Best 1997 Dodge Ram Pickup Front Receiver Hitches

Got this on my 2006 2500 Ram. I did avoid drilling the holes over 1 inch (suggested in the directions) by loosening the bumper bolts and prying out some brackets in the frame ends temporarily (just to get the bolts fished thru). I pushed the brackets back in after getting the bolts in place (and believe the bumper bolts will squeeze them to hold them), but I did bend some tabs that I can't get back to original. My bumper bolts on the driver side wouldn't go in far enough (hitting a cooler) to be totally flush for a completely vertical lift into place, so I had to swing it up there first, then do the passenger side. The first pair of bolt fishing went good, but then I had trouble getting the wires off the bolts (they were tight enough that the more I tried to twist them off, the tighter they gripped it). So instead of them coming off like twisting a nut off, I ended up peeling them off (with the bolts staying stationary and my peeling the wire around them). That slightly bent the wires so they were slightly bigger than the threads and while fishing the second set, the wire didn't stay in the threads and jammed the bolt in the hole a bit (but I still got them in place). So watch how you treat the fishing wires until done. I already have a winch mounted on a hitch bracket, but may use this for more things besides that.

Click to Enlarge

The instructions were good but could be printed larger for those of us with old eyes. The YouTube video was excellent and gave me the confidence to perform the installation myself. This front hitch is just what I needed to use for a canoe carrier over the front of my truck. Thank you.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

I had read reviews about this product arriving in a card box box just floppong around getting damaged. That was the furthest thing from the case for me. It was very well packed in a heavy box with internal pieces to hold it in place. It arrived in perfect condition. I chose to replace the silver hardware with black 10.9 rated M10 60mm FINE THREAD nuts and bolts. I used the included conical washers. The install was straight forward on my 2017 Ram 2500 Cummins. It was a bit tricky to get to the back bolts, but it was doable. It took me about 45 minutes. Although I haven't tried hooking up to the receiver yet, I'm extremely happy with the packaging, fit, quality and appearance of this product and with the quick shipping and personalized service of etrailer. Thanks!

Click to Enlarge

The GOOD: Shipped fast. Which was appreciated since I needed it fast, so when we returned from a recent trip, I could experiment with "pushing" the 28' trailer into storage instead of backing it in. The BAD: Look at the pics and you decide. Draw Tite; are you familiar with the concept of QA ? INSTALL: I put this unit on my '10 Ram 2500 by myself. An extra pair of hands would have been nice but... Remove your grill, takes about 3 min., see You Tube. This will give you great access and visibility. Ripping stuff apart is EASY! However, I (58 yrs. old/mech inclined) was able/had to put this ALL back together alone. How? Of the eight bolts involved, I think just three are the most difficult (location). The trick... USE A MAGNET MOUNTED ON A TELESCOPIC HANDLE, stick it through the front of the truck, stick the bottom of the bolt to the magnet, and gently pull it up and through the bolt hole (the threaded part of the bolt should now be sticking out the FRONT of the truck). BEFORE you started this process, you would have the entire rig loosely hanging by a couple bolts pushed in from the FRONT of the truck. In the end, all nuts will be in FRONT of the truck; providing ease of access for torquing. HARDWARE; I was concerned the hardware was gonna be crap, so before closely looking at the bolts provided, I purchased my own "graded" stuff. Turns out the bolts are graded but longer than needed;the nuts were still suspect. So I will use nuts I bought to be sure come "torque time". Considering the way (direction) I decided to install the bolts and that the ones provided are longer than necessary; I was left with a lot of bolt thread sticking out. So, I cut the heads off the class 10.9 M10-1.5x50mm bolts I bought, tapped out the OEM tow hook nuts, and put together what you see in the pic to dress up the front hitch. Hope this was a help.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

My front mount receiver hitch for my 97 Dodge Ram came in perfect shape and in a timely manner, the installation went very smooth and instructions were very easy. Only thing I recommend is a little longer sway bar bolts would be nice, just a little hard to get started. Other than that perfect easy company to work with and shipping was great I will be using etrailer for future purchases thank you!!

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Installed on a 97 Dodge 2500HD with the 5.9 gas engine. I had to remove my factory tow hooks and a grill guard. Other than that it bolts right on with the included hardware. Use a floor jack or ATV jack for the hitch and a cargo strap to support the sway bar. The easiest hitch I ever installed.

I must Highly Recommend etrailer for any Truck or Trailer Hitch Parts that You may ever need. I had to replace a Front Hitch Receiver for My 1997 Dodge Ram Pick Up (Snow Plow Attachment). They not only had the "Lowest" Base Price for the Product over any other On-Line Parts Dealer, but I was also able to obtain "Free Shipping", which was being offered that day. The Combined Savings was $70.00! The Parts Ordering Department was "Extremely Helpful", to not only confirm that I was ordering the correct part, but that it would be shipped the following day! It arrived in a very timely manner & in Perfect Shape. I thank etrailer so very much for their Fantastic Customer Service & for the Cost Savings on this Item. Have a Blessed Day! Michael T.

Easy ordering, quick delivery, relatively simple installation. Took a couple of hours from start to finish and worked perfectly to back my camper/trailer into a tight space.

