PDA

View Full Version : Ford hitches



US1Fountain
03-21-2009, 06:54 PM
What's up with this?

My factory 250SD hitch (3/16" wall thickness) is rated 600/6000 weight carrying, but 1500/15000 with the bars.

I picked up a Drawtite hitch (1/4" wall thickness) that's 1000/10000 carrying, but only 1200/12000 with the bars.

How can the Ford hitch gain 2-1/2x more just by adding the bars? Seems pretty out there to me.

But then surprised the Drawtite only has a minor gain with the bars. Found that odd. Not that it matters cause the non bar rating is what I was after. The Ford hitch was under rated for my boat.

Guess to tow anything over 12000, I need to put the lighter duty Ford hitch back on. :)

Blue Oval
03-21-2009, 07:02 PM
Might be the 25yr employee that new how to calculate the figures was forced to retire.They probably hired a subcontractor to get those figures.

phragle
03-21-2009, 07:47 PM
thats whap happens when you outsource...the guy in china figured out the numbers, then multiplied by 2.2 to convert kg to lbs. not realizing it was lbs. to start with.

Ratickle
03-21-2009, 09:05 PM
What's up with this?

My factory 250SD hitch (3/16" wall thickness) is rated 600/6000 weight carrying, but 1500/15000 with the bars.

I picked up a Drawtite hitch (1/4" wall thickness) that's 1000/10000 carrying, but only 1200/12000 with the bars.

How can the Ford hitch gain 2-1/2x more just by adding the bars? Seems pretty out there to me.

But then surprised the Drawtite only has a minor gain with the bars. Found that odd. Not that it matters cause the non bar rating is what I was after. The Ford hitch was under rated for my boat.

Guess to tow anything over 12000, I need to put the lighter duty Ford hitch back on. :)

I'm gonna take a stab, not positive on that model.

The Ford factory hitch is a stamped, robot welded bumper made in Grand Rapids MI, (Ridgeview Stamping) out of a required steel grade that has been certified to specific SAE standards and gone through numerous tests to make sure the wall thicknesses are accurate and the steel, after stamping and welding, has been heat treated to a specific RC with a draw-down to give it the proper give and structural characteristics to meet the requirements. Maybe even a double-draw.

The Drawtite has been welded by hand and gone through none of the tests so is only structurally certified to the steel and weld specs.


Not positive though, just pure conjecture on my part.:)