Trailer Hitch Ratings/Class
 

I'm Sure there has been plenty of discussion regarding this topic. Any insight is greatly appreciated. I own a 2005 Ford
F350 SRW with a hitch receiver that came with the truck. The sticker on the receiver says "Hitch Type V-5", Capacities are listed as follows,

Weight Distributing Max Trailer Weight 12,500#, Max Tongue Weight #1,250.

Weight Carrying Max Trailer Weight #6,000, Max Tongue Weight #600.

So does this mean that with a standard hitch a one ton truck can only tow #6,000?

With that hitch safely, and legally, yes. You need to upgrade your hitch to pull more.

You are correct.

The factory hitch markings/ratings are big fat asinine hoax.

You need to upgrade to a Putnam XDR or Reese Titan-V hitch for a 12,000 lb.+ Weight Carrying capacity rating.

www.putnamhitch.com They sell and ship direct. I would recommend upgrading to Grade-8 bolts vs. the Grade-5 that they ship with the product. Any local industrial supply should have what you need for less than $20 bucks.

Do not overlook the drawbar and ball. BOTH will need to be up to the task. I have a 15K lbs. rated drawbar and 30K lbs. rated ball.

I think I am going to put this info in my signature, as it comes up at least 5 times a week. There are PLENTY of threads with info that come up with a search.

The 'Type V-5' misleads many people into thinking it is a Class 5 hitch. It is not.

Yep! Class III hitches say Type V-5 on them too. I wish I had a dime for everyone I had to tell differently.

Buck