Are you looking for a receiver hitch?

 

Curt and Hidden Hitch have some nice receiver's. I got the Curt class III.

 

The above are fine hitches, Reese make a decent receiver as well.

When you have a hitch receiver installed, you will also need a wiring harness installed as well, certainly if you will be towing anything with lights. I suggest going with a 7-pin as oppossed to a 4 or 5 pin since many newer trailers these days require a 7-pin. Its worth the extra few bucks. Also, you can get a 7 to 4 and 5 pin adapter whihc gives you all combinations.

Good luck.

 

SnowChief- 2011 Rams are prewired with both 4-pin and 7-pin connectors.

HEMIHP- This is what's on the trucks sitting on my dealer's lot.

http://www.hitchsource.com/dodge-ram-trailer-hitch-03-11-class-iii-p-29220.html

I don't remember where I ordered mine from or if it had free shipping but I paid $78 for the hitch itself. It took about 30 minutes to install.

 

This is the same hitch receiver I have. Works well for what I need it for.

 

My 2009 came with a Class 4 hitch receiver

on my last truck i had a class 4 from Hidden hitch, i had a Class 3 on the front

 

That ^^^^ looks like it will work just fine for light duty towing, Justin!

 

Yes Michael!! It hauls 2 quads in a 2-place trailer quite nicely!!
That reminds me though, I need to get back under there and check all the nuts and bolts!

 

you guys got luck mine didnt even come with a hitch lol

 

I wonder why some of them are coming with that small little POS hitch, and others are coming with a REAL frame mounted hitch. My dad's got the REAL one, and some of you guys are saying you got the other one. I didn't get one on my truck, and I'm looking to get one. NOT the small one. Unfortunately, I don't want to pay dealer markup, and nobody seems to have one out for the 2011. What gives?

 

I wonder why some of them are coming with that small little POS hitch, and others are coming with a REAL frame mounted hitch. My dad's got the REAL one, and some of you guys are saying you got the other one. I didn't get one on my truck, and I'm looking to get one. NOT the small one. Unfortunately, I don't want to pay dealer markup, and nobody seems to have one out for the 2011. What gives?

The little POS hitch isn't really a little POS hitch. It is a real Class III hitch that mounts to the FRAME of your truck. If you look under the truck there is a big heavy frame crossmember directly behind the bumper. That is where the hitch attaches. It is not a bumper hitch, look at the ratings.

Curt 13333 hitch
Maximum trailer weight = 6,000 lb./10,000 lb. with weight distribution setup.


These are the capacities of 4x2 Hemi equipped Ram 1500 ST, SLT and Laramie respectively from this chart: http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/towing_payload/2011/


5.7L HEMI® V-8
5-Speed Automatic Transmission

ST
Towing[1]:
5000 lbs - std
10400 lbs - max
Payload[1]:
1660 lbs - max

SLT
Towing[1]:
5000 lbs - std
10,450 lbs - max
Payload[1]:
1670 lbs - max

Laramie
Towing[1]:
5000 lbs - std
10,050 lbs - max
Payload[1]:
1610 lbs - max

Unless you are maxed out on a weight distribution hitch, the class III hitch supports the capacity your truck is rated for just fine.

 

2009 - 11 are all the same

mine came with a class 4 hitch receiver

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I don't know why they gave my dad a square tube frame mounted Class IV then. On a 2011 Big Horn.

 

here are some choices
http://www.reese-hitches.com/
maybe a better site
http://www.etrailer.com/?gclid=CLDi3PbZmKcCFUpJ2god7l_FfQ
http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2011_Dodge_Ram+Pickup.htm

 

I just bought my 2011 4x4 quad cab with 17" wheels with 5.7 hemi. I am also looking for a hitch to put on since mine did not come with one. Maybe I should have negotiated for one that had one. Can someone elaborate on the difference on classes and how do I figure out exactly how much I should tow safely with my truck. I do not want to harm the tranny, engine, or frame.

Biggest thing I will be towing is a travel trailer. I have not bought that yet. I won't buy one that is bigger than I can tow with this truck.

Thanks guys...

ELFATKAT

 

the people in need of a hitch
get a good hitch receiver, spend a couple $$ more, get a Class 4 whether you need it now or not, there may come a time that you may need it, also get a 2" receiver & ball mount, you will find that the actual balls come in different sizes, ie: 1 7/8" - 2 3/8" . when you purchase or rent a trailer, the trailers own Tongue Trailer Coupler, will have the ball size that you need stamped into the metal

view this site, it pretty well covers everything that you need to know
http://www.etrailer.com/

large HELP section
http://www.etrailer.com/article-categories.aspx?productgroup=Trailer Hitch

 

I guess it's personal preference, but I just can't see how that small receiver is going to be as strong as one that mounts directly to the frame.

 

The bar that it is bolted to is mounted directly to the frame. It is a very strong setup and is what Dodge will provide as the factory option. Just look at the specs...If you use a weight distributing hitch, it's rated for a 10,000 pound trailer and 1000 lb tongue weight. If your towing anymore than that, frankly maybe you should get a 2500. I used to work in the RV industry. Trust me, a class III hitch is more than plenty for most applications.

