Towing Weight Ratings

[Pinecrestjim]

Big Blue, you are posting information that is contrary to what Ford states is the tongue weight. Their vehicle, they should know. From the previously referenced Towing Guide:

Measuring Tongue Load With Commercial Scale. To measure actual tongue load or king pin weight, disconnect the trailer and place only the tongue (king pin) on a scale (at hitch ball or 5th-wheel king pin receiver height). If the tongue load/king pin weight exceeds the upper weight limit, move more of the trailer contents rearward to achieve the recommended tongue load/ king pin weight. If the tongue load or king pin weight is less than the lower limit, shift the load forward.​

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Note that this does not mention anything about the actual WDH being used to calculate tongue load. The WDH being included in the tongue weight is a misconception that many fail to differentiate. Then, further on the same page:

Tongue Load or 5th-Wheel King Pin Weight is another critical measurement that must be made before towing. It refers to the amount of the trailer’s weight that presses down on the trailer hitch. Too much tongue load or king pin weight can cause suspension/drivetrain damage and can press the vehicle down in back causing the front wheels to lift to the point where traction, steering response and braking can be severely decreased. Too little tongue load or king pin weight can reduce rear-wheel traction and cause instability, which may result in tail wagging or jackknifing. Tongue load or king pin weights must meet the following requirements:*​

For trailers up to 2,000 lbs., tongue load not to exceed 200 lbs. For conventional trailers over 2,000 lbs., tongue load is 10% of loaded trailer weight.​

For 5th-wheel trailers, king pin weight 15% of loaded trailer weight.​

Note: Be sure the addition of tongue load or king pin weight does not cause the key towing vehicle weight limits (GVWR and Rear GAWR) to be exceeded. Remember, GVWR and GAWR are found on the vehicle’s Safety Compliance Certification Label. If either of these limits is exceeded, you should go with a larger vehicle or a smaller trailer.​

I quoted the entire paragraphs printed in the Towing Guide so that the information could not be picked apart or misconstrued.

Bottom line, as Grumpaw correctly clarified - WDH head is NOT part of the tongue weight calculation. The WDH head IS part of the payload calculation. Attachment bars mounted on the trailer tongue are a part of the tongue weight, the bars/springs are ~50% to tongue weight, and tongue weight is a part of the total payload calculation.

Trailer weight calculations can be confusing enough without spreading incorrect information.

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[Cabose-1]

Big Blue, you are posting information that is contrary to what Ford states is the tongue weight. Their vehicle, they should know. From the previously referenced Towing Guide:

Measuring Tongue Load With Commercial Scale. To measure actual tongue load or king pin weight, disconnect the trailer and place only the tongue (king pin) on a scale (at hitch ball or 5th-wheel king pin receiver height). If the tongue load/king pin weight exceeds the upper weight limit, move more of the trailer contents rearward to achieve the recommended tongue load/ king pin weight. If the tongue load or king pin weight is less than the lower limit, shift the load forward.​

​

Note that this does not mention anything about the actual WDH being used to calculate tongue load. The WDH being included in the tongue weight is a misconception that many fail to differentiate. Then, further on the same page:

Tongue Load or 5th-Wheel King Pin Weight is another critical measurement that must be made before towing. It refers to the amount of the trailer’s weight that presses down on the trailer hitch. Too much tongue load or king pin weight can cause suspension/drivetrain damage and can press the vehicle down in back causing the front wheels to lift to the point where traction, steering response and braking can be severely decreased. Too little tongue load or king pin weight can reduce rear-wheel traction and cause instability, which may result in tail wagging or jackknifing. Tongue load or king pin weights must meet the following requirements:*​

For trailers up to 2,000 lbs., tongue load not to exceed 200 lbs. For conventional trailers over 2,000 lbs., tongue load is 10% of loaded trailer weight.​

For 5th-wheel trailers, king pin weight 15% of loaded trailer weight.​

Note: Be sure the addition of tongue load or king pin weight does not cause the key towing vehicle weight limits (GVWR and Rear GAWR) to be exceeded. Remember, GVWR and GAWR are found on the vehicle’s Safety Compliance Certification Label. If either of these limits is exceeded, you should go with a larger vehicle or a smaller trailer.​

I quoted the entire paragraphs printed in the Towing Guide so that the information could not be picked apart or misconstrued.

