ford f 150 25% return with wdh

[rr retired]

Does anyone know why ford only recommends 25 percent return of weight to front of truck with wdh. this is only on the f150 the f250 goes up to 50percent.
new eco. 12200 towing 1220 allowed on tongue with wdh. 2100 payload. pulling 7000 lb trailor with 900 tongue weight. any thoughts please.

[SeaDog]

The F250 is a heavy duty truck the F150 not so.

[thamel]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

The F250 is a heavy duty truck the F150 not so.

what a terrible(typical?) explanation.


OP it likely has to do with the front axle weight rating.


FWIW i tow 38ft with 10,000 pound trailer and 1200 on tongue with almost exact same truck specs

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by thamel

what a terrible(typical?) explanation.

Yours is no better, please check your attitude.

OP it likely has to do with the front axle weight rating.

No, that make no sense. What a terrible(typical?) reason. I have no idea why Ford would only recommend adding 25% of the weight REMOVED by hitching up back to the front axle. That means the front axle is still missing 75% of the weight removed.

OP, where are you seeing this 25% recommendation? I tried searching through Ford docs on WDH setup but couldn't find anything.

[thebrakeman]

This has changed a lot over the years. Used to be, the recommendation was to return ALL lost weight back to the front wheels. And personally, that is still my recommendation. If the vehicle can handle X amount of weight without the trailer, it can handle X amount with the trailer. So, try to return all lost weight, to avoid potential wet-steeering problems and other issues.


As far as "why" Ford (and maybe others) started recommending returning smaller percentages of lost weight, I don't know. I've been hearing 50% for several years now. This is the first time I've heard 25%. Sometimes, you only move the needle about 3/4" when adding the trailer. 25% of that is so miniscule! You might as well not be using it at all. I believe the lower percentages are the Ford lawyers talking. They are overly-concerned about people transferring MORE than 100%, which could result in a jackknife situation under the right (wrong) conditions.


Keep in mind, the amount of sway control you get from most integrated SC-WDH...is proportional to how much you load up these systems. If you only engage the system 25%, you are getting the level of SC that you could be enjoying.


I would encourage anyone to take into account the WDH instructions as the primary. Nothing has changed with trucks that would require a change in such recommendations. As far as I know, Equal-I-zer (and others)have not made such reductions in their recommended transfer.

[thebrakeman]

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

Yours is no better, please check your attitude.



No, that make no sense. What a terrible(typical?) reason. I have no idea why Ford would only recommend adding 25% of the weight REMOVED by hitching up back to the front axle. That means the front axle is still missing 75% of the weight removed.

OP, where are you seeing this 25% recommendation? I tried searching through Ford docs on WDH setup but couldn't find anything.

Boys, if I have to pull this vehicle over....

[kfergiez]

I'm going to leave this here, then back away slowly:

Trailer Towing and WDH calculator

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

Boys, if I have to pull this vehicle over....

Was just giving the new guy a hard time. I couldn't help but laugh when they gave the F250/F150 poster a hard time and then went on themselves to blame it on the axle rating as if that response was any different.

Good times. Can't wait to get out and finally go camping in a week!

[Dustyhd]

The reason for reduced FALR % is what’s known as the understeer gradient which effects cornering stability. Ford had to reduce FALR % to meet SAE j2807 requirements.

[rr retired]

ford fleet towing 2018 guide page has all the goodies

[rr retired]

I meant to say page 35

[thamel]

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

Yours is no better, please check your attitude.



No, that make no sense. What a terrible(typical?) reason. I have no idea why Ford would only recommend adding 25% of the weight REMOVED by hitching up back to the front axle. That means the front axle is still missing 75% of the weight removed.

OP, where are you seeing this 25% recommendation? I tried searching through Ford docs on WDH setup but couldn't find anything.

are you trying to say that trailer tongue weight removes all the weight from the front axle?

are you trying to say the WDH adds it all back?


are you trying to tell me its not possible to put too much WDH that can put too much weight back on the front axle?

[rr retired]

if I had known all this I would have got me some popcorn. I just wondered why ford had this number oh page 35 of there 2018 fleet ford towing guide. I know they have a reason I just wondered what it was

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by thamel

are you trying to say that trailer tongue weight removes all the weight from the front axle?



are you trying to say the WDH adds it all back?





are you trying to tell me its not possible to put too much WDH that can put too much weight back on the front axle?

Are you telling me that you misread what was actually being asked? Because you seem to be going off into the weeds and are avoiding talking about the nonsense you said earlier.

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by rr retired

if I had known all this I would have got me some popcorn. I just wondered why ford had this number oh page 35 of there 2018 fleet ford towing guide. I know they have a reason I just wondered what it was

I see the confusion, the correction factor is how much height to return, not weight. Springs/Compression isn’t linear and it’s telling you to lower the front by 25% of the height difference. That’s not necessarily adding back 25% of the weight. It could be close to that or it may not be, the only way to know is to weigh the truck.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

I see the confusion, the correction factor is how much height to return, not weight. Springs/Compression isn’t linear and it’s telling you to lower the front by 25% of the height difference. That’s not necessarily adding back 25% of the weight. It could be close to that or it may not be, the only way to know is to weigh the truck.

Yes, height makes a lot more sense than weight.

Equal-i-zer says (pg 16) to adjust to return the front fender height back down "at least 50%". It then says if you drop it below the original height, it is "over adjusted."

So Equalizer basically says somewhere between the original height and 50% of the increase.

Tried to attach a PDF of the manual; it uploaded but won't show up.

You can find it here: https://www.equalizerhitch.com/manuals-and-guides

[Dustyhd]

The amount of rise at the front end is proportional to the weight removed. Hitch manufactures don’t engineer or test vehicles so you should follow vehicle manufactures recommendations.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by Dustyhd

The amount of rise at the front end is proportional to the weight removed. Hitch manufactures don’t engineer or test vehicles so you should follow vehicle manufactures recommendations.

My 2016 Silverado manual says as close to 50% ("halfway") as possible. So I'd say GM and Equal-i-zer are similar.

[MillMitch]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Yes, height makes a lot more sense than weight.

Equal-i-zer says (pg 16) to adjust to return the front fender height back down "at least 50%". It then says if you drop it below the original height, it is "over adjusted."

So Equalizer basically says somewhere between the original height and 50% of the increase.

Tried to attach a PDF of the manual; it uploaded but won't show up.

You can find it here: https://www.equalizerhitch.com/manuals-and-guides

I don't want to sidetrack this discussion, but I'm aware of one exception to that rule. My Durango has a mechanical self leveling rear end; which means i can't turn it off as per WDH setup instructions (E2 if it matters). I called Fastaway and the tech told me that they've had the best luck in those situations by bringing the front height back to or slightly under the unloaded measurement.

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by Dustyhd

The amount of rise at the front end is proportional to the weight removed. Hitch manufactures don’t engineer or test vehicles so you should follow vehicle manufactures recommendations.

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

My 2016 Silverado manual says as close to 50% ("halfway") as possible. So I'd say GM and Equal-i-zer are similar.

The manual for my truck says...

When using a weight-distributing hitch, the spring bars should be
adjusted so the distance (2) is the same after coupling the trailer to the tow vehicle and adjusting the hitch.

That distance referred to is the height of the front fender. So in my case the owner's manual wants more weight put back on the front than the WDH instructions say.

With the F150 being 25% of the height this just goes to show it's best to follow the vehicle manufacturer's guidelines and if they don't exist or can't be found then fall back on the WDH guidelines.