Just bumping this up.

I forgot I had a Drawtite 41904 hitch from a truck I parted out. Class V. 10k pull and 12k with weight distributing. Also has a 2x2 receiver tube.

Gave it a quick grind down with a wire wheel and flap wheel and a coat of rustolium. I will redo it when I tear the truck down.

 

Brad (and others): hopefully my recent experience helps.

i have that drawtight hitch on that blue F250 i stopped by your place with. i also just installed the shorter mounting Curt hitch you mentioned in your first post on the truck i just rebuilt (got it for ~$120 on amazon). i would trust a heavier load to that Curt hitch than the longer drawtight any day.

nothing against that drawtight one, but that Curt hitch is seriously heavy duty. The sides of it are 5/16" to 3/8" plate with flanges and gussets for strength. the drawtight hitch (and any others that i've seen that use the longer mounting pattern) are all 1/4" plate at best - maybe thinner. they both attach with 3 bolts on each side (2x 1/2" and the rearmost 9/16" for the Curt one - not sure of the longer style ones), so attachment to the frame strength is equal. as for rigidity the hitch adds to the frame, sure longer would be better, but with all those cutouts between each mounting tab and no flanges down the whole length that drawtight style really isnt doing much to help the C-Channel frame its attached to.

as for bolt up, i can't say much about mounting the drawtight - it was on there when i bought the truck. the Curt one does theoretically use holes that are already in the truck - there were in my frame anyway and that style hitch was definitely never on there before. However, the instructions tell you to drill out all 6 holes to larger sizes to accomodate the hardware. in my case, i had to "move" the center hole on each side as things were just not lining up. i didnt want to oversize the other holes and weaken the frame connections, so i mounted the front and back and ran progressively bigger drills through the overlapping holes for the center bolt. it was the best way i could see to do it.

also, the Curt one is rated to 16,000 lbs as well.

Edit: disregard my comments on the lack of flange on the drawtight - you have a better one than is on my F250, i guess - looks like you'll be fine with that one. I'm curious, though - what thickness would you call that steel?

 

yeah, I had a brand new Curt here. It is a tinker toy in size comparison to this. I sent it right back

And the worst part about the Curt is the SMALL bolt pattern. Yes, the hitch is strong(3/8'), stronger than the truck frame(1/4") is the problem. And with the small bolt pattern you are very likely to bend the truck frame.

The Drawtite I put on #41904 covers 18" of the frame while the Curt only cover 7"

This Drawtite is 5/16 thick on the side plates and has what appears to be 5/16" receiver with 1/4 plating. This is the same hitch I had on my CCSB and it work flawlessly even though it says right on their page not to use on a CCSB. WOOPS

You old drawtite you had must have been a class III/IV.....
41004 rated @ 6k reg/ 10k WD
41504 rated @ 5k reg/ 10k WD
75038 rated @ 5k reg / 10k WD

 

well, hopefully i don't bend the frame... i don't see myself exceeding capacity, and i really don't see 16,000 lbs (times maybe 2 or 3 g's at a big bump in the road) bending our frames.

i do agree that your setup is stronger though, what with those flanges all the along the side pieces.

the other thing i liked about the Curt was that is was the largest drop i could find out there. with as high as the 350 sits stock (and it probably going up another 2" next year in my case), i wanted the hitch to hang as low as possible. having seen them both, would you say your drawtite is higher lower or equal to the Curt?

happy towing!

 

How far does the curt stick below the step bumper? My Drwatite is about 1.5-2" below the bottom of the bumper. As for the hitch its self, I should say they are equal in strength or really close.

I have seen multiple trucks with bent frames from a hitch, that is why I wanted the longest one I could find

 

i'd have to go out and measure. ...and i'd have to measure off the frame as my bumper is pretty bent and hanging down. i just threw this old one on there to get the truck through inspection. i'm probably 1.5 inches below my bent bumper, so maybe 2-3 below a straight, properly mounted one.

Bed liner and paint, modified/custom rear bumper, DIY step bars and DIY headache rack are all on the to-do list once the weather changes. ...yesterday didnt help - we got 5" of snow! you probably got more.

 

I have the 3 hole on each side Valley Industries hitch for $100. Pics and measurements if you are interested.
702-249-7368
syjl@yahoo.com

 

Yeah we got 4-5" Im sick of this white stuff

my hitch pin is 7" below the bottom of my truck frame