Bottom line, as Grumpaw correctly clarified - WDH head is NOT part of the tongue weight calculation. The WDH head IS part of the payload calculation. Attachment bars mounted on the trailer tongue are a part of the tongue weight, the bars/springs are ~50% to tongue weight, and tongue weight is a part of the total payload calculation.

Trailer weight calculations can be confusing enough without spreading incorrect information.

Its like a balet! Tongue weight too much. Shift weight to properly balance the trailer so undo weight is not put on the tongue. Or so that it is not to light either!

I am glad that our fellow ranger towers come here for help on questions regarding towing. It can be a comolicated thing.

At the same time, sometimes we over think a lot of it.

For sure we learn with every tow our particulad needs for our trailers

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I have been following and contributing to the various towing threads for some time now. I have come to the conclusion that the most posted yet most misunderstood and misused information about our trucks is the 7500# max. tow rating. I will probably get flamed for this. It is just an advertising number Ford uses to sell trucks. It does not apply to everyone in all cases. The actual max weight you should tow is actually a combination of many actual ratings for your truck. I put together a PDF of what these ratings mean, what they include, and a little of how they interact with each other. Hopefully it will educate some of the new people to towing, especially RVs, to what is actually involved when looking at purchasing a RV. Trusting a RV to be truthful about what you can/should tow with you truck is giving the keys to your Shelby to your teenager on a Saturday night. They just want to sell you the biggest RV possible.

So, please read and take it for what you will. Constructive criticisms always appreciated. Just my little PSA.

Hi Lee,

This discussion needs to have GCW added to the mix. The Ranger is rated to tow 7500 lbs. There is another rating, Gross Combined Weight or in the owners manual Gross Combination Mass, which is 12,150 to 12,500 depending on configuration. So if your Cat scale weight is above GCW, take load out of the Truck or the tow RV or both... I just saw a Cat scale printout where the GCW was 11,000 and trailer was some 5,500 plus... Good to go! So remember... if you approach 7500lbs and your truck weighs more than GCW...you are still overloaded...

Make sense???

best,
Phil

 

[Big Blue]

Hi Lee,

This discussion needs to have GCW added to the mix. The Ranger is rated to tow 7500 lbs. There is another rating, Gross Combined Weight or in the owners manual Gross Combination Mass, which is 12,150 to 12,500 depending on configuration. So if your Cat scale weight is above GCW, take load out of the Truck or the tow RV or both... I just saw a Cat scale printout where the GCW was 11,000 and trailer was some 5,500 plus... Good to go! So remember... if you approach 7500lbs and your truck weighs more than GCW...you are still overloaded...

Make sense???

best,
Phil

Yes it does that is why I mentioned all of the ratings in my PDF intentionally made it generic so I kept any specific weights out. But did say you need to know and be within all the limits, and the only way to know you are is to weight it.

 

[Big Blue]

Big Blue, you are posting information that is contrary to what Ford states is the tongue weight. Their vehicle, they should know. From the previously referenced Towing Guide:

Measuring Tongue Load With Commercial Scale. To measure actual tongue load or king pin weight, disconnect the trailer and place only the tongue (king pin) on a scale (at hitch ball or 5th-wheel king pin receiver height). If the tongue load/king pin weight exceeds the upper weight limit, move more of the trailer contents rearward to achieve the recommended tongue load/ king pin weight. If the tongue load or king pin weight is less than the lower limit, shift the load forward.​

​

Note that this does not mention anything about the actual WDH being used to calculate tongue load. The WDH being included in the tongue weight is a misconception that many fail to differentiate. Then, further on the same page:

