is this part of the hitch rated for towing?

[WildcatHemi]

if i find a 2” ball with a long enough shaft, can i tow a 17’ aluminum boat/motor from this position? only issue i can see thus far is the hole is much bigger than a 2” ball threaded shaft.

if not, what is the purpose of this piece. i know it goes under the step of the factory bumper.


what id love to do is cut all the low hanging receiver parts off and use the circled part for towing my boat.

 

[HarryS]

Use the proper riser adapter.

 

[Rlaf75]

What bumper or hitch is that? Is that flat portion part of the bumper or the hitch?

 

[04fxdwgi]

if i find a 2” ball with a long enough shaft, can i tow a 17’ aluminum boat/motor from this position? only issue i can see thus far is the hole is much bigger than a 2” ball threaded shaft.

if not, what is the purpose of this piece. i know it goes under the step of the factory bumper.
View attachment 576315

what id love to do is cut all the low hanging receiver parts off and use the circled part for towing my boat.

Not quite sure what it is, as I don't know what the make / model of the hitch is. Don't believe it's an OEM, that's for sure. A picture showing the bumper, too, may help.

 

[WildcatHemi]

i dont need a riser!

it is an oem hitch. if you ever remove your bumper you will see this. its on a 1500. not sure what 2500/3500 bumper looks like.

custom bumper of my own creation.

 

[Dredger]

I'm not certain, but it appears to be sort of a drop-a-ball pulling location as that receiver came in two different configurations:
55398273AD
55398274AD
With both setups considered Class IV hitches.

 

[Ocelot]

That's a factory hitch, but not a standard bumper, and that hole isn't for a ball. That hole is for a big ass Alan bolt that would normally go through the step part of a standard bumper and thread into that hole. It's to give both the bumper and hitch more support. On a standard step bumper, after the bolt is put in, there's a round plastic cap that covers the bolt head. You have a flat bumper. that doesn't extend over the receiver. I've been towing for many decades and wouldn't try to put a ball in that spot. Get a proper 2" ball mount. For one thing, the trailer needs to be level and the ball mount will provide either drop or rise to accomplish that. Secondly, that hole is for a support bolt and not meant to tow from.

 

[04fxdwgi]

That's a factory hitch, but not a standard bumper, and that hole isn't for a ball. That hole is for a big ass Alan bolt that would normally go through the step part of a standard bumper and thread into that hole. It's to give both the bumper and hitch more support. On a standard step bumper, after the bolt is put in, there's a round plastic cap that covers the bolt head. You have a flat bumper. that doesn't extend over the receiver. I've been towing for many decades and wouldn't try to put a ball in that spot. Get a proper 2" ball mount. For one thing, the trailer needs to be level and the ball mount will provide either drop or rise to accomplish that. Secondly, that hole is for a support bolt and not meant to tow from.

This ^^^^ Exactly.

 

[Bighorn_Brown]

if i find a 2” ball with a long enough shaft, can i tow a 17’ aluminum boat/motor from this position? only issue i can see thus far is the hole is much bigger than a 2” ball threaded shaft.

if not, what is the purpose of this piece. i know it goes under the step of the factory bumper.
View attachment 576315

what id love to do is cut all the low hanging receiver parts off and use the circled part for towing my boat.

i dont need a riser!

it is an oem hitch. if you ever remove your bumper you will see this. its on a 1500. not sure what 2500/3500 bumper looks like.

custom bumper of my own creation.
View attachment 576324
View attachment 576325

Seeing this tells me theoretically you could use the proper sized shank 2in ball in that receiver. However, since it’s missing the bumper as part of the complete assembly I would think it would take away from the total integrity of the two working together.

The bumper being mounted to the frame would give that particular attachment point on the receiver more stability.

If still in question maybe reach out to a company that makes hitches.

 

[WildcatHemi]

so a paper thin piece of metal (oem bumper) is adding strength to the tow hitch?

the oem bumper is mounted to a bracket on the hitch. the hitch is attached to the frame.

 

[7joker]

If you do decide to tow your boat using that hole with a ball, make sure the bolt matches the hole size. Do not rely on a washer to take up slack or slop in the hole. I see no problem otherwise.

