Does anybody know what this is or the purpose of it? It is the rusty piece in the photo. It is mounted in rubber at either end and will twist back and forth quite easily. It seems heavy as well??? The photo is from the very rear of the truck looking up and a little to the rear. You can see the spare tire as well as the 7 pin trailer plug. 2102 Ram 2500Thanks,Mike

I guess the photo would help!!! Now I have to figure that out... sorry!

Here we go. Again, sorry!! I hope this works![img][/img]

This is copied from the RV.net photo posting page. Not sure why it didn't work?

It is definitely not exhaust or connected to the exhaust anywhere. It appears to be a solid casting. Just an odd piece that I noticed and was curious about.Thanks,Mike

What is this? 2012 Ram 2500 rubber mounted bar......

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Apr 08, 2015
It's to keep the Ram from doing this......... :B
ggardne2
Explorer
Apr 08, 2015
I agree that this is an NVH damper, nothing like some added mass to tune out vibration. I would be curious how much mass this damper adds ... looks to be a large hunk of cast iron.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Apr 08, 2015
Yes, that is for NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness reduction). It acts as a damper to reduce harmonics! Those are in a lot of cars. Some are hidden behind panels. Some are mounted to exhaust systems, others to transmissions (I have one on the end of my transfer case!).
45Ricochet
Explorer
Apr 08, 2015
camp-n-family wrote:
A lot of people post this question but not a lot have the answer. From what I understand it is a harmonic vibration damper. See here. Not all Ram trucks have them and there are several different designs and locations depending on model, adding to the confusion.

LOL
Loved the one post though "Could they possibly be a sacrificial anode to help minimize rust on the rest of the truck?" That there was funny stuff :b
camp-n-family
Explorer
Apr 08, 2015
A lot of people post this question but not a lot have the answer. From what I understand it is a harmonic vibration damper. See here. Not all Ram trucks have them and there are several different designs and locations depending on model, adding to the confusion.
nomad297
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
Could it be for rear-impact air bags?

Bruce
campigloo
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
I was curious too. I just crawled under mine and didn't see anything like it. I am feeling a little short changed though.
ScottG
Nomad
Apr 07, 2015
Or maybe some kind of tuning device for NVH reduction?
mowin
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
Maybe its the helper spring for the tailgate? I know my '14 has some kind of lift assist for the tailgate.
M_J
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
Oh jeez.... :S