Weight distribution hitch

[nathanchrisman]

I'm not seeing any WDH rating for Maverick, but I guess you'd rather see a zero in those columns? Looking at Keystone's Bullet trailer specs, none of them are 4Klbs or under anyway.

HRG

Correct. According to Ford, there is no increase in tow capability with a WDH for the Maverick. What is interesting is on page 45 of the 2023 guide you mentioned. For the Transit, Ford says “Use Not Recommended”. Clearly they know how to say such a thing, but do not say it for the Maverick.

Regarding the Bullet, you are spot on. That is substantially over the Maverick’s rated tow capability (but within payload). That was a onetime thing under very controlled conditions.

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[MavDave]

I towed a 3500 pound 21' travel trailer 1100 miles a while ago. I won't tow this without a WDH I towed it initially without and ended up stopping at a hobofreight and installing it in the parking lot. I will be posting a thread about it soon.

 

[Old Ranchero]

A: Where is this consensus and what are the limits to it?

B: The Maverick is not an “ordinary” unibody vehicle. Put another way, there is a big difference between a Camry and a Maverick, yet they are both built with unibody methods.

C: As per a user above, Ford’s own towing guides make no mention of this restriction, except a note on the Transit.

https://www.fleet.ford.com/content/...-guides/2022_Ford_RVandTrailerTowingGuide.pdf

Forget generic Ford Towing guides looking for a blessing. If Ford WANTED you to use WDH- it would specifically state so in your MAVERICK manual towing section. Consensus is all over the internet. It seems you are more interested in justifying why you CAN use 1 instead of why you should not. It's called torsional (rotational) forces on your unibody. The "frame" section of Maverick does not run full length with the tub bolted to it like body on frame. There are instead attachment points where rear frame section is welded to the tub. The WDH increases extreme rotation forces that can break those attachment points and ruin your vehicle. It's your vehicle so do what you want but do a little research and look at some of the pictures of UNIbody vehicles torn apart at connection points underneath and you'll see it's a thing and dangerous. Why even take that chance?

 

[nathanchrisman]

Forget generic Ford Towing guides looking for a blessing. If Ford WANTED you to use WDH- it would specifically state so in your MAVERICK manual towing section. Consensus is all over the internet. It seems you are more interested in justifying why you CAN use 1 instead of why you should not. It's called torsional (rotational) forces on your unibody. The "frame" section of Maverick does not run full length with the tub bolted to it like body on frame. There are instead attachment points where rear frame section is welded to the tub. The WDH increases extreme rotation forces that can break those attachment points and ruin your vehicle. It's your vehicle so do what you want but do a little research and look at some of the pictures of UNIbody vehicles torn apart at connection points underneath and you'll it's a thing and dangerous. Why even take that chance?

High on opinion.
Low on data.

 

[Old Ranchero]

High on opinion.
Low on data.

Actually I posted links to articles here like a year ago. Stop typing defensively and go search and learn something.

 

[GPSMan]

How about air lift (bags) inside the rear springs instead of WDH?

 

[NoVaJimmy]

How about air lift (bags) inside the rear springs instead of WDH?

They work great for load leveling and improving driving dynamics as tested in real world conditions by places like etrailer but in your case they are incompatible with the force vectoring springs of the hybrid suspension as far as I know. I have a set of air lift 1000 bags waiting to be installed but I'm still trying to decide what lift I want to go with.

 

[GPSMan]

They work great for load leveling and improving driving dynamics as tested in real world conditions by places like etrailer but in your case they are incompatible with the force vectoring springs of the hybrid suspension as far as I know. I have a set of air lift 1000 bags waiting to be installed but I'm still trying to decide what lift I want to go with.

Can you elaborate why you think they'd be "incompatible"? Seems pretty simple conceptually. TIA

 

[NoVaJimmy]

Can you elaborate why you think they'd be "incompatible"? Seems pretry simple conceptually. TIA

Because lateral forces are directed into the chassis by the springs which is why they have an odd coil design with varying pitch and diameter. Those are designed specifically to send lateral forces to the chassis so I'm guessing an airbag system could negate the spring's ability to transfer those forces properly to the chassis. Also, it's not that I think, I read it somewhere, just can't exactly catalog my memories properly at 2am.

 

[unclerunkle]

I towed a 3500 pound 21' travel trailer 1100 miles a while ago. I won't tow this without a WDH I towed it initially without and ended up stopping at a hobofreight and installing it in the parking lot. I will be posting a thread about it soon.

