How to remove a rusted in hitch ?

[Black_Blade]

I had bought a hitch assembly for my van a few yrs ago and the ball was already in the receiver section at the time. I had tried taking it out a few times over the yrs with no luck but wasn't really concerned about it.

Now really want it out so I can put one of those bicycle carrier things into the receiver instead. I have heated it with my propane torch for over 20 minutes and put a long bolt thru the small hole in the back and hammered away...this was after soaking it with PB Blaster overnight.

I have read the results of google searches where people have tried hooking up to a tree and giving it a pull but those were trucks and jeeps, no a wimpy old Windstar...lol.

Not really sure what to do with it at this point. the bar going into the receiver is 1.25" solid bar that bends up to a flat bar section where the ball is bolted in.

[catvents]

Originally Posted by Black_Blade

I had bought a hitch assembly for my van a few yrs ago and the ball was already in the receiver section at the time. I had tried taking it out a few times over the yrs with no luck but wasn't really concerned about it.

Now really want it out so I can put one of those bicycle carrier things into the receiver instead. I have heated it with my propane torch for over 20 minutes and put a long bolt thru the small hole in the back and hammered away...this was after soaking it with PB Blaster overnight.

I have read the results of google searches where people have tried hooking up to a tree and giving it a pull but those were trucks and jeeps, no a wimpy old Windstar...lol.

Not really sure what to do with it at this point. the bar going into the receiver is 1.25" solid bar that bends up to a flat bar section where the ball is bolted in.

I do not think the propane torch would be hot enough to unseize the bar, you should maybe find someone with acetylene torch.

[northern piper]

yep, propane isn't hot enough. (just fyi... propane is around 1990 degrees C; OA is about 3500 degrees C).

You need OA and then the hitch needs to be heated to a dull red. Then quench the whole thing, the hitch will contract which will break the rust bond between it and the receiver.

You can pour all the propane temp you want on that but it'll never get hot enough.

Don't beat yourself up. Take it to a place that has an OA set up, offer the guy $20 cash and it'll be done in 5 min. I've never regretted buying my OA set up for this and many other reasons....

[phil-l]

Another thought: A 1.25" hitch receiver isn't the greatest setup for a bike rack anyway - and that 1.25" hole won't be in great shape after removing the currently-stuck ball mount anyway.

Why not just remove the current hitch - and replace it with a 2" model? Having installed a number of hitches, this approach will probably take less time than you've already expended, though you will have to buy a hitch. But you'll end up with a proper 2" receiver that will do a better job - and be compatible with a wider array of hitch-mounted hardware.

[MAG Wrench]

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