 

can I even mount one directly to my frame? it would appear that bar is in the way. Sucks because I have a frame mount class IV in my garage, its a Universal Reese that came off an F150. I can weld, so should be no issue , but I am NOT cutting that crossmember off to do it, so what gives?

 

can I even mount one directly to my frame? it would appear that bar is in the way. Sucks because I have a frame mount class IV in my garage, its a Universal Reese that came off an F150. I can weld, so should be no issue , but I am NOT cutting that crossmember off to do it, so what gives?

The front center of the Class IV hitch mounts to the back of the rail with two bolts, just like the Class III hitch does and the receiver hangs below the rail and the bumper. The Class IV also has two bolts going to the frame on each side of the truck. The class III has an additional single large bolt through the bumper ball mount hole to give it a 3 point mount. The class III is avaialble at Amazon for $72 shipped.

 

as i mentioned, i have a Class 4, came with the truck

my build sheet reads
XFH Class 4 Receiver Hitch

i also have
NMCP Heavy Duty Engine Cooling
NHDP Heavy Duty Transmission Oil Cooler

 

The option that is being offered by these places is NOT the factory offered option, at least it wasn't in the case of my dad's truck. He got a square tube, frame mounted Class IV hitch on his truck. I agree that if you go over that weight, you should consider going with the 2500, but it's nice to know that if I NEED a Class IV, it's there, and considering that everywhere I've looked, the Class III and Class IV is the same price, it only makes sense.

 

The option that is being offered by these places is NOT the factory offered option, at least it wasn't in the case of my dad's truck. He got a square tube, frame mounted Class IV hitch on his truck. I agree that if you go over that weight, you should consider going with the 2500, but it's nice to know that if I NEED a Class IV, it's there, and considering that everywhere I've looked, the Class III and Class IV is the same price, it only makes sense.

The trucks with hitches I looked at on my dealer's lot have the same Class III hitch I have. Curt claims this is an OEM style hitch. I bet Chrysler offers both hitches as options.

 

I think I understand the towing equation

So we have a small class III receiver hitch that is attached to the cross member under the truck. This in essence means that the small part you wold buy from drawtite, hidden hitch, etc... like having one of the larger hitches that come with a cross member and brackets that attach to the frame. The limits come to play when you use a load distribution hitch that is something that you can slide into the receiver. That hitch increases the limit of total GVWR for the trailer you can tow from 6000 to 10000. The engine and tranny can handle up to 10525 or something like that.

I just want to make sure that I can pull the trailer that I want to buy. I also do not want to spend too much money on a receiver hitch if I do not need it. I am pretty sure when I want to trade up to a bigger trailer I will also trade up to a 2500 cummins.

Sorry if I hijacked your thread. Maybe I will repost, but this is what I am planning to do. Those of you with more knowledge let me know if I am correct.

Install Class III reciever hitch like this one...
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Dodge/Ram+Pickup/2011/13333.html?vehicleid=2011300060

and buy a load dist hitch like this one...
http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Pro-Series/49569.html

and pull something like a travel trailer up to 10000lbs

Does that make sense? :smileup::smiledown:

ELFATKAT

 

So we have a small class III receiver hitch that is attached to the cross member under the truck. This in essence means that the small part you wold buy from drawtite, hidden hitch, etc... like having one of the larger hitches that come with a cross member and brackets that attach to the frame. The limits come to play when you use a load distribution hitch that is something that you can slide into the receiver. That hitch increases the limit of total GVWR for the trailer you can tow from 6000 to 10000. The engine and tranny can handle up to 10525 or something like that.

I just want to make sure that I can pull the trailer that I want to buy. I also do not want to spend too much money on a receiver hitch if I do not need it. I am pretty sure when I want to trade up to a bigger trailer I will also trade up to a 2500 cummins.

Sorry if I hijacked your thread. Maybe I will repost, but this is what I am planning to do. Those of you with more knowledge let me know if I am correct.

Install Class III reciever hitch like this one...
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Dodge/Ram+Pickup/2011/13333.html?vehicleid=2011300060

and buy a load dist hitch like this one...
http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Pro-Series/49569.html

and pull something like a travel trailer up to 10000lbs

Does that make sense? :smileup::smiledown:

ELFATKAT

You are correct. As long as you don't go over 10k lbs you will be good to go. Don't forget to verifiy the tongue weight of the trailer too. The class III receiver is rated for 1000lbs but the dist hitch you linked is only rated to 800lbs. BTW, the Curt 13333 hitch is avaialbe at Amazon for $72 shipped.

 

Weight Dist hitch

From my understanding, the weight dist hitch fits into any receiver. Do you have a picture of the hitch you bought at the yard sale? If you only spent $5 on it I would get rid of it and get the one that I got from Curt. The install was simple, I did it in the dark in about 20 mins last night. It looks very strong and if you look under your truck the hitch is actually distributing the weight to the frame because it is attached to the cross member.

Check out my thread on my install I did on my truck. I have some pics on there and I am going to post some more later today.

I really think this is the best way to go. Even what I thought would be hard turned out to be easy. Just remember to put the little plate on the bolt before you fish it thru the tube and you will be fine. I forgot and had to fish the bolt out. The plate is what stops the bolt from turning once it is in the tube.

Hope this helps...

 

Forgot the link to other thread... http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=75815