Hello all,

Want to do a fitment for towing. 2016 Tradesman 8 speed auto. It has a towing package. I noticed the hole in the bumper is attached directly to the frame. Is this adequate for towing a small trailer with a couple quads and/or possibly a 6 x 12 U-haul trailer? What is it I need, a 2" ball that bolts up to this hole or do I need a frame mounted one with a receiver? Thanks for any help, can't find anything in the book.

 

2" ball indicates a fairly heavy trailer. Just to play safe, I would go with the frame mounted hitch receiver.

 

For a 2000-3000 pound trailer, which is what it sounds like you're going to pull, it should do fine. However, I'd go with a class III receiver as you can use all sorts of different hitches in it. If you ever want to pull a really heavy trailer, you can put an equalizing hitch in there. I even have a large hook I use for pulling logs as well as people who forget how to drive in the snow.

 

Pull up to 2,000# combined weight of trailer and payload with the bumper only hitch all day long without an issue... anything above that personally I would get a 2" shank to fit the receiver that ( if you do have towing package, then it must be there) with a 2" ball on the receiver shank. You will have more versatility with different trailers and different style receiver shanks as some shanks drop down when inerted into the truck receiver. Then turn it around 180 degrees and now the shank raises. This allows you to level or tip the trailer's rear end higher or lower depending on your need. I tow 3 different trailers and have 3 different shanks... one is straight, one dips and the third rises, depending on the trailer I am using. Using the bumper you do not have the option as to towing height/angle on the trailer. Often the bumper mounted hitch ball is too high and makes the trailer slant down at the rear, which in your case might be good to help get the quads loaded more easily onto a lower trailer. Their is also a difference in the shaft thickness of the 2" ball. The trailer weight limit increases as the ball shank thickness increases. Make sure you measure the diameter of the bumper hole to get the correct ball shank diameter. Weight limits of the 2" ball shank are stamped into the ball.

 

Thanks all, it answered my questions.