Do I need a hitch???
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Jackson, MS
Do I need a hitch???
Hey gang,
I've got a '90 F250HD with a 351W, E4OD, and a 3.55 rear, that I pull a 25' travel trailer with. My question stems from something my local RV service guy told me. The stickered weight of the trailer is about 6,000lbs. I must confess I haven't had it weighed yet, but I've got to figure I'm pulling about 7,000 loaded. I've been pulling it from a Hercules drop-point bumper which is stickered as being able to handle 15,000lb trailer weight and a 3,000lb tongue weight. I've figured all along that this was more than adequate. My RV guy says I'm being unsafe and that I need a frame-mounted hitch. At first he didn't even believe that the bumper was rated for that much weight. He's seen the bumper and specs now, but still says I'm being unsafe. What do you think?
Rotorhead
I've got a '90 F250HD with a 351W, E4OD, and a 3.55 rear, that I pull a 25' travel trailer with. My question stems from something my local RV service guy told me. The stickered weight of the trailer is about 6,000lbs. I must confess I haven't had it weighed yet, but I've got to figure I'm pulling about 7,000 loaded. I've been pulling it from a Hercules drop-point bumper which is stickered as being able to handle 15,000lb trailer weight and a 3,000lb tongue weight. I've figured all along that this was more than adequate. My RV guy says I'm being unsafe and that I need a frame-mounted hitch. At first he didn't even believe that the bumper was rated for that much weight. He's seen the bumper and specs now, but still says I'm being unsafe. What do you think?
Rotorhead
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Southern California
Do I need a hitch???
The rateing on your bumper hitch does seem a little too optimistic. Ford rates bumper hitches at 2000#, although I'm sure your bumper is a lot more stout than a stock bumper. But if the bumper is useing the same brackets to hold it that a factory bumper uses, that could be the weak point.
A class III hitch bolts straight to the bottom of the frame rails of the vehicle. They are usually rated at 5-6,000# draw and 500# tongue wt, or 10,000# with equalizing bars and 1000# tongue wt.
I would trust the judgement of your RV guy. He's probably seen enough RV'ing misery to justify his opinion.
A class III hitch bolts straight to the bottom of the frame rails of the vehicle. They are usually rated at 5-6,000# draw and 500# tongue wt, or 10,000# with equalizing bars and 1000# tongue wt.
I would trust the judgement of your RV guy. He's probably seen enough RV'ing misery to justify his opinion.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 343
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From: Jackson, MS
Do I need a hitch???
Yeah, I suppose I hadn't really considered the attachment point. I admit I've never seen a bumper rated to handle that much weight. It IS a stout bumper, and so far I haven't had a problem, though I've only pulled the trailer 4 times with the truck (although one trip was about 800 miles total). I'll probably go ahead and get a more substantial hitch. I don't want trouble later. Of course, if I spend much more money on this truck, my wife's going to make me cancel Christmas!!! Thanks for your advice, horsepuller.
Rotorhead
Rotorhead
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Do I need a hitch???
With a trailer that heavy, I would definitely recommend at least a class III hitch with equalizing bars and a sway control bar. Seems like a lot of money, but once set up correctly, you won't even you have a trailer behind you.
Rich
Rich
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Do I need a hitch???
I would strongly recommend a look at the article "So what's all the hoon-haw about? Why do you need anything more than a simple bumper hitch anyway?" at http://www.dnkk.com/users/kachilla/Airstream/
Dino
Dino
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Joined: Jun 2001
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Do I need a hitch???
I would recommend checking the bumper mounts carefully before I towed from the bumper. I just bought an '88 F250 with a Hercules bumper and it was mounted to the frame with only two bolts! There was a receiver welded under it and the guy I got it from said he'd towed from the receiver! Too scary to think about! I added spacers and grade 8 bolts to secure the welded class III to the frame and the whole setup is plenty rigid now.
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