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Our Wildwood, FL techs will confirm the right part for your build before you buy.
Call or Text (352) 722-5295Hitch accessories for the 1989-1993 RAM 5.9L Cummins
The 5.9L 12-valve made 400 lb-ft at 1,600 rpm from its 1989 launch, more than GM's LF9 at 246 lb-ft or Ford's IDI at 345, and Dodge offered it on D250, D350, W250 and W350 pickups and on chassis-cab trucks above 8,500 lb GVWR. That makes the first-gen a towing truck at heart. Every tow setup comes down to the same chain of connections: receiver to ball mount, ball mount to ball, ball to coupler. This page covers the middle of that chain. For engine parts, our Cummins hub has the rest.
What goes wrong
With balls and sleeves, the risk is a mismatch: a ball that does not match the trailer coupler, or a ball shank that is smaller than the hole in the mount with nothing to take up the gap. Both are setup problems you can catch in the driveway. The documented failures on a first-gen that tows hard are elsewhere. Towing heat kills the G360 manual's input bearing and overheats the A518 automatic, so whine from a manual or slipping and burnt fluid from an automatic after a long tow deserve attention. Tow-spec trucks were documented with an external auxiliary transmission cooler with a fan.
Choosing balls and sleeves
Pick the ball by the coupler. The coupler is usually marked with the ball size it takes, and the ball has to match it. Then check the shank. A reducer sleeve lets a ball with a smaller shank sit snug in a ball mount with a larger hole, so you can run the ball you need on the mount you already own. Keep the whole chain within the lowest rating of any part in it: receiver, ball mount, ball and coupler.
What we carry
B&W Trailer Hitches BW-THB hitch balls and BW-RE-SL reducer sleeves. Both work with any ball mount whose hole matches the ball shank or the sleeve. For ball mounts, pulling hitches and weight distribution, see our hitches page.
Fitment notes
Balls and sleeves fit the ball mount, not the truck. The truck side is a different question: on a first-gen, hitch fitment follows the bed and frame, not the engine. These pickups are all long beds, single rear wheel and dually trucks differ, and 250 Cummins trucks built from mid-1991 ride on the one-ton frame. Check the ball's shank diameter against the hole in your mount and the ball diameter against your coupler before you tow. If you are adding a receiver, verify by VIN.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a reducer sleeve?
Only if the shank on your hitch ball is smaller than the hole in your ball mount. The sleeve fills the gap so the ball sits snug. If the shank already matches the hole, you do not need one.
How do I know which hitch ball fits my trailer?
Match the ball diameter to the trailer coupler, which is usually marked with the size it takes. Then match the ball's shank to the hole in your ball mount, using a reducer sleeve if the hole is larger. Check the ball's rating against your trailer before you go.
What else goes on a documented first-gen tow rig?
One documented 1992 W350 dually runs a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 electric brake controller, six Bull Ring tie-downs, a B&W Turnover Ball gooseneck and a 2 in ball receiver hitch. On the drivetrain side, towing heat is documented to kill the G360 input bearing and overheat the A518, so an auxiliary transmission cooler belongs on the list too.
Not sure what fits? Call the shop at the number in the header, or use the fitment checker on any product page. We install everything we sell.