Tongue Load or 5th-Wheel King Pin Weight is another critical measurement that must be made before towing. It refers to the amount of the trailer’s weight that presses down on the trailer hitch. Too much tongue load or king pin weight can cause suspension/drivetrain damage and can press the vehicle down in back causing the front wheels to lift to the point where traction, steering response and braking can be severely decreased. Too little tongue load or king pin weight can reduce rear-wheel traction and cause instability, which may result in tail wagging or jackknifing. Tongue load or king pin weights must meet the following requirements:*​

For trailers up to 2,000 lbs., tongue load not to exceed 200 lbs. For conventional trailers over 2,000 lbs., tongue load is 10% of loaded trailer weight.​

For 5th-wheel trailers, king pin weight 15% of loaded trailer weight.​

Note: Be sure the addition of tongue load or king pin weight does not cause the key towing vehicle weight limits (GVWR and Rear GAWR) to be exceeded. Remember, GVWR and GAWR are found on the vehicle’s Safety Compliance Certification Label. If either of these limits is exceeded, you should go with a larger vehicle or a smaller trailer.​

I quoted the entire paragraphs printed in the Towing Guide so that the information could not be picked apart or misconstrued.

Bottom line, as Grumpaw correctly clarified - WDH head is NOT part of the tongue weight calculation. The WDH head IS part of the payload calculation. Attachment bars mounted on the trailer tongue are a part of the tongue weight, the bars/springs are ~50% to tongue weight, and tongue weight is a part of the total payload calculation.

Trailer weight calculations can be confusing enough without spreading incorrect information.

Wow you chose to pick apart the smallest most variable weight in the whole discussion. And use a Ford brochure to defend it. We all know how good Ford is at writing manuals.

OK, Ford's description of tongue weight is the same as mine with relation to the trailer. And the weights end up in the same place when it comes to the calculation of GVW for the tow vehicle. The only discrepency comes in if you look at the rating of the hitch on the tow vehicle. Now, does not the receiver see the weight of the WDH on it if you unhook the trailer? Shouldn't it then be counted toward the load the tongue puts on the hitch? Besides the WDH add additional stess to the hitch as well lengthening the moment arm of the trailer tongue weight on the vehicle, by vertue of its length. Actually a pretty unimportant argument in the scheme of things. Really only makes any difference if you are trying to run at higher tongue weight percentages and trailer weights.

 

[Cabose-1]

We are overthinking this. I am not a scientist, or engineer, could not make materials or know what bends at what shape , science, science science......

But i do know, for an optimal tow, regardles of

Redarc
Curt controllers
Bilsteins
Fox,
Wdh
Gen-y rebel adjustable hitches

Whatever its all schematics...
Yes there are things that make comfort and control better

Keep trailer level, keep truck level, stay within gvwr of truck and trailer,use ball and hitch rated for your trailer, wieght your rig if you feel unsure, drive safe.

 

[Grumpaw]

Yes it does that is why I mentioned all of the ratings in my PDF intentionally made it generic so I kept any specific weights out. But did say you need to know and be within all the limits, and the only way to know you are is to weight it.

