Forum Discussion

tinstartrvlr's avatar
tinstartrvlr
Explorer
Mar 14, 2017

Tow hitch question

As I was reading another post about hitches, it got me wondering, so I looked again at the sticker on my hitch. The hitch on my 2015 F350 is a "V-5", whatever that is. It shows an 850 lb tongue weight if using the 2.5 inch receiver port, and 600 lb tongue weight if using the 2 inch adapter. Using a WDH, which I do, raises those limits to 1900/1250.

Does anyone else think that those first limits are a little lame for a F350? I have seen other hitches online that have 3 times the tongue weight that just bolt on. Can I just do that, or would it somehow affect something else on the truck. Why wouldn't Ford put a decent hitch on to begin with?

Scratching my head....any thoughts out there? Thanks
  • tinstartrvlr's avatar
    tinstartrvlr
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2017
    Secondchance, it's 2015, and has about the same rating as yours. Guess that's just how it is. Makes me wonder how there can be other ordinary hitches out there (Curt, Reese, etc)with much higher numbers for my truck.

    Example-
    Shipping Weight 77.000
    Weight Carrying Capacity(WC) 17,000 LB
    Tongue Weight(TW) 2,550 LB
    Weight Distribution(WD) 17,000 LB

    The Tongue weight is 1300 lbs more than my hitch with 2" drawbar and 650 lbs more than my hitch with 2.5" drawbar.

    Goes back to what I said about the factory hitch being lame.
  • Second_Chance's avatar
    Second_Chance
    Explorer II
    Mar 14, 2017
    Standard hitches are rated Class I/1 (maybe a light-weight bike rack) through Class V/5 (some 3/4 ton trucks and nearly all 1-ton and heavier). You don't say what year your F-350 is... mine is a 2012 and is rated for 1,750 tongue weight with a WD hitch and 850 without WD (not using the 2" sleeve adapter). Yours seems pretty standard. As stated by others, I can't imagine why one would not want to use a weight-distributing hitch with anything heavier than a pop-up or lawn trailer. We used one when we had a travel trailer and, besides leveling the vehicles, it provided excellent anti-sway.

    Rob
  • horton333's avatar
    horton333
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2017
    You are still taking weight off the front (steering) wheels no matter how strong the hitch is. WD has many advantages, I really don't understand why anyone with more than a popup avoids it.
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    Mar 14, 2017
    I have tied my bumper and receiver together so I can put more than 1000 lbs of tongue weight without WD and it has to help the WD rating too.

    There is a nut welded to the top of the receiver that's hard to see.

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