Hitch/Bumper 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

[kinggabbo]

I am looking into getting a 98 Dodge 1500 8cyl 5.9L truck. It does not have a towing package on it and I am looking to tow my boat and motor that weighs about 2000lbs combined. What kind of hitch do I need to tow it with? Just the ball on the bumper? A receiver that bolts to the bumper? A receiver that bolts to the frame? Thanks for any help ya'll can give me.

 

[woosterken]

Re: Hitch/Bumber 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

Re: Hitch/Bumber 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

I sure would NOT trust the bumper!!!
just get your self a class 3 frame mounted set up
it it good for 5000 lbs.
what I did on my F150 was clean the frame rails REAL GOOD (scrapper,wire brush and then spray some paint on it before you mount the hitch).
check at auto zone or napa od the likes they should have a trailer lite plug that hooks in to the trucks lite wireing to give you trailer lites.
at only 2000 lbs I would not think you need a trans cooler

woosterken

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Hitch/Bumber 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

Re: Hitch/Bumber 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

these that about 30 mnutes to install yourself, i have done several.

http://www.hiddenhitch.com/fitguides/hitchsel_moreinfo.asp?vid=5380&partno=87131

 

[mthieme]

Re: Hitch/Bumber 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

Re: Hitch/Bumber 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

TD is right on the money.
I have a1995 Ram 1500. Two or three bolts on either side - Done.
This was installed the first week I had the truck.
To make things easy, I went down to the local trailer dealer to get the wiring. They make a harness that plugs into the lights. Quick, Easy, no connections underneath to bite you later on. It runs around $35.

I've used balls on bumpers before, but they were more heavy duty utility bumpers. The one on the Dodge would be okay for light stuff, but I wouldn't use it for my SeaRay.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Hitch/Bumber 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

Re: Hitch/Bumber 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

2000lbs? the bumper is just fine, BUT, you have no way to adjust hitch height to level the load and you will have no buffer for the odd weekend job and the rental trailer.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Hitch/Bumper 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

I have to agree with the above posts, if the bumper won't tow 2000lbs, then I'd toss it for a real one. A hitch is nice since it will allow proper height adjustment, if the bumper is too high, then chances are the outdrive may end up hitting the ground meaning you will have to always keep the motor up when towing.
Towing a trailer tongue high can induce swaying at higher speeds as well.

A proper hitch isn't expensive, I got one on eBay for my Dodge van for $35 brand new, (the local trailer dealer wanted over $325 for the same hitch). Someone had bought the wrong one of just never installed it and it sold cheap. It cost me only $46 with shipping. The best part is that it's a heavier hitch than I would have normally bought or needed so I'm set to tow just about anything now.

The weak point in the Dodge trucks seems to be the transmissions and the gas mileage. My 1996 gets only 13 mpg empty and under 8 towing. I rebuilt the transmission two years ago, which increased my mileage by 2 at that point. Mine van is a 3500 series and has the 5.2L and 46RE trans. Not a power house but it was clean and cheap at the time. It still has only 35,000 original miles on it, I rarely use it due the mileage.

 

[kinggabbo]

Re: Hitch/Bumper 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

Thanks for all of the replies. The owner's manual says the "factory installed step bumper is rated a Class III hitch. Class III can tow up to 5,000lbs I think. A step bumper is one that just has the lower part (the step) in the middle of it with a place for a trailer ball, right? The truck has that. However I think it will be too high for the boat and I may end up having to put a hitch on it anyway.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Hitch/Bumper 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

good move

 

[180shabah]

Re: Hitch/Bumper 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

If you want to know the rating of the bumper, look in the "step" area, it will be stamped.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Hitch/Bumper 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

Regardless of what the bumper is rated for, there's no way I'd chance a 5000 pound trailer on any bumper. Not only will it most likely be too high, most bumper brackets offer very little in the way of side to side support and there are too many fastener connections to rely on vs a one piece welded hitch bolted securely to the truck's frame.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Hitch/Bumper 1998 Dodge 1500,8cyl. 5.9L

most bumper brackets offer very little in the way of side to side support and there are too many fastener connections to rely on ...

That is why most bumpers are not rated for 5k, but some are. I still agree though, that the lack of flexibility given by a bumper mount precludes any serious towing, but in a pinch.....