Front tow hitch 2015 2500

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spoon059

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I am thinking about installing a front hitch on my 2015 diesel 2500.

The Drawtite mounts under the tow hooks and has a 500 lbs carry and 9000 lbs towing rating.

The Curt mounts under the bumper and has a 350 lbs carry and 9000 lbs towing rating.

I like the Drawtite for the higher carry rating, as I would likely only ever carry bikes or a cargo rack with stuff on it. I also like the Drawtite for the relative ease of installation, without modifying my air dam.

I'm concerned that the Drawtite's higher location would block more airflow to the engine and cause visibility concerns with a bike rack. That makes the Curt hitch more favorable in those regards.

Does anyone have a front hitch, which style did you pick and do you like it/dislike it? Any pictures from the drivers seat of a normal bike rack mounted to either hitch?

Thanks all!
 

Mega-Hemi

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I put the Curt on my '13. The Drawtite was too high in my opinion for putting bikes on the front. Now they're perfectly level with the hood. But that is going to depend on which bike mount you get.

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Shady

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I went with the Draw-Tite
Line pull: 9,000 lbs
Vertical load: 500 lbs
Gross trailer weight: 5,000 lbs

I like the higher position for the looks and it's better for winching, but I use a drop hitch to lower it a bit when I transport my generator on long trips down into Mexico. No big loss of airflow this way. And no cutting into the dam below.


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BossHogg

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I went the Curt route, which, according to eTrailer, also has a 500-pound vertical load rating.
https://www.etrailer.com/Front-Hitch/Ram/3500/2015/C31067.html?vehicleid=201517729

I guess the amount of bicycle in your windshield view is somewhat based on the type of bike carrier you are using. I went with an RV rated carrier which I highly suggest because you have the flexibility to hang the carrier on the back of an RV. I wanted the lowest receiver I could get and that was the Curt.

The install was easy, I did it myself (2015 RAM 3500) with the help of a floor jack. Notching the air dam, well, no big deal.

As you can see, the windshield view is non-obstructive (pardon the dash-cam picture) and as far as restricting air flow into the radiator, not even close to an issue. Keep in mind the orange bike looks like it is sitting high, it isn't. I'm very tall and need an XL frame hence the reason it sits facing the passenger side.

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spoon059

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Perfect, thanks everyone! I'm a tall guy too, have a 23.5 inch bike frame. I was afraid the Curt would be far too low, but it looks like it still has very good ground clearance.

Shady, your hitch looks awesome up there, but I think its a little too high, especially if I mount bikes up there. Thankfully I don't have the need for a winch when I venture a few feet off paved surfaces!!!
 

opie

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Went with the drawtite.

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I did cut the bike rack down so it's not blocking my view. Still high enough to work on the other end as well.

No issues with engine cooling.


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Mega-Hemi

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I would highly recommend the Swagman bike rack (dependent upon number of bikes carried of course). I did have to modify mine, for 2 reasons.

1. Wanted to raise the rack just a little bit (about 2").

2. Arm that came with bike rack was too short to use on the front of the truck. Rear bike would be in the grille.

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Now it sits at the perfect height, unless you get into some extreme off roads, which I never plan to bring the 5th wheel into.

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Bikes sit securely in place with no movement at all. Bike rack comes with a bolt instead of a pin so the hitch is tight inside the receiver, absolutely no play.

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And finally this is the view from the drivers seat. Bikes are just tall enough to know they're still there but don't interfere with the view at all. When I modified the hitch I set it so that I could still open the hood with the bikes on there if I had to.

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Been running this setup all year and have had no issues with cooling as of yet.
 
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HvyDuty

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I just installed the draw-tite front tow hook mount hitch mostly for carrying bikes. Didn't really think about how high they would be with the hitch location. Hmm..

I knew I'd need a good drop for the ball mount for moving the TT into/around storage.
 

DaKing

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I have installed and used both of these.

The one that mounts in the bumper, on the hooks. Says it has a 500# limit.. That one seemed "weak", flimsy when putting a load on it. It held up fine though.

On my other RAM, I went with the lower mounting one, rated at 350#. It is much more robust. Very solid and strong.

