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[GMCnet] Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366329]

Wed, 25 August 2021 11:26

Oliver Moore

Messages: 21
Registered: March 2018

Karma: 1

Junior Member

My trailer hitch has rusted into the receiver. I squirted blasted front,
back and inside the hitch pin homes. Then attached a 3/4" 3-strand nylon
line off my boat to the ball to a tree. Straight pulling failed. I tried
backing up to get some slack and then jerking forward. Line snapped.
I don't think a propane torch would heat the receiver enough to get it
loose. Anbody solved this problem?

Oliver
1973 Glenbrook
129k miles-
Patterson engine
Cinnebar extensive suspension and steering rebuild.
Alcoa Wheels
Thorley Headers
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Re: [GMCnet] Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366330 is a reply to message #366329]

Wed, 25 August 2021 11:41

94nubble

Messages: 275
Registered: July 2011
Location: Chesapeake VA

Karma: 3

Senior Member

Get a large Monkey wrench, put it on the end of the tongue and hit it with a mall hammer up and down front and back. If it doesn't move it's probably welded in.

Tom McManus
1977 Royale
Chesapeake VA

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Re: [GMCnet] Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366331 is a reply to message #366329]

Wed, 25 August 2021 11:42

6cuda6

Messages: 975
Registered: June 2019

Karma: -6

Senior Member

Lots of penetrating fluid, letting it soak for a few days and wacking the receiver up, down, side to side and then fluid in the open edges as it moves.....might take a few days of doing this and once the rust gets loosened up a bit it will come out.

PS: use penetrating fluid and not WD40

Rich Mondor, Brockville, ON 77 Hughes 2600

[Updated on: Wed, 25 August 2021 11:42]

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Re: [GMCnet] Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366332 is a reply to message #366329]

Wed, 25 August 2021 11:48

Tilerpep

Messages: 404
Registered: June 2013
Location: Raleigh, NC

Karma: 7

Senior Member

I had a distributor that was stuck/welded in that I solved this way:
Put a steady pressure on it, and then tapped and did penetrant over time.
For the distributor I built a gantry and had a cargo tie down ratchet strap lifting straight up. On a dizzy, I erred on the side of not enough pull to not bend stuff, certainly more room for error on solid steel receiver.

In short, put steady pull on it with a winch or come-along or something. Then rap with chonky hammers and PB blaster and such. Maybe a day, a week, an hour who knows!

Don't leave out possibility of releasing tension every day and trying to tap further in, then put steady pull on it again.

1975 Glenbrook, 1978 Royale rear bath Raleigh, NC

[Updated on: Wed, 25 August 2021 11:49]

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Re: [GMCnet] Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366333 is a reply to message #366329]

Wed, 25 August 2021 11:58

lqqkatjon

Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN

Karma: 5

Senior Member

A propane torch will not do much. But try to heat and spray with kroil.

You want to put a come-along to a tree with tension on it and hammer and wait. A air chisel/hammer rapping on it. It is probably going to fight you every millimeter.

Sometimes need to dedicate a week. Tension, hammer it and let it sit overnight with pressure. Some(most you can’t). Can get behind it with air chisel.

Good luck. For proper heat, you need a proper torch and rosebud end. The metal just sucks any heat away too fadt with a propane torch.

Jon Roche 75 palm beach EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now. St. Cloud, MN http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/

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[GMCnet] Re: Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366334 is a reply to message #366330]

Wed, 25 August 2021 11:43

Keith V

Messages: 2337
Registered: March 2008
Location: Mounds View,MN

Karma: 0

Senior Member

Use an air hammer to push it out
________________________________
From: Tom McManus
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2021 11:41 AM
To: gmclist@list.gmcnet.org
Subject: [GMCnet] Re: Removing Trailer Hitch

Get a large Monkey wrench, put it on the end of the tongue and hit it with a mall hammer up and down front and back. If it doesn't move it's probably
welded in.

--
Tom McManus
1977 Royale

Chesapeake VA
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Keith Vasilakes
Mounds View. MN
75 ex Royale GMC
ask me about MicroLevel
Cell, 763-732-3419
My427v8@hotmail.com

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Re: [GMCnet] Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366339 is a reply to message #366329]

Wed, 25 August 2021 12:38

hertfordnc

Messages: 1164
Registered: September 2009
Location: East NC

Karma: 0

Senior Member

A good swing from behind onto the back of the receiver to push it in is probably more force than you can apply by pulling.

In your case, all the energy was spent stretching and then breaking the rope. A chain would work better but the tree would give a little and absorb much of the force.

A mixture of acetone and ATF is about the best rust breaker you can get, maybe 2nd to Kroil.

Dave & Ellen Silva Hertford, NC 76 Birchaven, 1-ton and other stuff Currently planning the Great american Road Trip Summer 2021 It's gonna take a lot of Adderall to get this thing right.

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[GMCnet] Re: Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366340 is a reply to message #366339]

Wed, 25 August 2021 12:49

jimk

Messages: 6734
Registered: July 2006
Location: Belmont, CA

Karma: 9

Senior Member

A shock from a sledge hammer , no tapping, just a powerful BLOW,
Constant tension will not do.

