I hope your not trying to be a smart ass. Also, I said, if you would read everything, that at 18, not 20. Wanting to know what hitch you'll are running and also wanting to know if the I can go over the 18k on the trailer as long as axles are within spec.
FYI the hitch can take it. But being that I'm asking what others use shows that I'm looking into a new one before I load anymore. So what are your thoughts in a good hitch????? Also, I won't do anything that I don't feel safe doing, I'll walk away from $1,000,000 if I know it's dangers.
You should have seen the hitches that my dad used in the 80's, 4 bolts to the bed and pulled 5ths all over, some were over 20k.
Like gramma always said it's better to be a smart ass than a dumb ass.
From what I made of your post, you stated you're already at 18k and want to add some other stuff that will make it 20k. Here's some info that may help.
- Tongue weight is the weight a tow behind trailer puts on the bumper hitch of your truck...irrelevant to fivers.
- Payload is the weight you can put in the bed of your truck...the weight a fiver puts on your rear axle/truck
- trailer axles have to match the weight of the trailer/toys they will support...granted some of the weight is offloaded by the fiver hitch in the bed but axles still have to withstand the entire trailer weight. so if 16k loaded, need at minimum 2 8k rated axles (axles can be swapped out for higher rating ones if desired)
- pin box is rated for total weight of fiver/toys...so if fully loaded is 18k, need a pin box rated for at least 18k
- fiver hitch has to be rated for the max weight of fiver/toys and of course the mounting system has to be rated for max weight as well
- load distribution (front axle, rear axle, trailer axle(s)) ratings are to ensure folks distribute the load properly (you can't put all the weight in the rear of your trailer or you'll be popping a wheely, and vice versa)
I have a fiver that is 13.5k dry...it can be loaded with water/toys/fuel/etc to 18.5k. My pin box is rated for 19k, my fiver hitch is rated for 24k, my payload capacity is in excess of 5k. The fiver puts about 4k payload on the truck. I really want the B&W turnover gooseneck hitch with the 18k slider, but that 500lb delta has me worried enough not to do it. I know it would hold just fine but again, when it comes to hauling 18.5k behind me and the family with other families on the road, i always error on the side of caution. I needed an autoslide because I have a short bed on the only one at the time was the superglide 24k model. I love it! Pricey, but well worth it. I had the 20K husky manual slider and not only was it a pain to manually maneuver at times, it actually came unhitched after a 400 drive when I was pulling into the parking lot! It was freakin crazy and luckily just dropped on my bed. Of course when I contacted Husky they claimed impossible...but seeing as how I've been hauling for over 20 years with no trailers falling off and how the trailer made it 400 miles to the destination and the fact I was visiting a bunch of my highway patrol buddies who all inspected the vehicle/hitch/etc and all concluded it unlatched itself somehow, I'm pretty sure it was a hitch failure. Needless to say that hitch was never used again.
