cheap metal on receiver or??

[Dave Pelletier]

2.5" shank, straight pin and HD anti-rattle clamp. The damage is from too much slop and an angled head pin.

https://www.hitchclamp.com/collectio...2-5-heavy-duty

[Bigfin]

Originally Posted by Parafango

While it's a good idea, it sort of defeats the purpose of being able to remove the hitch when I get to a campsite and would like to tour the area. The hitch sticks out another 1.5' from the back of the truck, endangering my thighs with grease and bruises when I forget it's there. At the moment, I haven't found a Hitch Clamp that will work on at 2021 Ram 2.5"ID hitch with the 2" adapter. Still looking...

I also have been keeping an eye on the stock bent end receiver pin on my new truck. The last time out I noticed a slight "belling" of the outside hole on the side that the bent pin rests. I stopped by the local RV shop and bought the only option they had which was a straight locking pin. Didn't really want a locking pin(with another key), but oh, well...As to the greasy hitch I have a solution which works for me. We had been given a bag at some event to carry literature, etc. that was somewhat sturdy, being made of fiber. I drop that over the hitch and lash it with a bungie cord that I store inside the bag. I keep all in a tote in the truck bed (along with other essential stuff). Sometime back someone remarked that the covered hitch looked like a parachute cover on a dragster. I said it comes in handy when the 7.3 really gets hauling?...

[Bobertgoes]

I had a 2000 MOPAR factory Ram hitch, I think class III or whatever is standard. It cracked. In the rear camera I could see what looked like the hitch bending an awful lot. it was the crack, yes it was bending but from the crack. I put the trailer on the bumper ball and was lucky that time.
Could just be junk you have.

Install the anti-rattle on your receiver and that will eliminate the wallowed out which comes from clanking and slamming all the time.

[Parafango]

Thanks for the hints, tips and sharing your experiences, they have all been very informative.
I believe I have a path forward, albeit with some additional expenditures.

Nobody said RVing was free...
Cheers

[Parafango]

Originally Posted by Dave Pelletier

2.5" shank, straight pin and HD anti-rattle clamp. The damage is from too much slop and an angled head pin.

https://www.hitchclamp.com/collectio...2-5-heavy-duty

I do like the idea of the hitch clamp, however, in the infinite wisdom of the designers of the hitch, they put huge "ears", or chain loops on the hitch, making the clearance between the bottom of the receiver tube and the gap to the chain loops too small . I doubt there is a hitch clamp that will fit into such a small gap. Even though the product descriptions says it will fit a RAM 3500 it won't fit a 2021 RAM 3500...
Thanks for the link to the product anyhow..

[Tomahawk]

Originally Posted by Dave Pelletier

2.5" shank, straight pin and HD anti-rattle clamp. The damage is from too much slop and an angled head pin.

https://www.hitchclamp.com/collectio...2-5-heavy-duty

I think Dave is spot on. The direction of the "egg" indicates the pin is being load up and back. I think that is from the WD prying up. The prying should be on the socket front to back (you should see wear on shank back bottom and front top) but too much slop will let the load react on the Pin instead of the front top.

In my mind you can get the get the right shank but the damage isn't going away. You could weld a plate and re-drill the hole or just drill a large pin hole and use a larger pin. Personally I wouldn't do either of those because they weaken the pin (welded plate creates more bending) or weaken the hitch (less cross sectional area). I'd replace the hitch (but I am pretty conservative).

[kdauto]

Originally Posted by Parafango

The images below are from a 2021 Ram 3500 with a factory installed class V hitch. According to the "Towing Basics" document put forth by FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), a Class 5 hitch should be good for 1800Lbs tongue weight.
My Trailer usually scales out at 8800 to 9300 lbs with a tongue weight of about 900 to 1000 lbs.
I'm using a Blue Ox WD hitch. The truck has a little over 20000 miles on it and I would guess that 17500 of that is towing.
Any ideas what could cause the deformation in the receiver? I rarely hear any slack in the hitch when connected. It's deformed enough that I will need to pry the insert out because it won't slide out. It seems to be just on the one side. The pin is original.
Thanks for the feedback.

There sure seems to be a lot of movement to "egg out" the pin hole like that. Sure, there will be slop when using a reducer for a 2.5" shank. The slop is usually unimportant when hitched and loaded correctly. There should be a lot of pin weight and tension from the WDH bars.

I'd say post a pic of your setup hitched as when you typically camp. Make a nice side view of the entire truck and trailer. If you had weight numbers from CAT scales, I'd bet we see an issue there. My best guess is not enough tongue weight and the trailer is moving all over the place. How's the trailer tire wear?

I towed a 6500lb loaded TT using the reducer and lots of slop on my GMC. I did that for just over a year but probably close to 20 000km, one trip was 16 000km. I saw no wear around the pin holes.

It's fixable by welding plates, but you'll need a longer pin, and that's already an issue for many 2.5" receivers.

[jleonard]

On my 2021 Ram 2500, I shimmed the adapter and it is a very "snug" (light tap) fit into the 2 1/2 inch receiver.
I also shimmed the 2" shank to remove a lot of the play.
I've towed about 9500 miles and I don't see any deformation on the holes.

[Parafango]

I took my truck by the dealer to have a chat about the issue.
Oddly, one of his first comment was to switch to a 5th wheel trailer.
An interesting response to say the least.


