Do I need a weight distribution hitch?

[KDS]

Hey everyone. First post here. My wife and I are considering getting off the ground and trading the old tent in for a hybrid travel trailer. We are looking at the 23' Rockwood Roo. My tow vehicle is a 2002 Ford F-250 crew cab long bed 4x4 with camper package and 7.3 diesel.

I have towed boats all my life but have never used a weight distribution hitch. Will I need one for this trailer? Dry weight is only around 4,500 lbs. thanks for the help as we learn before we buy!

[Grit_dog]

KD4UPL wrote:
According to the sticker on the hitch you need it. According to the reality of pulling that trailer with that truck there's no way you need one.
I would simply change out the factory hitch for one that is rated to carry more tongue weight without a WDH. Then you will be within all the ratings, have a stronger hitch, and not have to deal withe the big heavy WDH.

I wouldn't even go that far for that little trailer. Low profile, what, 6klb or so dressed out? Diesel anchoring the front end, keeping the tires on the pavement, lol.
IMO WD hitches are needed when you need to remove weight from the rear axle. If the rear ain't even close to overloaded then the front isn't too light. Goes hand in hand.
Sway control, which is part and parcel to most wd hitches is a nice feature, especially for those with less experience towing, but heck the newer trucks have built in sway control that will pull your trailer back in line. Pretty sweet actually, tried it out a coupe times to see how well it works.
CAN you put all this on and tow rock solid straight like you're on train tracks? Absolutely. Do you need it to be safe in your situation? Not really.
Ever notice that pretty much only RVs have wd hitches? Wonder why? It's called salesmen and a larger percentage of inexperiencd drivers. If that's you, then get a sway control wd hitch. It's not bad belt and suspenders, just not necessary.

[BenK]

All things designed/engineered are not for the good days out there when a half
ton 'can' tow a 'dry' Space Shuttle...

Things are designed for the bad day, or worst day out there when Mr Murphy crosses
your path

Either you have the right sized and properly setup or not...there will be no time
to go back to the store for better/bigger/etc...nor time to re-setup. Either it
is there spot on, or not...

They why of the last two generations of GM platforms for the Suburban has a limited
receiver rating. Both dead weight and WD

Because they designed the receiver into the bumper, which has an over arching
requirement mandated by the government and insurance institutions...it has to
have a crumple zone

That crumple zone has stress raisers designed in so that it will bend/break/fold/etc
during a crash

That stress raiser becomes the limiting factor for towing heavy.

Going over any rating will not have the wheels instantly fall of...just sooner
than if within the ratings. Performance is also affected negatively.

In this case for the receiver...know that the cross tube has both beam loading
and torsion loading. In making changes to it's design (AKA Re-Engineering), it
is a requirement to know how that affects those functions. The effect might
be to introduce one or more stress raisers...to a host of other possibilities

Prime potential issue is changing the harmonics and then the stress
fractures that might induce. Most folks know that as 'tin canning'

Add what always say for anything to do with ratings...

Decide whether you believe in the OEM ratings or not.

If not, then do whatever, but know you have taken the OEM(s) off the hook for
both warranty (if there is any left) and over all liability for injury/crash/etc

If yes, then find out what your OEM(s) ratings are and follow them. Learn how
that ratings system works

[Ivylog]

KDS,
Your bumper is rated for 500/5000 lbs... the same as your receiver hitch. By tying the two together ($10 for the bolt and nuts and $15 to weld one nut to the receiver) you can increase your receiver's non WD capabilities but the "weight police" on here will say NO WAY the rating is the rating (sorry I've been on here too long as you cannot go a single pound over the rating). How long is the shank on the ball you put in the receiver? I drilled another 5/8 hole so my ball is 2" closer to the hitch. How much does that change the leverage on the hitch and it's capabilities/rating? I would worry about shank on your ball, is it solid or is it a 2" tube for the 8K trailer

I looked at the receiver on my Ford Ranger... looks to be the same 2.5" square tube (yes I know there are different steel ratings) on frame rails that are closer together and it's only rated 200 lbs. Would I worry about breaking it if I put 500 lbs on it... NO, but I would worry about getting a 5000 lb trailer (without brakes) stopped with a truck that weighs less.

[KDS]

KD4UPL wrote:
According to the sticker on the hitch you need it. According to the reality of pulling that trailer with that truck there's no way you need one.
I would simply change out the factory hitch for one that is rated to carry more tongue weight without a WDH. Then you will be within all the ratings, have a stronger hitch, and not have to deal withe the big heavy WDH.

I'm intrigued by this suggestion. I pull an enclosed cargo trailer once a week that weighs 8,000 lbs and I don't use a WDH. I've never had a problem but maybe I should upgrade the receiver as I'm sure I'm overloading the factory one.

[mowermech]

Allow me to relate personal experience.
Long ago and far away, we had a 19 foot travel trailer. An older, quite heavy travel trailer.
I had three vehicles set up to tow that trailer; a Ford E150 club wagon, and Dodge 3/4 ton 4X4, and a 1970 Jeep Wagoneer. I towed that trailer over the Continental Divide with each of those vehicles at one time or another.
I did not use a WD hitch or sway control when towing with the Ford or the Dodge.
However, when towing the trailer with the Wagoneer, a WD hitch was absolutely necessary to keep the headlights on the road instead of in the treetops, and to keep the back bumper from hitting the ground!
So, my opinion, based purely on personal experience? No, the OP does not need a WD hitch, and if he loads the trailer properly, he does not need "sway control" either!

