Need a heavy duty tow hitch

[bambam31]

Just purchased a new Toyota Tundra with 10,000 lb. towing capacity. I have an L3800 with a FEL and will be pulling it on a 22' dual axle trailer with a 2" ball. Looking for suggestions on brands of adjustable drop/rise hitches with dual or triple balls. Thanks.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Two things bother me about what you say!

22' Behind a Tundra, your going to get whipped off the road if you don't load it just right!

22' with a 2" ball, I would check the load rating of that trailer as I'm betting it's a light weight trailer with light weight axles, and probably is either close or over to the max load with that tractor on it.

 

[bcp]

I suspect the 10,000lb towing rating is with a weight distribution hitch.

Is there a label about capacity on the receiver?

Bruce

 

[scdeerslayer]

Forget about the adjustable drop and double/triple ball hitches. Get a hitch with the correct drop specifically for that trailer, with hitch and ball rated for more than the trailer is rated.

 

[kckndrgn]

I suspect the 10,000lb towing rating is with a weight distribution hitch.

Bruce

You are correct, I and my neighbor who is also on this forum, have tundra's. And yes, to get the 10k lb towing capacity you must have a weight distribution hitch.

 

[Daren Todd]

The one thing that concerns me about your trailer is the 2" hitch. They are usually only rated for 7,000 lbs or less and should be stamped with the rating, or have a sticker with the rating.

If the hitch is removable, I would change it to a 2 5/16" hitch with a rating of 15,000 lbs to cover your butt

 

[bambam31]

Thanks for all of the replies. Although my truck is supposed to pull 10k lbs, my tractor only weighs about 4k. The trailer has a weight limit of 7k and I will only be pulling it very short distances. I'd like to over do it on the hitch to be safe. After reading the replies, I do not want a weight distribution hitch because I don't plan on towing anything that heavy.

I would like the triple ball because my boat is 1 7/8",the tractor trailer is a 2" and I may need to pull a 2 5/16" at some point. I do like the idea of adjustability too. Can anyone recommend any specific brands that you have experience with?

 

[WFM]

Of course Reese and BM I think are the name brands. Etrailer.com has all the towing hitchs you'd need. Towmaster helper springs are a good addition if your going to tow also. They install in about 1 hr. Good Luck.

 

[Daren Todd]

Had a customer using one of these hitches. Just make sure and double check the towing capacity


http://www.etrailer.com/Ball-Mounts...esCSaerGA0l4-GA8P66zxBAhZuAzckYJroBoCxA7w_wcB

 

[UGADAWG1981]

This is the hitch I purchased a few weeks ago to haul my new L3901HST & FEL with my Ford F150 FX4.

I believe it meets all your requirements.

https://www.amazon.com/45799-Adjustable-Tri-Ball-Mount-Assembly/dp/B003AT4C2U

 

[Vraz]

As you are using a weight carrying hitch, 10-15% of the weight should be on the tongue. Simply add the trailer weight and whatever you are carrying and multiply by 15%. From some googling, looks like the Tundra is only rated for 500lbs tongue weight with a weight carrying hitch. That means the empty trailer weight plus load should be 3500lbs (15% tongue weight) to 5000lbs (10% tongue weight).

There are lies, damned lies and truck towing ratings. Just purchased a new truck this spring and while shopping/researching was dismayed to find how badly all the big (and small) players distort their towing figures. As you exceed the weight ratings, the rear end starts to droop (tongue weight acts as a lever-- multiplied based on distance from the rear wheels) and also lightens the front-end (to make steering more fun).

The one thing that concerns me about your trailer is the 2" hitch. They are usually only rated for 7,000 lbs or less and should be stamped with the rating, or have a sticker with the rating.

Check around you hitch and/or under the hitch/bumber. You will probably find a sticker than states the total trailer weight and the max tongue weight. For weight carrying, you will find the max tongue weight is the limitation. That is not to say you truck will not pull more. But any drivetrain issues that appear related to overweight could prove tricky. The marketing departments want to publish really big numbers and the repair departments want really small ones.

Assuming flat ground, expect your L3800 will handle the trailer far better than your Tundra. It can carry 2500lbs just beyond the the 3pt (where the receiver would be). The tractor will have way more torque, but no question the weight difference will impact acceleration (less of an issue) and braking (much more of an issue). Put something in the FEL bucket and you should be good. As as others have said, avoid adjustable hitches-- get something heavy duty to minimize failure points. Best of luck.

 

[cerlawson]

I have about what you have for truck but my trailer is single axle with 10,000 cap'y. Load and trailer is estimated at 10,000. A standard 2 inch ball. No special weight distrib hitch, but I load it so as to have only a little weight on the hitch by loading tractor so trailer balances and then move forward a little. I don't exceed 50 mph on highway and regularly go over 100 miles to my other place in hilly western Wisconsin. Never any problem. The Tundra sometimes is shifted into the hauling mode on hills. Trailer has electric brakes.