Received the item a day before it was scheduled for delivery. Package well and was a good price! Thanks, Jared

The hitch is very well made and arrive in 2 days! Instructions were clear and easy to follow. Very satisfied with my purchase.

Click to Enlarge

Quality product that is low profile and fits the truck nicely. On my '03 Dodge Ram 2500, I was able to retain my Banks Ram Air intake that mounts below it!

I got the hitch and made a appointment to have it put on. That fell through so I decided to tackle it myself. It was extremely easy, my wife helped hold it in place while I got the bolts started. I use the hitch which I install in the front of my 2500 Ram to haul my ebikes on a bike rack. Works excellent.

Click to Enlarge

Hitch arrived in three days, installed in an hour! Perfect fit on my 2017 Ram Tradesman 2500 HD. Will have to lengthen my bike rack tube due to design of rack. Thanks Sammy for calling Curt, then guaranteeing return shipping if no fit. You can hardly notice it's there!

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Easy to install and durable. I used this to hold a 80 qt. cooler in an aluminum surf fishing rack, full of ice and fish. It was rock solid. You do have to get used to it being there when pulling into a parking space with a concrete curb in front of you. Even then the curb usually loses.

Was easy to install and fit like a glove on my 2019 classic body Ram 1500 truck 4x4. E-trailer shipped it fast to. Got it in less than five business days.

Customer service is top notch! I erred and ordered the wrong hitch and they made it right quick.

Seamless install in my ram 3500. Came well packaged and secured. The truck bolts were a little bit harder to get to but the instructions were very helpful and thorough, which is a truck issue not a product issue. Looking forward to using for a generator rack for our truck camper.

My truck (a 2014 ram 3500) was buried in mud, sitting on the frame. I used this hitch as a lift point to jack the truck up and get rocks under the tires. The hitch held up great to the weight in the truck and I was able to get the truck out with minimal effort. I have a 2012 stuck in the mud as well and so I will see how well it holds up to a winch. Definitely using this beyond its design limits but it’s proving worth the money.

Just what I was looking for. Thank you.

I ordered these two, front and rear for a 1990 GEO Tracker 4 wheel drive that I am rebuilding. I believed they would fit, I finally got around to mounting them and they don't fit, to large. I think I have had them to long to return them.

First the good news; it does fit the truck (2018 RAM 3500) without any drilling, just some trimming of the plastic air dam below the bumper is necessary, but that's easy enough. So I give it 4 stars, and would have given 5 but for the bad news. The bad news is that etrailer doesn't pack these hitches very well to protect them from getting knocked around in transit. The hitch is heavy steel and it's just basically wrapped in a regular cardboard box with no protective bracing at all. This is the second hitch I've bought from eTrailer which had this problem, the other being a front hitch for a Toyota Tundra. What happens is they get dropped in the shipping process and the "wings" get bent so the distance between those wings become to small to fit over the frame rails in the vehicle. The first time it happened I didn't understand why the hitch wouldn't fit, so I called tech support at etrailer and they explained what they thought had happened and suggested I "spread" the wings back out by using a jack and a piece of wood. I did that and the hitch then fitted just fine. Now I get this one, and it had the exact same problem. Since this was not new territory this time I knew how to fix it, but it's still a pain to have to hunt around for just the right bits of wood etc and spend time on this extra step. Judging by how quickly the tech support diagnosed the problem the first time around, I'm thinking this is something which happens often enough for them to be familiar with it. So it's a little surprising to me that etrailer hasn't come up with a fix. A simple piece of wood (a 2 x 4, say) cut to exactly the right distance between the (unbent) wings, and held in place with tape or something would prevent the wings from getting bent inwards if (when is more like) it's dropped on one end in the warehouse or in transit. I've done a fair bit of business over the years with etrailer, and they're a really great company to trade with. In fact this very issue of bent end wings on trailer hitches is the only fitment problem I've ever had with anything from them. Once can be a fluke. But twice is a pattern, folks. You should really fix this.

Everything is just the way it was described to me at the time of sale. This hitch works great on the front of my 2018 Ram 3500 to haul my Honda Ruckus. I am very happy with it. What made it even better was the great service I received from Etrailer when I bought it. :)

I bought this receiver to add front mounted 'accessories' on my 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. I plan on using this to add an extra bicycle rack, a cargo basket, a receiver mounted winch or other 'accessories' needed for my Jeep when I take my family camping. It will also be useful for "front launching" a boat or parking a trailer in tight spots. It took me about an hour to install, although I had already previously removed the lower wind deflector cowling, so did not have to spend time removing it or cutting it for a finished look. Detaching and moving the top trim panel between the grill and the bumper is a must to facilitate the installation. The receiver fits pretty close, although you do have to manipulate it to get the holes to line up with the frame. Follow the instructions and do not tighten any of the bolts until you get it lined up and all the bolts in loosely, then torque it down. As noted in the instruction sheet, the driver's side of the receiver does not sit flush against the frame, there is about a 1/4" to 5/8" gap. The instructions say to use the extra split washers (in the kit) as filler, but they would just rattle around loose in there and provide any benefit, so I omitted them. Once tightened down, the receiver tube was not parallel to the ground, it is slightly higher in the front, sloping towards the rear. It is not off enough to affect my intended use, but may be bothersome to those with type 'A' attention to detail. Overall a good product that will add a lot of flexibility to my Jeep~

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Relatively easy install. Just have to be mechanically inclined. We use the hitch to carry a fish rack/cooler on a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. So far so good.

