Towing help needed..

[swamp rat]

Anybody know the difference from weight carrying capacity and weight distribution on a hitch?? Thread below.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...2&postcount=23

['68 Newtricks]

Has to do with your trailer set up.

Google "weight distribution hitch" and you will see it takes a different ball mount and the bars/mounts/and chains that go to the trailer

[davischevy]

Weight carrying, is trailer hitch to ball with no weight distribution system.

Weight Distributing is with a weight distributing system. (Two spring steel levers that run from the tongue to the ball area on the vehicle.)

https://sp1.yimg.com/ib/th?id=H.4979...=168&h=126&p=0

Weight distributing systems are nice when towing with a lighter vehicle.

[FirstOwner69]

I have no idea what your tow vehicle will be, how frequently you'll tow or how far. The hitch should be fine as long as you don't exceed the max. tongue weight, but there is no way I'd tow the kind of weight you are talking about without a weight distribution system to distribute some to the weight to the front suspension. You will be much happier and safer with a balanced rig. You may find out you'll want a sway control device as well.

Read the Trailer Life Towing guide in this link. It will answer about any towing question you may have. The part you want starts at page 28. (Sorry for all the Ford ads and pics in this. I think they pay the bill to publish it.)
http://prodcontent.s3.amazonaws.com/...wGuide2014.pdf

Incidentally, Curt hitches are very well made and have a great finish.

[davischevy]

Originally Posted by FirstOwner69

I have no idea what your tow vehicle will be, how frequently you'll tow or how far. The hitch should be fine as long as you don't exceed the max. tongue weight , but there is no way I'd tow the kind of weight you are talking about without a weight distribution system to distribute some to the weight to the front suspension. You will be much happier and safer with a balanced rig. You may find out you'll want a sway control device as well.

Read the Trailer Life Towing guide in this link. It will answer about any towing question you may have. The part you want starts at page 28.
http://prodcontent.s3.amazonaws.com/...wGuide2014.pdf

What he said.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by FirstOwner69

I have no idea what your tow vehicle will be, how frequently you'll tow or how far. The hitch should be fine as long as you don't exceed the max. tongue weight, but there is no way I'd tow the kind of weight you are talking about without a weight distribution system to distribute some to the weight to the front suspension. You will be much happier and safer with a balanced rig. You may find out you'll want a sway control device as well.

Read the Trailer Life Towing guide in this link. It will answer about any towing question you may have. The part you want starts at page 28. (Sorry for all the Ford ads and pics in this. I think they pay the bill to publish it.)
http://prodcontent.s3.amazonaws.com/...wGuide2014.pdf

Incidentally, Curt hitches are very well made and have a great finish.

My K20, towing an 18' flatbed with another truck on it, anything from a C10 to another K20.. So in other words, with a weight distribution system your max payload is increased.

[FirstOwner69]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

My K20, towing an 18' flatbed with another truck on it, anything from a C10 to another K20..

You should be OK. Assuming 5000# for the truck on the trailer, 2000# for the trailer and running 15% tongue weight as you should to minimize sway you'd have 1050# tongue weight. You may well exceed that estimated tongue weight. I'd definitely set it up with a weight distribution hitch as I described. Add a good brake control you should be good to go as long as your truck is in good condition.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by FirstOwner69

You should be OK. Assuming 5000# for the truck on the trailer, 2000# for the trailer and run 15% tongue weight as you should to minimize sway you'd have 1050# tongue weight. You may well exceed that estimated tongue weight. I'd definitely set it up with a weight distribution hitch as I described. Add a good brake control you should be good to go as long as your truck is in good condition.

Here's the spec's on the hitch, it looks like with a weight distribution system bumping it up to 12,000lbs i'll be just inside the limit with this hitch with a little room to spare, thats good news.

Weight Carrying Capacity(WC) 10000 LB
Tongue Weight(TW) 1000 LB
Weight Distribution(WD) 12000 LB
Weight Distribtion Tongue Weight(WDTW) 1200 LB

Being new to this I'm guessing this would be a proper rated distribution hitch?

http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distr...e/RP66022.html

[FirstOwner69]

That weight distribution setup looks like it would be good match.

There are other variables to consider regarding what the maximum trailer weight you can pull. The main one is the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) which is the maximum combined weight of the truck and trailer. I don't know what that number was for these trucks, but I have seen somewhere what the max. trailer weight should be. So, just because a hitch is rated at 12,000#, doesn't mean your truck is. In fact I'm 99% sure it is nowhere near that.

Be sure to read the Trailer Life magazine link I posted above.

[swamp rat]

Will do, Thanks!