2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission towing capacity from oem rear hitch

[dillrepair]

my vehicle: (2002 2500 sencond gen, nv5600, 8800gvwr) has the factory hitch under the bumber that says max trailer wt 10000 with load distributing bars...

what i need to tow once for 300 miles slowly: a 34 foot sailboat on a custom trailer with triple mobile home axles (2 have electric brakes)... the boat's displacement is 9500 lbs so i'm assuming that to be its dry weight. the trailer is surely almost 2000 lbs as the frame is made of big steel I beams. the hitch is standard with the weight distributing stuff welded on the beams...

Can i tow this much on the factory rear hitch? is it even reasonable to expect it to not break my truck? the tentative plan is to license and inspect the trailer (which has never been used on highway), rebuild all hubs and bearings and electric brakes if needed, and then tow at 40-50mph max at night on the freeway all the way from milwaukee (lake michigan) to lake superior.

I priced out hauling service and its not even close to being affordable even after all that screwing around.



people at boat yard think "its totally fine and we will just help you move the boat back a little in the cradle to get correct tongue wt" but these people also tend to hack things together so...

 

[JR]

I will probably be shunned for saying this, but I have towed more than that with my 98. 5 A handful of times... .

The big thing as you hit on is tongue weight but at approximately 11,000 lbs you shouldn't have any concerns as long as the trailer is properly matched for the boat. Of course this is assuming your hitch is still structurally sound. Get under neath it and look it over well for corrosion, cracks at the welds, condition of bolts, etc. Check the condition of your tires and make sure they are all aired up properly, give the trailer a good once over, make sure your w/d hitch is set up properly, and take your time.

If for any reason you feel your hitch is inadequate, a new one is cheap insurance. A class V will net you a 12k lb rating (14k with a w/d hitch set up) and can generally be had for less than $350. Then you know you will be fine, as the truck will be able to handle it no problem.

 

[dillrepair]

the frame and hitch are in good shape... this truck has little rust and i need to coat the underbody with some oil or something to keep it that way. the trailer itself was actually custom built for the boat, over 15 years ago, to be used mostly as a cradle but also over the road if needed (we have never needed to until now) , the frame is good but i think the upright cradle supports probably need a little more forward/back and lateral cross bracing, but i remember him saying he built it to flex so long ago. the permitting and oversize issues are a whole other thing, i almost certainly will go pretty slow and try to drive at times where its dead on the road with someone following. probably will take 12 hours to do what normally takes 6

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I towed a load of hay on a flatbed with my '96 once, bumper pull without distribution bars. Hay and trailer was just shy of 12,000 lbs. Tongue did sag more than I'd have liked but it made the 300 mile trip fine. Kept it around 60-65 using 4th gear. The load was a bit of a handful and pushing the limits of a stock SRW but not to the point of being dangerous.

 

[Road Dog]

The whole "with weight distributing bars" is just dumb on my 1T. I'm not even to the overloads at that point. Boat trailers are balanced differently and even 11K should be easy for a 3/4T as long as you're not in a hurry.

 

[JR]

The whole point of using a w/d is to alleviate some of the stresses from the hitch and put some weight back on the front axle of the truck and on the trailer. Regardless of your rear axles capacity a w/d system will give you an increased safety margin and improve the handling.

 

[AH64ID]

You should be fine for a short trip. The 3 axles will reduce tongue weight.

When was the displacement measured? Or is it a guess? It could be heavier or lighter depending on what's in the boat.

The whole "with weight distributing bars" is just dumb on my 1T. I'm not even to the overloads at that point. Boat trailers are balanced differently and even 11K should be easy for a 3/4T as long as you're not in a hurry.

W/D isn't just for the rear axle weight, it's also for the frame and stress associated while driving on uneven surfaces. My rear axle moves maybe 1/2" from unhooked to hooked up, but the whole truck drives much better when hooked up. They are worth it, and I'm not speaking sway.

 

[RustyJC]

The whole "with weight distributing bars" is just dumb on my 1T.

The purpose of weight distribution isn't just preventing rear end sag. Rather, it alleviates stresses on the hitch receiver. That's why the receiver is rated 500/5000 lbs load bearing and 1000/10000 lbs with weight distribution. Towing 11K without weight distribution imposes 220% of the rated stresses onto the receiver.