I chose Draw-tite because they are built very well and this one is no different. The welds are done well and I have no fear that this product will serve me well. The install wasnt to bad for a DIY type like me and the fit was excellent, only took a few hours. Knowing that I can now be pulled out of a bad situation or pull someone else out is comforting with the help of a hitch mounted winch. The Price was right and etrailer shipped it out fast although packing could use a smaller box . Oh yeah, UPS sure tested the toughness of this receiver ! . Great product and great service from etrailer

Click to Enlarge

im very satisfied with my front receiver. ive used it as a recovery point,to move trailers, and as a mount for bike rack and cargo holder. if i had a winch platethat would be very handy too. etrailerhad a fair price, quick shipping, and overall great customer service. i would use them again andrecommend to a friend as well.

Great products, great prices, fast shipping and a great company to do business with. Easy install, and it took longer to trim the air dam than installing the hitch.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Terrible, they sent the wrong hitch and now want me to pay shipping for the return

Product was received in very good condition and quick. It took me about an hour from the time I put it on the ramps till I backed off with the factory tow hooks removed and the new hitch installed. Fit was as good as anyone could want.

Click to Enlarge

etrailer is a great company. Smooth fast shipping. The hitch mounted perfectly.

Needed a front hitch for a 2006 Ridgeline Honda truck. I found it on etrailer.com and a better price for same hitch on another online store. As I talked with the customer service agent, I was also offered a discount which was quite a surprise. Shipping was very fast. Had it installed on my truck so I could attach a mounting hitch and snow blade. I am extremely happy with this hitch and etrailer.com.

We live just south of Buffalo and Put this on our '11 Honda Ridgeline with a snowsport plow and a week later it snowed, and snowed and snowed... 5 feet in 24 hours and it's still snowing.... It's not good.... It's AWESOME! Not one driveway or even our street is clear... Except ours. It was easy to put together , easy to install and works exactly like it's advertised! It's November and it paid for itself already. Communication with etrailer was exceptional. We could not be happier with the whole setup.

Click to Enlarge

I ordered this unit after sending one back from a different supplier ,the previous one said it fit my Ranger, well after getting it and checking installation video`s it needed to be cut up and fafbricated, no thanks. The Draw tight from E-trailer fit great,delivery was prompt even with a major snowstorm ,the only hic-cup was I didn`t take off my front bumper,due to a brush guard we welded on years ago but even without taking off the bumper I was able to get it on , heck I didn`t even jack up the truck. A little trim on the bumper trim and some help from my motorcycle jack easy to do , took about an hour and a half looks good , fit great, now its time to attach the snow plow and get my driveway clear.I am also ordering the air bag spring helpers for my little truck and will see how that goes too, thanks to the staff at E-trailer, I`ll be ordering from you again.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

This is a great addition to my old square body Explorer Sport, the closest thing I can afford to a square body Bronco. Great for moving trailers around the yard or put a hitch mounted bike rack up front and tow your boat or camper behind. Best part was no drilling direct fit and in stock at etrailer!

Click to Enlarge

After a year of having this on my truck I can say that I wish I did it sooner! The installation is easy as can be. The hitch is super handy as both a tow point and also as a kind of skid plate/bumper. I have contacted multiple ecology blocks and other objects in my truck, the hitch is the first thing to touch so nothing on the truck gets damaged! This is a super strong, affordable, and versatile addition to any vehicle!

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

VERY Easy install - not quite centered but that's no biggie - Used it already to fine tune the travel trailer into it's tight parking space. Also will be used for carhauler/utility trailer parking and canoe hauling and bike hauling and winch mount - Multi use deal! ; )

Click to Enlarge

I installed this myself with no help and I'm rapidly approaching 70. All the parts were included. Yes, it took me a bit longer, and, yes, it wasn't fun laying on the ground or getting up and down from such positions. The hitch works as it should. Some of the bolts were a bit inaccessible for my torque wrench with the various extensions I own but I'm sure they're very tight. It works great with my snow plow. Sorry, but I have not taken any photos.

Overall everything went well. The box arrived with a few holes in it, but the hitch and all bolts were there and just a couple of minor scratches. Installation was pretty much straight forward, a little more difficult on the ground as opposed to doing it from a lift but that is generally accepted by do it yourselfers. Tool list is more extensive if you torque the bolts properly, for instance you will need a crows foot that fits your torque wrench as you can’t get a socket on a couple of the bolts. I’m a tool crazy person so that is no problem for me! I preferred the Draw-tire brand as I could put the rock and gravel Shield back on my 2010 Toyota Tacoma. Looks good fits great and etrailer.com did a great job of delivering the product at a good price. Thanks etailer.com!

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge