Drilling Frame for new receiver hitch

[stickk]

2017 3500 Dually
I’m looking to install an aftermarket receiver hitch on my truck. The factory one tilted and the bumper nicked the back of the bedside. The factory hitch is rated at 1800/18000 but now I don’t trust it.
The 2 hitches I’m looking at are Draw-Tite and Curt. The DT replaces the factory hitch and requires 3 holes be drilled in the bottom of the truck frame, which by RAM’s specs is a no-no. The Curt mount under the factory hitch, and not that close to it. 5” top to top of the receiver tubes, so that’s 5” lower. No ground clearance issue base on the 8” adj drop hitch I use sits 11 1/2” off the ground and the Curt hitch would be at 15” off the ground. But may look a little janky.
I’d prefer the DT, but I’m concerned about the drilling of the frame.
Anyone have experience on this matter?
Pictures show where the bumper made contact with the bedside and the hitch mounting plates shifted. The dark spot on the frame shows how far it tilted. I loose the bolts and jacked it up back into position.

Thanks….

 

[NIsaacs]

If the bolts in question are on the front of the hitch, I wouldn't sweat it at all. The bottom of the frame, at that location, is not stressed.

Is it possible to beef up your existing hitch? This is what I did for extra support on my '01 oem hitch. I used a 9/16 u-bolt that fit around the 2" receiver and bolted it to my bumper. I used spacers between the square of the receiver and the bumper so I could bolt it tight.

 

[Topzide]

Any drilling or welding will weaken the frame strength. That's why it's stressed to not do either. Frame is design with the mounting holes already designed into it. If your hitch tilted, were the bolts not tight? Have you ever checked the torque on them? Did you over load the hitch? All good questions that need to be explored and checked. It's also why they say to not expose the extra ground points on the frame to more then 50 amps (would be like welding do to heat that could be generated on the ground point). It's your truck your choice, but be warned about the down sides of what you what to do. It could turn into a liability issue if the hitch or frame fails do to modifications to the frame.

 

[stickk]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, the bumper is already mounted to the hitch and not the frame. From 2003 on I believe.

 

[AH64ID]

Why not go with a factory replacement?

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, the bumper is already mounted to the hitch and not the frame. From 2003 on I believe.

Huh?

The bumper and the hitch have a few bolts together, but they are also both mounted to the frame.

 

[sag2]

I would agree that the first thing to do is get it back into position and retorque all the fasteners. If it was properly torqued and not overloaded it should not have moved.

 

[stickk]

AH64ID
The bumper is mounted to the frame via the receiver hitch mount. If the receiver moves, the bumper moves.

OEM and the Draw Tite.
Notice the OEM receiver only has about 6” of rotational support for tongue weight where as the DT goes forward on the frame roughly 18”. 2 mounting locations 5ish inches apart vs 18” apart.
I think the OEM is overrated and the DT underrated based on the construction. I’m not an engineer though.

 

[stickk]

Sag2
An I overloading the hitch? I don’t know. I don’t have a hitch weight scale but plan to get one. E trailer has them.
I’m towing a 32’(39’ tip to tail) endorsed 14k trailer that to my calculations is 12-13k loaded. Also a 14k equipment trailer that I’ve only had loaded to 8k.
Proper tongue weight measurements will be needed.

 

[AH64ID]

AH64ID
The bumper is mounted to the frame via the receiver hitch mount. If the receiver moves, the bumper moves.

Yes they share mounting bolts, but they don’t have to move together thou they could. You could pull the OEM hitch and the reinstall the bumper just fine (what I did on my 05).

I’m not even sure how the receiver could rotate with the way it’s attached. It seems something would have to bend.

I had the DT on my 05 and drilled the holes for it. Great hitch, just not sure if the newer frames able to be drilled like the older frames.

 

[stickk]

I’m wondering if the bell mount is a contributing factor?



The bottom one in the picture. There is only 1 1/2 off shank behind the pin. Installed there is 3” off receiver tube left at the back. Which is why you see the other bell mount in the picture that I picked up on my trip last weekend towing 8k on the equipment trail. Also the trip I noticed the issue with the bumper hitting the bed.

 

[stickk]

Yes they share mounting bolts, but they don’t have to move together thou they could. You could pull the OEM hitch and the reinstall the bumper just fine (what I did on my 05).

I’m not even sure how the receiver could rotate with the way it’s attached. It seems something would have to bend.

I had the DT on my 05 and drilled the holes for it. Great hitch, just not sure if the newer frames able to be drilled like the older frames.

From what I’ve seen the frame are the save from 2003 to 2018

 

[AH64ID]

There were frame design and building changes in 13 and 19, even thou there are many similarities from 03-23.

 

[Topzide]

The biggest differences in the frames are the way the steel has been treated for the stresses. They have done the treatment with the current holes in there calculations. Any additional could create issues just as the frames on tractors have labels stating to not drill or weld on the frame. If the hitch company would like to assume all liability after drilling holes, then all would be good, but I'm sure they say they assume no liability from the installing of there hitch! JM2C

 

[stickk]

I have an email into Draw Tite. See what they say
The other option is the Curt. Uses all existing holes and has more tongue weight. Bad thing is it hangs down under OEM hitch(don’t have to remove oem unit) 5”. Ground clearance isn’t an issue but appearance would be a little goofy

 

[AH64ID]

What about the torklift hitch?

 

[stickk]

What about the torklift hitch?

1100 reasons

 

[AH64ID]

The 20K torklift is cheaper.

I wouldn’t use the Curt, it looks weak compared to OEM.

So if you don’t want to drill the OEM or the torklift are the only real options.

You need to find out what failed. Even if it was too much tongue weight I wouldn’t expect what you described.

 

[stickk]

Anyone know the torque specs on the 6 bolts, M14?

 

[Ozymandias]

Are you sure your truck wasn't a victim of a parking lot hit?
That looks much more like the outcome of a small accident to me.
Especially the second picture looks like your hitch tilted upwards which is possible to do with great force, but downward is almost impossible without massive structural damage accompanied.

 

[mpaulson]

My 2014 3500 did this also. I was on holidays sitting in camp and looked over at the hitch and bumper. Bumper corners were touching the box like the OP and the equalizer hitch was angled down a bit. The truck was new then. I had to jack up under the the equalizer hitch, and tighten the bolts. Shockingly they were VERY easy to turn with just a regular combination wrench, definitely not properly torqued at the factory!!!
I’ve run the Curt commercial HD hitch on that truck and the 2018 3500 after that. I liked them and attempted to put one on my 2023, but Ram changed the frame just a little and it wouldn’t fit nor did they have one that would fit. So I’m running with the OEM hitch on the 2023 for my 15K RV. The 2023’s rated at 23,000lbs/2,300lbs tounge though, an increase.