 

[Daren Todd]

I have about what you have for truck but my trailer is single axle with 10,000 cap'y. Load and trailer is estimated at 10,000. A standard 2 inch ball. No special weight distrib hitch, but I load it so as to have only a little weight on the hitch by loading tractor so trailer balances and then move forward a little. I don't exceed 50 mph on highway and regularly go over 100 miles to my other place in hilly western Wisconsin. Never any problem. The Tundra sometimes is shifted into the hauling mode on hills. Trailer has electric brakes.

You would probably want to put your truck in tow/haul mode when towing any weight over 1,000lbs. The reason is that the tow/haul mode will keep your truck locked into a gear instead of allowing the transmission to constantly shift in and out of overdrive. I've known several folks that have ended up with costly transmission repairs towing considerably less weight with there trucks because of that very reason.

 

[KeithG]

Your truck must have a 2 inch receiver that you slide the ball into, why not get a separate hitch for each ball size? I would think this would be more stable than an adjustable hitch. The hitch for my 10K trailer is a solid piece of steel that slides into the receiver (my 1-7/8 and 2 inch are hollow) and it is rated for 1,000lb tongue weight (I think if memory serves me but I was already wrong about my trailer capacity... ).

Regarding load leveling I have a 2 axle trailer and when I load the tractor the trailer lifts the back of the truck up dramatically until the weight shifts forward. I marked the trailer to know how far to pull the tractor forward to put weight on the tongue but not too much weight (the truck drops about 1-2" from unloaded/disconnected resting state).

When I brought 100 landscape blocks to my brother (each weighed about 40 pounds) I assumed that because the trailer could hold 10,000lbs and the truck at the time was an F250 with 10,000 rating I could just load all the block at the front of the trailer. The truck had a definite load on the tongue and you could see that the back end was weighted down. Seemed to be OK until I started going downhill on the way to my brothers and the trailer started pushing the truck and the front end started to become unstable. Shocked me a little but I put the brake module on full for the trailer as I braked the truck and stabilized everything. Bottom line, it would be very expensive to crash your truck and trailer with the tractor on it. Don't cheap out for convenience, spend the extra and connect up safely.

My advise...

My usual equip. being towed: F150 w/ tow/haul mode, integrated anti-sway braking, 11,800 tow rating, Mid-Atlantic 10,000lb dual axle trailer with electric braking, Kubota B2710 w/ FEL and Woods BH75 backhoe.

 

[scdeerslayer]

Your truck must have a 2 inch receiver that you slide the ball into, why not get a separate hitch for each ball size? I would think this would be more stable than an adjustable hitch.

That's my point as well. It wouldn't cost much more than that adjustable monstrosity. It would also be less headache when hooking up the trailer.

I used to only have a boat trailer with a 1-7/8" coupler, then got another boat and a few other trailers with 2" balls so I put a 2" coupler on that other trailer so I can tow them all with 1 drawbar that stays in the receiver all of the time. I keep a drawbar with more drop just in case I need it. I have one trailer that only gets used once every few years that still has a 1-7/8" coupler but I just leave a drawbar with the ball on that trailer. If I were to get a trailer with 2-5/16" coupler (probably won't happen unless I need to tow the tractor and I get a 3/4 ton truck) I would just leave the drawbar on that trailer as well.

 

[Daren Todd]

For everyday towing on my landscape trailer, I just use a Tri-ball rated for 15,000lbs. Usually left locked to the truck with the 2" ball up.

I actually dread having to pull the tri-ball and put in the receiver for the weight distribution hitch for the camper. The weight distribution hitch will throw out your back if your not careful

If I could find one where I could pull a couple pins and switch the ball, and keep the weight distribution full time, that would be great

 

[LDowney]

I bought my receiver/hitch from Agri Supply. Went with the 2 inch receiver that's rated for 20,000 lbs and 2,000 lbs tongue weight. I put the 2 5/16th ball on it that is rated for 15,000 lbs. The whole setup was less than $40. Solid. I have 0 worries when towing with this setup. I tow just over 10k when you add tractor, trailer and bush hog. I honestly don't even know I'm towing anything it tows so smoothly.

Here is a link to Agri Supply. They are an awesome company with great products.

http://www.agrisupply.com/ball-mount-solid-drop-hole-lb/p/32376/

 

[Rolling Stock]

When a trailer is rated as a 10k trailer that includes the weight of the trailer and cargo combined.

 

[BigRed57]

That tractor will be fine on a 18-20 foot car hauler with 7k lb haul weight. The tundra will pull it just fine. The only issues which you will run into are gas stations and stopping fast. For hitch recommendations I would suggest the B&W hitches on Amazon. They are around $250. It will be the last one you ever need. Adjusts up to 8" and flips around for storage. You can change your ball size out by pulling a pin and inserting the correct size. LDowney...you have great taste my friend. I have a white duramax and the L4060. Love them both. Especially that FatMan A/C switch in the tractor.

 

[gliderjet2015]

Just got this, super easy and quick to adjust, and the all aluminum alloy is super strong rate for a lot of weight and doesn't rust to your truck.


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