hitch weight

[scooterpuller]

im getting ready to buy a freedom express 301blds but found out that the hitch weight is 950#'s and my truck,f-250 diesel srw,is only rated for 850#'s...is it too much over or will it be ok

[Southernsally]

scooterpuller wrote:
thanks everyone for the responses...i have a 2014 ford f-250 with factory hitch,6.7 diesel and tow package...i didnt know about the sticker,i will look for it ,as far as where i got the 850# info,it was in the owners manual..thanks again and thanks for being patient with this newbie

Not sure how much your truck can actually tow, but I definitely know it's in the 20,000lbs rating as they make a class 5 hitch for your truck. You can always call a Ford dealership as well for confirmation.

But if you are looking to purchase a hitch to tow a camper, I get all my towing supplies from Hitchweb. Their shipping is free over $100 and they have A LOT of stuff. If you're interested, here is their website: 2014 Ford F-250 Super Duty Factory Step Bumper Trailer Hitcheshttp://www.hitchweb.com/category/FORD-F2-TH-14/2014-Ford-F-250-Super-Duty-Factory-Step-Bumper-Trailer-Hitches

[tomman58]

Ron Gratz wrote:

tomman58 wrote:
Weight distributing is sending more to the front.

That's true -- but you still will end up with a net increase in load on the rear axle.

If the tongue weight is, say, 1200#, attaching the TT with no WD applied will cause the front axle load to decrease by about 500# and will cause the rear axle load to increase by about 1700#.

If you adjust the WDH to restore 50% of the front-end lost load, the rear-end added load will decrease to about 1350#.

If you adjust the WDH to restore 100% of the front-end lost load, the rear-end added load will decrease to about 1000#.

So, it's likely you'll end up with 1000# or more added to the rear axle relative to the unhitched load.

Ron

I agree BUT when I travel with a trailer that has a tongue weight of 1100# and run my tries at the recommended pressure (75#) the center tread suffers. Go Fish. I will add that the damage to the tire didn't show up until around 10,000 miles of towing/ sightseeing. A lot of that towing.

[APT]

scooterpuller, you are good then to 1400 pounds if you use a weight distributing hitch. Your RV dealer will know what that is. I highly recommend one with integrated sway control. Reese Strait Line, Equal-i-zer 4pt, and Blue Ox are about $500-600.

[Ron_Gratz]

tomman58 wrote:
Weight distributing is sending more to the front.

That's true -- but you still will end up with a net increase in load on the rear axle.

If the tongue weight is, say, 1200#, attaching the TT with no WD applied will cause the front axle load to decrease by about 500# and will cause the rear axle load to increase by about 1700#.

If you adjust the WDH to restore 50% of the front-end lost load, the rear-end added load will decrease to about 1350#.

If you adjust the WDH to restore 100% of the front-end lost load, the rear-end added load will decrease to about 1000#.

So, it's likely you'll end up with 1000# or more added to the rear axle relative to the unhitched load.

Ron

[scooterpuller]

thanks everyone for the responses...i have a 2014 ford f-250 with factory hitch,6.7 diesel and tow package...i didnt know about the sticker,i will look for it ,as far as where i got the 850# info,it was in the owners manual..thanks again and thanks for being patient with this newbie

[tomman58]

Ron Gratz wrote:

tomman58 wrote:
Can't imagine a Ford diesel with a light hitch must be really old.
I tow with 1100# tongue weight and 1200# torsion bars no problem other than lowering the tire pressure on the rear tires as they will burn off center tread after 15,00 miles because of lesser weight.

"lesser weight" -- please explain?

If you're towing a trailer, the rear tires should be carrying more weight.

Ron

Weight distributing is sending more to the front.

[Ron_Gratz]

tomman58 wrote:
Can't imagine a Ford diesel with a light hitch must be really old.
I tow with 1100# tongue weight and 1200# torsion bars no problem other than lowering the tire pressure on the rear tires as they will burn off center tread after 15,00 miles because of lesser weight.

"lesser weight" -- please explain?

If you're towing a trailer, the rear tires should be carrying more weight.

Ron

[Ron_Gratz]

According to the 2014 Towing Guide --

850# is the maximum WEIGHT-CARRYING tongue load for 2014 Ford Super-Duty trucks with the 6.7L engine.

The max tongue load for the F-250 with WEIGHT-DISTRIBUTING hitch is 1400#.

Ron

[tomman58]

Can't imagine a Ford diesel with a light hitch must be really old.
I tow with 1100# tongue weight and 1200# torsion bars no problem other than lowering the tire pressure on the rear tires as they will burn off center tread after 15,00 miles because of lesser weight.

[fla-gypsy]

We need more info. What model year is your F-250?

[BarneyS]

scooterpuller wrote:
im getting ready to buy a freedom express 301blds but found out that the hitch weight is 950#'s and my truck,f-250 diesel srw,is only rated for 850#'s...is it too much over or will it be ok

That 950# hitch weight will probably be around 1250-1300lbs when the trailer is ready to go camping in.

I agree with the others here that the rating you gave for the trucks receiver is probably a weight carrying amount. The amount for using weight distribution will most likely be around 1250 or more pounds.
You many need to upgrade the receiver to a Class V to accommodate the tongue weight of that trailer. I had to upgrade mine as my tongue weight is just shy of 1300lbs.
Barney

Old Receiver


New Receiver

[handye9]

It's possible, you may need to upgrade the hitch. You need to check the stamp (or sticker) on your hitch.

There are some class IV hitches, with receiver ratings below the tongue weight of that trailer. Here is a link to one of them. It has 800 lb dead weight and 1000 lb WD rating.

That trailer is close to 1000 lb unloaded tongue weight. I saw one with 980 lb advertised hitch weight. That one will be over 1000, before it gets off the dealer lot.

[APT]

Where did you get the 850 pound number from? What year truck do you have? Can you tell if it is OEM or aftermarket (U-Haul, Curt, Reese, etc? Is there a sticker like this one with possibly two sets of weights?



My guess is your truck is older, has an aftermarket class 3/4 receiver on it. You should be able to replace that for about $200 with something more capable, along the lines of what that TT needs maybe 1200 pounds with a WDH.

[downtheroad]

2 things going on here.

1. The hitch weight you posted (950 lbs) is probably the dry weight. It will be much higher.

2. The truck hitch rating you posted is most likely the number without weight distribution. It also will be higher with a weight distribution hitch.