It is a 2" receiver.
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Thanks for that. I thought so based on the photo, I have a BB on order with the tow pkg mainly for the full sized spare, but it might come in handy, one never knows.
Yes, some people order the tow package so they can use bike racks, and other accessories. So you might find it useful some day.
Even if you never pull a trailer with it, the various receiver attachments available can make it worth having. A plain rack for hauling extra random stuff on long trips, bike rack, recovery point, portable winch mount, receiver step, spare tire carrier, etc.
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Good points you guys. I have been giving it some thought lately. It might be useful on future trips to visit family in Vegas.
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If you aren't using it to tow anything, think about getting a weathertech bump step, the main purpose is to have a step so you can reach things better on the roof, but the best part about having one is if someone rear ends you, the bump step takes the brunt of the damage and saves your bumper and paint job.
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Cgparsons1983: After some thought and actually having my BS in hand, I am definitely going to get that bump step. Like you said, it's functional in several ways.
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Also the $640 cost of equipping it from the factory is far cheaper (and better integrated) than having it done at the dealer after the fact. Ask me how I know. Granted we bought our BS OB off the lot, but I definitely would have sprung for the tow package had we special ordered ours.
Our hitch will mostly be used for a bike/cargo rack. I have a Yakima EXO system that is generally bolted up to my Sprinter, but will see use on the BS.
Our hitch will mostly be used for a bike/cargo rack. I have a Yakima EXO system that is generally bolted up to my Sprinter, but will see use on the BS.
The hitch is pretty light duty. It's attached to the body, not a sturdy frame. You're not concerned about trading bumper damage for body damage? I think I'd rather the bumper absorb the force of impact, as it's designed to do, than skip it and translate those forces directly into the body.
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I got lucky on the hitch install. The original BS I put a deposit down on, they wouldn't sell me for some reason. Even after the FDM recall was found to be completed at the factory (ultimately I am thankful because that rig was a June lot rot car). They ended up getting me the same vehicle from another dealer but it didn't have the factory hitch. So they gave me a voucher for the hitch install for $550 (2021 factory was $545) so I had that done. Regular price would have been $750. Didn't get the factory tow bumper but it doesn't look bad with the cutout.
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It's a tradeoff. You have to decide what you'll use the hitch for. If all you're doing is towing then attaching to the bumper will likely be fine, although it might be wise to consider a reduction in towing capacity. If you plan to go off-road and anticipate using the hitch as a recovery point then I believe you need to attach to the unibody frame, mainly because I believe a good, hard yank using a kinetic rope would pull the bumper right off.
Do the aftermarket hitches somehow attach to the bumper? I assumed all of them attached to the body. I'd imagine anything attached to our flimsy bumpers would have an abysmal tow rating.
Edit: to be clear, in my first post I was comparing having a step installed in the receiver to not having anything installed in the receiver in the event of a rear-end collision. I just realized I didn't specify that in my post.
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Ah! I'm an idiot; I thought you were saying attach the hitch to the bumper. Please ignore everything I said in my previous statement!
I don't believe there are any aftermarket hitches rated for 2000 lbs that would attach to the bumper.
Regarding your concern, I believe in the event of a rear end collision of sufficient force the bumper would cave rapidly, transferring the majority of the impact to a unibody mounted hitch even if nothing (like the aforementioned step) is mounted in the hitch receiver.
Not really.
Bumper with OEM cutouts is $430-ish. Hitch is $180-ish. Wiring harness is $90-ish.
Definitely easier to have it pre-installed than to add later on, but to say far cheaper? Not really. Total is approximately $700, which is what I paid to do it myself. Better integrated? How so? If you buy the parts I listed it is no better integrated than coming directly from the manufacturer.
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