What's new
By:
Filters

Why have receiver hitches grown so large?

welndmn

welndmn

Well Done Man
Joined
May 21, 2020
Member Number
1008
Messages
706
Loc
Concord, CA
Just curious if anyone has any numbers on why the receiver hitch on normal pickup trucks have grown from 2" to a 3".
Yes, I'm sure 3" is stronger, but i'd guess most people out there just run a sleeve and put their 2" hitch back in.
 
Back in my day...

c4a.gif
 
3" F350 here, sucked at first but now I have it dialed in it's not a big deal and I am glad to have the capacity.
I use a 3" Weigh Safe 180 hitch with a 2200lb tongue 21k gross rating which with 8" of adjustment and both 2" and 2 5/16" balls covers all my trailering needs and is even rated high enough to act as a backup for my whiz bang Hensley Arrow WD hitch.

Hensley doesn't offer a 3" shank so I converted my Hensley Arrow to a universal bolt on WD shank style instead of their welded stinger.
Then I bought a 2.5" shank hitch bar and welded the Ford 2.5"-3" sleeve on the shank to create a solid 3" shank.

Now that I finished my SXS bed rack/deck I intend to build a dual dirt bike rack for hauling all our machines from RV sites with no trailer needed.
It's good to have the capability if needed.

This is from my thread on FTE about creating the 3" hitch bar.
Here is the finished product (untested as of yet).

I added some stainless shims to the 2.5" stinger before hammering the 2.5"-3" adapter on the 2.5" stinger. I then welded the 2.5"-3" adapter to the end of the Curt 2.5" stinger only. It would be easier to just weld the adapter to the stinger at the back and the front of the stinger making it one piece but that weld around the stinger would be a perfect spot to crack and snap the shaft.

I also made a shim top/side for the 2.5"-3" adpater in the trucks reciever hitch. The approx 16ga shim made the fit perfect with no up/down or side/side slop. The 3" reciever fits pretty loose to the adapter and my 3" weigh safe 180 hitch for my taste.


20180520_131620_3af7feeecc4fe1f8230b8ccbc131cfe0f66d8997.jpg


Stainless shims added to stinger.
20180520_131627_158954256d0543638b8f9e1093ce955b8465e128.jpg


Stinger/adapter effective length.
20180520_132541_15fa189a4dc3b98a4285176ae68b3f80a465434b.jpg


Welds on the pin sides only. Not really worried about the adpater slipping on the stinger I just wanted something to retain the adapter.
20180520_132550_e0b945c4f996e0f1d6474180d74c0af263c3d494.jpg


Finished product.
Click to expand...
 
Don’t know. I went gooseneck and never looked back :flipoff2:
 
  • Like
Reactions: PAE
montrose818 said:
you live or work on a farm?
Click to expand...

Nope. But when you start moving 20,000lbs+ machine tools, a bumper pull is not gonna get it done. After switching I’ll never go back. Even with a bigger trailer the maneuverability with a gooseneck is vastly superior to a bumper pull.
 
Blown4x4 said:
Nope. But when you start moving 20,000lbs+ machine tools, a bumper pull is not gonna get it done. After switching I’ll never go back. Even with a bigger trailer the maneuverability with a gooseneck is vastly superior to a bumper pull.
Click to expand...

Some people just buy stupid trailers too, then pound their chest about bigger reciever. Mustve been 14" I beam with 7k axles and cheap 16s

That's exactly how the 'tard left too, just the one chain.
Click image for larger version Name: 20200919_160336.jpg Views: 0 Size: 271.2 KB ID: 168418
 
Didn’t know this existed until my nephew showed me it on his new one ton. He had to go out and buy a new hitch. He said that he figured he would have trouble finding one. Nope, every place had em in stock.
 
And side note you can run the two reducers with your old 2" hitch but my first strip out on a 45 mile three day weekend trip I bent the pin so bad it wouldn't come out.
 
Blown4x4 said:
Nope. But when you start moving 20,000lbs+ machine tools, a bumper pull is not gonna get it done. After switching I’ll never go back. Even with a bigger trailer the maneuverability with a gooseneck is vastly superior to a bumper pull.
Click to expand...

Well my question was more of why gooseneck vs fiftth wheel. Fifth wheel is a much more stable ride, but doesnt have the pivot that gooseneck has. Its why horse trailers are gooseneck vs fivers.

​​​
 
The friends I have that ran gooseneck adapters on there 5ers are the same ones that dented their beds...
 
montrose818 said:
Well my question was more of why gooseneck vs fiftth wheel. Fifth wheel is a much more stable ride, but doesnt have the pivot that gooseneck has. Its why horse trailers are gooseneck vs fivers.

​​​
Click to expand...

Probably because he still wants to use the bed of his truck from time to time and doesn't want to have to move a 5th wheel around. If you're not hauling a stupid tall camper that's gonna catch the wind GN is fine for anything a 1-ton or small MDT can pull.
 
There are some crazy big bumper pulls now days. A guy that does my dirt work uses a tri axle bumper pull behind his F350 to pull his excavator. It’s probably 14k-16k range. He also runs a 16’ dump trailer that’s 16k gvw. I have pulled a 14k excavator with a bumper pull pintal hitch on my 3500, it’s interesting going up and down a steep hill on a gravel road. But yes, stuff is getting bigger and heavier.
 
