Bronco Hauler... F550 weight distribution hitch needed?

[nvrstuk]

OK, got an F550 to haul the Bronco and tow a trailer.

Planned on running a weight distribution hitch (cause it sounds like a smart thing to do). Hauled the trlr with the truck and the wt distr. hitch easily. Used the trlr jack to raise the tongue enough to slip the trunion type (square) bars into place on their brackets. Did the same procedure with the trailer and a 3/4ton Chev. Towed well (after new tires).

Loaded the Bronco on the 550, tried to connect the wt distribution bars and after adjusting the hitch and the brackets that support the wt dist bars, it's next to impossible to raise the bars up on to the brackets on the trlr so the "weight distribution bars" will work.

I'll include a pic of the hitch and wt distr bars as it functions as an anti-sway bar also.

ANYWAY, here's the problem. With an F550 and 1,000#'s of tongue wt the truck's rear bumper settles a whopping 7/16" when the tongue sets on the ball. What this means is the truck and tongue can't move up enough to allow the bars to swing onto the brackets on the tongue. In fact, the bars only need to lift 1" up onto the brackets to fit (and work). NOTHING can lift the back of the truck with the Bronco on it enough to allow the bars to pivot/lift up onto the brackets they ride on.

When connecting this setup to a 3/4 ton truck the suspension allows about 4-5" vertically so it's easy to lift the tongue/back end of any pickup high enough so the bars will swing over and latch into place. Difference between the 2500 series and an F550 is what it is.

The second pic with the blue circle is the end of the wt distr. bar that can't be lifted up onto the bracket that is circled

 

[nvrstuk]

I spent all day at my buddies shop with 60+ ft of level floor trying to set up what I thought I'd have done by moon this morning. Csme home at 8p
.

 

[green61bug]

I spent all day at my buddies shop with 60+ ft of level floor trying to set up what I thought I'd have done by moon this morning. Csme home at 8p
.

At least you got it worked out. Looks like a good setup for some extended stays out wheeling.

 

[.94 OR]

Once loaded, can you back the rear truck tires up on a 2x6 (or higher) to get the needed lift angle?

 

[Yeller]

Still love the set up Brian.

My opinion. Does it need weight distribution? No. Does it need sway? Maybe. The truck weighs significantly more than the trailer and is long making it stable and slow reacting making the trailer more stable. My RV and enclosed experience says they are a giant sail in the wind and the truck has a long over hang giving it leverage over the truck. Is it an issue? Maybe and the reason I say away may be needed. On the plus side you have one of the best built trailers, meaning it’s not floppy like a slinky, most of them are, which is where the weight distribution and sway control become really needed. The trailer is also fairly heavy, as long as the tires are stable enough, it will pull great without it. Think of sway control like a steering stabilizer, slowing, smoothing, and cushioning reactions of a pivot.

Tires are a huge contributor to sway issues. In my opinion the trailer tire engineers and those that created the specifications for ST (trailer) tires never towed a trailer, it’s insane. One of the specifications for ST tires is “reduced lateral stability to reduce tire scrub and aid in the ease of turning” characteristics I sure as hell don’t want in a trailer tire, let’s have the trailer sway due to reduced lateral stability in the tires! At one point I had a set of economically priced, supposedly top rated, ST tires on my triple axle gooseneck, loaded 5000# under its capacity it had a lot of sway, wasn’t out of control but waddled down the road like a fat duck. Changed to LT tires and the problem went away, changed to 14 ply all steel commercial tires and it got even better. This was on a gooseneck, a bumper pull would have been untowable without sway control. Long story but a lot of trailer sway starts where the rubber meets the road. There is no reason to run floppy, sway inducing tires on trailers anymore, virtually every size is now covered by a commercial all steel tire that does not sway and is very stable.

Back to your situation, the 19.5’s on your truck are extremely stable, reducing the sway that they may induce. I was a huge proponent of 17.5 and 19.5 tires on trailers before commercial tires became mainstream, I was in process of swapping my most used trailers to 17.5’s until I tried the commercial all steel as a last ditch effort for tires, in 250,000 miles I’ve worn them out but have not had a flat that I did not induce, even then I’ve only had 2, one I drug it sideways off road and shoved a fence post laying in the weeds through the sidewall, and the other I hit a concrete barrier in a parking lot (came out from dinner and forgot it was there) and smashed the fender into the tire. With normal ST tires I always carried a minimum of 2 spares, and preferred as many spares as I had tires on the ground. I was good at changing them. Now I carry 1 no matter the quantity on the ground, its just a safety net for road hazards that are low risk of happening.

A lot to say in my opinion upgrade the trailer tires and not give sway or weight distribution a second thought.

Here’s another thought about weight distribution. If the truck only settles 7/16” where does that stress transfer to when you travers a ditch or humps in parking lot entryways? It is not effecting the truck….. but is potentially exceeding the bending moment of the trailer tongue or trailer frame.