Looking forward to it!

 

[JimParker256]

To me, it's clear. The Ford towing guide states that the Maverick can tow 2000 lbs (standard for both Eco and Hyb), or 4000 lbs (Eco with 4KTow pkg). In both cases, I believe it is unequivocally indicated that no WDH is needed.

When you get to the towing guide's "weight distributing hitch" section, all of the Maverick ratings are blank. That indicates that either A) Ford is NOT recommending the use of WDH with the Maverick, or that B) the towing limit with a WDH is "blank". I'm sure some will read that blank space and say "It's unlimited since Ford didn't fill in the blank." But I read that as "zero" - there is no need for a WDH, because it gains you nothing.

In actual fact, a WDH weighs a LOT more than a conventional hitch, and that additional weight comes off the allowable tongue weight for your trailer. Thus if you use a 75-lb WDH instead of a 10-lb conventional ball hitch, your trailer's tongue weight would be reduced by 65 lbs.

Further, the manual states (pg 264): "Do not allow the final trailer tongue weight to ge above of below 10-15% of the loaded trailer weight. The trailer tongue weight should never exceed 10% of the maximum towing capacity."

Because of that limitation (clearly stated), a WDH actually reduces the trailer weight that can be towed. For example: If we assume the WDH weighs 75-lbs, your trailer's actual tongue weight should not exceed 125 lbs (2K rated - see below for 4K), so your trailer shouldn't weigh more than 1250 lbs!

Ditto for the Eco with 4K Towing: instead of 400 lbs of trailer tongue weight, you can only have 325, which means your trailer should not exceed 3,250 lbs.

Finally, as a retired engineer, the argument about transferring forces to the "pan" on a unibody versus the "rails" on a traditional frame makes a lot of sense, and is fairly compelling. Short of specific guidance from Ford to the contrary (which simply doesn't exist), I would NOT use a WDH on a Maverick. (Nor would I exceed the hitch rating, GVR, GAWR, or GCVWR.)

 

[GPSMan]

A few month ago in another thread I attempted to state a WDH was mostly for big trucks pulling ENORMOUS trailers and wasn't applicable to the Maverick, since by design (and specs) we'd only be pulling small-ish trailers in any case.
I was rudely chastised by some who "swear by" always using a WDH.

So then I starting thinking, while technically not required and actually not recommended could it add "comfort" in some way to the towing experience?

Could it be 100% optional and add some form of comfort?

I still think the answer is no.
I towed a little bit (800 miles) over flat freeways and steep mountain terrain with a heavy trailer (heavy for the hybrid) and it was the most comfortable towing experience ever, with any truck in my 30 years of towing.

Except for the obviously slower acceleration, you wouldn't even know the trailer was back there.
Stable.
Smooth.
Limited squat.
No porpoising.
Best towing experience ever. No WDH.

WDH not recommended.
WDH not needed.

.

 

[nathanchrisman]

@JimParker256 and @GPSMan, thank you for the thoughtful input, seriously. Though I don’t come to the same conclusion, I appreciate the good discussion.

One note regarding tongue weight, I believe a WDH actually reduces the tongue weight as felt by the truck. The fact that a truck squats less with a WDH than without seems like good evidence of this. After all, a WDH distributes the tongue weight partially to the front of the truck and partially to the trailer.

 

[GPSMan]

The way I see it : WDH makes a "flexible" plain ball connection, more "rigid". The whole premise to reduce freedom of movement.

If you need it, you need it.
But what makes you think you need it?
I'm curious.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

@JimParker256 and @GPSMan

One note regarding tongue weight, I believe a WDH actually reduces the tongue weight as felt by the truck. The fact that a truck squats less with a WDH than without seems like good evidence of this. After all, a WDH distributes the tongue weight partially to the front of the truck and partially to the trailer.

True, that's the point of the WDH.

When I first heard about the Maverick I was THRILLED with 40mph and 4,000 towing weight but then read the medium print that it's one or the other.

Physics are physics- the more you need to tow the more faster the more you have to beef up the transmission and motor and brakes and frame and and and... The Mav is the first Unibody truck in a long time (F100?) and I'm guessing in 10 years there may be some advancements in engineering but for now the limits are what they are.

I also assume the warranty and "limits" are meant to keep people sane instead of towing 6k+ lbs and breaking the truck in half and Ford having to fix it on their dime. Could people do it? Sure- but not up steep hills, not at high speed, etc... etc...

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