[burningman]

You can tow that trailer with that truck without a WD hitch.
I'd use one anyway. I have a 10,000 pound capacity flatbed trailer and I use mine even when I'm not carrying much (weighing no more than your trailer), and I'm towing with a dually. It does drive better with the WD hitch, and it bounces or "porpoises" less.
The extra fringe benefit is a WD hitch makes it next to impossible for the trailer to bounce off the hitch ball. It can't come off even if you didn't latch it. I like knowing it AINT coming off.

[BenK]

Most who resort to derogatory's just don't like what is said and try to reduce
the value of that advice via the derogatory "Weight Police"...

Well...there is no policing on these freebie forums...other than policing bad
words, disrespect of others, etc...

I'll take that moniker, Weight Police, as it make no matter what the advice it,
it is up to the OP or lurker to make their own risk management decision (AKA gambling)

As all the print outs in the world from advisors saying 'you are good for it', etc
will be worth squat...as the only person responsible for the TV/trailer/etc is
the driver

So, to the OP, decide if you believe in the OEM ratings or not.

If not, then do whatever, but know that you have removed the liabilities (warranty
if there is any left) and pure liability off the OEM's back and assumed them
yourself

If yes, then find/learn what those ratings are and follow them

PS...Barney is correct. 'Restore' the front axle weight...means WD'ing
weight from the rear axle to the front axle...

[Ivylog]

B....S if you do not know that a WD takes weight off of the rear axle and puts it on the trailer axles and the front axle... there is not much hope as it's simple geometry. KDS, I take back the good advice statement. A diesel truck rides/handles better when it has a load on the back... less weight on the front. A WD will put some of that weight back on the front axle where "more" is not better.

What you cannot see in the picture of my hitch is the 1" nut welded to the top of the receiver that bolts the two hitches together increasing the amount of tongue weight I can carry without WD... a lot easier than a new hitch but the weight police will not like this solution as you better not go 20 lbs over your 500 lbs.

[KD4UPL]

According to the sticker on the hitch you need it. According to the reality of pulling that trailer with that truck there's no way you need one.
I would simply change out the factory hitch for one that is rated to carry more tongue weight without a WDH. Then you will be within all the ratings, have a stronger hitch, and not have to deal withe the big heavy WDH.

[BarneyS]

If he has the stock receiver on his truck, it is rated for 500lbs weight carrying and 5000lbs max trailer weight in weight carrying mode.
That increased to 1250/12,500 in weight distributing mode.


Here is the sticker from my truck receiver that I replaced several years ago. I have basically the same truck as the OP - same year, model, and engine.

[BarneyS]

Ivylog wrote:
Not only NO, but Heck NO. I have exact same truck except extra cab, not crew. You do not need more weight on the front tires. It will not even get the extra rear spring to hit... do anything.

Snip...
Welcome to the forums... lots of usually good free advice although there are too many weight police on here.

You do not add additional weight to the front axle when using a WD hitch. What you DO do is restore the weight that was taken off the front axle when you put the weight on the hitch. Keep in mind, that hitch is several feet behind the rear axle of the truck and, just like a teeter totter, it will take weight off the front axle. The WD hitch just puts that lost weight back where it came from.

Don't know what to say about that "weight police on here" comment. There are just a lot of experienced Rvers here that like to help others out, and most beginners have no idea about weight distribution or how it works. Looks like some more experienced Rvers need that education also. :W
Barney

[IdaD]

With that combo I doubt it would make much of a difference.

[ChooChooMan74]

I agree with BenK. If the receiver says to use it, then do. If not, probably not needed.

[BenK]

This can be answered by the receiver's ratings label on your TV

It will list two ratings...one without a WD Hitch system (dead weight)
and other with a WD Hitch system

But...you will need to know that trailers ACTUAL tongue weight, not
the 'dry' tongue weight. The 'dry' tongue weight will be 450 lbs if
the tongue is a 10% of the dry weight. If your trailer weighs more
than 4,500 lbs, then it will be more using the 10%. Most trailers
will be more than 10% (best range is 12%-15%), and even using the
'dry' 4,500 a 12% tongue would be over the normal 500 lb dead weight
rating of most receivers.


Here is a quote from an old thread that has a picture of that posters
receiver rating label


Do I Need to use a WDH with an F350 SRW Powerstroke?
receiverratinglabel receiverlabel

Bedlam wrote:
Look on your receiver tag for your maximums when weight carrying and using weight distribution. I know Ford upgraded the receiver since 2005 - Using mine as an example, it was rated for 500 lbs tongue weight and 5000 lbs trailer weight when weight carrying and 1250 lbs tongue weight and 12,500 lbs trailer weight when using weight distribution.



According to the 2015 towing guide, yours is rated 850 lbs tongue with 8500 lbs trailer without WDH and 1400 lbs tongue with 14,000 lbs trailer with WDH.

http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/15RV&TT_Ford_SuperDtyPU_r1_Jan12.pdf