Hello Guys. I have an 04 superduty F-250 sc 6.0 powerstroke. I just bought a 8x14 enclosed dual axle trailer. I have the factory installed tow package, I Installed the break controller and it works great. I bought the heavy duty receiver, Pintle ball type. It has like a 2,000 tongue capacity and a trailer capacity of 11,000lbs. My trailer is only rated at 7,000lbs. I seen on the truck hitch that max tongue was only 600lbs. I have quads in the trailer. It seems that the 600lbs on the truck hitch is kinda low????? Can it hold more? I dont know what the tongue weight is on the trailer loaded w/ two atv's. Not sure if I should be concerned or not??? I will be puting cargo boxes up in the front of the trailer and I have a diamond plate box on the tongue out front, I dont want to worry about this 600 lb thing. Thanks..

 

If the tongue weight rating is #600, that likely means the towing weight capacity of the hitch receiver is #6,000 with a non-weight distributing hitch. With the trailer maxed out at #7,000 gross weight, you should have 10%, or #700 in tongue weight. The standard formula for weight distribution is to have 10% of the trailer's gross weight as tongue weight.

 

Thank you for the Reply. Is the set up I have ok for this trailer? If I was to put more then 600 on the tongue, would it be ok? Not sure what I have on it now. I bought the truck new in 04 and it came w/ the factory tow package etc. If I was to get a bigger trailer, would I have to change the factory set up? Is this set up ok for my 7000lb trailer now? I most likely will never have the trailer maxed out, but if I was to exceed the 600lb tongue, I dont want that to be a problem. Thanks again.

 

Are we talking bumper hitch or platform hitch?

 

Not bumper, its mounted under the truck, bolted to the frame. It came from ford this way. It has the Tow package. 7 Pin(Round) and the skinny 4 pin(flat) Jacks mounted next to the Hitch.

 

Look on the frame mounted receiver itself... there should be a decal telling you what class the receiver is. Either Class III or Class IV. It should also tell you max loading and max tongue weight. I think Class III is 500/5000 lbs, possibly 600/6000.

What does it say, and is the receiver a Reese?

If you went with a weight distributing hitch assembly (it has extra arms that go from the hitch to the a-frame of your trailer) you can safely tow up to 10,000 lbs. The weight distributing hitch assembly leverages some of the weight of the trailer onto the frame and front wheels of the truck. This can help with some of the heavier tongue weights. However, you might have to give up the pintle/ball arrangement to use a W.D. hitch.

If you want to be guaranteed, you might want to upgrade to a Class V hitch. That'll give you room to spare. Probably a $3-400 upgrade.

2Gordons

 

The Ford reciever for the Super Duty is a class 4 (IV) and is rated to 1200pounds on the tongue and 12,500pound towing. I think these numbers are with a weight distribution system, but I have dragged that weight for 1000km without a hickup and no WDS but I have a F350. The towing capacity is only as high as the weakest link. Even if the pintle is 2000 pounds and the draw bar it mounts onto is only rated at 1000pounds, the 1000pounds is the limiting factor. The bumper hitch has a 500/5000 rating. You might have a Class 3 (III) drawbar which may have the 600/6000 rating.

 

Like Beta said, if it's the factory hitch on there, you have a lot more capacity than 600 lbs tongue weight. The draw bar itself may only be rated for the 600 lbs, but your hitch itself is much higher than that.

 

The decal says Ford. Max tongue 600lbs, max trailer 6000lbs. WD is 1200 tongue and 12000 trailer. There is no class # and no name like drawtight or reese. It also says V5, not sure what V5 is???? I was speeking to a friend who has an 03 dually F-350. His factory ford hitch says tongue 500 and max trailer 5,000lbs????? He pulls very heavy w/ pintle and said I would not have a problem and could put much more then 600lbs on the tongue, he has put much more then 600 on his and never a problem, he also tows 5th wheel. I hope he is correct. His also says V5?????

 

That's the same as mine I guess. The rating numbers are very conservative with probably a 300% safety margin. There should be no problems towing what you have with what you have.

 

I upgraded my factory hitch to because of the 600 lb 6000lb weight carring factory hitch to the Hidden Hitch 1200lb 12000lb weght carrining, 1400lb 14000lb weight distributing hitch. It is a Class 5 hitch and is much more heavy duty than the factory hitch. I bought this for the same concern you have, and I did not want to to mess with a weight distributing hitch. I bought it at www.hitchmart.com for like $250.00

 

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