Lessons learned about hitches

[Rocket Pig Rebel]

I will post photos below. Lately I have learned a tough lesson and will be trading in my Rebel. I bought a 5th wheel camper. It is an ultra lite that is well within the towing capacity of the rebel. I needed to put a special auto slider 5th wheel in my Rebel, to have clearances for the short bed. I took it to the dealer and they said they don't make a hitch for the 1500. My buddy recommended a B&W turnover ball gooseneck hitch with an adapter. It is the setup he uses for his 5th wheel. B&W does make a turnover ball hitch for the 1500. I took it to the local shop that EVERYONE recommended (including the dealership) to install. They assured me that "They are a pain in the A**, but they can do it". It looked and worked great.... for about a month. What I didn't know was that when they installed the hitch, they moved the air and electrical lines to install the hitch, because there isn't enough space, they shoved them over against the exhaust. after a few weeks it melted the electrical harness, and my suspension got all wonky. I posted a thread questioning suspension problems before the dealer identified the problem.
Here is where things got really unpleasant. Obviously, FCA wouldn't warranty the harness. The installer of the hitch (The Rodeo Shop), agreed to pay for the harness. FCA wouldn't fix the harness until the hitch was removed from the truck, but also they wouldn't remove it either. The Rodeo Shop agreed to remove the hitch, but also refused to install it properly afterward, because they decide they are never going to install another hitch like that on a 1500. When I asked for my money back, The Rodeo shop, refused at first, because the installer said it was MY FAULT. He said he "warned me" that the hitch "shouldn't be installed on a 1500". Yes, he said the hitch MADE FOR MY TRUCK, shouldn't be installed on my truck. I did get them to refund the hitch less a restocking fee, but they refused to refund the labor for the install. My truck is still at the dealer getting the air suspension serviced. They are supposed to pay for that. Now there are holes in the bed of my truck from the hitch and nothing can be done about that. I also have no way to pull my camper. My wife wanted me to get a lawyer, but that is not my style. Instead, I talked to the dealership about my issues and they are going to take my Rebel back for a fair value, and throw a drop in bed liner in it. If they can manage to get it, I hope to get a 2020 Ram 2500 Laramie, sport, night edition. It already has the 5th wheel/gooseneck prep package. Also I will never deal with the Rodeo Shop again.

 

[HAL9001]

Tough lesson. The Rodeo shop was clearly at fault and should have made it 100% right. You could sue them and easily win in Small Claims Court without a lawyer to get back all of your money, but I can certainly understand if you just want to put this all behind you.

A 2500 is certainly better suited to 5th Wheel towing than a Rebel which is primarily aimed for off-roading, so in the end, you're going to be better off.

 

[AmericanRebelution]

The placement of those lines is just crazy! How could anyone think that's ok?? I'm glad this only cost you some cash and didn't cause a crash or injury.

That's definitely "learning the hard way", but you're going to be much happier with a 2500 for your needs. The package you describe for your 2500 should be one sweet ride!

 

[Willwork4truck]

Tough issue, you did what would be considered “due diligence” by keeping the loads within specs, going to a “reputable” shop etc.
I admire the fact that you didn’t get sue happy but worked through it.

Just shows that for some types of towing it’s just a better idea to go 2500 longer bed. Not as fun as a Rebel but then it’s really not what the Rebel is made to do. We try to make our expensive tools as multi-purpose as possible and that’s understandable.

Hope that you get your 2500 and are pleased with the towing. Who knows, you may move to a bigger trailer yet. It’s been, uhh, known to happen once or twice...