WDH needed on '17 Limited Expy for 7,600lbs?

[haviland]

I know this topic has been discussed in the "Do I have the HD package..." and I've looked through that and still can't find an answer to this question.

My spec decal says I have axle 15 with the 3.31 gears and I am OK with that. It also says I have 9,200 Weight Distributing but 6,000 weight carrying. I have read several posters saying you can exceed the 6,000 without a WD hitch and still be fine.

Your thoughts?

 

[powerboatr]

are you sure its 6k weight carrying?
but yes a wdh is more than just taking load off the rear, it also transfers weigh to the front axle to help with steering traction and level of the vehicle.
and it transfers weight back to the trailer axles as well. makes a much more enjoyable safer ride

 

[haviland]

yes, it's on the decal

 

[powerboatr]

yep i just went and looked at mine to...for some reason thought it was 5k

 

[chuck s]

What tongue weight? The weight bearing tow limit is 600 pounds on the ball (10% of the towing capacity); that bumps up to 920 with a weight distribution hitch (WDH) dialed in correctly.

Boat trailers loaded correctly typically need 7% to 10% of their weight on the ball to track well. Other trailers need 10% to 15%. I've weighed my camper trailer tongue and it runs over 700 pounds with a 5000 to 6000 pound total weight.

-- Chuck

 

[1997SCEBFEX]

as I read it, and a bit different than my ole '97 on capabilitles/limitations: "when properly equipped" those are Ford's capabilities, probably conservative as physics would most likely give you a different set of numbers.

That being said, get the best hitch avail, anti-sway etc...for your frame-mounted receiver. I chose Reese personally to put in my factory-equipped HD towing package receiver as I lived close to an RV mega-center and that's what they did. they do it everyday and are proud to show off their wares.

What are you towing?

 

[AllBoostNoEco]

I know this topic has been discussed in the "Do I have the HD package..." and I've looked through that and still can't find an answer to this question.

My spec decal says I have axle 15 with the 3.31 gears and I am OK with that. It also says I have 9,200 Weight Distributing but 6,000 weight carrying. I have read several posters saying you can exceed the 6,000 without a WD hitch and still be fine.

Your thoughts?

I’d say the decal, and Ford’s towing guide, are pretty specific about needing a WDH for that much weight. With a 7,600-pound trailer, you will have 800+ pounds in tongue weight (my car trailer loaded is 7,800 pounds with 1,000 pounds on the tongue) hanging off the furthest rearward part of the truck, so it will have a pretty horrendous squat without a WDH, which in turn means compromised braking, steering, handling, and sway control.
Can you do it? Sure. You can throw 10,000-pounds on the hitch without weight distribution and hit the highway if you wanted, the truck would probably handle it, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea.

What is the reason behind not wanting to use a WDH?

 

[haviland]

I am towing a boat. Last March I towed this same boat from MA to Miami, but used my son's Silverado 2500 Dura-Max. I didn't use my WDH because it wasn't really necessary.

Hooking up the WDH is a bit of a pain in the neck. I also have a very sharp u-turn to bring the boat out of the boat barn and I dislike the stress put on the WDH. I'll be taking a 400 mile round trip next week so I will put the WDH on for that. For local use the regular hitch has worked fine.

I asked the question because in going from a 2011 Expy Limited to this vehicle I thought I read that the WDH wasn't necessary. I was incorrect. By the way, are the Gen 4 towing capacities the same as Gen 3?

 

[AllBoostNoEco]

I am towing a boat. Last March I towed this same boat from MA to Miami, but used my son's Silverado 2500 Dura-Max. I didn't use my WDH because it wasn't really necessary.

Hooking up the WDH is a bit of a pain in the neck. I also have a very sharp u-turn to bring the boat out of the boat barn and I dislike the stress put on the WDH. I'll be taking a 400 mile round trip next week so I will put the WDH on for that. For local use the regular hitch has worked fine.

I asked the question because in going from a 2011 Expy Limited to this vehicle I thought I read that the WDH wasn't necessary. I was incorrect. By the way, are the Gen 4 towing capacities the same as Gen 3?

