The "advice" you received is yet another example of someone who did not learn anything from a simple physics class.

Max tongue weight for my truck is 2,120 lbs. Any guesses how much that might increase while towing an equipment trailer with 15,000 lbs. on it and slamming on the brakes, going over an unexpected rough surface, etc.?

People are funny with what they "think" vs what is actually going on mechanically. There was a comment about not jacking up a vehicle from the differential. The same principle applies - does anyone really believe the stresses applied by a static dead lift are greater than the dynamic stresses applied by the weight of the truck supported by the axle tubes when hitting bumps, curbs, rocks, etc.? Think about dropping a gooseneck trailer with a 20,700 lbs. of weight onto the truck (what my truck is rated to handle). Do you think that might apply more pressure to the rear axle than lifting it from the differential? The springs being set at the outside of the axle tubes even multiplies the forces at the points where the axle tubes are pressed into the differential housing, yet the axle remains intact. Amazing !!!

Crawl under the truck and look at how the receiver is tied to the frame. It is actually designed as a part of frame reinforcement and is deemed critical to crash test performance if involved in a rear-end collision. As someone else said you could lift the entire truck by the receiver and do no harm.

The factory jack points are stupid. By the time you get the truck in the air with the ridiculous factory screw jack you are so tired you have to call AAA to change the heavy-@$$ tire for you. Do yourself a favor and buy one of these styles of jacks.

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Leave it in the truck and be amazed at how much faster and easier a tire change can actually be on such a heavy vehicle.

 

SRW truck he is probably closer to 3000 pounds than 4000 pounds, when I scaled my truck it had 3300 pounds on the drive axle and that includes a headache rack and a toolbox.

 

There is zero chance the OP damaged his truck by jacking it up from the receiver......not 1% or 2% but 0%.

Dave

 

Pure drivel. No way in hell you can bend the frame jacking it up from the hitch. Nothing wrong with jacking the rear up from the pumpkin either for that matter. Jack under that big ole hunk of iron isn't going to hurt anything.

 

Thanks everyone…I slept great last night.

 

unless a clunky old hylift jack is all a person has , it makes no sense to lift at the reciever. nothing will bend but it makes no sense at all.
lifting in the pumkin center wont bend anything if the beds empty. but loaded with a couple thousand pounds might be a different story

 

I see where you're going with this. I suppose it could bend the axle if the bed of the truck was loaded and you jacked it up from the pumpkin... Assuming your jack would lift it in the first place. I think it unlikely, but I see your point. I've also never done it with a loaded truck.

I had a couple of adapters for my hi-lift for my old truck. One of them went into the hitch. Allowed you to basically bolt the jack to the truck to jack it up. Handy to have if all you're using is one of those death traps. Most of us probably wouldn't need it, but I could see it being useful for the guys who use their trucks in real offroad conditions.