Oh Boy!!! Better check your hitch!

My daughter stepped up on the ball to look in the back of the truck and said dad, it just broke! Rusted right through on the tube you slide into the receiver. Pretty scary since I just pulled my boat last Friday. Never ever seen this happen before.

Better check the rest of your vehicle too by the look of the reciever.
I put my hitch in a bucket of black oil between uses.Same with chains and other stuff thats prone to deterioration from rust between uses.

Need more salt on the roads!

Crazy

Thats crazy that hitch looks old.

Scary. I saw a truck that wrecked while towing a 24’ boat on a trailer due to the back end of the truck frame letting loose due to rusting out. Guess you should check your equipment every quarter of a decade or so.....

I need to get in the habit of pulling my hitch out after every use and greasing it like my grandfather did.

his hitch was always greased and wrapped in 2 plastic shopping bags and stowed away inside the vehicle

I left mine in on my van and when I wanted it out I hitched up to a tree with a strap pin out and it was so welded in by rust I could not yank it out, beat it with a sledge I could get it to go in 1/8 inch then yank back out 1/8 inch but never more , tried penetrating oil , just could not get it to budge out

You must not use your hitch very much lol.

Dang

Yep! Can tell what state an outfit comes from in this country, by just looking at the rust from their outfits. No need for license plates. LOL

I'm seeing lots of rusted out trailer hitches when doing state inspections.

Dang man you better check your frame and running gear too, that pickup might be about to fall apart, literally!

You saved the ball and nut, of course?

By law in Minnesota, you can not leave your receiver hitch in when not in use. New LEO in town decided to enforce it although no one removes it unless they're selling the vehicle or such. I guess if we follow the law, then we wouldn't have a problem taking it out when we need to.

Pete tow a gravity box full of corn around the block that'll loosen it up
i've seen hitches that were made out of light gauge material 1/8th in maybe less that'll rust out along the weld pretty fast

And one reason I crawl under my truck every fall and spray everything with either paint, fluid film or undercoating. And if you don't pull the hitch out before winter and lube it up, you'll never get it out.

Only way to get a rusted in insert like that one out is lots of heat. A torch with a big rosebud tip works miracles! Just be careful around gas tanks! If you do that once, you prolly will pull it out between uses next time.

this ^^^^^

Can you get the rest of the hitch out of the receiver? I bought a 2002 Chevy pickup and hitch was rusted into the receiver. I ended up cutting the receiver hitch off and replacing it so I switch them out.

Mine is almost always in place. As for a law...BS, or SHOW ME!

As for freezing up... maybe after several years. not one season.

All equipment on a road vehicle has to be working. A receiver hitch not attached, gets you those tickets
and if someone rear ends you ....your bumped did not work and all the damage is from the hitch.....your standing leg has just been cut off by the insurance lawyers with you paying the damages.

OH
all the damages...
where is PRC2 when you need him with his quote

I run a Class IV pintle hitch. I paid about $85.00 for it. I'd be afraid someone would steal it if I left it in the receiver.