Check the receiver pin

[RichS]

Funny but just last year I had this very problem. (Hitch rusted in the receiver)


Had left it in for 7 years since I had gotten the truck. Had a lock on the pin and misplaced (lost) the key for it. Well torching off the lock was the first order of business after wasting a couple of hacksaw blades, and an hour or so.

The method I used was this.
Connect my come-alongs to the hitch tightened up good.
Heated up the receiver to a nice cherry color (Only able to get to three sides as the top is too close to the bumper.)
performed this with a torch.

Then got under the truck with a 10 lb sledge and large punch and pounded it out.

Now this still took around 3 hours and was many cycles through the tighten - heat - pound, pound, pound scenario.

Just a method I used. I thought I was going to have to cut the receiver off and buy a new one to re-weld on but lucked out.

 

[markct]

i had one rusted in pretty darn good, i was able to free it by hooking a tow strap to it and to a tree and then driving the truck forward so it had a good amount of tension on it then soakin it in pb blaster and hitting it side to side with a big sledgehammer, it took a while but finaly started to move

 

[Lazy]

Hi
A little grease once a year will keep them from getting stuck. I leave my hitch in all the time. I bought the hitch about 1978 and its still good as new.

Charlie

 

[dummy]

PB Blaster. Let it soak in. Might take a few applications, but it doesn't sound like you're in a hurry.

 

[Junkman]

Tried that and it didn't work. I was told by a trailer place that sand gets in there and then the sand gets ground down into a fine powder by the movement. When you try to pull it out, that the sand just acts like a wedge and will not release. I would try the torch method, but the gas tank is back there next to it. This truck never goes off premises, so there is no problem with it being stuck. Just would like to get it out to use on other vehicles..

 

[fishman]

Junkman, perhaps you should just buy a new truck? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Dave___in___CT]

Hi...


Stuck...

Maybe remove the entire hitch... work on it off the vehicle... maybe try a hydraulic press on it ?


Dave...

 

[Junkman]

This truck is a 1979 F-250 4 wheel drive 4 speed with a dump body on it. I have owned it since 1982 and it only has 29,000 miles on it. It came from a cemetery where it was used for plowing and until I purchased it, it had never been registered. I just couldn't justify purchasing a new truck to do the little work that this one does. The only bad thing about this truck is the $600 a year that it costs to keep it insured. CT has mandatory insurance with registration plates, and even though it doesn't leave the property, I couldn't gamble that if someone was hurt on the property by the truck, that I wouldn't have any insurance coverage. A newer truck would cost even more for insurance.

 

[dummy]

SAND? What sand? On my little trip up north all we found was rock and multi-million dollar homes.

 

[dummy]

If PB blaster didn't work and torching it is out of the question, does it have an open rear by chance? Some do, some don't. Now for the really frugal types, you need two trees, some chain (or heavy straps) and a come-a-long. Front end chained to first tree, ball hitch and come-a-long to second tree. Let the fun begin /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif