Hitch Selection - TW Questions

Boomerweps wrote:

Baja Man wrote:
Based on one of the responses...

Does weight in truck bed need to be considered when selecting a WDH?
Ex. TW is 900# and truck bed has 500#....hitch and bars need a 1400# rating?

Chains vs solid bars?

Short answer. NO.
By that logic, you’d have to add all weight in the TV, people, etc.
The WDH is sized by the trailer towed.
WDH weight gets added to truck payload and rear axle load.
In the example above, you would get the next size up available, like a 1000# rated or even a a 1200# rated, depending on your choice of WDH sizes.
I use 400-600# rated bars, next sizes are 600-800 & 800-1200, interchangeable on my hitch head. I could use the 600-800# bars now, depending on my TT loading for tongue weight, but I’m trying to keep the TW within my WDH specs.

I am NOT an expert by any stretch in these things, which is why I go by what the manufacturer states. That said, cargo in front of the rear axle does not lift the front axle, it lowers it - so passengers and cargo in front of that point are not included in the numbers. That is why this impact is limited solely to gear and passengers behind the rear axle.

If you use the Equal-i-zer guide to select your hitch size (see here) they clearly include this in their recommendation. An 1,100 pound HW with nothing in the bed calls for a 1,200 pound hitch. An 1,100 pound HW with 200 pounds behind the rear axle calls for a 1,400 pound hitch.

Everyone goes by their own judgements on how to set-up their rigs, but it is black and white that at least some hitch manufacturers DO included cargo weight behind the rear axle in their recommended calculations.