Tech wrench you are spot on, removed my spare and got under the vehicle, it IS just bolted on with two bolts!!!! Totally don't trust it until its welded to thr frame. Great call!!! Is this something the dealer does with the service bulletin or should I have a welder fix it up?
If, as I suspect, you have the V6 hitch, it is actually bolted to the rear crossmember with 6 bolts. Four from the rear through the face of the hitch, and two on top. The four rear facing bolts are difficult to see with the bumper cover in place (and even harder to get to, I know). Just welding this type of hitch receiver to the crossmember will not solve your problem. The 6 bolts mount the hitch very securely to the crossmember. The issue is with the crossmember itself. The crossmember tube itself is the reason for the reduced load ratings. Look at it this way. The original factory ratings for the V6 hitch (500 lbs tongue weight) are based on using the factory ball mount.
When you put a 500 lbs weight directly on the ball mount, it exerts a rotational twisting force on this crossmember. As you increase the amount of downward pressure on the ball mount, this twisting force increases, and will eventually be more than that crossmember was designed to handle. This could result in the crossmember twisting out of shape, and resulting in the hitch receiver pointing downward. If you install any type of hitch mounted device that extends further out than the original ball mount, the extra length will increase the amount of 'leverage' any load placed on it will exert on this crossmember. So, a 500 lb weight placed 3 feet away from the hitch will exert more pressure on the crossmember than the same 500 lbs placed directly on a tow ball mounted on the factory ball mount. If you add the effect of this weight bouncing on the hitch mounted accessory carrier as you go over bumps, damage to the crossmember could be caused by a lesser amount of weight than the 'rated' amount.
This is why the V6 hitch receiver isn't rated for any type of weight distribution towing system. Because the V8 hitch is a separate assembly, mounted directly to the two main frame rails. and its 'crossmember' is designed to handle the additional twisting forces, it is rated higher than the V6 model, and can be used with weight distribution hitch systems. When the hitch mounted carrier claims it is rated for a specific amount (lets say 650lbs for instance), that means the carrier itself is rated for that amount. It doesn't mean that the hitch receiver it is mounted to is capable of the same rating.
All this being said, you may be alright with the load you want to carry. But, you should be aware of all the possible issues, before you make the decision to go with it.
