Feel free to delete without reading ...
I had asked some questions on this list about Class III/IV hitch receivers
and weight-distributing hitches. I found that there is LOTS of
mis-information out there. Even some of the info on the manufacturer's web
sites is wrong -- or at least, incomplete & misleading. A lot of us on this
list probably have a Class III or Class III/IV receiver, so correct info may
be helpful here.
I have finally gotten to the bottom of this (I think), after quite a bit of
correspondence with technical people at Reese, Draw-tite, and Hidden Hitch.
Based on their responses to my detailed questions, I learned the following
things:
1) ALL Class III receivers CAN be used with weight-distributing hitches.
However, this MAY OR MAY NOT increase the capacity of the receiver. It will
certainly NOT REDUCE the capacity of the receiver.
2) THE SPECIFIC WEIGHT RATING OF THE RECEIVER IS WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK AT --
NOT THE CLASS DESIGNATION. As you'll see below, the class designations are
sometimes misleading!
3) MOST (but not all) Class III or Class IV receivers will have a higher
rating when used with a weight-distributing hitch, than a weight-carrying
hitch. You have to refer to the specific ratings for your specific receiver
to find this out.
4) A very typical rating for a 2" receiver might be 5000 WC/6000 WD. This
means this particular receiver is rated 5000 lbs trailer weight when used
with a weight-CARRYING hitch, but 6000 lbs when used with
weight-DISTRIBUTING. Some others I have seen are rated as high as
5000WC/8000WD, and some have the same rating for either case (essentially
5000 WC/5000 WD). It all depends on the exact make & model of receiver,
there is no general rule.
5) A Class 3 TRAILER is one that weighs between 2500 and 5000 lb. A Class
IV TRAILER weighs between 5000 and 10,000 lb. Hold this thought.
6) When a receiver is rated, say, 5000 WC and 6000 WD, SOME MANUFACTURERS
will describe this as a "Class III/IV" receiver. That is because it has a
Class III rating if used as WC, but it creeps into Class IV territory when
used WD. It can haul SOME Class IV trailers, when used with WD. HOWEVER,
it does not have a "full" Class IV rating -- this is a little misleading,
IMHO -- because it does not have a full 10,000 lb rating even when WD. So
if you have one of these "Class III/IV" units, you can't assume that it has
a full Class IV rating. Apparently, if these manufacturers have a model
with a full 10,000 lb rating WD, they will call that model a plain "Class
IV" receiver.
7) In the case of a 5000 WC/6000 WD receiver (or 5000/7000 or 5000/8000),
other manufacturers will just call it a Class III receiver and leave it at
that -- since it isn't up to a full 10,000 lb Class IV rating at any time.
So if you have a straight "Class III" receiver, it MIGHT have a rating
higher than 5000 lb if you use a WD hitch -- but you have to check the
detailed ratings for your model.
Bottom line is, the class III and IV terminology used by different
manufacturers is inconsistent and, I think, confusing -- that is why they
say that the specific weight rating is more important than the class
designation. Don't be fooled by class designations on receivers, the class
designation can be misleading.
Now back to your regularly-scheduled program ...
Mark Palmer
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