Rusted Trailer Hitch

I’ve got a 1999 Yukon with a trailer hitch that slides in and is secured by a pin. I’ve always left the hitch in the reciever and usually only take it out for deer hunting to put a cargo carrier in its place. This year when I went to remove the hitch, it was rusted tight. I sprayed it with WD40 and banged the crap out of it with a 3# maul. It didn’t move much, if at all.

Does anybody have recommendations on how to get it out? I will hopefully be replacing the Yukon before next deer season and may just leave it for the next owner to deal with. Thanks for any suggestions.

If anyone else has this type of hitch, I’d recommend removing it when your not using it.

Bring it over to my house. Logging chain and tree!

-J.

Chain the ball to a tree and “PIN IT”

just kidding…kind of…that’s what I would do…chain it to something sturdy….put a little gas to it and while you have tension, have someone with the BFH tapping it….should come

GMTA Jon

Seriously, I live pretty close to the 94 – White Bear ave exit. Would take about a minute. LMK.

-J.

i usually take little grease and smear on the hitch to help with rusting, you can also look for a product called fluid film, get that stuff. it repells water to a point

shane

5lb hammer and ping on the ball. Pound on all sides it might move slow but it should come out. Just did it on a work truck. Then take it to a wire wheel and get the rust off, and slide a file into the receiver.

I had the same thing happen on my old truck. I beat it with a maul to get my frustration out, then hooked it up to the oak tree with a chain. Two jerks and she was out!

Jami

Thanks for the suggestions. I thought about the chain and tree approach but was afraid of leaving the tranny or transfer case laying in the dirt. I just had the rear end rebuilt in November and want to gimp through the winter before I before taking on my next car payment. Sounds like the chain is the way to go though.

you don’t need to jerk it out, just get a bunch of tension on it, then set the parking brake. get out beat it back and forth with a hammer or maul and it should come out a little bit at a time…

Log Chain + Tree + Reciever Hitch x Jerk = Broken Back Window Just set some pressure to it and BFH the sucker

It doesn’t take much of a pull. Just a little “tug” of gas with it chained to the tree.

Remember now, you only have to pull it out about 8″.

Also, the hitch is directly to the frame, so again, just a little “bump”.

I smear a lot of grease on the hitch and so far I haven’t seen any rust yet. My neighbor (CPO, USN retired) made the comment that you can always recognize former Navy guys, they glob grease all over everything

It works…

Rootski

Had the same problem. I heated up the outside and used a BFH and it finally let go. I no longer leave it in very long.

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Had the same problem. I heated up the outside and used a BFH and it finally let go.

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I’ll second the use of a torch and hammer.

Do NOT have someone hit the ball or hitch with a hammer if you have a chain on it and are pulling against a stationary object. If the chain would slip or break, or if it comes free quickly the chain of hitch might really fly out of the receiver. This could kill of maim. No kidding. Also never attack a chain to a tow rope or strap. The rope or strap will store a lot of potential energy, the chain will not. If something would slip or break, the resulting kinetic energy would mean broken bones or death are in the picture. Have your tried lubing with a solvent like WD40, heating it with a torch, striking with a heavy hammer, and then perhaps pulling against a solid, stationary object? This is what I would do. If this would not work, I would leave it. I am sure it is solid enough to still pull a boat, has just become a permanent hitch.

I am going to second the not hooking it up to a tree and pulling. Things break and when they do you have no idea where they are going, but they are going there fast. I have a buddy who had the ball of another buddy’s truck go through his arm. Yes, through his arm. Through the back window of the truck, through his arm, and out the wind shield. He never found the ball and only heard the glass break to look down and see his arm hanging there. He always says he is lucky because had it hit him in the head he would have most certainly died. Just be careful guys, this is not some thing to mess around with.

~SKINEBOY~

Done it a dozen times, no problem. You guys must have visions of some truck pulls you saw on TV or something. (Just kidding there.)

You just hook up the chain to the ball, wrap around tree. Take up the tension and give it a little bump. You don’t need to can it! Works every time.

-J.

There’s potential danger in everything we do. Just use your brain and be careful!!

If you are going to use a chain, make it a SHORT chain. If it breaks it will only damage the back of the truck.

Guys!
Slow down here!

Very little “pressure” is required to do this.

It takes 10x, if not 100x more times the energy to pull a car out of a ditch. Chains don’t break when you do that, and you are rocking and jerking hard!

Back up to a tree, hook a chain around the tree and to the ball. Pull the chain tight, then give just a little “tap” of gas. It will probably slide right out.

If not, back up about 6″, put the truck in “D”, and let go of the brake. The forward motion of the truck will probably be enough to pull it out.

Do this a couple of times, it will pop right out. There won’t be enough “kinitic” energy to throw anything anywhere.

so we can’t be rutting up the front yard with our big truck tires?? oh bummer, I was hoping to have a mud run right by the tree!

I really appreciate the suggestions.

I plan to give the chain approach a try this weekend up at the cabin. I’ve got a neighbor up there that I don’t really care for much. He’s always drinking my beer. I’ll give him the BFH and I’ll give her the beans. And no, I’m not talking about you Buck Slayer.

I’m actually pretty much a Sally when it comes to dealing with vehicles, tow staps and chains.

Hey BZZSAW, like Gary said. It does not take much presure to pull it out. The only thing is his was is not as much fun. Safer yes.

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I am going to second the not hooking it up to a tree and pulling. Things break and when they do you have no idea where they are going, but they are going there fast. I have a buddy who had the ball of another buddy’s truck go through his arm. Yes, through his arm. Through the back window of the truck, through his arm, and out the wind shield. He never found the ball and only heard the glass break to look down and see his arm hanging there. He always says he is lucky because had it hit him in the head he would have most certainly died. Just be careful guys, this is not some thing to mess around with.

~SKINEBOY~

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I agree with not hooking it up to a chain i just had a buddy who died when a cable broke and hit him in the head killing him on the sceen. This is nothing to mess around with there is a lot of tension on the tow rope and if it breaks you have no clue what is going to happen. i would rather be safe then sorry and going to a funeral like that is extremely hard to do!

Did it work?

I wasn’t able to try it yet. We had a couple inches of sloppy snow on the ground when I got up there Friday morning and the trees I was gonna hook up to weren’t easily accessable without crossing quite a bit of the grass. Fortunately, I don’t need it out right now.