PAUL - I searched a LOT about 4 yrs ago for the receiver for my '96 F250. I just had a small class 3 bolt-on receiver tube bolted onto my Class 5 DMI bumper which was fine for small trailers, up to 5000-6000# gross trailer weight, but I was hauling Dad's old M home and needed something good for 10,000 to 12,000#.
I ended up with a PUTNAM XDR specially made for my 10" drop bumper. You compare it to all the Reese, Draw-Tite, whatever brand, and it's at least as good as anything else and cheaper. I called a local dealer around here and the guy said he did recommend using better hardware than the stuff supplied with the hitch. The XDR is also rated higher than most other class 5 hitches, it's 1500# tongue, & 1600# tongue with weight dist. hitch, 15,000# trailer & 16,000# trailer with W/D.
Shop around on the internet, LOTS of deals to be had. I also got a forged solid 2" sqr drawbar & 2-5/16" forged ball from a place around Chicago, and a Prodigy brake controller.
When we hauled the M to it's new "home", We took pic's of my truck, trailer, & the M sitting on a scale after we loaded eveything up and "axled" the weights out. I wanted to know how much weight I had on each axle & set of tires. Gross weight without SON & I in the truck was just over 17,000#, so with SON & I in the truck full of fuel we'd have been around 17,500#. And with my manual 5-spd & 3.55 gears, FMC only rated my truck for 16,000# GCWR. My trk is pure stock, no chip, downpipe, I even took the K&N A/F out 175,000 miles ago! The I-80 entrance ramp I got on to go east-bound was ALL uphill for the first half mile with a new third lane to build up speed. I actually had to slow down to 65 to merge into a convoy of semi's at the top of the hill. I'll admit I was using some "uncharted territory" in the truck's engine computer for RPM, Load, & boost mapping but I was really impressed with the old Girl's performance.
