[Sazabizc]

Ok I’m getting my butt kicked, I’m about to lose my mind from frustration and stress.

So I installed [email protected] hitch 1313 for my 03 Dodge Ram 2500. Install went pretty well. I had the bed off cause I was prepping my rear frame for undercoating. I got that done And moved on to the hitch. Install went pretty good at lest I thought. The u-bolt that sets against the frame on the inside and pulls the bracket tight against the frame bent. The instructions say to torque the u-blots to 60 ft. I got my snap on torque wrench, not a cheap Chinese knock off. And set it to 60 ft. The torque wrench never clicked. It just kept going and going. I knew something was wrong. I looked closer and the bracket the u-blot Connects to was bending. The u-blot pulled so hard it put marks on the bottom and top part of the frame.

I called b&w and asked if that was normal. The guy says yes the bracket is supposed to bend and conform to the frame. And he said the u-blot would snap before it started to dent the frame. He said to but it back on and keep tightening it until the torque wrench clicks.

I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that. Passenger side was trying to do the same thing but I just got it good and tight and left it. Has anyone ever had this problem? I really don’t know what to do I’m so frustrated.

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[Sazabizc]

Like to also add, I use the same torque wrench on the other blots. Didn’t have a problem. And I’ve never had this torque wrench bend anything before.


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[Sazabizc]

After looking over it some more. I do think a lot of that dent in the frame is the undercoating and primer smashed down. But I do think it has started to smash in the frame some, I can’t imagine [email protected] would design the bracket to bend like that. I would have thought that would be mentioned in the instructions if so. But the guy at [email protected] said most people use a impact gun and tighten it down and don’t notice it bending. I took the bent bracket off and hammered it flat. Guess only thing I can do is try again and maybe stop tightening it when it starts to bend again.


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[Sazabizc]

Well I got the hitch installed, I couldn’t find any info if anyone else had the same problem with the side brackets bending. And since b&w said it was supposed to. I went ahead and torque the u-blots to 60 ft in stages of 10 ft. At about 45 ft is when the u-blot started to bend the bracket.

I called thoroughbred diesel since I bought the hitch from them. And the guy said he’s seen side brackets bent from the u-blot to. So I guess it’s supposed to do that . Not sure why it wasn’t mentioned in the instruction.


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[Baron85]

Not sure if 2006 is the same hitch as yours but I installed mine a few months ago and didn't have any issues with the tabs bending or denying my frame. I also used a snap on torque wrench. I feel it should take a lot more than 65# to bend those ears, especially with the angle reinforcement......

 

[Sazabizc]

View attachment 828579 Not sure if 2006 is the same hitch as yours but I installed mine a few months ago and didn't have any issues with the tabs bending or denying my frame. I also used a snap on torque wrench. I feel it should take a lot more than 65# to bend those ears, especially with the angle reinforcement......



View attachment 828579

Mmmm yeah mine looks more bent. I used two torque wrenchs . A 3/8 and a 1/2 and they both started to bend them. I doubt they both could be off. What a pain. My hitch model is 1313. Think it goes up to 12. It took nothing to start bending it. Wonder if the Quality has gone down. Or maybe it’s steel from China. How old is your hitch?

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[Baron85]

That is really interesting your are so bent. Mine don't look bent in person, I didn't put a straight edge on it but they look straight. Mine was purchased this past spring. I would call B&W back and try talking to someone else. That just doesn't look right to me. Especially bending that thick angle. Just doesn't seem right to me. And the excuse of its to help form the bracket to the frame just doesn't sound right.

I have installed 5 B&W hitches. 2002 f350, 2004 f350, 2011 f250, 2015 f350, and my 2006 dodge 2500. None of them have bent during install ( or in use ) and all were properly torqued.

To me, if they wanted that part to bend and form around the frame they would not have made it out of thick angle, instead they would have made that part out of flat plate. Just my un educated opinion.

 

[me78569]

yea I wouldn't tow with that. I would be on the phone with them again. Bending steel isn't good and I would think there would be structural damage to the B&W steel if it was bent.

 

[SeventyGTX]

I recently installed a B&W turnover ball in my 06, but it looks nothing like the pics in this thread. A lot beefier where the U-bolts are in the front of the plates. The rear has a long, large bolt that goes a hole in the frame. But I got it new in box from a guy that had it several years....

 

[Rhinopkc]

The clamping force of the bolt, even torqued to just 60ft-lbs is in the thousands of pounds (somewhere around 8-9000 lbs I think). The steel is going to deform a bit. It's nothing to worry about.

 

[Sazabizc]

I recently installed a B&W turnover ball in my 06, but it looks nothing like the pics in this thread. A lot beefier where the U-bolts are in the front of the plates. The rear has a long, large bolt that goes a hole in the frame. But I got it new in box from a guy that had it several years....

Yours looks a little different then mine. But yeah yours isn’t bent. Does yours have a u blot of the back side of the frame?

The clamping force of the bolt, even torqued to just 60ft-lbs is in the thousands of pounds (somewhere around 8-9000 lbs I think). The steel is going to deform a bit. It's nothing to worry about.

Yeah I guess that’s true. It’s definitely not going to fall off or move any. There’s a 1/2 inch carriage bolt with a steel plate attached to it in the inside of the frame. It’s torqued to 80ft .



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[SeventyGTX]

Yours looks a little different then mine. But yeah yours isn’t bent. Does yours have a u blot of the back side of the frame?



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Yes, there are u-bolts on the front section of the plates, but not the rear.

 

[Sazabizc]

Ok call [email protected] again to get a Second opinion, he said the same thing, it’s supposed to bend and conform to the frame. So I guess it’s ok then. Still not to happy about that but oh well I guess.


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