Forum Discussion

rbpru's avatar
rbpru
Explorer II
Apr 16, 2014

Interpreting Manufacturers specs.

I was reviewing the Ford towing specs for my 2011 F-150.

With the factory installed hitch it is rated at 5000 lbs. towing capacity and 500 lbs. tongue weight. With WD hitch the tongue weight increases to 1130 lbs. and the towing capacity increases to 11,300 lbs.

So it would appear that the addition of the torsion bars redistributes the weight, in effect stiffening the trucks suspension and increasing the maximum cargo rating by 630 lbs. :)

The 11,300 lbs. is a bit bogus as it appears to be based on the tongue weight being 10% of the trailer weight. :h Other sections of the same towing specs, limit the max trailer weight to 9800 lbs. Even the 9800 lbs. is moot because my trailer’s max weight GVWR is 7700 lbs.

My point is it is easy to see how a person can be easily misled or confused by the information at hand; even if it comes from the manufacturer. Heck even my interpretation could be wrong. :W
  • MitchF150's avatar
    MitchF150
    Explorer III
    Apr 16, 2014
    Well, that's just the "HITCH" ratings.. What about the rest of the truck??

    My old 97 F150's hitch was rated at #1000/#10000 with WD, but the truck itself only had a tow rating of #7000.. It's GVWR was only #6250, so it ran out of payload long before it came close to it's 'tow rating'.

    If you could bolt a Class 5 hitch to any vehicle, that does not mean it can tow the rating of the hitch??

    Just saying... ;)

    Mitch
  • skipnchar's avatar
    skipnchar
    Explorer
    Apr 16, 2014
    Tow ratings like Fords 11,300 lb. max trailer weight is not really confusing but you can't be just a headline reader. Each pound of wweight you put IN the truck beyond it's empty weight subtracts a pound from the max trailer weight. When I travel I sometimes have as much as 1,500 lb. of cargo and passengers plus 1,100 lb. tongue weight which pretty well maxes out my 11,300 lb. rating AND my 2,600 lb. payload. ALL numbers must be taken into account to determine if you're within any trucks rating.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Apr 16, 2014
    Then there is the fine print that folks rarely even read

    Maximum trailer weights in pounds for properly equipped vehicles with no cargo
    May vary depending on model, trim and/or powertrain.
    Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight assumes a towing vehicle with any mandatory options, no cargo, tongue load of 10-15 (conventional trailer) or king pin weight of 15-25% (fifth-wheel trailer), and driver only (150 pounds).
    Weight of additional options, passengers, cargo and hitch must be deducted from this weight.
  • JIMNLIN's avatar
    JIMNLIN
    Explorer III
    Apr 16, 2014
    rbpru wrote:
    I was reviewing the Ford towing specs for my 2011 F-150.

    With the factory installed hitch it is rated at 5000 lbs. towing capacity and 500 lbs. tongue weight. With WD hitch the tongue weight increases to 1130 lbs. and the towing capacity increases to 11,300 lbs.

    So it would appear that the addition of the torsion bars redistributes the weight, in effect stiffening the trucks suspension and increasing the maximum cargo rating by 630 lbs. :)

    The 11,300 lbs. is a bit bogus as it appears to be based on the tongue weight being 10% of the trailer weight. :h Other sections of the same towing specs, limit the max trailer weight to 9800 lbs. Even the 9800 lbs. is moot because my trailer’s max weight GVWR is 7700 lbs.

    My point is it is easy to see how a person can be easily misled or confused by the information at hand; even if it comes from the manufacturer. Heck even my interpretation could be wrong. :W

    Ford publishes their towing specs for "all" types of trailers all of us may use out here in the real world (not just RVs)......and not just for RV folks pulling their RVs around a few times a summer. Towing specs are what they are.
  • APT's avatar
    APT
    Explorer
    Apr 16, 2014
    rbpru wrote:

    So it would appear that the addition of the torsion bars redistributes the weight, in effect stiffening the trucks suspension and increasing the maximum cargo rating by 630 lbs. :)


    I don't know what that means. A WDH changes the forces on a receiver as well as weight on the trucks' axles in a manor that increases the total towing weight.
  • rbpru's avatar
    rbpru
    Explorer II
    Apr 16, 2014
    I guess what was confusing to me was the fact that their “Conventional and 5th Wheel Towing” chart lists my truck’s maximum loaded trailer weight at 9800 lbs. with the towing package options on my vehicle, while their “Hitch Receiver Weight Capacity” indicated a 11,300 lbs.

    However, as suggested, further reading of the particulars, shows that the 11,300 lbs. may exceed the maximum load; and one should refer to the towing chart for the max rating.

    Therefore, by redistributing the weight, a WD hitch would raise towing capacity from 5000 lbs. to 9800 lbs. and my tongue weight from 500 lbs. to 980 lbs. Fortunately, my max loaded trailer weight is limited 7700 lbs. but I still like to have an understanding of the numbers.

    As they say “The devil is in the details”.
  • handye9's avatar
    handye9
    Explorer II
    Apr 16, 2014
    rbpru wrote:
    As they say “The devil is in the details”.


    Yes, you have to read the fine print.


    Another statement, commonly found in manufacturers tow guides is:

    "Max towing capacity is limited to the capacity of the weakest link in the towing system".

    Here on the forum, we have seen threads where the trailer was within tow capacity, within payload, and exceeded the hitch rating. We have seen threads where trailer is within tow capacity, within hitch rating, and exceeded payload. And, we have seen threads where everything, but the tow capacity, is exceeded.


    RV sales person sees a 10K tow capacity and trys to sell you a trailer with 9500 dry weight.

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