Tongue Weight Rating

Ron Gratz wrote:

lbrjet wrote:
The Sherline TW number + the weight of the hitch itself should be less than 895lbs.

Do you have a link to any manufacturer's statement which says the weigh of the WDH must be included?
I find nothing in the 2006 Expedition Owners Manual which states you must allow for the weigh of the hitch itself.
I find nothing anywhere else which says you must allow for the weight of the WDH.

If you are concerned about the total vertical load which will be imposed on the receiver,
the total load will be equal to tongue weight plus weight of the WDH minus the amount of load transferred to the TT's axles.

Since the amount transferred to the TT's axles almost always is greater than the weight of the WDH,
the total vertical load imposed on the receiver almost always will be less than the tongue weight.

Ron

I have read I think and believe that the weight of the WDH should be included as part of the tongue wt. To me that just seems logical since just like the normal operation of say a HA a normal WDH could be attached to the tongue and then the draw bar inserted into the receiver. This would make the weight of the WDH system appear to be an actual addition to the weight of the tongue of the TT much as we consider the HA as it pertains to tongue wt. I haven't relooked, but one instance of a site maintained by a HITCH/Receiver manufacturer "CURT" has the following statement in their FAQs CLICKY concerning the weight of a bike rack on a class one hitch.

Q. Will my class 1 hitch support a hitch mounted bike rack and bikes?
A. Possibly. It is always best to check with the manufacturer of the bike rack you will be using. Some manufacturers do not recommend the use of their racks with class 1 hitches. Those that have bike racks to work with class 1 hitches typically have very specific weights, specifications, and may even limit the number of bikes allowable. Just remember, when calculating the weight of your load don’t forget to add in the weight of the bike rack itself.

I look at this a a fairly straight comparison with the tongue wt. being the weight of the bikes and the WDH system and bars being the same as the bike rack.

I have also read that once you get things hooked up any wt. you add to the TV behind the axle should be considered as "additional" tongue wt.

I guess the way I look at it is that the receiver is designed to support a certain dead wt in direct load bearing or WDH bearing which is the actual load on the receiver. You could hook up your WDH system and not engage the WDH portion and I guess the question is do you ignore the 100lbs approx of the WDH and bars against the receiver weight carrying capacity and if so why or where does it go.

I do acknowledge the manufacturers and other reliable sources seem to never adequately or clearly address this issue of what to do with the weight of the WDH as it pertains to the receiver ratings.

Larry