If you really want to do it right, get some plate and drill some holes or weld the plate the the vertical sections of the sides of the hitch then bolt to the vertical part of the frame then you have sheer strength for vertical loading instead of only the thread holding all the vertical weight of the hitch... I would also suggest putting a plate behind the 2" receiver tube and running it up the the crossmember of the frame behind the tank...

 

I was talking to someone at work about this and he mentioned something he used to do when he worked at a tire shop years ago. He said that when someone brought in a car with locking wheel lugs and didn't have the key, they would hammer an impact socket onto the lock nut and use an impact gun to loosen and remove the lock nut without the key. The vibration would loosen it. It only worked when there was enough meat on the lock nut sticking out to grab onto.

You definitely have enough meat on this shear bolt to hammer a socket onto it. Maybe it would work!!!!!!

 

Hope this isn't high jacking the thread, thought my ? would be best posted here instead of starting a new one.

I have an '05 Ex V10, i posted pic's about me being rearended, i went to my local ford dealer and they can no longer order the receiver. Anyone know where i can get one at? And to be honest the main thing i'm looking for is that little metal cover that the stock wiring hookups are in, (that got crushed real bad)

I've checked some of the links and either i'm hitting the wrong buttons, or they dont carry them either. Any help i'd appreciate. Now that it's warmer i've got some towing to get done.

 

If Ford can't help you out, go to a trailer place local to you and get an aftermarket unit.

If you were rear-ended, this won't even cost you a dime. Unless it was your wife who did the rear-ending!

Stewart

 

That is odd. I just bought a new receiver from Ford. Maybe he meant that he didn't have one in stock. If it is orderred, like mine was, it takes 3 days to get it. Try another dealer. Mine did not come with a new wiring harness or adapter. I'm sure it can be ordered. For that part, look in a salvage yard. You could also just get one from an auto parts store. Good luck.

 

After reading this great thread and talking w/ X_Hemi_Guy a bit, it seems that there are in fact some 2001's that have the upgraded towing capacity sticker on the receiver (and thus, I assume, have the upgraded bolts discussed in this thread above).

I wanted to bump this post back up because I'm looking at my first Ex purchase (which I need primarily for towing a very heavy TT, probably w/ a tongue wt that will approach 1000 lbs), and while there are some 7.3 2002's w/ the better hitch, they're all out of state. There's a 7.3 2001 that would be perfect, just down the road, but the dealer says "the sticker fell off" and so doesn't know if it has the higher rating or not.

So---Does anybody know if there is any way I can figure out what the hitch rating is if there's no sticker??? (visual bolt inspection or by date off the production line???).

Thanks in advance for any info you might have, and thanks also to FTE for making my first Ex purchase much, much more intelligent!

Dave

 

While I can't answer your questions I can maybe give you something to think about. My 2000 Ex has the 1000lb rated hitch. Just weighed my TT the last time out. Tongue weight was 1200 lbs. I am sure this is an average weight for me. I have been towing this TT for 3 years. I don't advise anyone to disregard the ratings of their equipment. I am just telling you my experience. I will be upgrading the bolts in the spring to the heavier ones. I believe it was X Hemi Guy who discovered that was the only apparent change besides the stickers on the hitch in 2001. If the truck your looking at is what you want except for the hitch sticker, I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor in your purchase. Good luck, John

 

Shadows4,

Wow! That's great news. The DRY weight of the TT I'm considering (don't own one yet--it's the one the wife wants) is 8300#, so I've got 1700# to go with the WD hitch till I reach the 10,000 limit; but the tongue wt listed as 960#, which is getting a little close to the rated limit. Sounds like you've got some good experience w/ your hitch supporting a heavy load indeed--good to know the older-Ex hitch can hold up so well!

The other thing I'm curious about is what it would take to get the "hitch bolt upgrade"??? I'll PM you w/ my email address...would love to know more (or, if you think it's contributes to this thread, please pass it along here!). Since I can't do this type of upgrade myself...is it something I could take to the dealer or other shop, or is this one of those things you can't get anyone else to do because of 'liability concerns?'

Thanks for the great insight and timely info! Right now, it's that hitch sticker that may be the only 'hitch' in my new Ex purchase!! (sorry, that was bad...I'll hold off on the puns in the future)

d

 

I think the tongue weight with a WD hitch is 1250 lbs.

 

Definitely for the 2002 and above; however, it appears to be a mixed bag when you start searching in the 2001 (7.3psd) year, where most seem to have a WD tongue wt of 1000 but some have the better bolts/hitch upgrade to 1250 lbs.

My trouble is, on those 2001's that have lost their sticker, is there any way to tell which hitch you have? (Doesn't matter much until you start pushing the limit with what you're towing, when an extra 25% of tongue wt can be a nice margin--rather than being right at the limit with a heavy TT.

?? Since this is at the bottom of a long thread, does anybody think it would helpful to open up a new thread with this specific question??--How do you tell which Hitch you have if it's a 2001, there's no sticker, and you kinda need to know 'cause it changes (perhaps...see Shadow4 above...) what ya buy, as in my case.

If anybody has any suggestions/ideas, please let me know.

Dave

 

I thought the upgrade was to turn the hitch into the rear pusher bar so tiny cars don't get wedged under us when they rearend us. The upgraded bolts would support that claim as they can better take a hit and transfer the force into the frame instead of the hitch folding and the car wedging under. So it was all in the name of safety, the side benefit was a slightly higher tongue weight.

 

I'm sorry I have not checked back on this thread. If you have the 1000 lb tongue weight hitch and bolts, a 19 mm socket will fit on the head of the bolt. If you have the 1250 lb tongue weight hitch, you cannot get a socket on the bolts because the gas tank support is in the way. It would be over or at about an inch socket. There is a big difference in the bolts.

 

Wow, I just tested mine and an 18mm socket fits. The hitch was installed by the crappy dealer I bought the vehicle from, so who knows what they used to attach it. Looks like I need to get some parts ordered...

Mark

 

Not sure if it was mentioned but you guys have to take into consideration the distance the actual ball on the hitch is away from the receiver. The further away from the receiver the actual ball is the more leverage weight and strain is applied to the hitch.

 

Not exactly the same question, but what aftermarket hitch has anybody tried to fit? I want to replace mine due to the amount of rust (live in wisconsin) but dont just want a factory unit. I like the curt mnfg. but they don't have one listed for the excursion. Will a f250/350 fit? They have a class IV and a class V on their site, the class IV has 1000lb tongue weight, and 1200 with WD hitch. I don't tow much, but want a better looking hitch. The curt hitch doesn't leave the tube ends open, so no moisture in the tube, and has a great quality powder coat. They are based near me, and my boss has had two different cars with custom first run hitches from them.