Judging by the picture it looks like these aftermarket hitches are just bolt on... Is that the case? Easy install?

 

Other option is the ford factory 3" hitch. Reated at 21,000lb trailer weight and 2,100 tongue weight (both weight carrying and weight distribution).
Yes, they just bolt on. Not too difficult to take off as long as you have a strong impact wrench or a huge breaker bar.
Of course, you could weld on a solid steel hitch rated for a million pounds tongue weight and it still wouldn't change the factory tow ratings of the truck...

 

 

It is strictly a"bolt-on" type of hitch. You do need someone who can help as it is 77lbs of hitch you're hanging.

Comes with all the hardware and I used Loctite on all of the bolts and torqued to spec.

I have a long 3/4" drive torque wrench that really helped with the hardware coming off as they were factory thread locked on and 7 years old.. LOL.. Felt like I was rowing upstream..

Griz

 

There are a lot of people running overloaded period....not just on the hitch. And before anyone here thinks I'm pointing finger at anyone in particular....I'M NOT.......you know who you are! The Ford owner's manual clearly states not to go over ANY of the weight capacities....GVWR, RAWR, FAWR, GVCWR, Tire load rating......None of them!

 

You mean the GMC 1500s pulling 5vers double-towing a tag-along double-axle trailer hauling a lifted/decked out Polaris Ranger are overloaded? I'm shocked I tell you, shocked....

 

Around here I see more ecoboost Ford's doing that than any other brand.

 

But the reality is....Overloaded is Overloaded, whether it's a Ford, Chevy, Toyota, or whatever. It seems to me that there are a lot of F250 owners that are pulling overloaded.

 

Ignorance is bliss.

 

Are they overloaded, or just beyond their ratings?

I'd argue that there is a difference between the two (and have)

 

Oh, here we go again... another one of these threads...

Ignorance IS bliss. But ignorance is someone who is not aware of, or learned in the subject matter at hand. Something that can just be cured by learning the knowledge required.

When someone KNOWS the information, but willfully chooses to ignore it, well that is referred to as something else, as the term "ignorance" no longer applies.

Ignorance can be cured. The other thing cannot.

And yes, there are a BUNCH of folks running around in overloaded rigs.

 

Yep, the most abused aspect in towing these days is the 3/4 ton trucks towing the big 5th wheels. I see it everyday. Heck, just throw some air bags on it and you're good to go right? Who cares about payload capacity or GRAWR.

 

If payload capacity and GVWR weren't so arbitrary, I would care a lot more about them ......

the fact is that our 3/4 ton is exactly the same as a SWR f350. Except for the lower GVWR and air pressure on the placard it is the same.. why would I NOT use it the same?

 

Why do you think that Payload Capacity and GVWRs are arbitrary? I can't speak for your truck (2004? in your signature line), but I can say that my previous F250 (2011) and the same year F350 SRW truck were not the same. Springs of course, axle diameter and spline differences. And just because someone overloads it, based on the manufacturer's specs, and gets away with it, doesn't mean that it's not overloaded

 

I say that the GVWR on truck is arbitrary because it is. i'll give a couple of examples.

our 2004 F250 has the camper package, which gives it the exact same springs that come stock on the F350. not all F250's have the same spring package, but the ones with the camper package do. Axles, brakes, and frame all stay the same across the 250/350 line up in those years, so with our truck, the only differences is the GVWR. Our GVWR is 8800lbs, where an identical F350 would have been about 1,000 lbs higher. So because our truck is only rated to hold 8800 lbs, the rear air pressure is listed to be 70psi instead of 80psi. So, that's the real difference between a 250 and 350. 1,000 lbs of payload, and 10 psi in the tires, and that's about it.

another example:
my 2010 f150 at work had a 1700 lbs payload rating, which is pretty good for a half ton. but because it was a extended cab short box 2-wheel drive XL, it also had a GVWR of 7,050 lbs. That exact same truck in a 4-wheel drive had a GVWR of 7300 so that the payload would remain around the 1700 lbs mark. The XLT's and higher package trucks stayed at the same GVWR and payload when down. But, because they have a payload target in mind, they adjust the GVWR up and down to meet that goal. They can't rate the 4x2 XL F150 at 7300 lbs GVWR because then the payload would be north of 2,000 lbs which is squarely in the F250 payload rating target, so they de-rate the lower package truck's GVWR so that it stays in the 1/2 ton market instead of encroaching on the 3/4 market.

To make matters worse, that same 4x4 half ton truck with the Max Tow package would have a GWVR of 7700 lbs. Frame, axles, tires, wheels, transmission and engine coolers all stay the same, but the GVWR goes up so that it can handle more tongue weight from a heavier trailer. So, in my mind, there is really no reason that that 7,000 lbs GVWR couldn't realistically be 7,700 lbs and the truck couldn't carry nearly 2,400 lbs. everything that actually affects GVWR stays the same between 7,000 and 7,700.

Another example:
in 2015, ford started making the f150 with aluminum body panels to lower the dead weight of the truck. so in 2014 a max tow pickup would have a GVWR of 7700 lbs, and now in 2015+ the GVWR for a max tow is about 500 lbs less at 7200 GVWR. The payload capacity didn't go up, but rather, the GVWR went down. Again, if you added the reduction of dead weight to the payload without reducing the GVWR, the payload goes up enough that it starts approaching what the F250 is rated for. So in the 2015+ the GVWR hovers around 7,000 lbs and the payload magically stays around 1500, give or take depending on the trim level. The underpinnings of the 2015+ and 2009-2014 are identical so far as i can tell.

The GVWR is being adjusted on the F150 and F250 to meet a payload target, and it is being done on paper, not with the equipment. That is why i'm saying that it is arbitrary and why i don't get so worked up about being over the GVWR of a vehicle, at least within some semblance of reason. There are some lines i won't cross. i won't exceed tire ratings, wheel ratings, axle ratings or spring ratings. all of this is available from ford, so there is no reason not to look it up. but so long as i'm not over any of those, i really don't care much what the GVWR of the vehicle is. it is just a paper number that they have made almost completely meaningless by they way the dink around with it on the various trucks.

you can agree or disagree .... but that's where i'm at on the topic.