anyone get their free hitch yet?

geordi · **Posted:** Sun Sep 28, 2014 12:43 pm

Class 2 would be the wrong size.

How big is the opening in the receiver box? If it is 2 inches square, that is a class 3 or 4 hitch, which would be correct. If it is 1.25 inches, then that is a class 1 or 2 receiver... Which is way wrong.

Tiarnon · **Posted:** Sun Sep 28, 2014 4:38 pm

How much would it cost to get a wiring harness installed for the hitch?

Can somebody who has received it post pictures and take a measurement of the opening so we can determine what class the hitch falls in.

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

Its a 2" reciever tube. Its the factory towing hitch without the wire harness bracket. I have the recall hitch

Sent with the power of children's screams!!!

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

Got my recalled on 8/11/14

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shooby106 · **Joined:** Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:25 pm **Posts:** 3

I had it installed last week, unfortunately it is not(according the the notice slip) rated for towing at all. This hitch is for rear reinforcement in case of rear end collision. I was given the notice immediately after installation. I called back as I was leaving asking why I was just given a notice that the "hitch" I had installed on my 4x4 wasn't rated for...it's only purpose. I was told to Nescafé and only use it for "small" loads. However, further in the statement shows it's not rated for towing bc the recall only mandates the reinforcement aspect of the hitch, bc of this little clause they do NOT install a wiring harness... This legally requires them to state "not for towing," due to the lack of DOT signaling(no harness, no taillights). With all this being said I had to wait a extra week for the reinforcement bracket for the hitch (I think they are squeezing all they can from corporate because I already had the tow package w/hooks). So... On the paperwork I received it is a Mopar OEM hitch 2".

Though I was skimped out of a wiring harness I'm happy I got a free hitch. On the recall, if you have purchased one prior to the recall and have proof of purchase and the setup meets the requirements they will reimburse you for parts and labor if mailed in with the slip.

Cheers!

geordi · **Posted:** Sun Sep 28, 2014 7:13 pm

Yeah, if you can send them the ORIGINAL receipt. I don't see that happening a lot.

Meanwhile, there is a wiring harness that you can get from etrailer.com that plugs in behind both lights, and gives you the wiring connections. No muss, no fuss, it has the factory lamp harnesses as part of it so it just slots in between the two sides of the lamp harness.

The hardest part will be finding a way to route the wire from behind the light and across the back of the Jeep to the other light. I remember it took a bit of figuring for my CRD, but in the end it was completely transparent - you didn't know it was there at all.

Will it be a 7-wire brake controller? No. But if you want one of those, this could be a fast way to get *most* of those connections, then you only need the brake signalling wire and the battery feed to be brought to the back.

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

Just dont expect trailer wiring or anything above (read more) a 2" hitch.

Feels like were beating a dead cow with this recall "issue"

Edited for clarity

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geordi · **Posted:** Sun Sep 28, 2014 7:30 pm

There isn't anything above a 2" hitch. That receiver size is common to class 3/4/5 hitches, the rating only changes based on the structure of the bar itself and the capabilities of the towing vehicle.

That said, your pictures show this to be one WEAK ARSED design and what is almost certainly the thinnest metal they could come up with.
Those tabs holding the receiver under the main tube look barely welded, where the hitch that I installed had a support elbow at the back end, and another at the front end, and was completely welded to the main tube on both sides, for a 4-way weld joint between the two parts.

Considering the strength of that setup compared with my RV, I had no problem using it with anything I could throw at it. My big cargo trailer is a 7.5x20 box, and is badly built - The axles are too far back - and when loaded to its capacity of 7000 lbs (I scaled it to know) it was putting down 1200 lbs on the tongue! That was with my loading it intentionally heavy BEHIND the axles, with a 500 lb motorcycle and all the tools I could find in cabinets as far back as possible. WAY wrong build of a trailer.

The CRD wasn't happy about pulling that, but it was all about the wind resistance. I also didn't go that far OR that fast with it, b/c I didn't have a brake controller on the CRD either. The RV did, and the brakes worked great.

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

Class V hitch comes in 2 1/2". Maybe not for the KJ but they do come bigger than 2".

The metal is 3/16, same as my buddies CRD with towing package. Same design. The main bar IS welded fully on the inner side. Yes they could of welded on both sides, but I can do that if I needed that strength. Either way its 100% the same as the OEM one on the KJ.

Sent with the power of children's screams!!!

geordi · **Posted:** Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:03 pm

Interesting, I have heard of a 2.5" receiver tube, but didn't think they were available for anything commonly driven - my RV has a 10k tow rating based on the engine size (large for the size of coach) and supposedly is a class V hitch, although I haven't seen that written down anywhere. I'm going by the statement of the original owner. The tow rating I found on the actual GVWR paper. But that is still just a 2-inch receiver.

Meanwhile, if it is 3/16" steel, then I stand corrected about the strength. It looked thinner to me in the image. 3/16 would be the same as the Reese hitch that I had put on my CRD, so it should be able to handle just about anything you want to throw at it.

I'd consider those extra welds if you know you will be handing it such heavy tongue weights though, but that should be more than capable of a full 7000 lb tow. I actually was closer to 7500 with the biggest thing my CRD ever pulled, a huge generator and 500' of 1 inch-thick distro cable - 5 coils of that, 100' each!

