You can weld the adapter in place if it rattles and it really bothers you that much. I welded the 2.5" to 2" adapter into my 2015 after losing the adapter 3 times. If you're ever nearby Lake Tahoe, stop by and I'll do it for you.
Has anyone swapped their 3" F350 Receiver for a 2" or 2.5"?
- OP 🔹 NickinColorado
- Start date
Good idea. Couple of small tacks and she'll be good to go.
- Jan 22, 2020
- 4,772
- 12,589
- 6.7 F350 Tremor "Velocity" Blue Lariat Sport
- 7.3 F350 Iconic silver THE SILVER FOX
Here is the old one and the new one. I have several trailers with different heights so I need some adjustments
- OP 🔹
- #24
Unfortunately those won’t work with a WDH.
- Jan 22, 2020
- 4,772
- 12,589
- 6.7 F350 Tremor "Velocity" Blue Lariat Sport
- 7.3 F350 Iconic silver THE SILVER FOX
I only have one trailer that needs WDH.
Is this going be another adapter or their own WDH design? I'm running their 3 inch with a 6 inch drop and adapter for the Equalizer now. I know a couple people on here had problems with bent pins with other setups and Bullet Proof removed it from their site. Curious if they'll let me trade it in for peace of mind. However, I haven't had any problems with the adapter. Knock on wood.
- Jan 22, 2020
- 4,772
- 12,589
- 6.7 F350 Tremor "Velocity" Blue Lariat Sport
- 7.3 F350 Iconic silver THE SILVER FOX
What do you think about have a good welder weld in the adaptor and then paint it up ( make sure the holes are nice and lined up and square). You would be done, no rattles and no messing around lining up the pin.
My though is you already have the receiver hitch, why purchase another? Plus its factory installed I would hope the factory hitch is very good.
Mostly full text I received from them is below. Note they have their opinions about safely towing. But whatever. It seems it's their own setup rather than the adapter they've sold in the past.
"Good Afternoon,
Thank you for contacting us! We apologize for any inconvenience as our BulletProof Weight Distribution Adaptor is unavailable however BulletProof Hitches will be releasing their very own Weight Distribution System in the 1st quarter of 2022. In most cases, the Weight Distribution System is not required for a successful tow. Our Technical Team recommends a Sway Control System + Airbags (if experiencing significant squat once you attach your trailer). If you are experiencing the front of your vehicle being lifted (as seen below) then a Weight Distribution System may be required."
- OP 🔹
- #29
that’s probably the route I will end up taking.
If you are running 1,300 to 1,500 lbs. of tongue weight you need at least a 2.5" - most 2" are only rated to 1,000 lbs. of tongue weight and 10,000 lbs. total - where at 2.5" will be 1,500 lbs. of tongue weight and 15,000 lbs. total.
I like to error on the side of caution and safety when towing - excess capacity is never a bad thing. Weigh safe offers a flexible system. You can get their 2.5" shank and WD hitch set up, which is not cheap, but is really nice and works great. Then get one of their drop on ball holders, when you don't need WD hitch.
WD Hitch on 2.5" draw bar - locking pin holds it on. When don't need WD - swap out with regular hitch slider - see below
Use same 2.5" draw bar - get 180 slider - ball combo and pin and just slide it on draw bar for all other towing!
For those of you wanting to use their Andersen WDH with the 3” receiver using an adapter 2” I had an issue with the 2” shank being too long for the holes of the receiver to line up due to the spare tire interfering . I tried with a Reese 3-2” adapter but failed. Ordering a 3” Andersen shank so my current setup will work once I confirm hold placement from manufacturer
- OP 🔹
- #32
Equalizer doesn’t make a standard 2.5” setup until you get to 16k, 1.6k tongue rating. Anything under that comes in 2” unless you order it without a shank, then you can go up to 2.5” but not 3”. It’s kind of stupid. The max drop on their standard shank is also only 3”.
The weight safe stuff looks good but $$$ and I’m not sure I like how far out the ball extends from the truck in the above photo. That looks like a ton of extra leverage unnecessarily.
I’ve decided to go with the 14k / 1.4k TW Equalizer without a shank, and their 2.5” 9” drop shank since I need 7-8” of drop. I’ll have to use the factory adapter and consider either having it tack welded into the receiver or onto the hitch itself. I think having it welded onto the hitch I would be less likely to have issues with trapped water. Since it will be my primary trailer I can find another adapter for anything else.
- OP 🔹
- #33
Can someone tell me if the bed payload will increase tongue weight?
- Oct 26, 2020
- 2,090
- 4,385
- 2021 Tremor 6.7L Lariat Ultimate / Lariat Black
- 2023 Corvette C8 Stingray R
If your asking if you have to take bed payload into account when calculating spring bar capacity, the answer is yes if the payload is behind the rear axle.
One option you did not consider is the Blue Ox WDH. They sell a 2.5” shank with a 9” drop and have spring bars that range from 750 lbs to 2000 lbs. The Blue Ox is silent when turning and backing up as it does not use noisy friction bars for WD, like the Equalizer.
I am towing a 9500 lb TT with an 1150 TW. I normally carry about 200 lbs behind my axle, so I am using a Blue Ox with 1500 spring bars.
Last edited:
- Oct 17, 2020
- 188
- 519
- US Army retired
- 2020 F350 Star White Platinum Tremor
- 2007 BMW 335i coupe e92 6MT
That’s what you did and it works great
I’m in same boat as OP @NickinColorado
I hate the 3” receiver. No one has a hitch with a 3” shank! And no one has a 3 to 2 reducer, either. Go figger.
I use a Blue Ox Sway Pro with a 2” shank. I have two reducers that my buddy welded together for me. The whole thing feels Rube Goldberg to me.
I hate the 3” receiver. No one has a hitch with a 3” shank! And no one has a 3 to 2 reducer, either. Go figger.
I use a Blue Ox Sway Pro with a 2” shank. I have two reducers that my buddy welded together for me. The whole thing feels Rube Goldberg to me.
- Oct 26, 2020
- 2,090
- 4,385
- 2021 Tremor 6.7L Lariat Ultimate / Lariat Black
- 2023 Corvette C8 Stingray R
Here is the 3" to 2" receiver adapter I bought for mine:
Husky 3" to 2"
Here is the 3" B&W Tow and Stow hitch:
3" B&W Tow and Stow
For WDH, I use a Blue Ox SwayPro with a 2.5" shank with a 9" drop and the 2.5" receiver adapter from Ford.
Last edited:
Thanks for your response.
When I was searching several months ago, I could NOT find anything like that 3 to 2, except one that was made of a composite material. It wasn’t steel.
The only hitch I need/have on mine is the Blue Ox WDH. It has the 2” shank. I would like to have a larger shank. My RV dealer, two hours away, told me they had them, then when I got there to pick up my RV, no they didn’t have them so I got what I could and picked up my trailer. (That wasn’t the only thing they screwed up, either.)
I might invest in that 2.5” shank unit and swap the other pieces of my WDH over to it.
As I understand it, there’s no real need for a 3” receiver. A 2-1/2” will do everything that a 3” will within the limits of this truck. I guess I’m puzzled why we even have this size. I thought I read somewhere (too lazy to track it down right now) that there are heavier Fords than my F250 that have the 2-1/2”.
