Weight Distributing hitch

[Crewdog]

I've read the discusssion on the tow vehicle suitability thread, but i'd like to ask the question anyway.

We just got a diesel F250 w/tow pkg, and as I was talking with the hitch shop to get the correct trailer ball and ball mount, the hitch installer pointed this out to me:

Now the specs say an R-27 weighs 6200 dry, 100 gal diesel @7.2 lbs/gal = 720 lbs, 30 gal water @ 8.3 lbs/gal = 249 lbs, trailer weighs 1250 lbs, ancillary items allow 500 lbs (likely more) and it totals 8919 lbs.

I'm going ahead and having a beefy class V hitch installed which will up weight carrying to 15k (don't plan on using that capacity).

I'm not planning on using a weight distributing hitch, and i have not seen one in any pictures of Tugs being trailered. Again i've read the reasons a WD hitch would be useful.

Is this a "must have" or is it an item of personal preference, or does it depend on trailering conditions, say across the Great Plains with a mean crosswind and thru the mountains from GA to WA?

We're planning on picking up our R-27 on the 16th and then trailering from Apalachicola to Atlanta.

Any advice or comments would be appreciated.

 

[bluebayou]

Hello, Crewdog,
In 2008, when I purchased a stock F-350 on the lot, to pull my R 25, I ran into the exact same problem.
Ford Motor Co builds a beefy "Heavy Duty" pickup capable of pulling 13,000 lbs, engine and transmission,
and then they ship them out from Detroit with puny towing frames only capable of pulling, in my case---
7500 lbs, in your case----evidently 6000 lbs.
So, you're right on, the next step is to purchase an after-market towing frame capable of pulling your
R-27 and then some. You always want to have a safety factor, or a capability quite a bit beyond your
minimums. In the case of the R-27, by the time you add the weight of the trailer itself, plusl all the
liquids you will variously have in the boat, like fuel, water, waste, plus all your personal belongings,
and the kitchen stuff, plus a case of wine-----you get the picture. You could well be towing 12,000 lbs
instead of the 6000 which is the current limit on your F-250's tow frame, as pictured in your post above.
As far as the weight distributing hitch, I explored that option and became convinced it was too much
overkill for managing the boat and trailer. What a lot of gadgetry!! I once had a WD Hitch to pull a big
Airstream trailer. What a job, messing with those bars and chains. A simple, beefy ball and hitch
will do the job just fine, and I used that. I pulled my boat over 28,000 miles and never had a problem
with the towing set-up, in any conditions, even up and down the Rockies on two lane highways. Charles

 

[Dale777]

Crewdog,

I agree that you are doing the safe thing by installing a beefier Class V hitch; smart move! My 2011 Silverado 2500HD diesel 4x4 came from the factory with a Class V hitch rated at 13,000 lbs weight carrying. Based on my most recent weighing at a truck scale, this beefy hitch is required. See this spreadsheet of my weights (click image for a larger size):



As you can see, my partially loaded R27 weighs 9,276 lbs - over 3,000 lbs more than the stated factory dry weight with no options. So, I suggest that anyone that uses the factory weight only to determine towing capacity, should seriously reconsider, doing so based on actual weighing. So, my total weight that I am trailering is 10,550 lbs, far beyond the capacity of your original weight carrying hitch. I do not use or need to use a weight distributing hitch. In towing over 5,000 miles in less than a year - from Florida to Texas, then to Wisconsin, back to Texas, to Florida and back to Texas - I have not noticed any issues with braking, swaying or unsteadiness with trailering.

 

[Crewdog]

Hi:

Thanks for the replies!

I feel a lot better about our setup now.

And we'll weigh the boat/trailer on the trip home to verify.

Bill

 

[knotflying]

Make sure you have the correct ball size for your hitch. If your are getting a Float On trailer the ball required on mine was a 2-1/4 ". You don't want to get there and have to start looking for a replacement ball. So check with your dealer to verify the size. You may also want to make sure, if you have electric over hydrolic for the brakes, to confirm that the wiring on the brakes for the trailer is set up for your particular model vehicle. There are some minor changes that may have to be made to coordinate it with your particular controller that comes with the vehicle.
I found towing my R-27 to be a piece of cake, so enjoy.

 

[captain's cat]

Interesting discussion! Never seen a 2 1/4" ball tho. 2" and 2 5/16" yes. My big trailers (including the aluminum Float-On) use the 2 5/16" one.

Charlie

 

[RProffer]

When I went to get my boat, the draw bar was too low (2" drop). The guys from Chesapeake Ranger Tugs had to reverse the draw bar to level the trailer. What a job. The 2" balls are really torqued on. You should ensure your draw bar has the appropriate drop/rise for the trailer. It can vary depending upon the configuration of your truck.

I have since replaced the draw bar with a Step-N-Tow http://www.stepntow.com/. It is the only rear step I have seen that allows you to step into the tail gate/bed of your truck with the tail gate down. Really neat. The Step-N-Tow can be installed with either a 2" drop or 2" rise.

 

[Crewdog]

I've got a Reese 1 1/2 inch hitch ball wrench from our last truck, and I think it's plenty long to loosen the ball. But sitting on the ground and pushing with both legs can get some extra force on it.

Truck is getting a Class V hitch installed Monday, and the professional trailer/hitch shop i'm using will help select the appropriate rise or drop of ball mount.

I know that there are fans of GMC, Dodge, Chevy, but one of the things that attracted us to the Ford F250 was the optional built-in tailgate step:

http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty/features/#page=Feature23

The folding grab bar makes it easy to step in and out.

Thanks to all for the input and we look forward to asking more questions as we start cruising.

Bill

 

[RProffer]

I like that step. I had not seen it before. Enjoy!

 

[JamesTXSD]

When I went to get my boat, the draw bar was too low (2" drop). The guys from Chesapeake Ranger Tugs had to reverse the draw bar to level the trailer. What a job. The 2" balls are really torqued on. You should ensure your draw bar has the appropriate drop/rise for the trailer. It can vary depending upon the configuration of your truck.

I have since replaced the draw bar with a Step-N-Tow http://www.stepntow.com/. It is the only rear step I have seen that allows you to step into the tail gate/bed of your truck with the tail gate down. Really neat. The Step-N-Tow can be installed with either a 2" drop or 2" rise.

Great for the 21, won't work with the bigger boats, since it has a 6,000 pound limit. Looks like a convenient solution to climbing up into the bed.

 

[mspaugy]

There are some very nice aluminum fold down ladders that can be bolted onto older tailgates that do not come with one from the factory. Just do a search for tailgate ladders or steps on Amazon

 

[SUWANNEE]

My Silverado did not come with a tailgate ladder.
We have a small ladder that slides into the bed of the truck and slides right out and bang we're into the bed.

And crew dog you will find out that you may want to get one cause your tailgate ladder won't get you up into your boat.
I use it constantly when the boat is in the parking lot coming or going. I do not like climbing in and out of the boat on the swim ladder and the Admiral won't.
See you in the water somewhere maybe Apalach

 

[JamesTXSD]

To get back OT regarding the weight distributing hitch: we pulled a toy hauler for a while and the dealer priced it with the weight distributing hitch. Frankly, it made a real difference. If it's less wear and tear on your vehicle, safer (due to less chance of sway), and better wear on the trailer tires (all things we noticed with the toy hauler), I don't see a down side... other than an extra couple of minutes during hookup. And that's all it really was: a couple of minutes at most.

Our truck is designed to carry the weight of our trailer tongue on the hitch, but I think I will put a WDH on the boat trailer when we get home from this current trip.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[GulfSailor]

I've read the discusssion on the tow vehicle suitability thread, but i'd like to ask the question anyway.

We just got a diesel F250 w/tow pkg, and as I was talking with the hitch shop to get the correct trailer ball and ball mount, the hitch installer pointed this out to me:

Now the specs say an R-27 weighs 6200 dry, 100 gal diesel @7.2 lbs/gal = 720 lbs, 30 gal water @ 8.3 lbs/gal = 249 lbs, trailer weighs 1250 lbs, ancillary items allow 500 lbs (likely more) and it totals 8919 lbs.

I'm going ahead and having a beefy class V hitch installed which will up weight carrying to 15k (don't plan on using that capacity).

I'm not planning on using a weight distributing hitch, and i have not seen one in any pictures of Tugs being trailered. Again i've read the reasons a WD hitch would be useful.

Is this a "must have" or is it an item of personal preference, or does it depend on trailering conditions, say across the Great Plains with a mean crosswind and thru the mountains from GA to WA?

We're planning on picking up our R-27 on the 16th and then trailering from Apalachicola to Atlanta.

Any advice or comments would be appreciated.

As you say, you've read about the purpose of a WD hitch so I won't reiterate the details.

Is it a 'must have'? Well that depends on your vehicle and hitch. As you can see from the picture, if you want to tow over 6K lbs with that receiver on that vehicle, then yes it is; in fact it's a requirement, not a choice, both to be safe and to be legal.

To touch on another point you mentioned, crosswinds. The construction of a WD hitch, unless fitted with a friction damper, will do little on its own to control sway. That's more a function of trailer loading and nose weight.
However, by transferring a portion of the load forward to the truck's frame, taking weight off the receiver and sending it forward to the front axle, that in itself will reduce the tendency for the trailer to sway.

 

[Crewdog]

I'm keeping a 5 ft step ladder from the old boat, and yes, even though we used the built in swim step ladder on the R-27 at the factory tour, It'll be a lot easier.

I appreciate the words on WD hitches and sway, and even tho we're putting on a 15k lb receiver today, i'll see how the trip home does and we can always add a WD hitch later.

Don't want to sound like a Ford commercial, but I'm thinking this is another nice feature:

http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty/features/#page=Feature16

Wondering if anyone has any experience with built-in electronic sway control, or is that some marketing hooey?

Suwannee, I tried to PM, but it's not going thru; hope to see y'all in Florida some time.

Bill
AART
(Anxiously Awaiting Ranger Tug)

 

[Levitation]

Jim, I have had WD hitches on the past - pulling a 24' RV with an El Camino (yeah, I was young and dumb)...
Anyway -
They do help transfer weight to the front axle to make up for a tow vehicle that is overloaded on the rear suspension...
They can have stabilizers added to them which do help stabilize the swaying on vehicles that do not have adequate suspension for the load, but :: (and it is a big but)
They groan and rumble - not so much at first, but as the steel pieces grind into each other they develop ripples and rough surfaces...
They require attention
Making a turn through a dip or hole will result in a whole lot of snapping, screeching, crunching noises to get your attention...
The hang down below the tongue and a steep ramp might have you hung up on the lip, like the President-Mobile recently...
Likely, there will be times you will have to remove the bars to use the ramp - but you still have the hangers sticking down...

As you can tell, I am not a fan of the WDH/Sway-Bar - moving up to an adequate tow vehicle is a better solution (which you already have)...
I am towing more weight than you and I have considerably more sail area up high with the pilot house, and I have not perceived a need to make any changes to the hitch system...

Here is a pretty good overview of the topic:
http://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx

cheers

 

[Levitation]

Bill, My understanding is the sway control is differential braking of the rear wheels... I assume it works but I still prefer a tow vehicle with adequate suspension/tires to control the load ... Where differential braking will not help is on a descending grade with a rolling or uneven road surface where the trailer is pushing the rear of your truck sideways... Your only solution there is to make the descent slow enough to be stable and to put in ear plugs for the car horns behind you...

 

[GulfSailor]

Don't want to sound like a Ford commercial, but I'm thinking this is another nice feature:

http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty/features/#page=Feature16

Wondering if anyone has any experience with built-in electronic sway control, or is that some marketing hooey?



Bill
AART
(Anxiously Awaiting Ranger Tug)

We have it on our 2012 but it's never had to kick in (as far as I know); and we've not experienced any sway issues in the limited (three thousand) towing miles we've done with our C28.

I can tell you that the Ford Brake Controller pairs up perfectly with the electric over hydraulic trailer brakes that are on our EZ-Loader trailer.
I was quite nervous when we set off from the dealer to bring the boat home, (it's a lot of boat to see in the mirrors), but after just ten minutes or so I was quite relaxed and able to concentrate on the driving and not worry about whether we could stop or not.
We did actually have a couple of occassions to make emergency stops on that trip, once when someone pulled out of a side turning right in front of us, and again when someone changed lanes then slammed on their brakes for some reason.
To say I was amazed at how controlled the stop was in each case would be an understatement.

One thing to be aware of with your 15K lb receiver hitch, is that while it will certainly be able to carry the weight of your new Tug and be able to handle the tongue weight too, that tongue weight when the hitch is being used in its weight carrying mode will be pushing down on the rear of the truck and trying to lift the front.

I would recommend that once you get the boat home and have a chance to get it fully loaded with all your gear plus fuel and water, that you take it to one of the many CAT scales that the commercial truckers use and weigh the whole rig.
You'll get a printout showing the load on each axle, (front, rear, and trailer), and if you back up until the trailer wheels are off the scale then disconnect the trailer and move the truck forward, you'll get the trailer tongue weight.

You can then look in your truck's handbook and see how that all compares to the specifications.

 

[Levitation]

Most places that sell RV/trailers and install hitches will have a tongue scale for weighing the tongue - you are shooting for roughly 10% of total weight i.e. a 1000 pounds will have you in the ball park...
Towing weight of various tugs have been posted on here in several threads...
You will want a Class V hitch setup, if your vehicle did not come with one...
Other than that it is so simple even a cave man can do it...

 

[journey on]

Just a word of caution on using a weight distribution hitch on a Ford F250.

First we've just returned from a 5000 mi trip towing Journey On, a C-Dory, weighing ~9000 #, including trailer, hitch weight of 750 #, with about 500 # in the truck bed. So the weights are in the ball park of a Tug. And with no equalizer hitch and no problems. Though with electric/hydraulic brakes, thank God

I have read that tag on the hitch and installed an equalizer hitch. Going up a wet hill I lost traction because the trailer weight was the same, but the hitch had transferred weight from the rear driving wheels to the front. and that's what an equalizer hitch is supposed to do. Removed the equalizer bars and went on my way with no problems.

So what was the problem? First, lets look at what an equalizer hitch does. Those bars are a big spring which puts a torque into the hitch around the ball. This torque transfers weight from the rear wheels to the front wheels. This reduced the hitch weight on the rear axle just as advertised, which also reduces the driving force the rear wheels can put out, due to reduced friction force. At some point the rear wheels will just spin and I've proved that on a steep uphill that's wet. If you have a 4X4, it's all even, but I don't.

The Ford F250 has the stiffest spring on any truck I've ever owned, and a tongue weight of 750 # is well within its capacity and gives good traction. You can upgrade to a heavier hitch, but adding equalizer bars will always reduce traction on the rear wheels. In addition, those bars are springs, not dampers. Springs store/return energy, dampers remove energy. So I'm not sure how those bars add to stability. In fact on a F250, by reducing the rear wheel weight and thus the traction, they may reduce stability. For the house trailer, I've added a friction damper, which works well. I don't need it on the boat trailer.

Just a few thoughts of which to be aware.

Boris