Greetings all.

I just bought a new PJ 18 foot car hauler trailer to haul my 78 F150 to the trails. I need to position the truck on the trailer in the right place to get enough weight on the tongue to prevent swaying, but not too far as to overload the tongue.

Some things I read say 10% of the total trailer/cargo weight should be on the tongue,while others say 15%. Which is it?

I've also been told that, even though my hitch says 5000/500 max or 10000/1000 with a weight dist. hitch, I can go up to 8000/800 if I have the right ball and solid shaft without the WD hitch. Is that true?

Bulldog (the coupler company) says that a 2" ball, class 3 hitch is good up to 5000 lbs.. Then why would they put a 2" class 3 on a 7000 lb. trailer?
Does anyone even make a 2" ball rated at 7000 lbs?

Someone please enlighten me. I want to be safe, but I don't want to spend $300 on a weight dist. hitch if I don't need it. What kind of hitch (the part that slides into the receiver) and 2" ball do I need to pull 6500 lbs safely?

The towing vehicle will handle the weight, but I'm more concerned with the hitch itself.

Thanks in advance for any information!!!

Kevin K.

 

The proper tongue weight is at least 10% and is usually less than 15%. Try to center the vehicle over the axles of the trailer if possible and this should balance the weight.

The weight carrying capacity has to do with the receiver as well as the ball and ball mount. Don't exceed what it says on your receiver. Towing anything over 5000 lbs on a weight distributing hitch will always give you a smoother ride. Not only that, with torsion bars you can transfer some of the weight to the front axle so your rear axle isn't bearing the entire tongue weight. The truck will ride level and handle much better.

Buy the weight distributing hitch.

 

Go to www.e-trailer.com or www.traileraccessorysuperstore.com and you can find 8000-10000 lb 2" *****, but they use a 1.25" dia hole on the ball mount. Fortunately both of those places sell 10000 lb solid forged 2" ball mounts with drops up to 6" with the big ball hole.

I agree with Johnsdiesel that a wt dist hitch will tow nicer, and 10-15% tongue weight is fine. I also agree: don't exceed the truck's hitch capacity. A class IV or V hitch isn't that much money (I got my Class V Magnum hitch for under $200 with 12000 lb rating without weight dist, 14000 with it).

As for the balance, I would load the truck on the trailer facing forward all the way to the front of the trailer and then back it up untill the tongue weight is where you want it (weigh the whole thing first so you know for sure what you're working with). Might want to bolt down some blocks to use as tire stops so you can get the truck on in the same spot every time if you're going to be towing it on a regular basis.

 

Thanks guys!

I don't pan to exceed the hitches capacity so a WD hitch is gonna be my next purchase. I do plan to put blocks on the deck too since this trailer is specifically for pulling my truck.

Thanks for the links to the ball stuff!

Kevin K.

 

Ok, now I have a question on WD hitches.

Most say they have like a 4" rise and a 2" drop. On the ones that have adjustable heights, can the tube part be flipped over to get the 4" drop and a 2" rise"

Kevin K.

 

Yes, you can flip the adj ball mount upside down on most hitches.