Differences in Towing Capacities for Curt Hitches for 2016 Ford Transit T350

Question:

i am looking at 2 products: Curt Class III Round Tube Receiver Hitch - 2016 Ford Transit T350 - C13193 Curt Class IV Receiver Hitch - 2016 Ford Transit T350 - C14012 my frequent uses for the hitch will be to carry a sportbike on a carrier or pull a 7x14 enclosed trailer, either product will work for my trailer needs, but i would like to know why the class 3 is rated for a higher tongue weight than the class 4. my concern is that the lower tongue weight will be an issue if i go with the class 4 for the higher tow raing vs the class 3.

asked by: Chris P

Expert Reply:

Both the Curt hitches you mentioned are a confirmed fit for your 2016 Ford Transit T350. The capacities are interesting but the Class IV # C14012 does have higher trailer towing capacities at 8,000 lbs vs. the Class III # C13193 which has a 6,000 lb capacity. You are correct though that the tongue weight capacity of the III is higher at 900 lbs vs. the IV which has a 800 lb capacity.

The hitches have very different constructions which would be why they have different capacities. They are tested thoroughly when rating the hitches so the numbers are not random or a mistake. They gave the # C14012 the higher rating though because of it's higher overall capacities.

If you wanted to do some towing you might be interested in etrailer ball mount kit # 989900. It comes with 2 ball mounts; one with a 3/4 inch rise or 2 inch drop and one with a 2-3/4 inch rise or 4 inch drop. It also includes a 1-7/8 inch ball, 2 inch ball, hitch pin with clip, and a storage bag.

If the ball mount kit does not include a ball mount with the right rise or drop to tow the trailer level, check out the link I have included that explains how to measure to choose a ball mount to tow the trailer level.

For trailer wiring you would then want the part # C56327.