome, thanks to both of you. The tow vehicle will be a 2013 Yukon XL 2500 "DuraBurb" (converted to the 6.6L DuraMax drivetrain), so based on both of your experiences, the front suspension should take it for what I need.
4x4ord
Explorer III
Aug 07, 2018
I've towed implements with 1500 lb tongue weights behind various trucks with hitches rated for 500 lb tongue weight and had no issue.

I don't understand the value of a front receiver though..... why not just back your trailer in to where it goes?
chrispitude
Explorer
Aug 07, 2018
4x4ord wrote:
I don't understand the value of a front receiver though..... why not just back your trailer in to where it goes?

I have a narrow 300ft driveway, 90 degrees off a public road. Sometimes neighbors park across the street. Truck plus trailer is about 46'. It would be much easier with the steering wheels right at the pivot point, as I can adjust the trailer's angle with much less tow vehicle input.
BarneyS
Explorer III
Aug 07, 2018
How do you plan to see around the front of the trailer while you travel along that 300ft driveway? Can't wiggle back and forth and see where your are going like you can with the tongue on the rear of the truck. I can see making it easier to back in from the street however.
Personally, I would just use my mirrors and back in all the way like normal.
Barney