WHD...HELP!!
Please pardon my lack of knowledge on this type of hitch, but I come humbly hat in hand seeking sage advise so I don't make the wrong decision. I have a series of questions, and I have to ask them ...
Forum Discussion
Is there an reason that I shouldn't get heavier weight carrying bars (max for my truck) even if it is overkill for the trailer I get, or should I stay as close to the actual tongue weight as possible?
Heavier bars are stiffer and don't add to anything related to what the stock truck receiver can accommodate. They can be very hard (damaging) to trailer tongues. My suggestion would be to go to the Ford on line towing guide and all this information is well presented. Then you can make an informed decision. Some manufacturers recommend only returning half the weight taken off the front axle via a trailer tongue while others recommend replacing all the weight. You need to accommodate and consider what Ford recommends. Whatever you do I would strongly recommend not listening to any RV salesperson on what you can tow or how to set up a hitch. Go to the Ford site and get the correct information. Never use dry weights nor brochure weights in your calculations. Use the trailer's gross weight and remember water adds a lot of weight at 8.3 pounds per gallon. And typically batteries and propane are located on the tongue adding to that weight as well. You are looking for 13 percent of the total trailer weight on the tongue for stability. A properly set up weight distributio hitch redistrubutes approximately 20-25 percent of that weight back to the trailer axles. The remaining redistributed weight is moved to the front axle.
