STEVEnBETTY

After talking to an attorney friend it’s time to eat some crow and admit my mistake. The Oliver is an extremely well balanced trailer and I can get the truck and trl within all legal weight limits without the Anderson hitch, however, it was explained to me that vehicle oem’s install the class 3 hitch and derate it with the caveat of using a weight distribution hitch, he told me that there is no federal law to require me to use the wdh, however I could get in trouble on a state by state basis. so… after 8 yrs my options are, get an Anderson, or replace the class 3 hitch with a class 4, and replace my bumper to make it fit, I ordered an Anderson this morning. The next vehicle I order will be spec’s with a class 4 hitch, sometimes lessons learned can be embarrassing, but it happens🤷

In reality I would need to put on a class 4 hitch, which is doable, but I’m pretty confident that I can prove I am in no way overloaded.

I stand corrected, in relation to the use of the lower rating, but the hitch is still rated for 1000lb tongue weight. My current weights are 2860 steer,truck rear 3580 trailer 5480 for a combined weight of 11920. Subtract 2840 from the truck rear and my tongue weight is 740 lbs which is 15 percent , within all the legal guidelines. The wdh does not change tongue weight it just redistributes weight to either the truck or trl.

The only legally binding weight on your vehicle is the door jam sticker, the sticker on the underside of the hitch is a recommendation.

I’m sorry but my response for being selfish went to another thread. If you do some research, the sticker on the underside of the hitch says 500 lb tongue weight 5000 lbs gross weight, without wdh, 1000 & 5000 with, those are recommendations, the wdh just redistributes weight, the tongue weight rating is 1000 lbs. The sticker on your door jam is what matters, if you are within the parameter’s of those ratings you’re legal. I’m not going to debate wdh benefits or drawbacks I’ve used both, it comes down to personal preference & comfort level.

The point is you don’t need suspension mods unless there’s a problem or you feel uncomfortable.

If you do some research other than the internet you will find that the sticker on the underside of your class 3 hitch says 500 tongue weight without wdh, 1000 with, those are recommendations, not legally required. As long as you stay within the weight requirements on your door jam sticker your legal. Even the class 3 hitch is rated for 1000 lbs, the wdh just redistributes weight.

Thanks for your response Mike, I agree, there is more than one way to do things, just trying to give people options, not opinions. I really thought I’d get more push back, I pm’d bill Jones’s apologizing.😄😄

One other thing about tires, what some people “can” interpret as sway is sometimes just the tires sidewall flexing, the xl or lt tires eliminate that.

On my 2014 f150 I installed cheap manually adjustable air bags, on the 2021 none are needed. Full disclosure, I still use my class 3 receiver and I’m perfectly legal. One of the other things that I highly recommend is either xl (extra load) or lt( light truck) tires, the oem tires are p rated (passenger) tires

Thanks for your response, I guess more than anything else I’m disappointed in hearing members on this forum, disparage people’s attempts to do something different, I’ve heard for years now you need an Anderson hitch to tow an elite 2, you can’t tow with an ev, you need to completely revamp your suspension, because of a broken spring, you get the idea.

I’ve been towing my elite 2 for 8 years and 95,000 miles with 2 different f150’s with no Anderson, and I’ve only had 1 original one spring break and I just replaced the 1 spring with a1750 lb Dexter.

Why not? If you look up the specs on class 4 or 5 hitches it’s right there, my guess is manufacturers are leery of specking class 4 hitches because people don’t know how to weigh their equipment and overload their rear axle.

All new 1/2 ton trucks with the towing package, even heavy duty, come with a class 3 receiver hitch. Al that’s required to tow an elite 2 legally is a class 4 or even 5 hitch, the catch is you can’t use your existing bumper and swap out hitches. If you took delivery of a 1/2 ton truck with no reciever hitch the class 4 hitch bolts right on, no Anderson required.

One other point about the powerboost, is the torque added by the electric motor is outstanding, towing where you live will be noticeable, my last truck was a 2014 f150 with the 5 liter, no comparison.