White Whales, YouHaul, and Hitch Receivers

[67Dart273]

So I guess you heard about my "White Whale" a 97 Dodge 1500 2wd

Turns out the receiver was welded on by a 5 year old. Not safe even in it's own weight You can see by the clean edges there was very little welding going on. Took me about 2 minutes with the plasma to get it out of there

 

[67Dart273]

Went out to the local junkyard and paid 50 bucks for a bolt on receiver set up by Valley right off a 99 RAM. This was pretty much a no-brainer although I did have to buy 2 more bolts, lock nuts and big heavy "plate" washers as it had been installed on the wreck with only 4 bolts. Now comes the wiring mess

This is more than the usual mess of Skotchloks and if I ever catch any of you using them....................

They had twisted some, Skotchloked some, BUT HAD LEFT IT ALL bare!!! I did not untape anything!!!!! This is exactly as I found it!!!!

 

[nothingbutdarts]

Good find and much safer!!! I picked up a bolt on hitch for my 1977 w150 from a guy at fortrucksonly for like $80.00 shipped to my door. Mind you, I haven't put it on yet.

 

[67Dart273]

So I forgot the most important, irritating, and possibly humorous part of the story

I called the local U-haul to see how prohibitive it would be to buy a new receiver. Went something like this:

They "Recording, stay on the line, etc"

They "gargle gargle gargle"

ME "If that is human I don't understand."

ME hangs up, redials

They "Recording, stay on the line, etc"

They "You Haul, etc etc"

ME "Looking for a price on a 2" receiver for 97 Dodge D1500, etc

THEY "What's your phone number?"

ME "You need my phone number to price a hitch receiver?"

THEY "bla bla bla, then I guess not..........So what are you towing, a boat?"

ME "I just want a price on whatever the heaviest 2" receiver is available for that vehicle."

THEY "But what are you towing?, how heavy, what is your eye color, do you have grandkids?"

ME "Let me be CLEAR. I want to know the price on a 2" hitch receiver, the heaviest they show that fits right onto this 97 Dodge"

They "So you want the part the trailer hooks to or the part that bolts to the vehicle?"

ME "I want the RECEIVER. This is the part that when you remove EVERYTHING else, the RECEIVER is still bolted to the truck."

They "Well that is the part that you hook the boat or whatever to."

ME "It most certainly IS NOT. The RECEIVER is the part that bolts to the vehicle and stays on the vehicle.

They "bla bla bla"

ME HANGS UP THE PHONE

 

[Princess Valiant]

So I forgot the most important, irritating, and possibly humorous part of the storyI called the local U-haul to see how prohibitive it would be to buy a new receiver. Went something like this:They "Recording, stay on the line, etc"They "gargle gargle gargle"ME "If that is human I don't understand."ME hangs up, redialsThey "Recording, stay on the line, etc"They "You Haul, etc etc"ME "Looking for a price on a 2" receiver for 97 Dodge D1500, etcTHEY "What's your phone number?"ME "You need my phone number to price a hitch receiver?"THEY "bla bla bla, then I guess not..........So what are you towing, a boat?"ME "I just want a price on whatever the heaviest 2" receiver is available for that vehicle."THEY "But what are you towing?, how heavy, what is your eye color, do you have grandkids?"ME "Let me be CLEAR. I want to know the price on a 2" hitch receiver, the heaviest they show that fits right onto this 97 Dodge"They "So you want the part the trailer hooks to or the part that bolts to the vehicle?"ME "I want the RECEIVER. This is the part that when you remove EVERYTHING else, the RECEIVER is still bolted to the truck."They "Well that is the part that you hook the boat or whatever to."ME "It most certainly IS NOT. The RECEIVER is the part that bolts to the vehicle and stays on the vehicle.They "bla bla bla"ME HANGS UP THE PHONE

don't you just love incompetence .....for them being the premier dealer of this kind of thing, you would think they would be experts on their products and services.


its no different than auto zone or any these other wonderful places .......main thing is just keep your cool and be glad your not a female .....usually you get talked down to and they label you as stupid as soon as you walk in the door of these places when you are female. So at least you have the leg up on that.

what you described here sounds a lot smoother than the last time I tried getting a freeze plug at auto zone because it wont come up on their computer screen and God forbid they use a tape measure for anything !!! And the girl with the car apart asking for the freeze plug surely don't know anything because its a universal law that girls don't know a dang thing about cars ...right.

LOL rant over #-o

 

[Princess Valiant]

somewhat like this except the other way around LOL [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JhuOicPFZY"]Family Guy - Speaking Italian - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Oklacarcollecto]

.......main thing is just keep your cool and be glad your not a female .....usually you get talked down to and they label you as stupid as soon as you walk in the door of these places when you are female.

Too many counter people don't have a clue so I look up my parts and call them to get them pulled, then I just go get them. That way I have very limited interaction with the counter people and I always get the correct parts.

