Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

  • 0

Removing a rusted hitch! Help please?


LovenLifeGuy

Question

I have a hitch lock on my truck and it's rusted on! It is the kind that has a round key that you stick in the end, push and turn to unlock and pull the two parts apart. Over the summer months I have not changed this hitch out. It's way to rusted to get the key in and turn it. Will a hack saw work or does someone have a better option. I cant be the first to have done this tongue.gif. Any help would be great thanks.

LovenLifeGuy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

I've drilled these out before. Actually twice. Once because I bought the truck used and there was no key for it, and once because it rusted or crusted in place. It just takes some time and a good drill. I've had to drill at angles once you get so far in because the key cylender starts to spin. Just angle up for a bit then down. Just enough so it has something else to bite on and doesn't spin the lock cylender.

Before drilling I tried pennetrating oils every day for a week and nothing helped.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Mine is also locked in there. I'm thinking Sawzall grin.gif Sledgehammer would work, too! hehe

Of course, if I can't get the blade or hammer in there, the angle grinder's making an appearance! Nothin'll stop that puppy! cool.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I have used an angle grinder, works wonderfully. It certainly sucks to cut off a $15 part, or would that be a $30 part because I had to buy another one. This one does not stay on the truck, I take it off when not in use. Keeps the ball mount from rusting in place as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Speaking of the ball mount rusting...I think you all know where this is going...I bought my truck used w/ the 2" in place and haven't been able to get it out. Penetrating oils, heat, yanking w/ a chain, sledgehammer to loosen, I have tried everything I can think of. The good thing is the height is pretty good for almost everything I pull. I would like to get that extra 6" for parking and saving my shins (and more importantly, my wife's shins). ANY thoughts would be appreciated.

Oh yeah, try a Dremel with a carbon cutting wheel or an angle grinder, the saw business will be a pain if it works at all on good lock-grade metals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I used a sawzal on mine and it worked. Just get a good metal blade. Takes a little time, but not as much as you would think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

An air hammer and chisel bit work great. Have taken many off with this combo. As far as a rusted in ball mount. The last one we took out involved concrete barrier pillars and a pretty healthy length of chain. It may have not been pretty but it did come out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

If you can find it it's called ROST-OFF. Works great, just spray it on let it sit a day and hit the rust off. If that doesn't work torch it off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

One of my co workers used two vise grips and just twisted one off. It wasn't rusted though.

I hope tbomn reads this. grin.gif He had a receiver hitch stuck on his truck a while back and it nearly took a nuclear bomb to loosen it.

Good luck with the hitch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Find a torch and heat the receiver up, not to cut it, just heat it. This will expand the surrounding steel, hopefully enough to yank the hitch out. Any welding/mechine shop will have a torch and should be willing to do it for a nominal fee. Of course, you'd want to use some sort of heat barrier to protect the bumper grin.gif

Just a thought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Quote:

It certainly sucks to cut off a $15 part


I know! What's with that?! How can a silly keyed threaded rod and nut cost $15? Maybe they'd sell more if the price was right. Yeah, yeah. Supply and demand, I know. Still, $15? shocked.gif

My drop hitch is pretty rusted and I'd like to take if off for paint, but the cost of a new lock has kept me from that for the last year or so. frown.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

One more problem that you might run into.

Even if you cut the bolt off, you still have to pound it out of the hitch.

That's my problem right now.

My pin is rusted in, but I can't pound the thing out, even with a sledge hammer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

For stuck reciever: Acetylene torch with low oxygen applied to heat not to cut with, taping occasionally with a hammer on all sides of the reciever to nock rust loose, then instantly cool down with ice cold water. Metal should fatigue enough to allow you then with a air hammer to remove.

For key lock:

Burn it off, don't fight it. grin.gif

Farmer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I've done 2 of them with a sawzall. Now I don't bother with the locks anymore, my insurance will get me new stuff if my boat gets stolen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Moral of the story: Don't leave it on when you're not using it. That's the whole idea of a receiver hitch, to take it off when not in use. Been there, done that, live and learn frown.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Quote:

Moral of the story: Don't leave it on when you're not using it. That's the whole idea of a receiver hitch, to take it off when not in use.


Thats what I was thinking. smile.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

McGurk..

The rusted in 2" reciever is a tough one.

The only way i have successfully got them out is hooking off to a heavy chain tied off to a large tree. Put someone in the drivers seat and give it a little gas and beat on the hitch in a sideways motion with a sledge hammer... they slowly work their way out right about the time your back and shoulders start shooting pains... and they come out when you have to go dig up the bottle of ibuprofin.

The older hitches were slghtly smaller in diameter and rusting in is a problem because there was minimal room for play.. once you get the hitch out, you may never get one in again without filing the rust out of the recepticle which is a pain in itself. Its easier to replace the hitch reciever(vehicle end) with a new one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Sounds too easy, That Guy. Is there a way I could swing at the hitch using a 12lb sledge while on my back laying on broken glass shards with the exhaust blowing in my face when it's 3 deg out? crazy.gif

I tried that a couple of times (with no luck obviously) and will try it again after a few more soaks of PB. I hope it comes easier than harder, but if not I'll try the torching and flashing w/ cold water technique. That should be entertaining as well if anyone wants to watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Bring the neighborhood kids around, they get a kick out of it. grin.gifgrin.gifgrin.gifgrin.gifwink.gif

I have removed alot of expensive shafts this way without cutting them into pieces.

Farmer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Quote:

just don't hook onto a telephone pole....expensive lesson
grin.gif


grin.gifgrin.gif Now you have to tell us........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Hello,lol,lol the explainations here are always humourous,be carefull when you use heat on a receiver because they can get brittle if you heat them too much.Safety first.Whatever you will be towing could end up in Grannys front grill.Later c63

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I had a Plymouth van that the receiver hitch was rusted in. I tried every thing sugested above with heat last, all I succeeded in doing was melting a chunk out of the plastic bumper that they put on the van. those plastic bumpers are expensive. The hitch was still on the van when it was traded off. I think the thing to do is too take the whole hitch off and use a big hammer and anvil and try to break the rust loose. wink.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

This thread made me go out and kick mine just to be sure it was still moveable.

I was thinking that the replacement route may be the easiest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.