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How are the Dodge hitches??

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Old 09-25-2011 | 08:55 AM
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Bill M.'s Avatar
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How are the Dodge hitches??

Have a 07 with the tow package. going to a 8500 lb trailer. have read about some OEM hitches being weak. Is the Dodge hitch okay or should I take it off and get a Reese?
Old 09-25-2011 | 05:34 PM
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Bill,I tow 8500lbs with mine and has been OK.

However, the factory hitch is only rated for 5000lbs(check the tag on your hitch)

Do not know if tow rating on hitch was established by lawyers or engineers.

My trailers are load balanced, so no problems ,yet.

If you are an experienced at towing ,common sense will prevail.

good luck.....Boudreaux
Old 09-25-2011 | 06:05 PM
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The factory hitch is rated for 1,200/12,000. I have no clue what a dealer installed hitch may be rated for, but the OEM hitch doesn't even have a tag on it you have to read the owners manual for ratings.

The OEM hitch is pretty good, some have had issues with them bending.

Mine wore out with towing on dirt roads. By the time I removed it this spring it was 2.25" vertically and 2.1" horizontally and SUPER sloppy and noisy.

If you do decide to replace your OEM hitch I highly suggest the Reese Tow beast, nothing else out there is even close to as stout. Part 45299

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Old 09-25-2011 | 08:00 PM
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The tow ratings in the Manual and what came OEM are 2 different animals.

Yes my manual came with the 12k tow capacity.

I received a OEM, not dealer installed 5k hitch, clearly labeled. Much to my dismay! Orderer factory towing package, truck purchased new.

Yes Reese class 5 hitches are good!

I'm tired of re-engineering this truck,so I'm going to tow with it until it turns into a triangle.

Boudreaux
Old 09-25-2011 | 08:20 PM
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Do you have a pic of the tag? The OEM hitch isn't labeled, at least not any of the 3 in my family.

There is only one OEM hitch, 1,200/12K. There are dealer installed ones may have varied, but I haven't paid too much attention to them. The OEM tow package comes with a Class IV, if yours says 5,000 its a Class III and you got screwed.

TOWING CLASSES
These are the five classifications for trailer weights and
hitches:
Class I – Light Duty
􀁺 2,000-pound maximum
􀁺 Includes folding camping trailers and trailers for small
boats, motorcycles and snowmobiles
Class II – Medium Duty
􀁺 3,500-pound maximum
􀁺 Single-axle, small to medium length (up to 18 feet)
trailers
Class III – Heavy Duty
􀁺 5,000-pound maximum
􀁺 Dual-axle or large single-axle trailers
􀁺 Weight-distributing hitch not required, unless specified
for the particular vehicle
Class IV – Extra Heavy Duty
􀁺 12,000-pound maximum
􀁺 Largest travel trailers made for recreation
􀁺 Weight-distributing hitch is required; as indicated by
each weight classification
12,000-pound and over
􀁺 Must be a fifth-wheel or gooseneck, or pintle hitch
Does your OEM look like this?

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Old 09-25-2011 | 08:27 PM
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So I just found this.. Looks like a weight tag on the dealer installed option.

http://www.torklift.com/dodgeoem.html
Old 09-25-2011 | 09:39 PM
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AH,I stand corrected, looks like I got the class 3 (Dealer) hitch.

Thanks for the info!

Boudreaux

I'm going to still continue towing,til the truck gets 2 ft longer,It will be a Mega cab by then.
Old 09-25-2011 | 09:43 PM
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Originally Posted by AH64ID
So I just found this.. Looks like a weight tag on the dealer installed option.

http://www.torklift.com/dodgeoem.html
Pretty sure mine is the OEM 12k but I know what I am checking tomorrow!!

Thanks for the link
Old 09-26-2011 | 10:04 PM
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thanks for the info and the pictures. I will check my hitch tomorrow if it stops raining. that Reese sure looks like the way to go.
Old 09-29-2011 | 11:18 PM
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I tow a 10k plus horse trailer fine with the stock unit but if you abuse it enough I ams rue you could break it.
Old 09-30-2011 | 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Boudreaux
AH,I stand corrected, looks like I got the class 3 (Dealer) hitch.

Thanks for the info!

Boudreaux

I'm going to still continue towing,til the truck gets 2 ft longer,It will be a Mega cab by then.
You said you ordered the factory towing package. If that's true you were screwed. I'd go back to the dealer and have them make it right. You got less than what you paid for and now your hitch is a LOT less than you paid for.

I DO have the factory hitch and I have loaded in excess of 2000 pounds tongue weight on it using the hillbilly weight measuring method (measuring with a tape measure. A pallet of cement is 2500 pounds and that on the bed drops the rear bumper 2.5"... I've had the trailer tongue drop the rear bumper 4", but now figure where the center of gravity is on each load, do some rough moment calcs... like I said, hillbilly weighing ) and I haven't had any problems. Pulled thousands of miles loaded heavy.
Old 09-30-2011 | 07:16 PM
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Lost Lake, dealers closed.I'll take my lumps for not checking it myself when it arrived.

I"ve towed alot more than 5k with the hitch, but now that I'm aware of it
going to change it out.

Ordered the Reese, be in Teusday and will do the swap.

It would be unfair to a bunch of people behind me to have an 8k trailer come at them like a bowling ball.

Thanks Boudreaux
Old 09-30-2011 | 07:32 PM
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I upgraded mine to the Reese tow beast, and I toe about 14,000lbs without any issues.

Sure is a big bastard
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Old 09-30-2011 | 08:40 PM
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Originally Posted by goatbrain5.9
I upgraded mine to the Reese tow beast, and I toe about 14,000lbs without any issues.

Sure is a big bastard
That is the setup my dad has. I never liked how low the 2nd receiver sits, which is why I shopped for one that would replace the OEM hitch and keep the new one up high.
Old 10-01-2011 | 08:11 AM
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From: ruidoso new mexico
do not worry about the stock. i pulled this 25 ton bridge with decking and guard rails still attached to a city yard, i got the axles a little further back than what i wanted and had about 6,000 lbs down on the pintle hitch.
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