getting a rusted hitch out of the receiver?

[ScouterMom]

Anyone have any suggestions for getting a rusted hitch our of the 2" receiver?

my 'other' son - a young man who moved in with us after his dad died last summer, used my van to pull trailer loads of stuff out of their family home last fall - he never took the hitch off the receiver for about 4 or 5 weeks, and it rusted in place.  I tried to get it off, last fall,  but simply didn'thave the strength to break it free.

Now with the new/old starcraft, I need to get a lower level ball for the camper to pull level, and we can't get the bar out of the receiver.  I can pull the camper, but not level, and once loaded, it will be too much weight on the axle.  Also, at the angle it rides now, I can't 'back' it into my driveway, I have to pull it in and push it around by hand.

Believe it or not - we tried soaking it in coca cola, (it dissolves rust on nails in high school science - right?) and we're now trying a rust dissolving solution I got at the store that is supposed to 'freeze' rust  so you can break apart rusted on- screws, etc - but I don't hold much hope.  I was hoping someone here might have run across a product or technique good for getting it loose.  I really don't want to have to have it replaced totally.

[fairweathercamper]

Get a good penatrating lube ie; PB blast. spray it for a few days and take a small sledge hammer to it. Pull the pin too.
I bought an old Jeep that had the draw bar rusted solid and this worked for me.

[flyfisherman]

Anyone have any suggestions for getting a rusted hitch our of the 2" receiver?
 - he never took the hitch off the receiver for about 4 or 5 weeks, and it rusted in place.  I tried to get it off, last fall,  but simply didn'thave the strength to break it free.

I'm hard pressed to believe a hitch could have rusted that much in such a short period of time ... even over here at the seashore and salt water.  Could it have been jamed into the receiver, maybe by backing the "moving trailer" into something? Maybe a closer look might reveal something bent or twisted?  IF that might be the case, maybe stopping off at an auto frame & body shop where they could have a look at it and would have the equipment & where-with-all to remove it.

Fly ... who hates to cast aspersions on towing episodes.

[SpeakEasy]

Like Fly, I was surprised that it could rust in so solidly in so short a time. It doesn't seem right to me. I hadn't thought of the possibility of physical damage holding it tight, but you should definitely check into that. If there is some sort of physical damage trapping the receiver, that could also explain why he didn't remove it right away when he finished the job last fall.

If it truly is just rusted in, the key (beyond spraying it with rust-dissolving stuff) is to have the pin out and to smack it with a hammer. The seal just needs to be broken, so your efforts don't have to be aimed at pulling until that happens. With the pin out and a few hammer smacks, even from the side, you stand a good chance of breaking that seal.

Let us know how it turns out.

-Speak

[astrowolf67]

A good penetrating spray (NOT WD40), applied liberally over the course of a few days, along with knocking it from all sides with a rubber mallet pretty frequently will get it.  I bought a used Cherokee once, that had this problem.  The previous owner left the drawbar in all the time, and use to pull a boat.  The oil I used was called "knock er loose" or something very similar.  Once out, I had to keep applying the oil, and used a long wire brush on a drill to clean out the inside of the receiver.  Once cleaned, I kept it coated with grease.

I do agree with the previous poster though.  4 or 5 weeks seems like an awfully short time to have a bar rust up inside the receiver.  I've left mine in for the past year and a half, and it's still very loose.  It sounds as if it's jammed in or possibly bent just a bit.  If after two or three days of oiling, and trying to knock it out, it's still stuck, do as suggested and stop by a body shop.  They will be able to remove it for you.

[Jeremy]

Tie a rope around a big tree, loop the rope over the hitch ball.  Put in drive and mash the gas.  (pin removed of course).  You'll either get the receiver bar out, or relocate the tree.  A win win situation.. hehe J/K!!!

Like others have said, penetrating oil and tapping the receiver on all the sides to try to get it to break free in the tube.

This is the main reason I never keep my receiver bar in when I'm not towing.  Plus with my luck I'd bash into it while getting something out of the rear of the Trailblazer or get grease/muck on my pants.

I put my hitch cover in (that says "Toys Go Here"..hehe) and keep the bar in the storage compartment in the rear of the TV ready to go.

[AustinBoston]

Get a good penatrating lube ie; PB blast. spray it for a few days and take a small sledge hammer to it. Pull the pin too.
I bought an old Jeep that had the draw bar rusted solid and this worked for me.

I would also vote for the PB Blaster followed by a few hammer blows.  If it doesn't come loose with a few moderate hammer bows, spray some more PB Blaster and wait another 24 hours.  WD-40 is good for some things, but won't do the trick with this.

Unless the draw bar or receiver has been damaged, that will get it out.

Austin

[A2SuperCrew]

While the PB Blaster and hammering sounds like the most reasonable solution, I must admit Jeremy's big tree idea sounds like the FUNNEST solution.

[wavery]

:book: Hey ScouterMom..........................

You OK??

You didn't pull that tree over on ya.....did you?? :confused:

[ScoobyDoo]

I must admit Jeremy's big tree idea sounds like the FUNNEST solution.

      The tree/rope idea might be funny, but broken ropes can do unfunny things.
   A good hand with a torch might be the only way to get a bent ballmount out of the recever. If the recever is bent, scrape it all in one piece.

[wavery]

I'm afraid it may be too late.............Looks like ScouterMom is missing in action

[brainpause]

Guaranteed fix:

Pull the pin out of the drawbar.

Hook up to said trailer and attempt to tow trailer.

 :yikes:

This is said in jest, of course. Please don't try.

Larry

[fourgonefishn]

Tie a rope around a big tree, loop the rope over the hitch ball.  Put in drive and mash the gas.  (pin removed of course).  You'll either get the receiver bar out, or relocate the tree.  A win win situation.. hehe J/K!!!

Like others have said, penetrating oil and tapping the receiver on all the sides to try to get it to break free in the tube.

This is the main reason I never keep my receiver bar in when I'm not towing.  Plus with my luck I'd bash into it while getting something out of the rear of the Trailblazer or get grease/muck on my pants.

I put my hitch cover in (that says "Toys Go Here"..hehe) and keep the bar in the storage compartment in the rear of the TV ready to go.

 Or if you like where all your trees are  Borrow a nieghbors tree!

[ScouterMom]

Nope, I'm still alive!

Thought about trying the rope and tree trick, but the only tree around here I would risk it on is my neighbors dead maple, and I don't want  it falling over on my van, or worse yet - my house!  and I don't think it would pull the hitch out anyway!

However, the stuff I got is that PB Blaster - and we're trying that - I keep trying to remember to spray it, and go out and whack it every few hours - but I keep getting distracted.  

(we did crawl under and check the hitch - the pin is out and it's not jammed or bent - so hopefully it will eventually come loose.)

We dug into the camper rotted back board today - man, what a mess!

it is still so soggy that I got squirted a few times trying to cut into the rotted plywood! we managed to peel layers of plywood off, but couldn't get it to actually break free.   They sure put those old starcrafts together well!              

And we didn't get far in trying to get the foam off the roof, either.  we were trying to be careful and not puncture the aluminum skin.  I'd really like to get all the foam off and replace it, as it is all black mold under the foil, but it  is so well stuck on the aluminum, that it is taking forever. It's really solid. I bet we got less than one square foot off.  And the top of the camper was rocking so hard, with us chipping away at it, one of the boards holding up the corners fell over and klonked me on the head!  We tried scrapers, knives, fingers, anything to get that foam loose.  Anyone have any special techniques that worked well for you?

I had the Buddy heater going in the camper, in the garage, and it wasn't bad, but it is below freezing tonite, and the garage is so crowded with the camper in there, it's hard to move around.  I had to climb on TOP of the tool bench just to get to the tools we needed.

We decided that we will probably fix the one rotted back board and the lifter system, & patch the ceiling, for now. We'll fix the bent plate on the jack, get a jack wheel, and pull out the carpet, clean up the cushions; and leave the major interior overhaul for summer weather.   I'm thinking that I would like to replace the whole roof inside and pull up all the cabinetry and put down a new floor.  But I can't see all that happening before Mother's day - esp when I have to work every other weekend.

So we'll tacke the worst things first, I guess.

I did post some photos of the mess we made today -

[wavery]

Phwew!!! I'm relieved...............I thought maybe you tried the rope around the tree and the tree fell on your truck and...............well......you fill in the blanks :yikes:

Now......if the PB stuff doesn't work, let it dry out and take a propane torch to the hitch socket.........(please don't set the truck on fire )

When steel oxidizes it swells by about 25% but it also turns to powder (Rust). It's just that the powder occupies all of the space between the 2 pieces of metal. Heating the metal will make it expand and should allow for some movement.

If that doesn't work.......to heck with it. Put the pin back in and call it a day. At least you will know that no one can steal your receiver.