I got a 96 f 150 302 auto 355. I am planning on towing my car with it and am wondering about a hitch that evens the weight more through the truck( weight distribution hitch???). I am sorry for not knowing what they are called so this is why I cant do a search on here for it...LOL... I guess I am wondering what the main advantage of this type of hitch is over just a ball. What modifications would I have to make to my truck and car trailer to make it work and is it worth the effort.... I realize my truck may be a bit small for towing this but it is all I got for now, I have trailer brakes on both axles that will help stop it...

Thanks all info appreciated...

 

Does your trailer have surge or electric brakes? If surge, not all WD hitches work well with this type of system............something to keep in mind. How heavy is the car and trailer?

Steve

 

Electric brakes on both axles.... It would weigh about 5200 lbs...

 

Fair 96, you have the name right: weight distributing hitch. It doesn't require any modification to the truck as long as you have a 2" frame mounted receiver hitch on the truck now that is rated for the weight you intend to tow.

If the trailer has an a-frame tongue and standard ball coupler, you're all set for the weight distributing system. It comes with brackets that bolt onto the trailer frame. The rest of it slides into the 2" hitch opening on the truck. It consists of a hitch bar (that goes into the receiver hitch), a hitch head/ballmount (bolts onto hitch bar and is height adjustable), the ball, 2 spring bars (that slide into 2 receptacles on the bottom of the hitch head), spring bar mounts/clamps (go on trailer frame), and a pair of chains (that connect the spring bars to the trailer frame). Most systems also include a second, smaller hitch ball on an arm beside the regular ball that is used for a sway control unit that goes between the hitch and the trailer frame. The sway control looks like a shock absorber and helps avoid 'fishtailing' on the road.

You can see pics of complete weight dist hitch systems at www.reeseprod.com, the Reese hitch manufacturer website, along with a description of how the hitch systems work. You can price them at www.etrailer.com, which has pretty good prices.

 

A weight distributing hitch will really help and is very simple to install and does not require any changes to the truck other than a good standard box reciever. The trailer will usually need some parts bolted on, but easy to do. I would also highly recommend a trailer anti sway bar, a ten minute bolt on with usually 4 holes drilled in the A frame.

Your truck may be at the limit of it's rated capacity. Back in the mid 90s most magazines recommended the F150 with V8 etc as maxing out around 5,000#, some 150s are rated much less.

Check your manual for GCWR(Gross Combined Weight Rating, ie the total of the truck and trailer plus car) and GAWR(Gross Axle Weight Rating front and rear, how much load is over each axle) and GVWR(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, how much your truck alone can weigh). If you exceed any of these, technically you could be ticketed or held responsible for any accidents. Plus driving a truck over limit is not as relaxed as a proper rig. But ya got what ya got.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

My manual says GCWR 11,500 and the trailer weight range 0-7000... This is why I went with electric brakes on both axles and am lookin at a WD hitch. I will need all the help I can get... I really appreciate all the info.... Thanks

 

With 5200#, your tongue weight should be 520-780# (10-15%), so a WD hitch is probably a good idea. If you have hitch shops in your area, see what they recommend for a quality hitch.

How far and how often are you gonna be towing your car? Lots of hills on the way?

Steve

 

Probably twice a year and not far maybe 150 miles. But this year there is a show in Tenn. and we are thinking of going. That is pretty far and hilly. We are in Illinois ... I will just take it slow and eventually get there..LOL.. By the way should I tow with overdrive off??

 

I would definitely recommend using a Weight Distributing Hitch for that load. I also concur with Jim with using a sway control bar as well. One bar will be sufficient for that load.

The mods for putting on the Weight Distributing and Sway Control aren't all that bad. Stick with a good brand and make sure the ball is rated to handle the weight. Be sure to get the tongue height set nice and straight (trailer and truck are both as level as possible). A nice level tongue will make your experience a lot better.

It is good that you've got the trailer with both axles braked. Be sure to set your controller levels, although I suppose if you've got the controller and stuff you know the deal on that.

 

I would not use the OD when towing, you can burn it up. I believe that's why the newer trucks have the option to disengage OD. We always turned the OD off when towing with my sister's 01 F-250 with a V10/AT. If your hauling an empty trailer, it might not matter that much, but turn it off when you get it loaded.

 

You can knock out both requirements at once by getting the Reese Dual-Cam Weight Distributing hitch. I use it and it's great. A whole different level of capability above a friction-anti-sway device.

 

I just got back from picking up my trailer. I went 300 miles empty and did not really know it was there. I am sure it will be much harder to pull the car. I got the weight of trailer and car it weighs in at a little over 4500 lbs. Thats a little lighter than I first thought. I will probably look at gettingthe Reese Duel cam set up anyway....


Thanks everyone.