Boats tend to have a lower tongue weight, but that’s a heavy boat. I’d still run the WDH for it, even locally.
I understand your reasoning behind not wanting to run it, but as the load doesn’t change much, once you set it up the first time, there shouldn’t be much in the way of changes needed, so setup should be relatively quick after that. For my trailer, the initial setup was about 15 minutes, but now that it is set, as long as I don’t vary the load hooking up takes me an extra 30 seconds versus the non-WDH. I’m not sure which type of WDH you are using, obviously.
A sharp turn may sound bad, but the WDH should handle it just fine. I have been using the same WDH on my trailer since 2015 and just pulling out of my yard requires a turn so tight that I’m inches from the tongue hitting my truck and there has been no adverse effects.

The HD trucks like the 2500 and Super Duty normally have the same capacity whether weight-carrying or weight-distributing. They are correctly built for it.

The 3rd and 4th gens are close to the same, the 4th gen EL and 4x4 are rated a few hundred pounds higher than their 3rd gen counterparts.

 

[rollinstone]

I pull my 3100 lb. R-Pod much more comfortably with my Andersen WDH/Antisway system. Whole thing weighs 60 lbs.

 

[chuck s]

I can personally recommend the Equalizer (brand) 10,000 pound WDH (6000 to 10,000 capacity). Available several places, here's one: https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Equal-i-zer/EQ37100ET.html. I have used this same hitch for the past 14 seasons with my 6000ish pound hybrid travel trailer with a tongue weight in the 700 pound range. Two propane tanks and two golf cart batteries on the tongue.

• Tongue weight: 600 lbs - 1,000 lbs
• Maximum gross towing weight: 10,000 lbs
• Ball size: 2-5/16" (you can change this size)

No chains or sliding sway control bars to fiddle with. Run the tongue jack up (electric helps) or jack knife the trailer and the weight bars drop on. Setup is a bit of trial and error BUT with the Expedition I can give you my settings which will be very close to what you need -- there were no changes needed moving this hitch from my '07 to '17 trucks as the receivers are the same height off the ground, etc. Nor, as I recall, were there any changes needed moving the hitch from my '02 Explorer to the '07 Expedition.

-- Chuck

 

[B-McD]

I run the same WDH as Chuck. We swap it between my Expedition and my son-in-laws F150. Nearly identical setup so we leave it alone. Going on 3 years of towing and no issues. 6300 lbs or so dry weight, about 700 lbs tongue loaded up. Good luck!

 

[MattyMMA]

You also need to read the owners manual for the boat trailer. Most boat trailers have the tongue braking system, which i believe means you CANNOT use a weight distributing hitch as it would reduce the trailer breaks and put more strain on the truck.

I had a Malibu VLX and towed with a Chevy Avalanche and did not use WDH, but the boat sat nicely on the trailer and was pretty properly balanced. Usually boats are mated to the trailers pretty well so as to eliminate the need for the WDH.

 

[chuck s]

Pretty well balanced is just part of the equation. A 4000 pound boat on a 2000 pound trailer should have a 600 pound tongue weight and be right at the non-WDH limit. 600 pounds on the ball is still gonna sag the rear end and lighten steering control.

1. Weight on the ball must be under 600 (620?) pounds on our trucks regardless of HD Tow. More than 600 requires a WDH and the HD tow package.
2. Maximum towing capacity for trailer is not just dependent on the HD hitch but on the engine and transmission temperatures which get bigger radiators with the HD tow option.

State laws pretty much demand brakes on trailers over 2000 pounds loaded (with some exceptions).

From the Equalizer (brand) website FAQ:

Can I use the Equal-i-zer hitch with surge brakes?
Yes, the Equal-i-zer hitch is compatible with surge breaks. The rigid frame brackets allow the spring arms to slide back and forth freely so that they don’t interfere with the function of the surge brake mechanism.

Note this is specific to Equalizer.


-- Chuck

 

[MattyMMA]

That's good to know! I didn't need it, ski boats etc, especially dual axle like my Malibu usually are well balanced.