Lee, I bow to your knowledge as an engineer, and that you have looked at all the variables involved, but there are always info that you must look at with an open mind...
As an example, when I first posted about my plans and the size of travel trailer we were purchasing, many expressed opinions that "it's too big, its too heavy, it has too much tongue weight, its too long", BUT all my weights and capacities were well within the Rangers tow capacity.
Yesterday another member silverdragger, posted in the "What are you guys towing" section, that he was planning on towing a Bronco at 4400 lbs on a flat car hauler trailer that weighs 2200 lbs, total 6400 lbs. Towing with a simple drop hitch with surge brakes.
Many others have posted info and photos of similar rigs, without any negative feedback.
That is almost exactly what my travel trailer weighs, and I have a proper brake set up with a weight distributing hitch that is properly set up.
Neither set up is over the GCVWR for the Ranger and trailer.
No one has posted that his is too much for the Ranger, but on the flip side, mine is just not proper...
Aside from the size of the 2 rigs, and the "sail" area of my trailer, why is one OK and the other (mine) not ???
Yes, my "sail" area must be considered when wind and big rigs pass, but if you are well experienced you know how to handle those problems.
As for where the weight of the hitch goes , it dosen't matter a tinkers damn where it is as long as you stay within the limits set for the Ranger or the trailer. If the Ranger is loaded properly, and the trailer is loaded properly, and tongue weight is within limits, what does it matter ???
Ford gives specific ratings for weight, but NOWHERE do they have a limit on "size" of the trailer...
you can have a 12 foot trailer with 6000 lbs loaded on it or you can have a 30 foot trailer that weighs 6000 lbs.

 

[Cabose-1]

Lee, I bow to your knowledge as an engineer, and that you have looked at all the variables involved, but there are always info that you must look at with an open mind...
As an example, when I first posted about my plans and the size of travel trailer we were purchasing, many expressed opinions that "it's too big, its too heavy, it has too much tongue weight, its too long", BUT all my weights and capacities were well within the Rangers tow capacity.
Two days ago, another member posted in the "What are you guys towing" section, that he was planning on towing a Bronco at 4400 lbs on a flat car hauler trailer that weighs 2200 lbs, total 6400 lbs. Towing with a simple drop hitch with surge brakes.
That is almost exactly what my travel trailer weighs, and I have a proper brake set up with a weight distributing hitch that is properly set up.
Neither set up is over the GCVWR for the Ranger and trailer.
No one has posted that his is too much for the Ranger, but on the flip side, mine is just not proper...
Aside from the size of the 2 rigs, and the "sail" area of my trailer, why is one OK and the other (mine) not ???
Yes, my "sail" area must be considered when wind and big rigs pass, but if you are well experienced you know how to handle those problems.
As for where the hitch weight goes, it dosen't matter a tinkers damn where it is as long as you stay within the limits set for the Ranger or the trailer.
Ford gives specific ratings for weight, but NOWHERE do they have a limit on "size" of the trailer...
you can have a 12 foot trailer with 6000 lbs loaded on it or you can have a 30 foot trailer that weighs 6000 lbs.

The only reason i didn't have a 12 foot trailer with 6000 lbs was because at minimum i needed a dual axle trailer. So it brought me up to 7000lbs. Then my payload too! 400 lbs of people and about 200 in tools and lunch boxes! Definitely getting close to gcvwr!
This is when 4x2s rock!!

 

[Pinecrestjim]

Big Blue, I commend you on creating the spreadsheet and agree with everything you've posted, EXCEPT that the weight of the WDH mounted in the receiver is considered a component of tongue weight. Yes, you are correct that this is a small point in the truck's ability to tow a trailer, but tongue load is also the smallest constraint and is a critical one.

To the point of some of your questions, the receiver sees the weight of the WDH as payload. There is no tongue load on the receiver if the trailer is unhooked. That in itself should indicate that the WDH head is not a component of tongue load. (Tongue weight calculations at a scale are not made with the WDH hanging from the coupler.) I agree the stress to the receiver (not just the hitch) is created by the distance from the receiver that the load is exerted on the WDH - the lever arm - thus the 750# limit. The distance is not uniform from one WDH to another but Ford's engineers must have considered this.

I also agree it only makes a difference if one is running at high tongue weight percentages. Example, a 6,000#, 750# tongue camper (12.5% tongue weight factor). If a 60# Equalizer WDH head was a component of tongue load, this otherwise acceptable trailer would falsely appear to be outside the Ranger's towing capability. Consider also that a 60# head would account for 8% of the load limit IF it was a component of same.

Anyone who may be close to their tongue load limit should know that the WDH head weight is not considered part of the tongue load. No need to continue to debate a fact.

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