[LDSDJohn]

I have a 2004 F250 6.0 with the stock hitch. Ive been reading a lot about weight distributing hitches. Im confused on what they are. Does a stock hitch have this? A little help please!

Thanks!

 

[SmokeyWren]

Your stock "hitch" is not a hitch - it's a receiver. And your receiver can be used to add either a weight-carrying hitch or a weight-distributing hitch.

A weight-carrying hitch includes the shank (or ball mount) that slides into the receiver, plus a ball that's bolted to the shank.

A weight-distributing hitch also includes a shank and a ball, but also includes additional parts that make up the weight-distributing capability. The shank usually includes not only a ball mount, but also attachment points where the weight-distributing bars connect.

Here's a picture of a simple ball mount part of a weight-carrying hitch. Add a ball and you have a complete weight-carrying hitch.

Here's a typical adjustable shank used with a weight-distributing hitch:

Here's the complete weight-distributing hitch, including shank, ballmount and ball, and weight-distributing parts. This photo also shows the hitch part of the trailer: