bumper ratings
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New User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1
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bumper ratings
Hi just bought a 1995 f-150.There was no hitch on the truck.I was going to get a class 3 and when i looked at the bumper there is a sticker that says 900 lbs. tounge weight 9000 lbs tow weight.this is a step bumper and I believe factory installed.Should I believe my eyes or do i need a class three.I only tow a small boat and the occasional trailer?was this an option or the normal bumper?
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 9,555
Likes: 40
From: Concord, NC
Do you have a picture? The factory bumper was rated for 500 tongue 5000 trailer weight. You should be fine pulling a small boat off the bumper, and as long as the trailer you want to pull is too big, it should be fine off the bumper. I don't know what your bumper is, but I don't think it is factory installed (I could be wrong though).
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,006
Likes: 4
From: Sussex County, DE
There are companys like Tuffy (I have one of theirs) that make virtually identical looking bumpers made from much heavier grade steel than factory, and have beefier bracketry to go with it. I don't tow every day, but my bumper is rated to 8,500 lbs and I have pulled 7,000 behind it. I just want to get a bumper mounted reciever that can match the bumper's capacity. I would get under the truck, make sure the brackets are nice and tight, and if everything was ok, I would go ahead and tow that boat.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
it will tow your average 16 ft boat ok ,personally i never trust the bumper style hitches and would go with a frame mounted unit such as a " hidden hitch" then you have no worries. 150-300 bucks depending how heavy you need.
Junior User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: so cal
on my 87 f150 short bed reg cab the bumper i have is welded directly to the frame and has a class 2 hitch on it (i think, not entirely sure what the diff is in class...) im guessing its after market (its diamond plate) but i just wanted to know if anybody would give me a guess to what i could haul with it.
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,959
Likes: 9
From: USA
You can pull light trailers with the bumper, but it's much better to have a frame mounted reciever hitch for anything heavy. Even for something not too heavy, it's nice to have a reciever because you can adjust the hitch hieght to level the trailer. Trailers pull better when level and it is not good to pull any tandem axle trailer un-level.