Honestly, the ratings should be reversed. The one that mounts low is much more solid and stable when loaded.

I originally went with the bumper version because it sets higher and provides better ground clearance. On my other RAM, it is a "puller" and not off-roaded hard. So I used the lower mounting unit.

If you plan to put wight on the front hitch, I'd go for the lower mounted one, even though they rate it lower. It is much stronger then the other.
 

Danno

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FYI, if any force other than straight pull is put on the tow hooks it pulls the bumper out of alignment and can contact the fenders causing paint damage.
 

DaKing

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FYI, if any force other than straight pull is put on the tow hooks it pulls the bumper out of alignment and can contact the fenders causing paint damage.

This is truth.

Many Utubes videos of people strapping RAMs down using the factory hooks. Causing the bumper to miss align.

The bumper is mounted to brackets that connect to the frame. The hooks are also on those brackets. Any thing other then a straight pull will cause the bumper to move.

I removed the factory hooks, and put a curved LED bar in that spot. Then added the lower front hitch. One reason for that hitch was recovery options. I trust that hitch more then the factory hooks.
 

HvyDuty

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This is truth.

Many Utubes videos of people strapping RAMs down using the factory hooks. Causing the bumper to miss align.

The bumper is mounted to brackets that connect to the frame. The hooks are also on those brackets. Any thing other then a straight pull will cause the bumper to move.

I removed the factory hooks, and put a curved LED bar in that spot. Then added the lower front hitch. One reason for that hitch was recovery options. I trust that hitch more then the factory hooks.

Scratching my head on this. I replaced my non-foglight tradesman bumper for one with fogs and did not have to touch the tow hook mounting bolts. Tow hooks stayed on while I swapped bumpers :shrug:
 

Shady

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Improperly strapping/chaining a truck down (using tow hooks), or using one tow hook to yank on for recovery puts loads on them that they were not designed to take. Using a hitch that utilizes the tow hook mounting points is not going to tweak anything, as long as you use it within its design envelope. A generator or bike rack would never cause any problem. Nor would a winch, as long as you did not exceed the weight limits of the hitch. Any pulling force would be spread out and shared by both tow hook mounts.

Also the height of your bikes will depend on the bike rack too. As I said before, a drop receiver will give you the correct height you need, when you need it. Otherwise, you have no reduced ground clearance with the tow hook mounted hitch. But, to each his own.


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Danno

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Scratching my head on this. I replaced my non-foglight tradesman bumper for one with fogs and did not have to touch the tow hook mounting bolts. Tow hooks stayed on while I swapped bumpers :shrug:

Bumper mounts to tow hook bracket which attaches to the frame. To adjust bumper alignment you can loosen the tow hook bracket from frame and adjust as needed then retighten.
 

HvyDuty

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Bumper mounts to tow hook bracket which attaches to the frame. To adjust bumper alignment you can loosen the tow hook bracket from frame and adjust as needed then retighten.


Thanks, though when I had the 8 tow hook bolts out, the bumper was not loose or anything. Might have to crawl under and take a closer look at this.

How does your Power Wagon 12k winch mount? Does it use the same points? Any reinforcements added?
 
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spoon059

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I have installed and used both of these.

The one that mounts in the bumper, on the hooks. Says it has a 500# limit.. That one seemed "weak", flimsy when putting a load on it. It held up fine though.

On my other RAM, I went with the lower mounting one, rated at 350#. It is much more robust. Very solid and strong.

Honestly, the ratings should be reversed. The one that mounts low is much more solid and stable when loaded.

I originally went with the bumper version because it sets higher and provides better ground clearance. On my other RAM, it is a "puller" and not off-roaded hard. So I used the lower mounting unit.

If you plan to put wight on the front hitch, I'd go for the lower mounted one, even though they rate it lower. It is much stronger then the other.
Looking at the mounts and connection points, it sure seems that the lower one was engineered better. That's why I was so confused...
 

stembridge

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I have the Curt. Use it for moving hay racks around when I need to back one into a barn, etc. My truck was missing the air dam when I bought it, so it was pretty much bolt-on, although I did have to remove the bumper brackets one side at a time. Can't help with bike rack pics...

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es
 
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