Reciever weight rating.

Ralph Cramden wrote:

hornet28 wrote:
A hitch does not have to be 2 1/2" to be a class 5. They make 2" class 5's. As far as the stock GM hitch do yourself a favor and buy a good hitch instead of the OE junk

The OEM hitch on a 16 GM 2500 is junk?

I have had a 2013 with the same hitch, have a 2015, and was responsible for a small fleet for a while with the same, and none were junk to my knowledge despite a lot of abuse on the fleet vehicles. It's one of the few OEM hitches I know of rated @ 2K lbs weight carrying.

This is from the standards for Class V hitches which I copied to my post:

"A Class V hitch has a 2-1/2" square receiver opening."

I cant verify your experience or what was actually on a **1997** Chevy but I do know what the specs say.

And while there may have been a change since that time today to the best of my knowledge a class V has a 2 1/2 Opening.

The OEM receiver on my 06 Silverado was indeed junk, the welds were coming apart from pulling a 6000 lb TT. Dealer replaced it with a stout aftermarket receiver at my insistence.

Lynnmor wrote:
The 1999 thru 2013 GM receivers were indeed junk. I don't know if newer ones are much better. Here are some photos so you can see where the problem lies: Photos

I would have to agree by those photos those hitches do look cheap, however I don't know the true story on how many were over loaded or the abuse but the metal does look thin..

hornet28 wrote:
.....As far as the stock GM hitch do yourself a favor and buy a good hitch instead of the OE junk

on 1999-2007 trucks that's definitely true. Also, I think maybe the '02-'11 receivers weren't much better. The link Lynnmor provided shows mostly '99-'07 receivers that were absolutely terrible. On a 2016 truck the OP should be in good shape.

I have not heard, nor read, of any major receiver failures on the GM vehicles for several years. I think they may have gotten their act together on that regard.
Barney

The 1999 thru 2013 GM receivers were indeed junk. I don't know if newer ones are much better. Here are some photos so you can see where the problem lies: Photos

hornet28 wrote:
A hitch does not have to be 2 1/2" to be a class 5. They make 2" class 5's. As far as the stock GM hitch do yourself a favor and buy a good hitch instead of the OE junk

The OEM hitch on a 16 GM 2500 is junk?

I have had a 2013 with the same hitch, have a 2015, and was responsible for a small fleet for a while with the same, and none were junk to my knowledge despite a lot of abuse on the fleet vehicles. It's one of the few OEM hitches I know of rated @ 2K lbs weight carrying.

hornet28 wrote:
A hitch does not have to be 2 1/2" to be a class 5. They make 2" class 5's. As far as the stock GM hitch do yourself a favor and buy a good hitch instead of the OE junk

That is correct, I had a 1997 HD 3/4 ton Chevy truck with a 10,000lb factory hitch and it was 2 inch receiver.

A hitch does not have to be 2 1/2" to be a class 5. They make 2" class 5's. As far as the stock GM hitch do yourself a favor and buy a good hitch instead of the OE junk

The easy way to determine this is to measure the opening to determine if you have a class V or class IV receiver/Hitch.

A 2 1/2 SQ opening is a Class V.

Here is a copy from the site mentioned below for the Class V:


" Class V hitches are weight carrying (WC) and weight distributing (WD) hitches depending on the vehicle and hitch specifications.
Class V hitches used as weight carrying are rated up to 12,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1200 lbs.
Class V hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 17,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1700 lbs.
Your ball mount and hitch ball need to both be rated for Class V to safely tow these weight loads. To use this class of hitch for weight distribution requires a weight distribution system.
A Class V hitch has a 2-1/2" square receiver opening.
Class V hitches attach to the vehicle frame only."


Here is the site to look at for a complete explanation of the ratings of each class.

https://www.drawtite-hitches.com/learning_center/general-towing-classes