 

[Broncobowsher]

The real thing a weight distributing hitch does is ... Distribute weight. As in tongue weight is forced into the front axle with the springs (spring bars) of the weight distributing hitch. When you are dealing with a heavy trailer on a half ton truck, it puts weight back on the front axle that is normally lost when the tongue weight leverages is off with the rear axle as the fulcrum. The soft springs of a light truck really show how much weight is transfered as the front lifts and the back squats. A 1000 pounds of tongue weight can easily be 1300 pounds of weight on the rear axle of the truck and the front axle lost 300 pounds from the leverage. The spring bars will drive some of that rear axle weight to the ends of the rig (on flat ground, forces can get really weird on uneven ground). So that 1300 pounds of tongue weight is now 700 pounds, the front axle has 100 pounds more than empty, and a few hundred pounds are pushed back into the trailer's suspension. This is what settles down the tow rig. Weight is distributed much more evenly across the chassis. More like an even load in the truck.

Now an F550 with a Bronco on the back. There is so much axle weight at both ends it doesn't matter. That front axle weight is probably around 5000 pounds, loose 300 pounds and it makes no difference. The rear still isn't even coming close to GAWR. I would just skip the weight distributing hitch.

 

[Yeller]

on a different note, have you considered putting a winch on the front of that truck? probably never need it and really not for self recovery, but never know when a large, heavy object that can pull things to itself could be handy. Although I can think of more than once, having a winch on the tow unit would be helpful. I've unloaded and got everything moved the truck length it needed to get back to solid ground enough to move under its own power more than once. they are like a pocket on a shirt don't know you need it until you use it that 1 time LOL

 

[nvrstuk]

The real thing a weight distributing hitch does is ... Distribute weight. As in tongue weight is forced into the front axle with the springs (spring bars) of the weight distributing hitch. When you are dealing with a heavy trailer on a half ton truck, it puts weight back on the front axle that is normally lost when the tongue weight leverages is off with the rear axle as the fulcrum. The soft springs of a light truck really show how much weight is transfered as the front lifts and the back squats. A 1000 pounds of tongue weight can easily be 1300 pounds of weight on the rear axle of the truck and the front axle lost 300 pounds from the leverage. The spring bars will drive some of that rear axle weight to the ends of the rig (on flat ground, forces can get really weird on uneven ground). So that 1300 pounds of tongue weight is now 700 pounds, the front axle has 100 pounds more than empty, and a few hundred pounds are pushed back into the trailer's suspension. This is what settles down the tow rig. Weight is distributed much more evenly across the chassis. More like an even load in the truck.

Now an F550 with a Bronco on the back. There is so much axle weight at both ends it doesn't matter. That front axle weight is probably around 5000 pounds, loose 300 pounds and it makes no difference. The rear still isn't even coming close to GAWR. I would just skip the weight distributing hitch.

I'm a number's geek, and so when that back "bumper" On the flatbed was measured, and it only moved 7/16" of an inch, I measured the frt also.

Yesterday, I took a reference ht to grd point on the F550 badge just behind the fender, opening and made sure that I took accurate measurements when it had tongue weight and didn't have tongue weight- a whopping 3/16" is all the front end lifted with nine hundred pounds of tongue weight.


Fresh water tank is directly over the 2 axles and gray & blk are behind the axles.

Tires...

I can't Test, drive it with this trailer hitch because it has a set up. Were you put washers in side the hitch to space? The vertical angle of the ball so that way you can dial in the weight distribution bars within a 3/4" or so.

I should have another hitch laying around that I can try towing w/o the wt distribution/ sway hitch.

94bronco- If I put five inches of boards underneath the right rear duolies, I have to use a cheater bar and then I can remove the weight distribution bar on that side.

That is a lot of hassle and work but easier than a floor ja k. However, at least it worked- at least on absolutely flat concrete slab floor I have no idea what it would be like if I'm a little bit twisted up. Let's say in a campground or in a parking lot or something like that.

 

[nvrstuk]

Update- it tows great without the wt equalizing bars on the 25R Arctic Fox behind the F550.

Another update- we towed the 25R 550 plus miles with the F150 with trlr pkg with the equalizing bars and it towed like it was a car trailer behind it. No sway, no issues at all going down 1 1/2mile long 8percent grades. narrow winding roads at 50 mph.

Just wanted to let folks know.

 

[Jaybr]

I spent a bunch of $ on a Weight-Safe WD hitch for my Tundra to try and help the soft suspension (TRD Pro model). It helped but I still didn't correct the issue 100%. Got a new truck and while I haven't towed the car hauler with the WD brackets, I did tow my tractor 100 miles a couple weeks ago without the WD setup and it towed great. I'd imagine that F550 wouldn't break a sweat hauling a Bronco without a WD hitch.