Check yer hitches....

[RetireinPA]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

Looked like a $200 uhaul hitch, thin tube metal

uhaul = drawtite which is why I *think* it looked drawtite-ish...but the 2006-present silverados and sierras use a new type of bolting philosophy there the hitch mounts are so far forward that instead of the normal straight crossbar that the receiver tube (it aint a tube, its a square) they moved the receiver tube to the rear, so yea, THAT 'tube' is thin wall and it is bent on a mandrell (not barb - if you get the joke)


this works cuz nothing violates the lateral shearing forces of max TOW rating, and since the thin tube is also attached to the bumper, the up and down forces (tongue) are within limits. when I was raising hitch (truck plus boat) to hook up the spring bars, is when the twist of the weakened metal became evident

[johnd393]

Wow, I always thought the risk of rust through was the body of the vehicle the hitch attaches. I thought the hitches them selves were heavy enough metal to last.
No experience with towing, but I recently bought my first old SUV with any towing ability. It's mostly solid but there is scaly rust that flakes off the frame if you hit it with a a hammer. It all sounds solid when hit. Still haven't towed anything. Towing capacity is limited by low payload capacity.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by johnd393

Wow, I always thought the risk of rust through was the body of the vehicle the hitch attaches. I thought the hitches them selves were heavy enough metal to last.
No experience with towing, but I recently bought my first old SUV with any towing ability. It's mostly solid but there is scaly rust that flakes off the frame if you hit it with a a hammer. It all sounds solid when hit. Still haven't towed anything. Towing capacity is limited by low payload capacity.

The fastest rust-thru is from water, worse salty water sitting. The splash from salted winter roads onto the floorboards is not going to do as much damage as when it finds it's way into the hollow square tubes of the hitch. There is no way for it to drain, so it's sitting there corroding the steel until it evaporates or corrodes through. Another bad spot which most people never see is the floor above the gas tank, and the connections to the tank. When that salt water gets up there it sits a while too. If the fuel pump goes out and they have to drop the tank, they get a bad surprise.

[Listener2307]

Good subject, OP.
I'll get out the ol' 2 pound hammer and do a little whacking before I tow anything. My hitch is on a 33 year old truck and is probably 30 years old itself. But we don't use salt and I am far away from the coast.