Weight Distributing Hitches

[TriciaR1970]

We upgraded from a 24 foot travel trailer to a 33 foot travel trailer this summer. We are towing with a Ford F150 with Eco Boost engine. The truck is rated to tow up to 9600 and our TT is 6500 so we are good on weight. We moved our weight distributing hitch from the 24' to the 33', it is just a basic hitch with chains to distribute weight and a swaybar controller on the right side.

I am not a super experienced driver and so definitely take it easy, we started with a few short local trips this summer and the truck tows it easily but I find in windy weather or at highway speeds I feel more movement than I'm comfortable with.

I am considering upgrading to an Equil-i-zer Hitch and wondering what experience everyone has and what types of sway control you are using. They are an expense and I want to make the right choice as there are several different types.

This is the one that was recommended by a friend and what we are considering:
Equil-i-zer Hitch @ Hitchsourcehttp://www.hitchsource.com/equalizer-hitch-and-shank-12000lbs-p-27361.html

[brulaz]

MitchF150 wrote:
With the HD payload package (8200 GVWR) you should have LT E rated tires OEM??

I've got a Max Tow F150 with #7700 GVWR and it came with P rated 20" tires, but they are P275/55/20, so they are wide and low profile.. Have a 44 max PSI and #2400 load rating each.

Have not towed with it yet, but have taken some corners with it and it's anything but "flexy", but that's just my opinion.. 😉

Mitch

THink he bought it used, so somebody must have switched tires on it.

My MaxTow F150 also came with P-rated 20" tires, and when the truck is loaded up to its GVWR they were pretty squishy. But then so was the whole suspension. I would've ordered the HD Payload option if I'd known about it. Instead ended up spending more $$ on aftermarket shocks, RAS and LT tires. Michelin LTX MS/2 are good tires.

[MitchF150]

With the HD payload package (8200 GVWR) you should have LT E rated tires OEM??

I've got a Max Tow F150 with #7700 GVWR and it came with P rated 20" tires, but they are P275/55/20, so they are wide and low profile.. Have a 44 max PSI and #2400 load rating each.

Have not towed with it yet, but have taken some corners with it and it's anything but "flexy", but that's just my opinion.. 😉

Mitch

[Ole_Man_Dan]

colliehauler wrote:

TriciaR1970 wrote:

newman fulltimer wrote:
I would invest in a stronger ply tire on the truck and try that.upgrade the shocks for more control then get a dif hitch

Truck had HD towing package standard from factory. Not sure how tires and shocks will prevent sway? Curious can you elaborate?

To light of tire the back of the truck will feel like driving on jello, sidewall flex.

LT tires tow 100% better than P tires. Less flex of sidewalls.
Old shocks can lead to serious bouncing (Porpoising) on minor bumps.
Worn shocks can lead to sway problems.

For some unknown reason some Ford 150s come with P rated tires.
Makes for a better ride. BAD FOR TOWING...
I just bought a 2012 EB with Max tow and the HD package, but it had the P rated tires. I can feel the flex in curves.
I'm buying Michelin LT tires ASAP. I don't want my truck to drive like a car... It's a truck.
My truck is set up with the Equalizer Hitch.
My trailer is a 30' weighing about 8500#. Tow's great with the EB.
Truck tow's well in mountains.

[BurbMan]

You might call Hensley directly and see if they have a reconditioned hitch. They have been running a buyback program lately where they are buying back old hitches, refurbing and re-certifying them then selling as refurbs at a fraction of the cost of new.

As correctly pointed out, the limitation on all trucks is not the towing capacity but the payload capacity. Sounds like you are on the right track in terms of managing weight, but you may not be able to get within ratings on the 150. Lots of folks run overweight, but best to visit a scale and be sure you are not overloaded on the rear axle rating or tire ratings, there are real safety issues.

I can tell you that investing in the Hensley (or ProPride) will ensure that you don't have any issues controlling the trailer. As you can tell from the design of these hitches, the 4-bar linkage they use does not allow sway to occur, every other hitch on the market is designed to dampen sway to keep it from becoming unmanageable.

We bought the Hensley in 2002 when we upgraded to our 34' (previous) trailer. We have taken some long trips and the Hensley makes the driving as easy as you could want it. Not just wind, but uneven roads, emergency maneuvers, etc.

Some here like to say that the Hensley is a "band-aid", and that a properly matched set-up, properly loaded trailer, and an HD tow vehicle are the "right" ways to ensure that you don't get sway. Those are good principles of towing theory, but I can tell you in the real world the Hensley performs as advertised and will ensure that the 150 maintains control over the trailer.

