Hitch ratings
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2003
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Hitch ratings
Please forgive me if this has been covered, I'm not getting along with the search engine 
What determines the weight rating of a class 3, 4 or 5 hitch? Is it the receiver itself, the ball mount, or a combination of the two? My ball mount has stamped into it: 600lb tongue weight and 6000lb tow capacity. My dad's has 500lb tongue and 5000lb tow but the recievers look identical, 3 bolts per side attaching to the frame, same physical dimensions just a different brand name.
Thanks for any info
John
What determines the weight rating of a class 3, 4 or 5 hitch? Is it the receiver itself, the ball mount, or a combination of the two? My ball mount has stamped into it: 600lb tongue weight and 6000lb tow capacity. My dad's has 500lb tongue and 5000lb tow but the recievers look identical, 3 bolts per side attaching to the frame, same physical dimensions just a different brand name.
Thanks for any info
John
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: nevada
yikes
Going by what my hitch info says, it is a combo of both. I guess you could weld a class 5 hitch on a Yugo, but then what happens? A buddy of mine just had a friend stop by his garage the other day, and dropped two pc's of a 2" receiver on the floor. It had snapped in two right at the bend by the ball mount. Not even on the weld, it was the metal itself. He was starting to pull a trailer that had a big rock wedged in between the two tires on a dual axle trailer. Put a big truck with a big trailer that is "stuck" and gas it, something will give somewhere.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,782
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From: Huntington Indiana
the receiver hitch, even though they might have the same physical dimensions, the grade of steel and thickness of the steel will make a lot of difference in the class of tow receiver.
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: USA
Keep in mind too that the max rating of the whole hitch system is only as high as it's weakest link. Putting a 15,000 lb Class 5 hitch on the truck and then using a ball rated for 6,000 lbs means the max rating is... 6,000 lbs, but you already knew that 
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Chris89lx
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