Weight Distribution Installation for Pole Tongue Boat Trailer Towed by 2005 Ford F-150

Updated 07/26/2018 | Published 07/25/2018

Products Featured in This Question

Reese Pole-Tongue Adapter for Weight Distribution Systems - 14,000 lbs GTW, 1,400 lbs TW

(25)

$250.83

2-5/16" Hitch Ball - 1-1/4" Diameter x 2-3/4" Long Shank - Chrome - 12,000 lbs

(2620)

$24.09

Adapter 4-Pole to 5-Pole Trailer Wiring Adapter - Shorter

(222)

$10.94

2" Hitch Ball - 1-1/4" Diameter x 2-5/8" Long Shank - Chrome - 10,000

(3870)

$21.40

Reese Steadi-Flex Weight Distribution System w/ Sway Control - Trunnion - 12K GTW, 1.2K TW

(238)

$806.30

Question:

I am going on a 300 mile road trip over a mountain pass. I just bought an 05 F150 SuperCrew 4x4 with the 5.4L engine and a towing capacity of 8,200 lbs possibly 9,200, based on the charts. My boat is 5,000 lbs dry with a 500 lb tongue weight and I assume Ill have 1500 lbs of gear, gas 1/2 tank, and Ill fill up when I get there and toys in the boat, so I assume Im towing about 6,500-7,000 lbs. As you can see in the attached photo, the rear was riding quite low last week...although I did have several heavy items at the back of the bed. Would a weight distribution hitch help? I have seen them for trailers with an A-shaped hitch, but not for a boat tongue. I gather that I should put any heavy item right behind the cab to minimize the tongue weight...just read that in one of your other articles. Also, I have a 4-flat wiring harness and need to upgrade to a 5-flat so my trailer brakes dont engage in reverse. Can you confirm the part number for that? Thanks for the technical help!

asked by: Ken S

Expert Reply:

Thank you for the photo of your truck and hitched boat trailer.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind concerning tongue weights (TW) in your setup. First, typically a boat trailer can have low-ish TW due to the rear-positioned motor's weight lifting the trailer tongue. When placing tanks, toys and other items in the boat for transport you want to do so such that you can maintain a suitable amount of TW, 10 to 15-percent of the boat/trailer combined gross weight. Scale # e99044 makes it easy to keep track of your actual TW. I recommend having the boat/trailer combination weighed at a truck scale if you are not certain of the actual weight.

As far as the cargo in the truck bed goes, that will not affect your TW very much unless it is positioned behind the rear axle. Placing heavier items closer to the cab will reduce the tendency for that cargo to cause more rear-end squat. Since your truck is a few years old (but in very nice shape!) its suspension may well be a bit less stiff than it once was so keeping all bed cargo forward is likely to help.

It is possible to install a weight distribution (WD) system on a pole tongue boat trailer like yours by using a pole tongue adapter, such as Reese # RP58393.. These adapters bolt on to the trailer tongue and provide mounting points for a WD system's spring bars. You will want to verify your actual fully-loaded trailer tongue weight before selecting a WD system.

If you do have any cargo in the truck bed that is BEHIND the rear axle then that weight has to be added to the actual measured trailer TW. Once you now this total TW you can choose a system to install along with the pole tongue adapter. Your total TW should fall in the middle of the operating range for the system you choose. If your total TW were to be 900-lbs (for example) an ideal choice is the Reese Steadi-Flex # RP66560 which works over a range of 600 to 1200-lbs. In this case you would want the higher-rated pole tongue adapter # RP58393. You also need a hitch ball, either 2-inch # A-90 or 2-5/16-inch ball # 19286. This will work fine with your surge brakes.

For a 4-Pole to 5-Pole wiring adapter to provide an electrical reverse lockout signal you can use part # 47515 which wires into your reverse light circuit.