I had my tow receiver bend at a 45* angle, had a tire blowout on the trailer, and the Hensley controlled the trailer both times, to the point that I wasn't aware of the problem until I stopped.

Good luck and safe travels.

[dadmomh]

Hi and sorry about the folks who are apparently having a bad day....happens sometimes. We had a 23'HTT and had the Equalizer for that. It did a fine job, had sway bars on both sides, easy enough to set up, price was reasonable. The downside is that Equalizer is noisy as all get out, especially in the campground, and tend to get you dirty/greasy.

When we moved to a 26' TT this past May, the Blue Ox 1000 was recommended or the dealer would order another Equalizer for us if we preferred. There was a $50 difference in price, with the Blue Ox at about $550. Neither of us had heard of the Blue Ox and checked their website. They have a couple of excellent videos and DH liked what he saw. He especially liked the grease fittings. So went with that. He's been 100% happy with it. Easy to set up, easy to adjust if needed, nice and quiet, does a great job with the semis passing, clean.

We also tow with an F-150 CC, although an '03. Ours is rated for 8000# and our new TT is GVWR at 6629. So we're good. You are towing a pretty lengthy trailer. Personal opinion around here is that we wouldn't even consider leaving the driveway without a WDH/sway on both sides. Some folks would say....actually DO say....they've towed x thousand miles and never had a problem without sway bars. That's the point....you don't WANT to have a problem, so you do whatever you can to prevent it. Going from our 23' to the 26' we can feel a difference, so you will for sure. Make sure you have enough weight on your hitch...it'll help. Keep your speed down....another thread recently asked what's your towing speed and it mostly ranged from about 55 - 65. A few declared that they buzzed along at 75 "with no problems". Trailer tires are rated for speed also, so check that....likely not over 65.

Just do as much to educate yourself on a good WDH/sway and make the most informed decision you can. Know that you're pretty well maxed out for length and drive accordingly. Torque and check tire pressure before every trip and be safe. Happy Camping!

[Seattle_Lion]

wvabeer wrote:
The only thing I will add here is my 7200 GVWR 13 f150 tows 8000 lbs better and more stable than my ol 04 f350 with 11000 GVWR

How old is your F150? Could be that improved suspension, etc. on the Ford trucks is what you are experiencing. We haven't towed with the new F350 yet and I have to agree that the F150 was pretty nice as the TV, just the weight issue was troubling to me. Also, the model F150 we had ate up a lot of payload...power seats, moonroof, crew cab, etc. I am pretty sure we would have been ok if we had the extended cab and less goodies.

[wvabeer]

The only thing I will add here is my 7200 GVWR 13 f150 tows 8000 lbs better and more stable than my ol 04 f350 with 11000 GVWR

[clearnetedm]

I'm still really curious about the sticker and actual vehicle setup you spoke of. Did you get anywhere with that with your dealership? As others have mentioned you don't have the max tow or HD option but based on your comments this was something you thought you had. BTW if you posted your VIN on your truck there is a site where you can pull the actual window sticker. Seem as this truck is pretty new to you it might be cheaper to take the loss on a trade (should the dealership not pan out) to the right truck as appose to messing with upgrades that will only give you a better ride but will never legally change your limits, not to mention warranty issues.

[Seattle_Lion]

TriciaR1970 wrote:
We upgraded from a 24 foot travel trailer to a 33 foot travel trailer this summer. We are towing with a Ford F150 with Eco Boost engine. The truck is rated to tow up to 9600 and our TT is 6500 so we are good on weight. We moved our weight distributing hitch from the 24' to the 33', it is just a basic hitch with chains to distribute weight and a swaybar controller on the right side.

I am not a super experienced driver and so definitely take it easy, we started with a few short local trips this summer and the truck tows it easily but I find in windy weather or at highway speeds I feel more movement than I'm comfortable with.

I am considering upgrading to an Equil-i-zer Hitch and wondering what experience everyone has and what types of sway control you are using. They are an expense and I want to make the right choice as there are several different types.

This is the one that was recommended by a friend and what we are considering:
Equil-i-zer Hitch @ Hitchsourcehttp://www.hitchsource.com/equalizer-hitch-and-shank-12000lbs-p-27361.html

I have to chime in here. We had an F150 crew cab eco boost and a 7000 lb 27 ft trailer with the Equalizer hitch. The problem was not the towing capacity of the truck. It is the payload capacity. Our F150 had a 1200 lb payload to get to mgwr. The 7000 lb (loaded) trailer has a hitch weight of about 900 lbs. Subtract that from the capacity and you are left with 300 lbs. Subtract your weight and passengers plus gas, and stuff and you will almost certainly exceed your mgwr. I know cause we realized that after successfully towing this summer with the F150. So, while it worked for us, we felt exceeding gross weight is just unsafe. So, we bit the bullet (and it was a big bullet since the F150 was 2013 only 6 months old) and bought an F350 diesel). I'm glad we did it.

