Leveling Kit + 35s pulling 5th wheel
Moderator
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 12,051
Likes: 1,549
From: Media PA
Are we all talking about the same thing here?
There is a BIG difference between a truck squatted down on the overloads due to a fivers pin weight and a truck running around with a “Carolina Squat” especially one of those loaded with an RV.
There is a BIG difference between a truck squatted down on the overloads due to a fivers pin weight and a truck running around with a “Carolina Squat” especially one of those loaded with an RV.
5th Wheeling
Joined: Feb 2025
Posts: 47
Likes: 35
Also in this group - somewhere in between those two - is the ones with the bumper pull trailer with 1,000lbs of tongue weight and no weight distribution hitch. Tongue almost dragging on the ground, headlights helping ET to phone home....
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 4,100
Likes: 1,635
And they're the ones that are the most dangerous. A fiver, by design, ALSO puts weight on the front axle because the hitch SHOULD be above or just slightly (we're talking an inch) ahead of the rear axle - meaning a leveled truck with properly aligned headlights won't be blinding oncoming traffic. Bumper pulls with no WDH and a LOT of tongue weight naturally UNLOAD the front steer axle and can cause steering issues.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 770
Likes: 186
From: Knightstown Indiana
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1,584
Likes: 1,117
Overloaded tow vehicles are a huge problem; OTOH, WDH's are not a panacea as most people think. I don't use or need a WD hitch to tow my ORV 25RDS behind my F350 DRW, 6.7, 4x4, Camper package, 176" WB truck and my typical load with trailer hooked on has within 150lbs on the front axle vs. empty weight....and more than a completely empty 7.3 truck. Truck sits level loaded with the trailer attached.
Cheers,
Dave
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1,584
Likes: 1,117
The trucks are not built with rake to improve towing. They are built with rake so that when you are loaded, they to not squat below level. Rake has nothing to do with towing ability. Overload springs are to prevent squat, which in turn keeps more weight on the front end. Any time you put weight on the rear, it takes weight off of the front. By keeping the rear up, you get more load on the front.
Dave
More Turbo
Joined: Aug 2025
Posts: 691
Likes: 384
And the truck is above level, nose down.
No problem.
Squatting with load, below level, is bad mojo.
-can effect front axle braking
-can effect steerimg
-can effect sway
-will offend everyone with your mal-adjusted headlights.
Its the mark of an amatuer. I wont ever do it again.
More Turbo
Joined: Aug 2025
Posts: 691
Likes: 384
Overloaded tow vehicles are a huge problem; OTOH, WDH's are not a panacea as most people think. I don't use or need a WD hitch to tow my ORV 25RDS behind my F350 DRW, 6.7, 4x4, Camper package, 176" WB truck and my typical load with trailer hooked on has within 150lbs on the front axle vs. empty weight....and more than a completely empty 7.3 truck. Truck sits level loaded with the trailer attached.
Cheers,
Dave
Cheers,
Dave
I know of no professionals that use a WDH. Not a single one in my entire career field. Pintle ball hitches on every truck.
Id spring a TT towing truck to sit right without a WDH. Then maybe add a WDH to reduce bounce, and sway. On flat terrain at least. Would have to disconnect the WDH stuff around here, once off the hwy.
Last edited by Midwest87; Aug 5, 2025 at 05:10 PM.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jan 2024
Posts: 846
Likes: 460
From: Up in Texas
Ever hear of live and let live?
Headlights from an overloaded or squatted truck are a lot easier on the eyes than the led lights on most vehicles.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 4,100
Likes: 1,635
I know of no professionals that use a WDH. Not a single one in my entire career field. Pintle ball hitches on every truck.
Id spring a TT towing truck to sit right without a WDH. Then maybe add a WDH to reduce bounce, and sway. On flat terrain at least. Would have to disconnect the WDH stuff around here, once off the hwy.
Id spring a TT towing truck to sit right without a WDH. Then maybe add a WDH to reduce bounce, and sway. On flat terrain at least. Would have to disconnect the WDH stuff around here, once off the hwy.
With an RV you cannot do that - the weight distribution is static, unless you're willing to tear apart the entire inside of the trailer every time you move it. And storage for things like luggage, food, and camping equipment aren't usually in the best places. So for a travel trailer, a WDH is a VERY good idea. It MAY be unnecessary but that can only really be confirmed with a trip to a CAT scale - and for most of them it's needed. Not all, no, I could likely get away without one for our trailer as it has a GVWR of like 8500 lbs and an advertised tongue weight of like 750 lbs, but I would still use a friction sway control even if I DIDN'T hook up the bars.
But to compare equipment trailers and flatbed trailers to an RV is just not possible.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 4,100
Likes: 1,635
This is completely dependent on the truck/trailer combination. Yes there are some that don't need it. There are a LOT that do, and I see them all the time on Fridays during the summer - Super Duties, HD Rams, HD GM trucks, headed north for the weekend with their 30+ foot TT behind them, truck nose-high and trailer nose-low because 'I have an HD truck I don't need a WD hitch.' Watch them hit bumps and the front axles are almost all the way unloaded. Glad I'm always headed south on that day.
Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 10,161
Likes: 1,372
From: Chaz
This is completely dependent on the truck/trailer combination. Yes there are some that don't need it. There are a LOT that do, and I see them all the time on Fridays during the summer - Super Duties, HD Rams, HD GM trucks, headed north for the weekend with their 30+ foot TT behind them, truck nose-high and trailer nose-low because 'I have an HD truck I don't need a WD hitch.' Watch them hit bumps and the front axles are almost all the way unloaded. Glad I'm always headed south on that day.
Sure. Lots of variables and if you pull a TT probably not a bad idea to get a wdh at minimum for sway control.
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 736
Likes: 225
When you hang weight 2’ behind the rear axle of a truck, the front end will raise. The Super Duties have the advantage of extra weight, plus the rear axle is full floating meant to carry weight.
I choose to use a WDH on my F350 pulling my 26’ travel trailer with 900 lbs of tongue weight. Am I required use 1 according to Ford ?? No. Does it help with the drivability of my truck ?? Definitely. And the sway control provided is another plus.
I venture to say that the front axle weight with 900 lbs on my hitch (without a WDH) and the diesel upfront is probably about the same weight as the front axle of a gasser with no trailer.
Hmmm, now that had me thinking.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post