earnold333
Denver Co & Chandler AZ
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I am getting conflicting answers from RV salespeople concerning hitch weight. If the trailer I want to buy has a total dry weight and loaded weight that is under the maximum rating of my tow vehicle, but has a hitch weight that is over the specified hitch weight rating per the tow vehicle manual, can I still get the trailer with a higher hitch weight if I have a weight distribution hitch? Nearly all the salespeople say yes, becuz the weight distributing hitch effectively substantially reduces the weight actually being applied to the hitch. Seems like that makes sense. But one salesman says no--the tow vehicle hitch rating already assumes you will use a WD hitch. I've called the tow vehicle dealer (Mercedes) and also the national customer service center, and so far they don't seem to know the answer. Can anybody help with this? Is there a way to actually find out the weight on the hitch with the WD hitch bars connected to the vehicle and trailer?
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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No. You use the actual weight of the tongue in weight calculations not weight after applying weight distribution to it. Also you NEVER uae dry weights for that purpose, Your ACTUAL tongue weight will be between 10% and 15% of the trailers ACTUAL weight (as loaded). The SAFE way to figure tongue weight is to assume 15% of GVWR when the trailer is fully loaded. Many Salesmen will ALWAYS tell you something that means "yes you can tow it" when a sale is on the line.
Don't coufuse a vehicles HITCH weight rating with it's trailer towing rating. Certainly no guarantee that they will be matched. USUALLY the hitch will handle MORE than the vehicle can handle. If the hitch itself is rated for less you can ALWAYS upgrade the receiver/hitch to one with a higher capacity. MOST of the time your receiver/hitch will show TWO weights as it's capacity. The higher number is for when using a weight distributing system and the lower number is the capacity for load bearing weight or NO weight distributing system.
The ONLY way to tell for certain a trailers tongue weight is to take it to a CAT scale and weigh it. YOu can get several weights both with and without the WD attached if you want them. First weight is usually about $8.00 and each addition weight is another buck.
For what it's worth: The weight distributing hitch does NOT reduce the stresses on the receiver. It doesn't lighten the tongue but it DOES re-direct some of that weight to other places (trailer axles and front axles of the tow vehicle. IN order to do this it STILL has all of the original forces on the receiver. It is the rear WHEELS that have reduced weight.
Good luck / Skip
* This post was
edited 02/03/12 04:34pm by skipnchar *
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR -
2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles)
2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
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KD4UPL
Swoope, VA
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The first rule is: never believe what a salesman tells you. They are trying to accomplish one thing: make a sale. I usually find that I know more about an RV or a vehicle than the salesmen I talk too.
Tongue weight is tongue weigh. Period. A weight distributing hitch does just that, it distributes it. The weight is still there.
I agree with Skip, get or estimate the loaded weight of the trailer. Figure 10 to 15% of that for tongue weight. Also, realize that the way most vehicles are rated, the weight of passengers and cargo in the tow vehicle must be subtracted from the tow rating.
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WyoTraveler
Powell, WY
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Everything about your hitch should be on a label on the hitch. Tongue weight, tongue weight with WD, etc.
It happens that the factory hitch on my 2008 F250 Ford with the tow package was 500 pounds tongue weight. More if I use a WD hitch. I chose to take it off and install a Curt Class 5 hitch. For the $200 I feel much better with the class 5 hitch. You still need to stay under the ratings of the TV itself. You should be able to find those values on the internet for your vehicle. Like the previous post said, never trust the salesman.
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Bob/Olallawa
Kitsap Co, WA
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If I am understanding your question, most hitches have two ratings, one is dead weight on ball the other is with weight distribution set up. And yes the weight is still there either way.
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill because they pissed me off.
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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earnold333 wrote:---Is there a way to actually find out the weight on the hitch with the WD hitch bars connected to the vehicle and trailer? If you want to know how much added vertical load is being carried by the hitch receiver with the trailer attached and WD applied:
1) measure the sum of the TV's front axle and rear axle loads without the TT attached, then
2) measure the sum of the TV's front axle and rear axle loads with the TT attached and WD applied.
The sum from 2) minus the sum from 1) gives the amount of vertical load which is added to the hitch receiver with WD applied.
Ron
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Chuck&Gail
In the Colorado Mountains
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Nope, tongue weight is tongue weight. In fact unless you have a home scale, here is how it is measured. Drive to public scales and put TV on scale. Disconnect WDH completely and weigh TV. Then drop TT on to TV ball and reweigh TV. Note NO wd bars or chains are connected. Difference in TV weigh is the actual TT tongue weight.
NOTE TT must be FULLY LOADED when making this measurement, including as much fresh water, and waste tank stuff, as you would tow with.
Note we towed over 100,000 miles with our 1999 Mercedes ML320. Great TV for a light TT.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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skipnchar wrote:For what it's worth: The weight distributing hitch does NOT reduce the stresses on the receiver. It doesn't lighten the tongue but it DOES re-direct some of that weight to other places (trailer axles and front axles of the tow vehicle. IN order to do this it STILL has all of the original forces on the receiver. It is the rear WHEELS that have reduced weight. The sentence in red is incorrect.
Without weight distribution, a load equal to the trailer's tongue weight is added to the TV's receiver.
When weight distribution is applied, some of the load which was added to the receiver is transferred to the trailer's axles. Therefore, the vertical force on the receiver is less than the original force.
Transferring load to the trailer causes load to be removed from the TV's rear axle and causes load to be added to the TV's front axle.
Ron
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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Chuck&Gail wrote:Nope, tongue weight is tongue weight.--- That's correct.
But, the vertical load carried on the receiver is not equal to the tongue weight when WD is applied.
The load carried on the receiver is equal to the "tongue weight" MINUS the amount of load transferred to the trailer.
Ron
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Chuck&Gail
In the Colorado Mountains
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Ron Gratz wrote:Chuck&Gail wrote:Nope, tongue weight is tongue weight.--- That's correct.
But, the vertical load carried on the receiver is not equal to the tongue weight when WD is applied.
The load carried on the receiver is equal to the "tongue weight" MINUS the amount of load transferred to the trailer.
Ron
That is correct.
But, the manufacturer of the vehicle receiver AND the manufacturer of the vehicle, take that into account with their specs. Tongue weight spec should not ever be exceeded IMHO, no matter how the numbers are spun.
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