Rusty

 

[Road Dog]

The single point of contact between the truck and trailer is the receiver and all the forces go through it. It doesn't matter if there's distribution or not. Adding bars does add a spring which does help with damping and does transfer some of the load to the front axle and trailer axle. It also reduces a twisting force on the receiver. It does nothing for side to side or forward-back forces.

I was looking for a simple diagram and explanation but all I found was this long discussion about weight distributing hitches.

 

[RustyJC]

Adding bars does add a spring which ... . does transfer some of the load to the front axle and trailer axle. It also reduces a twisting force on the receiver.

Precisely. It reduces the forces and torques transmitted to/through the receiver; thus, the difference in load bearing and weight distributed ratings for the receiver.



Rusty

 

[dillrepair]

the displacement figure of 9500 lbs is the stock spec the old owners manual lists. i was trying to figure out if thats max capacity when fully loaded with fuel and water or what, and i really didn't have any luck researching it. the water tank is empty and the fuel tank is 1/3 full (35 gallons when full). so i'm assuming its 9500 or less. the mast is huge but it doesn't weigh that much because its aluminum, thats in a special spot on the side of the trailer made for it.

i'll be likely to use the W/D equipment that's built into the trailer. if for nothing more than my recollection that it kept the trailer from slamming so hard into the back of the truck during braking even with the electric brakes. but its good to know i don't really need to worry about hurting my truck if i'm just moving it around the boatyard slowly.

 

[AH64ID]

It does nothing for side to side or forward-back forces.

But those forces are not the ones that do damage. Think about how many bolts hold a receiver to a frame, but only a 5/8" pin is needed to keep the forword-aft in place.

 

[GAmes]

I think the key many are missing, or haven't addressed is the tongue wt. Without W/D the receiver is only rated for 500 pounds, which I'm sure the trailer exceeds. I once was assigned a loaded enclosed cargo trailer that had the triangle of the frame covered with steel so I couldn't use my W/D bars & snap-ups. When I arrived at the destination the metal of the brackets that bolt the receiver to the frame had literally tore for about two inches on both sides. I upgraded to a 2" receiver rated at 15,000/1500 w/ WD and 7500/750 wo/ WD.



As for "Class V" receivers, there isn't an industry standard so the term is virtually meaningless. One manufacturer will call his hitch a Class V when it has a lower capacity of another's Class IV. Upgrading yours is an inexpensive solution for what you need.

 

[Road Dog]

As an aside, there's only one Mopar hitch listed for all 2nd gen trucks. So the hitch on my 1T is the same as the one on my previous 1/2T. Kind of weak.

Yes, the front end will unload a little. It's less on my 1T because of the longer wheelbase. It's simple levers using the rear axle as a pivot. On mine the rear axle to hitch is 50" and wheelbase is 155. Roughly 1:3 so a 1,000 lb hitch weight unloads the front 333 lb. The (empty) front/rear is around 4,500/3,000 and taking 300 off the front doesn't feel any different to me. It does change the weight to 4,200/4,300 (with the trailer).

 

[budnate]

Not to belabor this anymore you guys are on track for real towing, only thing to add is the ball itself is often overlooked, a real ball is not on the shelf at pep boys.


peace, B.

 

[JR]

SAE J684 provides detailed hitch classification up to Class V. They don't recognize Class V at the moment, I would guess because only fairly recently have pick up trucks had that much towing capacity with a tag along. So technically no, there isn't a legitimate Class V rating. BUT if a Class IV does not suit your needs, theres only one option left.

 

[Crowhurst]

The single point of contact between the truck and trailer is the receiver and all the forces go through it. It doesn't matter if there's distribution or not... . I was looking for a simple diagram and explanation but all I found was this long discussion about weight distributing hitches.

Eight years ago I posted a simplified mathematical analysis which explained why load distribution halves the load on the hitch. It's at post #29, here:



http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464/load-distribution-hitches-an-analysis-19236.html



Nick.

 

[JR]

Eight years ago I posted a simplified mathematical analysis which explained why load distribution halves the load on the hitch. It's at post #29, here:



http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464/load-distribution-hitches-an-analysis-19236.html



Nick.

You is more smarter than I are.