 

[WildcatHemi]

im just gonna use the receiver and ball. i was just curious if the top hole could be used for towing. probably not so ill just use the bottom part. i certainly don’t want to cause an accident and hurt anyone by using the wrong equipment.

thanks for the replies.

 

[04fxdwgi]

so a paper thin piece of metal (oem bumper) is adding strength to the tow hitch?

the oem bumper is mounted to a bracket on the hitch. the hitch is attached to the frame.

The OEM step and tow bumper (that the hole bolts to) has a 500 LB tongue weight rating. Not exactly "paper thin".

 

[Wild one]

That's a factory hitch, but not a standard bumper, and that hole isn't for a ball. That hole is for a big ass Alan bolt that would normally go through the step part of a standard bumper and thread into that hole. It's to give both the bumper and hitch more support. On a standard step bumper, after the bolt is put in, there's a round plastic cap that covers the bolt head. You have a flat bumper. that doesn't extend over the receiver. I've been towing for many decades and wouldn't try to put a ball in that spot. Get a proper 2" ball mount. For one thing, the trailer needs to be level and the ball mount will provide either drop or rise to accomplish that. Secondly, that hole is for a support bolt and not meant to tow from.

I've removed a few of the factory hitches,never yet ran into one that had an allen bolt in the hole that went through the step part of the bumper. Maybe the earlier 3rd gens used a bolt in that hole,but i haven't seen any 4th gens with a bolt in that hole.
This is a pic of a factory hitch i have laying around,and you can see it never had anything installed in that hole.

 

[joesstripclub]

https://www.curtmfg.com/part/13333 For an even better view, I had to install just this piece on my 2018, the rest of the hitch was installed from the factory but Ram didnt include that part of it. Why they split the receiver in two parts I have no idea.

 

[04fxdwgi]

I do have the OEM class 4 frame hitch underneath and it does also bolt to the OEM step bumper on my '16 Sport

 

[WildcatHemi]

there are two different hitches. if you see @Dredger s post above it shows the two part numbers. most trucks come with the hitch with 2” receiver. all trucks have one or the other. one or the other of these parts is required because you can not have the bumper mounted to the truck without one of these two hitch assemblies.

 

[Ocelot]

I've removed a few of the factory hitches,never yet ran into one that had an allen bolt in the hole that went through the step part of the bumper. Maybe the earlier 3rd gens used a bolt in that hole,but i haven't seen any 4th gens with a bolt in that hole.

My 2011 had a factory hitch, but didn't have the actual 2" receiver when I bought it. When I added a Curt receiver to the hitch, it had the big bolt that went through the bumper and into the receiver. My eyes are screwy at the moment due to a medical issue, so please ignore typos, but I found a picture online that was similar and shows the bolt. I haven't really looked closely at my 2022 to see if it's different now.

 

[04fxdwgi]

there are two different hitches. if you see @Dredger s post above it shows the two part numbers. most trucks come with the hitch with 2” receiver. all trucks have one or the other. one or the other of these parts is required because you can not have the bumper mounted to the truck without one of these two hitch assemblies.

Yes, I saw that.

this is the one I have and it is bolted to the step and tow. I'm guessing there was a discussion at sometime where prior owner was convinced securing to the bumper with that bolt would give some extra strength. I can't say I disagree with extra support / mounting points (ie: step and tow bumper).

 

[Wild one]

My 2011 had a factory hitch, but didn't have the actual 2" receiver when I bought it. When I added a Curt receiver to the hitch, it had the big bolt that went through the bumper and into the receiver. My eyes are screwy at the moment due to a medical issue, so please ignore typos, but I found a picture online that was similar and shows the bolt. I haven't really looked closely at my 2022 to see if it's different now.

That's an aftermarket style hitch,that's not an original factory set-up with the normal Class 4 factory hitch. Calling the rear bumper a bumper is a stretch,it's nothing more then a light duty facia. I should of weighed mine when i had it off to mod the hitch to a lighter set-up,but if the bumper weighed 15 lbs with the plastic cover on it,i'd be amazed.
I bought a used hitch and cut the ends off so i had something to use to hold the bumper facia on,and afterwards ,i wouldn't let any bigger guy step on the bumper,as there wasn't much strength to the bumper itself. It was more for looks then anything