I needed to upgrade my hitch in preparation for the new TT I'm planning to buy, so I purchased a Class V from Curt Mfg that the website said was compatible with my truck. In attempting to install it, I found that although the holes line up, the hitch will not bolt up flat against the frame. This is because the frame on my truck has a lip or round out (see pic) that interferes with hitch.
I spoke with Curt tech support and they told me that sometimes same make/model/year trucks will have different frames. He said that apparently the Dodge Ram they tested with this hitch had the flat bottom frame as opposed to the frame with the "round out."
He said they would take it back, no problem, but if I wanted to make it work, I could grind the frame slightly to get the hitch to fit. He also said I could use up to 1/2" of spacers (putting space between the hitch and frame) if needed. I tried the spacers and it gets pretty close, but not quite. Using 3/4" of spacers would totally clear the round out, but that is more than they approve and I'd need to get longer bolts. I think with 1/2" worth of spacers and a very small amount of grinding it would work.
Frankly I really would rather not return the hitch if I can make it work because I'd be right back at square one trying to select a new hitch plus once it comes in, it might not fit either. Also, this would probably delay me at least a weak or more.
On the other hand, I have to say, even though they claim it is fine to grind the frame, I'm not thrilled about the idea. My question is whether this is something that is often done when installing a hitch. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I spoke with Curt tech support and they told me that sometimes same make/model/year trucks will have different frames. He said that apparently the Dodge Ram they tested with this hitch had the flat bottom frame as opposed to the frame with the "round out."
He said they would take it back, no problem, but if I wanted to make it work, I could grind the frame slightly to get the hitch to fit. He also said I could use up to 1/2" of spacers (putting space between the hitch and frame) if needed. I tried the spacers and it gets pretty close, but not quite. Using 3/4" of spacers would totally clear the round out, but that is more than they approve and I'd need to get longer bolts. I think with 1/2" worth of spacers and a very small amount of grinding it would work.
Frankly I really would rather not return the hitch if I can make it work because I'd be right back at square one trying to select a new hitch plus once it comes in, it might not fit either. Also, this would probably delay me at least a weak or more.
On the other hand, I have to say, even though they claim it is fine to grind the frame, I'm not thrilled about the idea. My question is whether this is something that is often done when installing a hitch. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
