What is the weight rating (pull & tongue) for the hitch that Dodge puts in with the Towing package?

I was surprized no to see a sticker on the hitch!

 

I don't know about the '04s, but the factory hitch on my '01 is rated at:
500 tongue/5000 gross
OR
1000 tongue/10000 gross weight distributing

 

same here

 

You know - I was wondering the same thing - I have a 4.5 and there are NO stickers on the hitch... Supposedly it's a Class IV hitch rated for 12K (according to the owner's manual) but of course the manual doesn't really spell out the tongue weight distributing or weight carrying capabilities. Does anyone know what the weight carrying capacity is for the 4.5 Class IV hitches? Just curious....

 

That's just odd.

I though there was a law saying the hitches had to have the capacities on them.

Are you sure it isn't stamped somewhere not readily visible?
Underneath? Top hidden by the body? Behind the hitch, facing forward?


phox

 

I just went out and looked all over that hitch for weight ratings - no luck. I'm going to send an email to Dodge and see what they say. Actually I'm kind of concerned that someone might take their towing 'instructions' seriously and try to hook up a 12K trailer without a weight distributing hitch. Now THAT could get interesting...

 

I just looked at the owner's manual again - it says (on page 278):

"Equalizing hitch are required for Class III and IV trailer hitches and tongue weights above 350 lbs. (159 kg) and use of traler sway control is recommended."

And no, I didn't miss an 'es' on the end of the first 'hitch' in the paragraph. I wrote it as written in the manual. Does this mean that we're required to use a weight distributing hitch if the tongue weight is over 350 lbs, or are weight distributing and weight equalizing different things? Don't know about you guys, but some of my buddies would laugh me off the highway if I had to use a weight distributing hitch for a 3500 lb trailer behind this truck....

 

Well, I sent the email off to Dodge, and asked them to reply via email so I had a written record of their response. We'll see what happens.

I went out to the Reese and Hidden Hitch websites, and their Class IV hitches look like they generally rate at about 600/6,000 weight carrying and 1000/10,000 weight distributing.

 

truck junkie, I believe you are right, it is a Class IV 6000 lb (600 lb) tongue weight. Although I belive the weigh distrobution number are a little higher, 1200/12000. That is also what Ford puts on their F250 and F350 trucks.

 

I'm pretty sure it's 10K on mine and I thought weight distributing required over 7500#, though it could be 6K.

 

From Dodge's site about the towing capacity of a 2002 Dodge CTD 5spd.

So from that I figure it is a Class IV which with weight distributing hitch it'd be a 12,000/1,200, a class IV without would be 8,000/800. However DC did throw in this disclaimer;

 

It is susposed to be 1200 lbs. hitch weight and 12000 lbs. trailer weight with weight distrubition. My 01 was rated at 1000 and 10000. I was concerned also when I first got my 04.5. The hitch looked wimpy compaired to the 01. The 01 had a tag on it telling about the max. weight, but the 04.5 does not.

 

Ok for the new ones it says the same thing about hitch ratings but the disclaimer says:

"Use an exhaust brake for all 3500 manual transmission with Diesel applications with a trailer weight over 10,000 lbs. A goose neck or fifth wheel hitch attached to the vehicle frame, should be used, if the trailer being towed weighs over 10,000 lbs. or has more than 1,000 lbs. tongue weight."

http://www.dodge.com/towing/D/vehicl...peed+HD+Manual

So apparently the hitch is rated 12,000/1,200 but DC says only use it to 10,000/1,000.

 

Update - I STILL haven't gotten a real answer to the question from DC. I've gotten four replies that haven't answered the question to my satisfaction. This last reply I requested they fill in the blanks with the weights. I'll post all of the initial questions and their 'replies' when I finally get a real answer.

 

You're not gonna believe this - I just got a reply from Dodge that says (quote from the actual email):

"The Class IV factory installed receiver hitch installed on a 2004.5
Dodge 2500 Ram pickup (as part of Trailer Tow Group Option AHC) is rated for a tongue weight of 350 pounds and a trailer weight of 3500 pounds when NOT USING a weight distributing hitch, and is rated for a tongue weight of 1200 pounds and a trailer weight of 12,000 pounds when USING a weight distributing hitch."

I can't BELIEVE that they're expecting us to put a weight distributing hitch on anything with over 350 lbs. of tongue weight - that's just ridiculous. Heck - CLASS III hitches can hold more than that !!! I guess I'll head to the dealer tomorrow and see if I can get any better response out of them. I'm still in disbelief about that statement. 350 lbs ???