CarterKraft said:
3" F350 here, sucked at first but now I have it dialed in it's not a big deal and I am glad to have the capacity.
I use a 3" Weigh Safe 180 hitch with a 2200lb tongue 21k gross rating which with 8" of adjustment and both 2" and 2 5/16" balls covers all my trailering needs
Click to expand...

This and a gooseneck.

What I fucking love is it is still a 5/8" pin for the bigger 3" hitch:homer:
 
87manche said:
i blame giant cabs and short beds.

goosenecks and fifth wheels don't fit in your 4 door 5.5 foot bed pickup truck.
Click to expand...

Why would anyone that has a fifth wheel or gooseneck be pulling with a halfton? Halftons are for the wimminz to go to the grocery store in.
 
Stuck said:
Why would anyone that has a fifth wheel or gooseneck be pulling with a halfton? Halftons are for the wimminz to go to the grocery store in.
Click to expand...

well it sure looks like most of the crew cab f250s I see around here are also 6 foot beds.....
 
Stuck said:
Why would anyone that has a fifth wheel or gooseneck be pulling with a halfton? Halftons are for the wimminz to go to the grocery store in.
Click to expand...

I seen a guy in a f150 pulling a 20ish foot 5th wheel.
 
87manche said:
well it sure looks like most of the crew cab f250s I see around here are also 6 foot beds.....
Click to expand...

6 foot? Or the standard 6.5 foot short bed? For decades the two bed standards were 8' and 6.5'. Thats what most of the 3/4 tons I see have. Ive never seen a 3/4 ton with a 4 or 5 foot bed thats become somewhat common on halfton crew cabs.
 
Benny said:
I seen a guy in a f150 pulling a 20ish foot 5th wheel.
Click to expand...

Just cause you seen it doesnt make it common. Ive seen it too. Halfton pulling a $100k+ fifth wheel. Doesnt mean its smart or common but stupid people do stupid things.
 
I've upgraded to a 3" weight distribution for my 30' car hauler, 1700 tongue weight, 17,000 gross, 2 5/16" ball.
For anything else I use a 2" solid receiver with a sleeve. I did drill a hole in the front bottom of the hitch ahead of the pin and welded a nut and bolt so I can tension the hitch to take up any slack.

When not towing the bigger trailer, It's a 5K boat, so the smaller hitch with a sleeve is not an issue. Also the factory hitch on an '06 2500 Chevy had known issues.
 
87manche said:
well it sure looks like most of the crew cab f250s I see around here are also 6 foot beds.....
Click to expand...

It was insane was I ordered a month ago. Only long beds were duallys or diesels. Had to order a truck just to get a cc lb 7.3 its crazy. That extra 2 feet makes a huge difference if you are doing any work.
 
My FIL buys a 2017 Dually F350, because "he likes duallys" :laughing: I mentioned just getting a nice adjustable hitch, because buying all the different hitches you eventually need ends up more expensive in the end.

He buys a very nice B&W hitch.......... Then buys 2 reducers from 3" to 2" :homer:
 
YotaAtieToo said:
My FIL buys a 2017 Dually F350, because "he likes duallys" :laughing: I mentioned just getting a nice adjustable hitch, because buying all the different hitches you eventually need ends up more expensive in the end.

He buys a very nice B&W hitch.......... Then buys 2 reducers from 3" to 2" :homer:
Click to expand...

That 2" shanked B&W is only 10k rated... It might not matter to him.
3" is rated to 21k.
 
Stuck said:
Just cause you seen it doesnt make it common. Ive seen it too. Halfton pulling a $100k+ fifth wheel. Doesnt mean its smart or common but stupid people do stupid things.
Click to expand...

Why exactly is it "stupid?"

You can buy a new F150 with a higher tow rating than my 2000 F250 7.3L 6 speed, and stock for stock, I am sure it would out pull my old F250. They also have bigger brakes than my old F250, and frankly aren't a hell of a lot lighter. There is no reason a properly equipped modern 1/2 ton can't pull 10,000Lbs (which will get you a hell of a lot bigger 5th wheel than a 20').

Modern 1/2 tons are equivalent to 15-20 year old 3/4 tons these days. They weigh the same or more than my old IDI F250, they make more horse power and torque, they have bigger brakes, and their drivetrains are equal to or stronger than the drivetrain in that truck, so what's your hesitation to pull with a half ton? I agree that if you are pulling 10,000+Lbs on a daily basis, a 3/4 ton or larger truck will last longer and perform better, but most people only tow a few times a year with their personal trucks.


EDIT: As for the topic of this thread, obviously tow hitches and receivers had to grow to keep in step with the ridiculous tow ratings of modern trucks; although personally, I think towing anything over 10,000Lbs with a receiver hitch instead of a gooseneck or fifth wheel setup is stupid. Still, people using all these adapters and reducers is equally dumb. Just buy the correct size hitch for your receiver and be done with it. If you are commonly towing a bunch of different trailers, just buy one of those fancy adjustable height hitches with multiple ball sizes. If you are constantly having to swap out hitches, you are doing it wrong.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Back Refresh