John,
I got the hitch to work with my 31s with no problem. Since the spare tire
holder is basically a cable, it will allow a lot of play.
I bought my class 4 hitch from my local U-Haul (I think it is actually a
Reese hitch with a U-Haul sticker on it). The cost was about $125 and
included all the hardware. They offered to install it for another $50 or so,
but I did it myself. I trashed the grade 5 bolts that came with it and bought
some good grade 8 bolts with the nuts that have the nylon? stuff so they won't
back off. To top it off, I coated the bolt threads with 2ton bearing press
(like lock tite but rated to 2 tons). Needless to say, this thing is NEVER
coming off. I got hit in the rear end about a year ago and the hitch took all
the impact...all it did was scratch the paint. So far, I have towed 3
different vehicles (including an explorer), and hauled my ex-father-in-laws 71
GTO to a show in Dallas...never had a problem. As for the weight ratings they
break down like this (although numbers vary slightly depending on who you talk
to):
Class Maximum Gross Towing Weight Tongue Weight
Class I 2,000#
200#
Class II 3,500#
300#
Class III 3,500-5,000#
300-500#
Class IV 5,000-12,000#
500-1,200#
I have never seen a class 5 hitch, but if there is one...you would never need
it on a Dakota. Another option is a weight distribution setup. I don't know
that much about them except they help even out the load to allow you to haul
even more and they are rather costly. Here is a link to Reese's home page.
http://www.reesehitch.com/. Look on the web, there are a TON of sites out
there on hitches. If you need any more info, let me know.
Russ
97 CC 318 4X4 SLT+
Rhino Python 3000 Roll Top Power Bolt
Mopar Perf headers Gibson Dual 14x3 FABM
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