Towing with class II hitch

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Wayne Costin

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I ask this towing question before, but didn't get a whole lot of responses, so thought I would try again. Here we go:



I am looking at upgrading my popup to a hybrid trailer. The trailer has a tongue weight of 238 pounds and a dry weight of 3100 pounds. The type II hitch on the ST is for 350/3500 pounds. Now the ST itself is rated to handle up to 5000+ pounds with a type 3 hitch.



So, my question is this, would there be any problems pulling this trailer if I were to load it with some stuff and it were more in the 3600-3900 pound range after loading it with gear and bikes? I know the Trac can handle it, but what about the hitch?



This whole welded to the frame hitch thing is really, really starting to tick me off!



BTW- I have a 2007 ST XLT, 2WD
 
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The reason they have ratings on hitches is because they have been tested at those weights. Although they will probablly up hold quite a bit more, I would be a little aprehensive about this setup. You are pushing the limit, especially if you're class II is a 1 1/2" square and not a 2" square receiver. Since you're close, you might be able to get a welding/machine shop to look at it and reinforce it in some way if it has been permanantly mounted (add platting in some way), or even removing this hitch and then you can add a factory one.



Good luck



D
 
He already has the factory hitch. He would have to cut out the welded-in factory class II hitch and weld in a factory class III hitch.
 
Sorry, didn't realize he was talking about the gen 2......So are these class II's actually welded on by Ford at the factory?!?!



Yep!
 
The Class II is standard and part of the rear crossmember. You can replace the whole crossmember at a cost of about $1000 or if you can find someone who can weld really good, cut the old receiver off the crossmember and weld on a 2" Class III receiver for a lot less money. Somebody here did that a while back.
 
The Class II is standard and part of the rear crossmember. You can replace the whole crossmember at a cost of about $1000 or if you can find someone who can weld really good, cut the old receiver off the crossmember and weld on a 2" Class III receiver for a lot less money. Somebody here did that a while back.



If they hitch is essentially the same, then wouldn't I be alright? This is what I am kinda getting at...the trailer only has a 238 tongue weight, so I have absolutely no problem with the Class II hitch. The dry weight of the camper is around 3100 pounds, again no problem with the Class II. The problem is when I load the camper with stuff, thus I could be anywhere between 3100-3900 pounds, thus going over the 3500 limit on a class II hitch. However, is it really a problem? If the hitch is essentially the same, then is weight really a problem?
 
The receiver pin is smaller on a class II than a class III, 1/2" vs 5/8" respectively. I would imagine that is the weak point since it is small and cross loaded.



The bottom line is they have rating for a reason, sure they are more than likely on the conservative side to avoid law suits, but who in their right mind is going to tell you "yeah do it you will be fine"



You have to decide for yourself if it's worth the risk, knowing it's over the limit put out by all manufactures.
 
Go with JohnyO's Idea. Get the 2" tube and have the cross member cut and weld it in. If you find a trailer shop that builds their own. They are the one, I would trust welding.
 
Go with JohnyO's Idea. Get the 2" tube and have the cross member cut and weld it in. If you find a trailer shop that builds their own. They are the one, I would trust welding.



Does anyone know for sure if everything else is exactly the same?
 
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You could install the class 3 UNDER the OEM class 2 and then use a riser toung....



That would be the cheepest...



The cutting and welding is good too, but costly........



You need the back frame member....



Todd Z
 
Sounds like you're going to do what you want anyway. But there is a reason that limits are defined for class II. Safety!! Get the correct hitch and protect yourself, your family and others on the road.
 
Sounds like you're going to do what you want anyway. But there is a reason that limits are defined for class II. Safety!! Get the correct hitch and protect yourself, your family and others on the road.



That's not the case at all! Actually, I don't appreciate that comment. I am covering my bases before going out and dropping $1000. I'm no engineer, buy I have always been under the impression that the 1 1/4" size puts limits on the tongue weight, which is not a problem. The hitch itself and how it is bolted to the automobile puts the limits on the towing weight. I am merely asking that if the crossmember is the exact same, then does anyone know the specifics?



There are new products everyday, the purpose of this forumn is to find out if others have come across anything or done anything differently.



 
Some please let met know if I am off base here, but from the comments some suggestions are to



1. Cut out the existing receiver and have a class III welding in its place

2. Weld a Class III under the OEM class 2





In both cases the hitch remains the same? No?
 
Todd Z said:
You could install the class 3 UNDER the OEM class 2 and then use a riser toung....
Click to expand...

I saw a regular Explorer once with a Class III Hidden Hitch under the factory hitch. It looked like (crap) but it would work.

There are also 1 1/4" to 2" hitch adapters. I have one, more for the tow hook and bike rack, but when I was moving my kids back here I used the adapter along with the bike rack and hitched the trailer to that (my wife insisted). On the 2 mile ride from my ex-wife's house to Auto Zone to get a wiring extender, the weight of the trailer compounded by the extra leverage exerted by the bike rack BENT the solid steel 1 1/4" section of the adapter. On this date in history a man was right and his wife was wrong. Just sayin'....



Trailer w/o bike rack sandwich:

[Broken External Image]:
 
1. Cut out the existing receiver and have a class III welding in its place

2. Weld a Class III under the OEM class 2



In both cases the hitch remains the same? No?
Click to expand...



I had my entire OEM hitch cut off and welded a new Class III hitch in it's place. I did it right but it was definitely the most expensive way.



I didn't notice if the hitch frame itself was a different size on the original Class II then the Class III - or was it just the receiver that was different.



I couldn't be happier with the results - but it did cost a few dollars.



 

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