I never bothered to worry about this kind off stuff i just hooked up and went till i started reading this section and saw all the stuff about hitches.

I typically haul off a goose but recently i have been moving alot of equipment around off the hitch. I think it is a stock hitch not sure though doesnt have any markings but looks like all the other ones ive seen on trucks of similar make.

My question is how much can i pull off of it, if it is the factor hitch without any modification. I rescued a friends jeep, pulled a mini excavator a big chunk of the summer around the ranch, wood chippers, irrigation pumps, fuel trailers and i dont know what else. Basically all heavy things can i continue doing this safely or do i need to up the hitch some.

THanks i just dont want to be unsafe and put people and equipment at risk.

 

The hitch on my 2001 is only rated for 10,000lb with max 500lb hitch weight. It would be interesting to hear what others are doing.

 

Would some one break that down for me. I can pull 10,000lbs but only have 500 resting on the actual hitch?

 

There are different ratings for both weight distributing and not. Both these and the tongue weights should be listed on the hitch itself.

It's not like a GN or 5'er, where they back out some of the weights, it's a TOTAL of 10k (if that is what your rating is). And a max of whatever the tongue is.

 

The tongue weight is the weight on the hitch ball itself, and hence the hitch shank and the receiver. It's what's not being supported by the trailer axles. It makes a difference with tag-alongs because having the hitch behind the axle, instead of over it (GN), it is essentially hanging off the back of the truck, not holding down the bed, if you will.
Typically, receiver weight ratings are double if you use a Weight Distributing Hitch, which has a lever system on it that force some of the tongue weight back to the trailer axles. Typically, a WD hitch double the capacity of a given receiver. The receiver on your truck is a class III, if it is a factory receiver, rated at 10K max towing, and 500lbs max tongue weight. With WD the tongue weight goes up to 1000lbs, but the max towing weight only goes to 12K, I believe.
If you need to tow more with the receiver, get something like a Putnam Class V, which goes to 1200 lbs tongue and 16K towing, with a WD hitch. This receiver still uses a 2" hitch shank. If you go to the Reese Titan, the only other Class V I am aware of, it uses a 2.5" hitch shank, and you have to mess with an adapter sleeve to use lighter 2" hitches in it. The Putnam has better weight rating than the Titan anyway.
I stand corrected. Reese now has the "tow beast" receiver, which has a 17K tow rating, with WD hitch. Again, this is a 2.5" shank though.

If you do upgrade, make sure your hitch shank and ball carry the correct ratings for what you are towing. Just upgrading the receiver is not a silver bullet.

Chris

 

Alright that answers it my hitch is probably good enough for all the stuff i do. Thank you for dumbing it down to my level.

 

there are no dumb questions, only dumb mistakes
Clark

 

I know on the GM site there have been concerns about failure in the "stock" hitches w/ suggestions to change out to Reese or others.

The goose "carries" and the receiver "draws", so the pin dynamics are different. Rule-of-thumb transfer for receiver is around 10% of trailer & trailer cargo weight, but could increase depending on load placement and distance between truck axle and first trailer axle (longer distance = greater pin weight transfer).

 

I have broke the stock hitch. I pulled a skid loader on tilt trailer for about month and broke the reciever mount off where it's welded to the cross tube. I was not overloaded nor was I tongue heavy. total weight 9500lbs.

I cut it off and went with the putnam class 5 and it will hold 15,000 lbs.

Mike

 

Just about ALL the car hauler/equipment trailers I see are only using a standard hitch. I have yet to see one using a weight distribution hitch. A buddy hauls an 18ft equipment trailer with bobcat or tracked hoe and been in the business years only uses a standard hitch 2 inch drop. I'm not sure what his hitch weight is but it has to be more than 500lb. He tells me so long as you chain down well with ratchet boomer's you'll be ok and not get stopped.

 

I pulled a loaded cargo trailer from Ft. Worth to northern Washington state. It had a plate welded across the frame so I couldn't use my WD hitch. When I got to WA the hitch metal had literally tore about an inch and a half on both sides where the hitch mount bends 90degrees and bolts to the frame. That is the area to keep an eye on if you don't use a W/D and have heavy tongue weight.

 

Actually, a WDH uses spring bars to transfer hitch weight to the front tires of the tow vehicle, not onto the trailer axles.

 

Actually, the spring bars transfer weight to both the tow vehicle's axles.....and the trailer axle's......and removes weight from the tow hitch.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...d/14265335.cfm

http://www.etrailer.com/faq_weightdistribution.aspx

Hope that helps.


..

 

We have Class IV receivers on our trucks (at least the 3rd Gens do). Class IVs are rated at 8000lbs and 12000lbs with a weight distributing hitch...