Class 5 Hitch and 33FB

[CWSWine]

One of our requirements when shopping for a TV was we had to have a 2.5-inch shank (Class 5 Hitch). Some 3/4 ton and 1 ton had a 2" shank (Class 4 Hitch). Glad we did now since with just the stuff loaded in the AS that says there we are just over 1400 pounds. We still need to add food, cloths and WD hitch. We still have lots of empty cabinets. Now I'm getting a little concerned on exceeding the GVWR of the AS, looks like a trip to scales is in my future.


Class IV hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 14,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1400 lbs.
Class V hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 17,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1700 lbs.


https://www.drawtite-hitches.com/lea...towing-classes

[turk123]

I installed a Curt Class V hitch. 17,000 and 2,700 lbs. respectively.
This was on an F-250, but I don't think the specs change for a RAM.

[jcl]

Readers should be aware that Class V hitches are not designed and tested to an independent standard. The SAE defines hitch classes I through IV, but not over 10,000 lbs, and not for “Class V”

Various manufacturers have advertised “Class V” hitches, but officially, that class doesn’t exist. So, there is a lack of standardization. There are no test standards, except the ones the hitch manufacturer adopts internally.

There are tables published by varying manufacturers showing both 2” and 2.5” receivers, with WC ratings from 12,000 to 14,000 to 16,000 to 18,000 to 20,000, all called Class V.

Buyer beware. If you trust the manufacturer, you are good to go, but you are purchasing something within their product class, not a standardized designed and tested product.

[polarlyse]

WOW. That sounds awfully high. Is it within the expected range ??? We have a 30' classic and it was weighed at 880 # with propane. We had solar installed and moved the batteries inside below the couch and that lowered it to 800#.

[CWSWine]

I agree there is NO SAE standard for Class 5 hitches. The manufacture of my truck put a sticker on the hitch stating the capacities of the hitch and it's listed as such in the onwers manual.

Some hitches are de-rated by the truck manufacturer. Take a look at a lot of the F150 have a Class 4 hitch but have a sticker on the hitch stating 1200 pounds with WD not the 1400 rating of a Class 4 hitch. My 2015 Ford F350 had a sticker on the hitch that said 1250 with WD. Contacted Ford and they said the limitations wasn't on the hitch but on the frame. Ford said that the max tow option had a different frame with different cross members. They also said changing out the hitch won't change the ratings.

Originally Posted by jcl

Readers should be aware that Class V hitches are not designed and tested to an independent standard. The SAE defines hitch classes I through IV, but not over 10,000 lbs, and not for “Class V”

Various manufacturers have advertised “Class V” hitches, but officially, that class doesn’t exist. So, there is a lack of standardization. There are no test standards, except the ones the hitch manufacturer adopts internally.

There are tables published by varying manufacturers showing both 2” and 2.5” receivers, with WC ratings from 12,000 to 14,000 to 16,000 to 18,000 to 20,000, all called Class V.

Buyer beware. If you trust the manufacturer, you are good to go, but you are purchasing something within their product class, not a standardized designed and tested product.

[CWSWine]

We checked the pin weight at the dealers before anything we owned went in the AS and 1230 pounds of pin weight and the website specs says 1175 pounds.

Originally Posted by polarlyse

WOW. That sounds awfully high. Is it within the expected range ??? We have a 30' classic and it was weighed at 880 # with propane. We had solar installed and moved the batteries inside below the couch and that lowered it to 800#.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by CWSWine

I agree there is NO SAE standard for Class 5 hitches. The manufacture of my truck put a sticker on the hitch stating the capacities of the hitch and it's listed as such in the owners manual.

Some hitches are de-rated by the truck manufacturer. Take a look at a lot of the F150 have a Class 4 hitch but have a sticker on the hitch stating 1200 pounds with WD not the 1400 rating of a Class 4 hitch. My 2015 Ford F350 had a sticker on the hitch that said 1250 with WD. Contacted Ford and they said the limitations wasn't on the hitch but on the frame. Ford said that the max tow option had a different frame with different cross members. They also said changing out the hitch won't change the ratings.

The SAE standard doesn't specify a maximum tongue weight.

Originally Posted by SAE-J684

Coupling Classification—There shall be four designations of couplings to cover all trailers up to 4540 kg (10000 lb) GVWR. The designated classification of the coupling shall be based on the GVWR of the trailer rather than the weight imposed vertically down on the ball by the coupling

The 1400 lbs tongue weight limit is what Reese and Drawtite may use. Others will vary. It is a manufacturer limit. It can be based on the receiver itself, the attachment to the tow vehicle, whether or not WD is being used, or specifics of the tow vehicle (eg rear axle to tow ball distance, vehicle dynamic stability, etc)

[Profxd]

Vehicle manufacturers use SAE j2807 which incorporates the j684 test requirements. Since actual Class V guidelines have yet to be released they almost have to be using Class IV which is based on trailer GVW and GVWR unlike Class I, III, and III.

[thewarden]

And I know this should go without say, but make sure you have the properly rated hitch ball for your setup. I recently saw a guy with a 2.5 inch receiver, 2.5 inch Curt shank, Reese Strait Line WD hitch, and his hitch ball was clearly stamped 6000 LBS. He had been towing a 30 Classic.

[Franktr]

Originally Posted by CWSWine

One of our requirements when shopping for a TV was we had to have a 2.5-inch shank (Class 5 Hitch). Some 3/4 ton and 1 ton had a 2" shank (Class 4 Hitch). Glad we did now since with just the stuff loaded in the AS that says there we are just over 1400 pounds. We still need to add food, cloths and WD hitch. We still have lots of empty cabinets. Now I'm getting a little concerned on exceeding the GVWR of the AS, looks like a trip to scales is in my future.


Class IV hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 14,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1400 lbs.
Class V hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 17,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1700 lbs.


https://www.drawtite-hitches.com/lea...towing-classes

I got this great devise from Amazon called Haul Gauge. It plugs into the port under the dash and down load an App. It will tell you the weight of your TV, hitch weight, hitch weight after installing the distribution devises and the trailer weight. Amazing.

[guskmg]

I wore out a Hensley hitch and they replaced it with a new hitch under the lifetime warranty. With four AGMs my tongue weight was 1,750 #. I removed the AGMs and replaced them with 600 AH Lithiums under the rear bed. It sure helped the tongue weight situation. The truck has had full air-ride all along and still handles the load well. At 130,000 miles the truck has shown no abnormal wear.
guskmg

[james.mileur]

Got a second opinion from another pin scale? Might be much ado about nothing.

Originally Posted by CWSWine

We checked the pin weight at the dealers before anything we owned went in the AS and 1230 pounds of pin weight and the website specs says 1175 pounds.

[james.mileur]

See, two posts about towing without pushing or mentioning _ro_ride hitches as the solution. [emoji6] Just for you, Frank.