Removing a rusted hitch! Help please?

[LovenLifeGuy]

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 . Any help would be great thanks.

LovenLifeGuy

[Ely Lake Expert]

Sledgehammer.

Actually I have no idea what to tell you except good luck.

[Gus]

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.

[hovermn]

Mine is also locked in there. I'm thinking Sawzall 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!

[stmichael]

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.

[IFallsRon]

Call a body shop and ask how much to burn it off with a plasma cutter.

[McGurk]

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.

[Sandmannd]

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.

[Jeremy airjer W]

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.

[SCUMFROG]

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.

[Black_Bay]

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

I hope tbomn reads this. 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.

[hovermn]

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

Just a thought.

[hovermn]

Quote:

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It certainly sucks to cut off a $15 part

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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?

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.

[jtroop]

I'm with Sandmannd. Took mine off with a Sawzall.

[Whoaru99]

Blue wrench, gas axe, torch, what ever you choose to call it...

[LwnmwnMan2]

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.

[FISHINGFARMER]

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.

Farmer

[fivebucks]

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.

[Wavey Davey]

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

[hanson]

Quote:

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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.

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Thats what I was thinking.

[Guest]

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.

[McGurk]

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?

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.

[FISHINGFARMER]

Bring the neighborhood kids around, they get a kick out of it.

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

Farmer

[BuckRuttinFool]

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

[Valv]

Quote:

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

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Now you have to tell us........

[chris63]

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

[efgh]

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.

[Guest]

Nothing is easy when it comes to rusty trailer hitches... unless you take it to a shop and let them replace it.. then the wallet feels the pain.

[upnorth]

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.