Ultimately, neither he nor the local service manager could make a determination if this was warrantable so he took pictures and will be sending then "on up the line" for others to review.

Warrantable events are cracks in the metal, or breaks in welds. I was able to produce a CAT weight slip showing the vehicle / hitch was not overloaded for the longest trip I took this summer.

I mentioned to him that if this is the wear I get in 17000 miles of towing, by the time the truck gets to 50k, I'll need to replace the hitch! I didn't know the hitch was to be a consumable.

I've ordered a straight pin and a 2.5" shank as replacements, regardless of the dealer conclusion.

@kdauto I had the truck trailer weighed before the last trip and sampled the tongue weight with a gauge. Trailer weighed in at 8350 and tongue weight was about 950 which is about 11%. The tires are wearing evenly, I had the trailer aligned before my trip as well as replaced the tires.

Before each trip, I measure the frame height at the hitch and at the rear of the trailer and find that it's typically less than an 1" difference front to back.

Thanks again for the feedback and sharing your experiences!

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by Parafango

Thanks for the link!
Now that I've picked myself off the floor, seeing the Blue Ox price I'll be on the hunt for another brand of 2 1/2" shank. I admit that I'm not looking forward to loosening and retorquing the bolts that hold the head to the shank. Last time I did that, I bent a 1/2" x 18" breaker bar trying to loosen. The bolt torque is at the upper limit of my 250ft lb torque wrench. I'm presuming that there will still be a little bit of play between the 2 1/2" shank and the receiver, even if I combine the new shank with a straight pin. The Iron-Grip pin is promising, but isn't easily removed at a campsite, and maybe that's a good thing. Thanks for the ideas!

Another option, abet just as expensive, or more, is what my friend with a 2017 RAM 2500 4x4 did. He needed a 2½ inch shank and a decent drop as the 4x4 sits stupid high from the factory. what he ended up with is a Bulletproof shank/drop hitch. https://www.bulletproofhitches.com/c...ty-8-drop-rise

and their WDH adapter.

https://www.bulletproofhitches.com/c...tproof-hitches



And now it appears they have introduced a heavy duty version of the adapter

https://www.bulletproofhitches.com/c...bution-adapter



To be honest, I was skeptical at first, but I travel with them alot and the hitch has worked well with his 24 or 25 ft tandem axle travel trailer that has about 800 lbs tongue weight.

As far as torquing the head to the shank/adapter, yes, torque is 260 lb ft, but has never been an issue for me, nor has the 450 lb/ft of the ball



I found on my BOSP hitch that the head was a too loose of a fit on the shank. Torquing those bolts to 260 was going to squeeze the ears of that cast steel head more than I cared for, so I found shims that Reese made (but appears to have discontinued) for shimming the gap. (link takes you to my post on this issue in another thread) https://www.irv2.com/forums/f45/litt...ml#post5813679

Charles

[garywilson]

Originally Posted by Parafango

Thanks for the link!
Now that I've picked myself off the floor, seeing the Blue Ox price I'll be on the hunt for another brand of 2 1/2" shank. I admit that I'm not looking forward to loosening and retorquing the bolts that hold the head to the shank. Last time I did that, I bent a 1/2" x 18" breaker bar trying to loosen. The bolt torque is at the upper limit of my 250ft lb torque wrench. I'm presuming that there will still be a little bit of play between the 2 1/2" shank and the receiver, even if I combine the new shank with a straight pin. The Iron-Grip pin is promising, but isn't easily removed at a campsite, and maybe that's a good thing. Thanks for the ideas!

etrailer.com

[glwinger]

Originally Posted by Parafango

The images below are from a 2021 Ram 3500 with a factory installed class V hitch. According to the "Towing Basics" document put forth by FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), a Class 5 hitch should be good for 1800Lbs tongue weight.
My Trailer usually scales out at 8800 to 9300 lbs with a tongue weight of about 900 to 1000 lbs.
I'm using a Blue Ox WD hitch. The truck has a little over 20000 miles on it and I would guess that 17500 of that is towing.
Any ideas what could cause the deformation in the receiver? I rarely hear any slack in the hitch when connected. It's deformed enough that I will need to pry the insert out because it won't slide out. It seems to be just on the one side. The pin is original.
Thanks for the feedback.

Had that same problem on my Silverado. It was the "L" shaped hitch pin causing the problem. I switched to a straight pin and added a couple of thins shims in the receiver. No more problem.

[Bedlam]

I have had plates welded to the outboard side of the receiver to thicken the material where the pin goes through. Companies like Torklift actually thicken up the material through the pin hole in their designs.

[CoWapiti]

My 2017 Ford also has the same problem. The pin holes were unusually large and oblong vertically from the get go. I’m afraid it’s the same old story of soft metal and poor design without a reinforcing plate, like some had mentioned, that Torklift puts on their hitches. The manufacturers are saving a few bucks figuring most consumers won’t try to have it replaced under warranty, which they’ll probably deny anyway.
I towed the same camper with the same weight distribution hitch and pin with no hitch deformation on my 2005 Dodge. It just has better tolerances and higher quality steel.
I’ll probably just end up replacing my hitch with a quality aftermarket hitch like the Torklift rather than “trying” to get a replacement under my extended warranty and have the same problem again.