That was some HEAVY assed pulling. The CRD handled it amazingly though, but the mileage (as you might imagine) sucked.

rancherman · **Posted:** Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:06 pm

I drove down to my closest DCJ dealer last week, to see about getting another key made. I was too late in the day for getting it done.. so I had them look up all warranty and recall work done on my new-to-me 06 liberty. (quite a list)

Service manager told me they'd like to inspect my hitch to see if it's the proper one. Mine is the round tube support. He told me that they'd replace it with the 'new improved' version that won't rip the fuel tank quite as bad as the original design... At least they'd put a inspection sticker on it saying "yup, she's inspected"
For giggles, I asked how many CRDs they sold in the 2 years... '2'... both special order.

didn't seem to phase the manager that it's a diesel.

2 5/16" ball is becoming pretty standard on bumper pull livestock trailers. This is the same size that is on most goosenecks.
I just bought a small bumper pull for my Fil, a 16' (7000# rating on axles) and was surprised to see the large ball receiver
the 'quality' balls are rated at 30,000 lbs.

MRausch82 · **Posted:** Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:29 pm

My letter had some wording about not keeping the ball on when not in use as well... Interesting how some folks are getting differently worded instructions. Not surprising though...

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

Most my KJ pulls is 1000 lbs total (5x8 trailer and lawnmower) down to the fire station.
Anything bigger gets the 1 ton with the 2 1/2" class V hitch or goose neck. And if I need bigger I have Freightliner with 52' flat bed.

Sent with the power of children's screams!!!

geordi · **Posted:** Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:16 am

So.... Not really pulling anything at all then.

I've used my 1.9 liter JETTA to pull more than that, how about a 3'x5' open trailer (1t axle and leafs) with about 36 boxes of wood flooring on it (full wrapped half-pallet from Home Depot) and another 25 boxes in the back with the door down. That was close to about 2k lbs or so, then there was the 65 concrete roofing tiles on the same little trailer, the 17 half-blocks of concrete...

In a few days, I will be going and getting 30 80-lb bags of concrete from HD for a patio project... Yep, with that same trailer and either the Jetta or a 4-cylinder Chevy Equinox.

These vehicles have worked WAY harder than the Jeep ever did, and the Jeep was a pansy about doing the work of normal daily driving. I couldn't go 30k miles in the CRD without something major breaking (and I towed maybe 1% of the total mileage) where I have already put 71k on the Jetta since I bought it - At 244k miles!

Then again... Maybe there is something to your idea of not using the Jeep for any actual work. If a puny VW diesel can best it for general quality and strength... Chrysler should be ashamed of themselves, but they don't care.

flman · **Posted:** Mon Sep 29, 2014 6:50 am

So is the hitch even worth the ride to the Jeep dealer over? I hear it is not even meant for towing, so what is the point, I might as well go and buy a real hitch?

mass-hole · **Posted:** Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:40 am

Honestly, installing the OEM 7 Pin wiring harness is not hard at all. The hardest part was getting the 12V lead through the firewall to the battery. I think in total it took me and hour and 15 minutes taking my time.

mass-hole · **Posted:** Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:41 am

flman wrote:

So is the hitch even worth the ride to the Jeep dealer over? I hear it is not even meant for towing, so what is the point, I might as well go and buy a real hitch?

I wonder if its the same hitch they just dont wanna take on the legal side of things if it decides to rip off while someone is towing a 5000 lb trailer. Or maybe because it is supposed to be a bumper, it cant be put under the stress of towing and be considered still functioning.

thermorex · **Posted:** Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:59 am

Tiarnon wrote:

How much would it cost to get a wiring harness installed for the hitch?

Can somebody who has received it post pictures and take a measurement of the opening so we can determine what class the hitch falls in.

Go on eBay and do a search for liberty tow harness, make sure it's for kj, I think is about 40 bucks, you'll need to take the driver rear stop light off and connect the harness and rerout it to the back of the jeep, 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how well you want to do the job (wire loom, esthetics etc). Depending on the hitch, you may also need to weld a metal plate if you want the trailer plug on the hitch, otherwise you can let it tucked under the rear bumper.

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

mass-hole wrote:

I wonder if its the same hitch they just dont wanna take on the legal side of things if it decides to rip off while someone is towing a 5000 lb trailer. Or maybe because it is supposed to be a bumper, it cant be put under the stress of towing and be considered still functioning.

Ding Ding Ding....we have a winner. In Chrysler eyes you CANT tow without the full tow package. When I bought my KJ, I wanted the mopar hitch, they refused to install just the hitch without the HD cooling crap.

Again, the hitch I recieved from the recall is 99% the same as my buddies CRD with factory tow. In other words it can handle what the KJ is rated for.

Sent with the power of children's screams!!!

papaindigo · **Posted:** Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:10 pm

Quote:

they refused to install just the hitch without the HD cooling crap.

I can sort of see their point on your 3.7L KJ as most gasser tow pkgs I've paid for include hitch, trailer light/brake wiring, better brakes, heavy duty alternator, and extra automatic transmission cooling. In contrast the KJ CRD tow pkg is just hitch and wiring so if all they install is a hitch even if it is, as it appears to be, identical to the original OEM hitch you cannot legally use it for towing unless wiring is added.

anyone get their free hitch yet?

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