Broken Frame on a RAM 3500
You may have seen pics of this truck and camper floating around the interwbez for the last few weeks. Here's an article about it that was published earlier today. Broken Frame on a RAM 3500
Forum Discussion
3 tons wrote:
“ Dodge/Rams Body Builder guide allows drilling/welding the main frame rails on '03 and up Dodge/Ram hydroformed frame rails.”
Maybe so (I donno??), but how might this factoid be associated with installation of a Torklift ‘drill thru the frame’ tie-down mount?
3 tons
I suspect you’re on to something here.
Also consider that after 25k miles it broke after driving 55 on roads that according to the owner were “kind of back and forth, and there's dips and stuff”. A cracked frame is likely due to oscillation of the whole load, working the frame until the crack formed. It’s most likely to form at a place like a drilled mount. A bunch of weight sitting over the rear axle does not stress the frame where it broke unless there’s an unholy motion.
My guess is that it could have eventually happened even with a lighter camper on board though you can’t blame Mopar for denying the warranty with an overload truck as I’m sure it contributed.
