2019 Ram 1500 Trailer Hitch

[Captain]

Hi,
I do not understand the Factory trailer hitch. Do I mount the ball through the hole that is in the bumper ?
Does not seem like there is much room for the trailer's hitch when you place it in top of the 2" ball . It looks like the trailer's hitch is going to hit the license plate !?
The truck's set up for towing seems designed to strength the back bumper and not for REAL towing.

Do I have to change out the factory hitch for a Normal trailer hitch where the Receiver is located under the bumper ?

 

[Zeronet]

If your truck has a receiver (2” square box below the bumper) I suggest you get a ball mount and use the receiver.

If you don’t have a receiver then a ball can be mounted in the hole in the bumper for very light towing. Check the owners manual for limits. Anything large will require that you add a receiver.

Make sure to torque the ball to recommended torque specs (I seem to remember 250ft/lbs) which may require some heavy duty tools.

 

[Captain]

Thanks ZeroNet. No Receiver under the bumper, just the useless hole in the bumper. I thought that type of towing set up was banned because of lack of strength.
Must have been a Assistant to a Junior Engineer who designed the this Useless Factory Hitch.

 

[edrclark]

What are the details of your build? On certain trucks the 2” receiver is optional. I tow a 7000 pound trailer with my factory setup

 

[Zeronet]

Yes, the bumper hitch is not very strong. I added a ball to the bumper of a Dakota I had to tow a rental trencher. Maybe it weighed 1200 pounds with the trailer. The equipment rental company said they could not allow me to tow it unless I had a receiver hitch (insurance reasons).

There’s also the lack of height adjustment with the bumper hitch. With a receiver you can get a ball mount with whatever height you need for what you need to tow.

 

[onlythebrave1]

Hi,
I do not understand the Factory trailer hitch. Do I mount the ball through the hole that is in the bumper ?
Does not seem like there is much room for the trailer's hitch when you place it in top of the 2" ball . It looks like the trailer's hitch is going to hit the license plate !?
The truck's set up for towing seems designed to strength the back bumper and not for REAL towing.

Do I have to change out the factory hitch for a Normal trailer hitch where the Receiver is located under the bumper ?

Wow, I realize that this was posted some time ago, I hope you found out that there is a tubular hitch behind the bumper that attaches there and through the round hole you referenced as being in the middle of the bumper. Here's a link that will help you better understand. The tubular hitch is a Class III hitch minus a receiver. Here's the link: https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Ram/1500/2019/C13419.html?VehicleID=201990266

 

[JimD007]

My truck had almost no options but did come with a tradesman package of a hitch and bed lining. If it had not, I would have purchased a hitch and bolted it up. That part is normally very easy, the lights are a little worse unless you can buy a wiring kit that plugs up to a factory connector. Should be possible on a Ram.

 

[devildodge]

My truck had almost no options but did come with a tradesman package of a hitch and bed lining. If it had not, I would have purchased a hitch and bolted it up. That part is normally very easy, the lights are a little worse unless you can buy a wiring kit that plugs up to a factory connector. Should be possible on a Ram.

The OP solved this problem long ago.

All the RAM trucks are wired for the 7 and 4pin. So even if you get a tradesman or a Bighorn without the class 4 hitch...all you need to add is the hitch.

And the trailer brake controller if needes