Towing Capacity: Owners Manual Vs. Hitch

sppingel · January 18, 2010

Owners manual says I can tow 7,500 pounds

But the hitch says only 5,000

So can I only tow 7,500 pounds if I get a weight distribution hitch? That's what it seems like the hitch is saying but the owner's manual doesn't say anything about a weight distribution hitch!!

I'm going to be towing a 4,100 pound car on a 2,100 pound trailer from Racine, WI to Chesapeake, VA. I'm just trying to see what I need to do to get my truck ready for the haul.

csheatz · January 18, 2010

I would say for sure use a WD hitch. just for the added saftey. IMO.

music · January 18, 2010

Your tow rating is 7500 lbs. The hitch rating is 5000 lbs (600 lbs tongue weight) without a weight distributing hitch, and 10500 lbs (1100 tongue) with a WD hitch. So, towing 7500 lbs requires a WD system, due to the hitch... not the rest of the truck.

brims · January 18, 2010

You go by the weakest point in the tow system. So if you have a weight distribution hitch, you can tow 7,500 pounds, if not, 5,000.

There have been a few on here recently talking about the factory receiver hitch bending when rigging a weight distribution hitch. So I would watch out for that once you get it hooked up and if you see that, I would suggest upgrading. Upgraded receiver hitches are cheap, less than $200. Hell, Curt has a class V for $180 which wouldn't allow you to tow any more, but it would make that piece stronger and it doesn't attach to the bumper so weight gets shifted further forward since it's not being put on the bumper.

sppingel · January 18, 2010

Ok I understand. Thanks for the quick replies!

So the minimum thing I have to do it get a WD hitch. Any models out there that you all recommend? And does a normal car hauler hook right up to these or do I have to get a trailer made to connect to this type of hitch?

brims · January 18, 2010

I don't have a WD sytem but have read a little about them, I believe you need to have a trailer with the A frame style tongue, I think that's the right terminology, so you can attach the bars to the trailer, some WD systems require you to drill holes for some of the components, others seem to have clamps.

eTrailer seems to have a good sized section on WD http://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx

kdixer · January 18, 2010

Just a FYI...always go by the owners manual. Use the lowest applicable rating.

For example: Truck rating 7,500#, hitch rating 10,500#, 1-7/8" ball rating 5,000#. This means you should only tow 5,000#

The manual states you can tow 7,500. That is the rating you use. Do not use the # on the hitch because the same hitch is used on all the 1500's. That is why the rating on the hitch is higher. And in this case, the hitch is not the limiting factor, the truck configuration is.

hockeypro1411 · January 18, 2010

Just a FYI...always go by the owners manual. Use the lowest applicable rating.

For example: Truck rating 7,500#, hitch rating 10,500#, 1-7/8" ball rating 5,000#. This means you should only tow 5,000#

The manual states you can tow 7,500. That is the rating you use. Do not use the # on the hitch because the same hitch is used on all the 1500's. That is why the rating on the hitch is higher. And in this case, the hitch is not the limiting factor, the truck configuration is.

Used on the HD's too.

r1byker · January 18, 2010

I have an '05 Suburban that said the same thing in the manual; the wt. limit is 7,500 lbs. I thought I was good towing my box trailer with around 7,000 lbs. The Autoride suspension kept the rig level. And about six months ago I was noodling around on-line looking at specs for the Suburban and saw the 7,500 rating with a little asterik; I looked down and, in the fine print, it said "with a proper weight distributing hitch". Uh-oh. So I've been driving around all this time with way too much weight on the rear axle. Which explains why I just had to have the rear axle bearings replaced at 72,000 miles.

Lesson learned; I now have a wt. distributing hitch made by Curt.

502ci · January 18, 2010

I also have a Curt. I would suggest trunnion style bars over the round bars.

Mine came with clamps that just bolted to the frame (no drilling) but I have a V-nose enclosed trailer so I had to get special mounts for the frame as my bars extend under the actual trailer...got them from the e-trailer link someone listed above.

sppingel · January 23, 2010

Question: what length car hauler would be best to tow this? 16' or 18'? The car's wheelbase is 121" and overall length is 17.8' (I think) and weighs ~3800lbs.

Check her out: 1966 Pontiac Catalina, 389 2v, 38,000 original miles!!

c4cruiser · January 23, 2010

Question: what length car hauler would be best to tow this? 16' or 18'? The car's wheelbase is 121" and overall length is 17.8' (I think) and weighs ~3800lbs.

Check her out: 1966 Pontiac Catalina, 389 2v, 38,000 original miles!!

What you need to be able to do is to place the car on the trailer deck so that the tongue weight is roughly 10% of the total towed weight. So add the car weight and the weight of the trailer and divide by 10. That will give you tongue weight. If the car can't be moved forward or backward enough to be safely on a 16' trailer, then go with an 18'. Also keep in mind that some trailers are measured with a dovetail measurement included. So if you have an 18' trailer with a 2' dovetail, that means the deck is 16'.

I would also look for a trailer with at least a 4' long tongue. That keeps the deck (and any overhang from the car away from the truck when making tight turns.

You want the tiedowns to be long enough so that they don't interfere with the car's suspension components and at a fairly low angle. One pair of straps should cross in an "X" fashion.

BTW, very sweet Poncho!! My cousin had a '66 Grand Prix with a 4-speed. Was a fun car to drive!!

knightr · January 24, 2010

Go to the GM dealer and get a Chevy or GMC trailering guide booklet. There is a lot of good towing info

in there specifically for our trucks.

According to GM, the hitch that is made by them and bolts to the frame is a weight distributing hitch.

A weight carrying is if you just bolt the ball to the bumper in the provided cutout.

I may be wrong, but that is what the pictures show in the trailering guide.

It list in order:

Weight carrying

Weight distributing

Weight distributing with sway control

Gooseneck

Fifth wheel

music · January 24, 2010

According to GM, the hitch that is made by them and bolts to the frame is a weight distributing hitch.
A weight carrying is if you just bolt the ball to the bumper in the provided cutout.

The OEM hitch is a Class IV hitch receiver. You can use it with either "weight carrying" or "weight distributing (WD)" hitches. There's a photo of WD components halfway down this page: http://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx . A standard 2" receiver insert with a ball would be "weight carrying".

brims · January 24, 2010

According to GM, the hitch that is made by them and bolts to the frame is a weight distributing hitch.
A weight carrying is if you just bolt the ball to the bumper in the provided cutout.

The OEM hitch is a Class IV hitch receiver. You can use it with either "weight carrying" or "weight distributing (WD)" hitches. There's a photo of WD components halfway down this page: http://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx . A standard 2" receiver insert with a ball would be "weight carrying".

At least the 1/2 ton trucks have a Class III not IV.

They can be used for either weight distribution or weight carrying that's why the hitch receiver has both numbers listed. No point in bolting a ball to the bumper, just use the hitch receiver.