On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 10:39 AM dave silva wrote:

> A good swing from behind onto the back of the receiver to push it in is
> probably more force than you can apply by pulling.
>
> In your case, all the energy was spent stretching and then breaking the
> rope. A chain would work better but the tree would give a little and absorb
> much of the force.
>
> A mixture of acetone and ATF is about the best rust breaker you can get,
> maybe 2nd to Kroil.
> --
> Dave & Ellen Silva
> Hertford, NC
>
> 76 Birchaven, 1-ton and other stuff
>
> Currently planning the Great american Road Trip Summer 2021
>
> It's gonna take a lot of Adderall to get this thing right.
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>

--
Jim Kanomata ASE
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.gmcrvparts.com
1-800-752-7502
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Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
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Re: [GMCnet] Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366341 is a reply to message #366339]

Wed, 25 August 2021 13:27

Ken Burton

Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana

Karma: 10

Senior Member

I second this approach. Lots of Kroil, or acetone and ATF, plus time and heating followed by shock cooling will eventually take care of the problem. I find something like what you are doing takes daily application and about 5 days to break loose. You do not need to super heat it and it can be done without heat. It will just take longer, meaning more days. By heating you are trying to get the two pieces of steel to expand and contact at different rates allowing the Kroil to creep into the seams. That is why shock cooling works well.

One other thing that work, if you can get to the back side of the receiver tube, is to shock cool the draw bar with a CO2 fire extinguisher and soaking with Kroil. If you do not have CO2 a can of freon (R-134) directed directly on the inside of the drawbar tube will also work.

Time and Kroil is your friend with all of these approaches.

Ken B.

hertfordnc wrote on Wed, 25 August 2021 12:38

A good swing from behind onto the back of the receiver to push it in is probably more force than you can apply by pulling.

In your case, all the energy was spent stretching and then breaking the rope. A chain would work better but the tree would give a little and absorb much of the force.

A mixture of acetone and ATF is about the best rust breaker you can get, maybe 2nd to Kroil.

Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana

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Re: [GMCnet] Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366349 is a reply to message #366341]

Wed, 25 August 2021 19:10

Matt Colie

Messages: 8547
Registered: March 2007
Location: S.E. Michigan

Karma: 7

Senior Member

As my undergrad work was at a marine engineering school, we had a full semester course on corrosion. I bet you didn't think anybody could study RUST for half a year, well we did.
What you need to know is that iron corrodes two ways:
The first step is FeO2. This is the black stuff you don't often see.
The next step is Fe2O3. This the brown rust you know, but it isn't done yet.
A last step is Fe2O3∙5H2O - this is the big flaky brown rust that we all know and hate. The saving grace for this case is that it is really soft and have very little strength. So if you abuse it in the methods listed above, you may be able to crush the soft scale and make it let go.
So, you see, a hammer isn't a stupid idea.
I wish you luck. If the hitch is a Blain hitch, a chain and a tree might work.
Matt

Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit

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[GMCnet] Re: Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366354 is a reply to message #366333]

Thu, 26 August 2021 06:31

Bikertrash

Messages: 16
Registered: August 2021
Location: Northern Indiana

Karma: 0

Junior Member

Instead of Propane try some MAP Gas it is hotter but probably not hot
enough for that thick, like Matt said the metal will suck up the heat so an
actual torch would be the best bet.

On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 12:58 PM Jon Roche wrote:

> A propane torch will not do much. But try to heat and spray with
> kroil.
>
>
> You want to put a come-along to a tree with tension on it and hammer and
> wait. A air chisel/hammer rapping on it. It is probably going to fight
> you every millimeter.
>
> Sometimes need to dedicate a week. Tension, hammer it and let it sit
> overnight with pressure. Some(most you can’t). Can get behind it with air
> chisel.
>
> Good luck. For proper heat, you need a proper torch and rosebud
> end. The metal just sucks any heat away too fadt with a propane torch.
> --
> Jon Roche
> 75 palm beach
> EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
> St. Cloud, MN
> http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>

--
Scott Campbell
AMCA
River Valley Chapter
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Scott & Mindy Campbell Northern Indiana 1973 26' Glacier, 88,000 miles, 16" Alcoa Wheels, Rust free frame (painted), Stock air suspension, New fuel lines & sending units, New brake lines, Stock front end, Onan generator Newer Coleman A/C

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[GMCnet] Re: Removing Trailer Hitch [message #366356 is a reply to message #366354]

Thu, 26 August 2021 11:03

richshoop
Messages: 190
Registered: April 2017

Karma: 0

Senior Member

Having delt with the same thing myself. I used a smallish size hammer drill with a bolt in the chuck to transfer the vibration to the tube. Used penetrating oil to start. In my case, it took a couple of hours over several days to get it done.
Once it is out, clean it out completely, and use some nickel based antiseize compound when you put it back in.
> On 08/26/2021 4:31 AM Bikertrash wrote:
>
>
> Instead of Propane try some MAP Gas it is hotter but probably not hot
> enough for that thick, like Matt said the metal will suck up the heat so an
> actual torch would be the best bet.
>
> On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 12:58 PM Jon Roche wrote:
>
>> A propane torch will not do much. But try to heat and spray with
>> kroil.
>>
>>
>> You want to put a come-along to a tree with tension on it and hammer and
>> wait. A air chisel/hammer rapping on it. It is probably going to fight
>> you every millimeter.
>>
>> Sometimes need to dedicate a week. Tension, hammer it and let it sit
>> overnight with pressure. Some(most you can’t). Can get behind it with air
>> chisel.
>>
>> Good luck. For proper heat, you need a proper torch and rosebud
>> end. The metal just sucks any heat away too fadt with a propane torch.
>> --
>> Jon Roche
>> 75 palm beach
>> EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
>> St. Cloud, MN
>> http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>>
>
>
> --
> Scott Campbell
> AMCA
> River Valley Chapter
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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