Receiver hitch size on newer Tow vehicles?

blt2ski wrote:
Then again, some trucks did not come with a factory hitch, as my 96 K3500, 2000 - C2500 and 2005 DW 3500. Kind of nice this way, as then you can choose a hitch that fits the needs you have, vs the engineers in Detroit etc, that do not know what you are going to do with the truck etc. I put higher rated hitches on ALL three trucks than came stock. The 96 and 2000 had 2" hitches, the 05 I went with a 2.5" hitch. The 2' were good to 10K with or with out wd bars. the 05 IIRC was around 15K with or with out bars.

Marty

I wonder if the hitch receiver ratings on factory installed hitches have as much to do with the whole truck as with the mechanical design of the hitch receiver.

My truck's factory hitch receiver has a WDH rating of 11,500# (1150# TW) but only 5000# (500# TW) weight carrying. Perhaps Ford is afraid that when you put on over 500# of weight carrying tongue weight, you will move too much weight off the front axle onto the rear axle. So they derate the WC rating of the hitch receiver to 500#, even though mechanically it can probably carry a lot more.