I strongly suggest you NOT tow that big trailer with the F150.

[TomG2]

Supercharging is a great way to boost horsepower, and reduce engine life. Some components of a half tonner are pretty hard to upgrade, like frames, rear axles, front suspension components, etc. I do not work for a manufacturer, but I suspect the transmission in a one ton pickup is not exactly the same as one supplied with their half ton models either. Cooling systems are probably different also. If all it took was a spring pack and a set of tires, the builders could save a lot of money building the various models.

[jerem0621]

OP, the question could also be, "Can I increase the Capability of my truck?" That answer is an absolute Yes. By that I mean, you can change tires to LT tires, add airbags/Timbrens, add better brakes etc.

But you as the end user can't change the Rated Payload capacity from the factory.

I kind of like using the old supercharger analogy. If you take a factory stock Trans Am from 1994 they had an LT1 engine factory rated at around 265 HP. Bolt on a supercharger and you increase the Horsepower substantially. But noting you will ever do will increase the factory rated HP... Go have GM run the VIN on the 94 trans am and the computer will still say 265 hp. However the real world reality is that the car is far more capable of making more hp than the factory rating.

Adding springs, shocks, bags, lower gear ratios, brakes, etc all increase the capability of the truck, but they do nothing to change the factory payload rating.

Many Many half tonners and 3/4 tonners do this and are quite successful. Some can't stand the nagging feeling that they are beyond factory capacity so they upgrade to a bigger truck.

So in the end, it comes down to you doing your homework and figuring out if you want to use the half ton as it is, add the add ons, or buy a bigger truck.

Thanks,

Jeremiah

[TriciaR1970]

So considering ways to reduce my payload to make this work and I just chatted with my husband. For our trip in June we will take the heavy wheelchair out of the truck and travel with the lightweight one in the camper instead. This takes 300-350lbs of payload off the truck.

I am also tossing the idea of bringing crates and securing them in the camper and letting the dogs ride back there as well but I don't feel right about that. I'm not sure why I used to show farm animals and they all rode in a trailer and I never thought twice about that. But the dogs are more of my family I guess.

Anyway 2 dogs out of the truck and in the camper gives me 200lbs more of payload. This would give me the 500 or so I was short on tongue weight.

Or could find someone to watch the dogs for this trip and leave them home.

And we discussed trading the vehicle in for an F250 or perhaps a full size van that can handle the cargo and the camper.

Lots to think about, thanks for forcing me into this exercise. 🙂

[TriciaR1970]

handye9 wrote:


I think some of the posters are missing your unique payload situation. The wheel chair and lift are taking a big bite out of your available payload. About thirty percent. And, it is weight that you have no choice in wether or not to load it, or, where you load it.

I have been considering options here, having the wheelchair ride inside the camper rather than inside the truck for these trips could take care of the problem as it would not change the overall GCWV but would change the cargo weight on the truck. Have been wanting to install a lift and a wider door for our rear entrance so I may look into what that would take.

Another option is we have a much lighter chair that could be used for these trips. It weighs 75lbs and could ride in the camper without any modifications at all.

But first job is to find the window sticker again and see what it says. Considering we have had this truck for almost a year I doubt that the dealer would do anything at all.

[handye9]

TriciaR1970 wrote:

TomG2 wrote:
Be aware that the Hensley (or any other hitch) is going to further reduce your payload capacity. If you can borrow or rent a F-250 other 2500 series pickup, you will be amazed at the improvement in stability.

I am aware of that and it is included in the calculations. Is there anything that can be done to increase payload? Someone mentioned stronger springs, better tires. I'm sure those are good ideas but they won't really increase payload will they? 😞

Stronger springs or better tires, may, slightly improve the ride, they won't increase payload. If, there was a way to increase payload, it would have to include an increase in GVWR.

I think some of the posters are missing your unique payload situation. The wheel chair and lift are taking a big bite out of your available payload. About thirty percent. And, it is weight that you have no choice in wether or not to load it, or, where you load it.

There are folks who say, they are towing with a similar set up, without a problem. They very well could be, but, they don't have that 4 - 500 lbs of extra cargo.

If your loaded trailer weighs 7500 lbs, you're probably looking at 8 - 900 lbs of tongue weight. That plus the wheel chair, plus the WD hitch, will eat up 13 - 1400 lbs of payload. Most, if not all of your available payload is gone, before you add the dogs, other cargo, or passengers.