W-D Hitch Install

Updated Feb 11, 2015

Tow Tech

PERFECT TRAILER SET-UP

By Bruce W. Smith

How to get a weight-distributing hitch perfectly adjusted for that loaded equipment trailer for an easy, safe tow with any pickup

Most contractors who transport a lot of heavy equipment with their pickups know there’s a better way to tow heavy loads than on the factory receiver hitch.

A trailer transporting a compact loader, ride-on trencher, backhoe loader, or any other equipment that weighs more than 6,000 pounds adversely affects the pickup’s ride, braking, and handling.

This brings safety into the picture as well as some serious liability issues on your compamny level for not following the pickup manufacturer’s explicit hitch and towing requirements as stated in the owner’s manual.

But the majority of contractors and landscapers suffer through such vehicle performance issues  (and associated liability issues!) caused by trailer-tongue overloading for two main reasons:

Proper setup of a weight-distributing hitch is critical to having your pickup “properly equipped” when towing heavier trailers.
      • Contractors don’t want to invest in a proper weight-distributing hitch, or
      • Contractors don’t know how to properly install a W-D hitch.

So we asked hitch installation expert Joe Riexinger, Central Regional Trainer for Cequent Group, to show us how to install a W-D hitch on a heavy-duty pickup.

Understanding the mechanics behind the workings of a W-D hitch allows company owners to see the benefits such a setup brings to the towing of heavy equipment trailers.

Riexinger walked us through the steps using a Reese Titan Weight-Distributing Trunnion-Style W-D hitch (17,000-pound capacity) and our 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty, Project Super Crew, as the towing vehicle. READ MORE