Well, I found an OEM Dodge hitch on a 3rd generation at the junkyard right as they were closing. It's about a 3/4 mile hike to get to it so I need to pack minimal tools. I could drive back there but I'm not about to risk a $900 set of tires (20" rims) riding through the junkyard full of pieces parts all over the road. Not to mention that it's pretty rutted up and I've only got 2wd.

So, I was wondering if anyone knew what sized wrenches/sockets I'd need to remove the two large bolts and the 2 small nuts. I didn't have anything on me to measure but I'm estimating that the larger ones are 1" and the nuts were like 1/2".

I know that I'll also need to bring some wire and tape to fish the two bolts and backing plates out of the crossmember.

Is there anything else I need to keep in mind when pulling it? I'll definitely bring an adjustable wrench just in case but I'd prefer to use the correct size socket and my breaker bar if possible.

It should be worth doing since it's only $30, close to my house and the cheapest I can find one is about $95ish shipped.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

yea I was thinking it was a 1in on mine, but its a reese

 

i'd just put some tools in a backpack and head in. 2 adjustable wrenchs, and a few sockets should do it

 

Well, the large bolts and nuts were 15/16 of all sizes.

It came off really easily but I wasn't careful enough and let the smaller, carriage bolts with the little plates fall back into the crossmember. I fought with trying to get them out for about 10 minutes and then had to leave to get to work.

So, I'm gonna call a Uhaul place and see if they happen to have some of those plates lying around. The carriage bolts are easy enough to get at the hardware store.

I figure I have a couple of alternatives if I can't find a source for the plates:

1) Remove the cross member and dump them out. Someone already removed all of the bolts and it's loose but no matter what I did I couldn't remove the cross member. Is there a trick to it?

2) Bring a cordless reciprocating saw and cut into the cross member. Would this be difficult to cut through with a fresh metal blade?

3) Get some kind of snake magnet to pull them out. It might be hard to do though because it will want to stick to the inside of the cross member.

 

Magnet!! I'ts easier than you think imo. Is there anything else salvageable on this 3rd gen ram?

 

Are you talking about a magnet on a flexible stick? I checked Harbor Freight's site and didn't see any accept straight ones. I was also thinking about taking a large speaker magnet and trying to pull the parts along by dragging it on the outside.

It's a fleet truck. Based on the exhaust I'd say it's an '06 or later. It's in the weeds so I'm not sure what it has on the front end. I know the rear axle is gone and the rear bumper.

They also have a 3G quad cab there. It didn't have a hitch on it so I didn't look at it too closely but it was pretty messed up

 

I'll be heading back out there at about 4:30 central with a 24" flexible magnetic pickup tool. The hitch install places said they don't have any of those backing plates.

If anyone wants me to look for anything in particular on those 2 third gen. Rams let me know.

 

could you see if there are any tow hooks, if they are in good shape a set of tail lights with some of the wiring harness, that is if they are 06 or less, and lastly the chrome inserts in the grill.

Thanks

 

I'll check for tow hooks but they were both 2WD.

I can't remember the tail lights on them so I'll check. This yard caters more to professional sales so there's not a lot of "U Pull It" going on, although they do allow it. Anyway, they tend to pull the more valuable and resalable stuff (i.e fenders, tail lights, bumpers, alloy rims, etc) off of the vehicles and warehouse them.


Most of the stuff that would be available on the trucks would be more like your tow hooks, trailer hitches, odds and ends.

 

Got the plates and bolts out but it was a pain. The first grabber that I got had weak magnets and I had to get a stronger one at AutoZone.

They actually had like 6 3rd gen dodges. All were 2wd and none had good tail lights on them. Most had front end damage and no tow hooks. One had a great looking interior (Leather/Suede?) with dodge logos on the headrests. It was a dark grey/blue color. The door panels were all screwed up but the seats looked really good but dirty. I started thinking about swapping the seats into mine but my carpet and door panels are tan and it wouldn't look that good. If anyone happens to be interested in that interior it's at Black's Auto Salvage in Brusly, LA.

Got it installed on my truck but it was a pain to get those bolts in without the fancy wire leaders that usually come with a hitch. It's done now but if I had to do it again I'd spend the extra $60 and just buy a new one and not have to deal with all of that other crap.