Making Certain Bolts Are Torqued Properly When Installing Trailer Hitch On 2014 Jeep Patriot

Question:

Curt C13081 on a 2014 Jeep Patriot. We installed the hitch this weekend and noticed there was about 3/16 of space between the hitch and the frame rails on each side, in other words it was not a snug fit. It took a good deal of tightening before it appeared to touch the frame rails and even then it is not tight against the rails. Is this normal?

asked by: Ric D

Helpful Expert Reply:

i called my contact at Curt and they told me that there are times when the side mounts on the trailer hitches will be banged around and sometime flex in causing the gap you said your hitch has.

They said you need to torque the bolts holding the hitch to the frame rail to 110-ft-lbs to make sure it is secure. Using a hand ratchet or trying to judge how much torque the bolts have is just not enough. A torque wrench like part # PTW3001C will work fine when installing the hitch.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L