 

[Princess Valiant]

Too many counter people don't have a clue so I look up my parts and call them to get them pulled, then I just go get them. That way I have very limited interaction with the counter people and I always get the correct parts.

twice I have called advance auto parts and they told me a part is in stock......then I drive 30 mins to the nearest store and either they just don't have it or they cant find it. Really makes you want to kick someone's *** when they act like its no ones fault and chuckle it off and they tell you that the computer does not always reflect the actual count of what is in stock.

 

[Oklacarcollecto]

twice I have called advance auto parts and they told me a part is in stock......then I drive 30 mins to the nearest store and either they just don't have it or they cant find it. Really makes you want to kick someone's *** when they act like its no ones fault and chuckle it off and they tell you that the computer does not always reflect the actual count of what is in stock.

Before I hang up I have them put their hands on it and put it on the will call shelf with my name on it.

 

[YY1]

I've found more receivers at u-pulls than I could possibly ever use.

$25 to $40 is the norm...and you know it fits.

The one I ended up buying was off, but I googled the part number for application.

Turns out Ram and Dakota as well as f150 can all use the same mount pattern.

Interestingly, with some very slight mods, it will also work on 66/67 B body.

 

[67Dart273]

Incidently, I called one "auto carriage" outfit in Spokane, and he told me that Reese, Valley, and ?? one other popular hitch outfit were all owned by the same corporation, now. Just about to get up from breakfast and go out and attack the horrid wiring.

When I get this all set up, I'm gonna load the little Farmall up and see how it all tows.

 

[67Dart273]

Well, Iz worz m'selvz outz agin. Finally got the winch charge line and electric brake cable ran, got the lights hooked up, and all the ratty crap that the 5 year old kid did taped back up.

So late this aft. I loaded the little Farmall up and went for a short test spin. Not overly powered, but it handles well and I got it up to nearly 70 on a flat stretch coming back. Probably should find some air bags / other overloads of some kind, LOL. It sits down pretty good, even with the equalizer bars hiked right up.

 

[67Dart273]

Other than new headlamp housings which are ordered, I think I'm pretty much "done." Got the overloads installed. Took an old pair, tore them down, got new center bolts and longer U bolts and sandwiched 'em in. The rusty ones are the overloads, LOL. Leveled the whole mess right up, and empty, does not ride bad, either

 

[Frankie]

That looks pretty good. I've got an old (2000) Chevy 1500 longbed that did not originally have a towing package. I added a receiver, and I also boxed the frame rails.

I've been looking at a couple of ways to flatten out the ride height when towing, like adding a set of coils, or air bags, or helpers, like you used.

I like your idea. Does it handle well, loaded and unloaded? As long as it doesn't ride like an old buckboard when empty, as it usually is. Have you noticed a difference in the rain when empty?

 

[moparlover]

nice truck. and the towing mods you did.

whoever put that first receiver on should be confronted before someone gets killed...

does the old tractor still run?

 

[67Dart273]

The added springs did lift it a bit empty. I should have measured before / after Mainly, the one longest added leaf is making the difference. I haven't yet driven it in the rain, just bought it and we have only had a sprinkle.

The two smaller leaves are flatter and have less effect empty. I'm not sure it stiffened the empty ride all that much at all

It most certainly helped the loaded trailer height. I should have measured that as well

Main thing wrong with the "new" pickup is the paint. I don't have the money to fix it, or I'd have bought a nicer one to start with.

You bet your a$$ the old Farmall runs. I use it all the time, for lifting heavy stuff, and plowing snow in the winter. Believe it or not it's got a Pertronix!! conversion, on there when I bought it. It always starts at a touch.

 

[75slant6]

That's a sweet little farmall!! Dad has a tricycle frontend H that was his dads b4 he passed. We just pulled it out of dads old barn up into the new barn a few weeks ago, I'm hopin to get it runnin again soon! Love those old tractors!!

 

[67Dart273]

I believe I paid about 1200 for that. It's a "modernized Super A" called a 100. I could not do most of the stuff I do, lifting stuff, etc, without it. It and the 2 post hoist I bought is some of the best money I've ever spent.

This is the old Farmall "Regular" the day I sold it for Mom. We DROVE it onto the trailer. That thing is a "man's" tractor. When I first started dealing with it at 13 or 14, I used to scoot forward on the seat and clamp my thighs around the wheel to keep from "losing" it.

 

[Louie70Dart]

Until you are able to do the mods to the suspension, stronger springs, air bags, could a temporary fix be to not move the tractor so far to the bed of the truck? Try to center it over the trailer wheels more? Just a thought, cause then the weight wouldn't be so far forward.

 

[67Dart273]

I've discovered you can only take that strategy so far. You get the weight back there, and it becomes a pendulum, the "tail wagging the dog."

The speedo on this thing is about 4 mph slow at 70. I'd forgotten that and took it for a short test. I did not have the GPS set up, and was probably doing at least 73 or 75 coming back. That was completely unintended. Thing handles like it's on rails.