CLASS V for TT's?

[Archive]

I was under the impression, based on a conversation w/ a Draw-tite representative, that Hitches went to Class IV...

Well???
http://www.reeseprod.com/Class%205.htm

Sure is a beefy son of a gun... but a 2. 5" rec tube could complicate matters/accessories...

Guess I'll give it a whirl on the next Cummins Powered Rig?

Just gotta love over-built stuff though...

Arrggh, Arrrgh, Arrrgh

=)

MAD Max

 

[Archive]

I have a Draw-Tite class V Ultra Frame on my truck. It's a 2" receiver that's rated to 10,000 lbs weight carrying and 12,000 lbs weight distributing. The Reese has a higher weight distributing rating but a lower weight carrying.



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-Steve St. Laurent - President of the Great Lakes TDR
'98 QC LB (CMNSPWR), 4x4, ISB, 5sp, 4. 10 LSD, TST Powermax, 275hp RV injectors, SW fuel pressure gauge, BD exhaust brake, Isspro turbo temp monitor, front Draw-Tite receiver, rear Draw-Tite class V receiver, BFG 285/75R16 AT KO's, (all the common stuff clipped)

 

[Archive]

You might try looking into a Pullrite tow hitch. There made for pulling TT's but carry a hefty price tag. Some people refer to them as upside down 5th wheels. One has a 1k tongue weight and the heavy duty has a 2k tongue weight and 20k towing cap. I have the heavy duty because my TT has the kitchen forward and has a 900lb dry tongue weight. The trailer does not pivot on the hitch ball but on an arm, that extnds to just behind the rear axel, that rides on rollers and moves 70-90 deg. to either side of the truck. You can't tell the difference between it and a 5th wheel as far as the ride concerned. You can see it @ www.pullrite.com . The only draw back is your have to find some place else for your spare tire. You can get them for a lot less than advertised on this site.

[This message has been edited by arar (edited 10-25-2000). ]

 

[Archive]

The Reese Titan Class V is a 2. 5" receiver hitch that's rated at something like 15,000 lbs weight distributed.

It's intended for use with slide-in campers, because you can add an extension bar and keep up to about 800 lbs of tongue weight.

Don't let the 2. 5" part scare you -- for $15 there's a step-down you slide in so you can use your regular hitches.

I have a new one coming for my 2001 ETH/DEE...

Rob

 

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Mad Max, I have one on my Ram (Reese Titan V)... had it powder coated gloss black to match my BLACK Sport! #ad
#ad
Woo Hoo! It doesn't get any better than that!

 

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I am running a "Putnam" Class 4 rated at 12,000/1200 weight dist. and 8,000/800 non weight dist. I had it put on right after I bought my truck in '93. It has a 2" receiver and has worked very well for about 25,000 towing miles. It is definitely heavy duty construction. When I retire in the near future I will add the "Hensley Arrow" which should virtually eliminate trailer sway. By the way the hitch was tested to Class IV specs.
Happy Trails

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1993 250 4X2 - Banks Power Pack, BD Power Injectors, K&N Air Filter, 6 gauges and tweaked
pump. 27lbs boost unloaded.

 

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arar - PullRite... WOW! You weren't kidding about "SO LONG SPARE!" huh?

Man... what degree of "re-engineering" is involved in the installation of one of those babies? I didn't see bracketry for a "Bolt-On" installation...

You're not kidding about $ either... man, some one may Ram-jack ya if they knew what one of those 90' models went for!

I've got Draw-Tite's burliest hitch on mine and I like Reese's Titan, but on my SWB the spare was moved forward a bit with the Draw-Tite and I am curious as to what kind of room would be left if I had gone with the 2. 5" Titan from Reese... seriously, I don't think I could run an extend rear differential cover presently. (w/Draw-Tite)

It never ceases to amaze me what's out there and what a "LIGHT TRUCK" can do.

Max

 

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Yeah! Pricey huh. I paid just under $1500 for the 70 degree "heavy duty" hitch but had to do it out of necessity and "safety". If your tongue weight doesn't approach 1k "wet" the standard is plenty and they run about $875 from the dealers. I ordered mine from out-of-state so I wouldn't have to pay the sales tax and the price included shipping. With a 900lb dry tongue weight, 1k springs bars (which I think is as high as they go) on a weight distributing hitch, just didn't get-it, not to mention trailer sway even w/sway bars I was all over the place. Once you remove your old hitch you only have to drill two holes for the forward mount and the rear bolts into existing mount holes, but since I bought mine they came out with brackets you just bolt on and the bolt the hitch to them. Took about an 1 1/2 hours to install. But you wouldn't believe how good they tow, you hardly know the trailer is back there, even in the wind. You'd think your were pulling a 5th wheel. There's no substitution for safety.
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98. 5 2500 QC,SB W/ camper shell, whitw w/driftwood lower 2wd,3. 54, loaded w/o leather,chrome Westin step bars, BD tc/vb w/trans temp,4" BD exhaust from turbo back, firestone airbags, heavy duty pullrite hitch, Bug sheilds, 4x4 type mud flaps front and back, Amsoil bypass & air filter.

[This message has been edited by arar (edited 10-25-2000). ]

[This message has been edited by arar (edited 10-25-2000). ]

 

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Just a thought - what tongue wt & total weigth is the frame on the truck good for? Where is the weak link in the stock configuration - frame or bolt on hitch? If its the frame then what good is a 15K rated rated hitch?

Brian

 

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Brian, total weight is the total weight of the trailer the hitch is capable of towing or designed to tow: hitch weight is the dead weight that the trailer exerts downward on the hitch or ball, since all towing does not use weight distributing hitches. Most TT's have between 400 to 1000lb tongue weights and use weight distributing hitches with spring bars that actually exert an upward force on the hitch there by distributing the tongue weight evenly across the frame of your truck instead all the weight resting solely on the ball hitch; instead of 500lbs on the rear of the truck you now only have 250lbs. I'm sure you've seen trucks pulling trailers that seem to meet in the middle about 6" off the ground. Well thats either the lack of a weight distributing hitch or the improper use of one not to mention very dangerous. I'm sure your local hitch dealer can explain it much better. When you buy a hitch you have to consider the total trailer weight and tongue weight of what you plan on pulling, and choose a hitch accordingly. I for one would go for the biggest and badest one I could find, with "safety" not money being my main concern. I like to enjoy the ride down the road with out being concerned with what's happening behind me. No more white knuckle rides for me.


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98. 5 2500 QC,SB W/ camper shell, whitw w/driftwood lower 2wd,3. 54, loaded w/o leather,chrome Westin step bars, BD tc/vb w/trans temp,4" BD exhaust from turbo back, firestone airbags, heavy duty pullrite hitch, Bug sheilds, 4x4 type mud flaps front and back, Amsoil bypass & air filter. "ON ORDER" dual pyro-boost gauge,pillar mount, PS boost mod and elbow,
VA cpc and fuel pressure gauge.

[This message has been edited by arar (edited 10-25-2000). ]

[This message has been edited by arar (edited 10-25-2000). ]

 

[Archive]

arar,
Thanks for the info but that's not really what I was looking for. I think my question was worded poorly so I'll try again. My question really arises out of all the discussions about increasing the towing capacity of our trucks by adding additional springs, stronger hitches, engine hop-ups etc.

The truck is a system and as such the sub-systems, engine, trans, axles/brakes, frame, hitch, etc, are designed to work together to meet the system specification - ie towing capacity. I believe the truck is rated for 10k weight distributing with the factory installed hitch (higher rating with 5th wheel). The actual rating doesn't matter in this discussion. What is the weak link in the system - the truck frame or the factory receiver hitch? If the frame is only rated for a 10K TT then changing to a 15K rated hitch WILL NOT increase the towing capacity of the system. If the frame is rated to 15K TT then the towing capacity might be increased to 15K with the 15K hitch if all other sub-systems are capable. This assumes that you do not exceed the other limits - GCWR etc, etc. I believe that DC 'requires' a 5th wheel or gooseneck for any trailer over 10K - not sure though. Don't get me wrong - I'm not disagreeing with using the highest rated hitch (for peace of mind) while still staying at/below the factory tongue wt & total weight ratings.

Side note - Didn't Dodge show a 2WD 3500 towing a gooseneck w/backhoe in some of its sales literature? Anyone want to bet that that set up is well over the factory tow ratings?

Brian

 

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FYI - I believie it was the owners manual that states you can tow up too 10,000# on the receiver but you will need to go with a 5ver pin or gooses ball to reach maximum capacity of 13k+. 2nd thought - It might have been sales brochure.

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4-sale or Trade
'99, 3/4, QC, SLT, 4x4, ISB, 5sp, 3. 5xlsd, tow pac, HD tcase, tow mirrors, camper pac, White over driftwood, Mist gray interior. With less than 19,500 miles.

 

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The tow limits are always stamped on the receiver and Hitch and they only apply to them not the vehicle. I believe the total weight of the trailer you can pull is 14k. There are countless stories of guys exceeding the envelope but only after making the modifications you mentioned. When ever you purchase a trailer, be it TT [meaning pull trailer}or 5th wheel, the dealer has a chart that rates the tow capacity of all makes of trucks; they wouldn't want to sell you something that you couldn't drive off the lot, but the final decision is up to you. If we drive these trucks as the DODGE BOYS expect us to, there are no weak links. They give us an upper mid-range hitch and any thing after that we have to make the adjustments according to our needs. "You always want a hitch rated higher than what you are towing". When you are towing at the limit of your hitch, its time to upgrade. I've never heard of any one dropping a hitch or breaking a blot unless it was due to poor installion, defective hitch(and you know there was a recall on factory hitches for weak welds} or improper use. In my case I was pushing the envelope on the "tongue weight" of the hitch not the vehicle or the pulling {towing} capacity of the hitch. Time to up grade.

[This message has been edited by arar (edited 10-26-2000). ]

[This message has been edited by arar (edited 10-26-2000). ]

 

[Archive]

Moving this one back up to make folks aware of a "snag" I've run into.

As mentioned above, I have the heftiest Class IV Draw-tite installed on my 2001. 5 2500 QC/SWB with 265's. (Part #: 41923 Ultra Frame Receiver)

In a recent towing exercise the spare rubbed against my rear differential cover on a good bump. ie A CLEARANCE AND SUSPENSION TRAVEL PROBLEM.

My installer has ordered the Reese Titan for me to swap in. He claims it sits under the bumper opposed to in front like the draw-tite and as such won't cause the same problem. I will let you know how this works as soon as it is done.

FYI

Max

 

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Mission Accomplished. Replacement of my Drawtite # 41923 with Reese 45010 (titan class V) has resolved my spare tire meets rear diff cover issue on my 2500 QC SHORT BED.

Special Thanks to the Guys over at Discount Hitch for their commitment to the customer.
http://www.discounthitch.com/

Mad Max