Re: More Receiver hitches

Dennis W. Farrell (dfarrell@ridgecrest.ca.us)
Thu, 12 Nov 1998 18:30:15 -0800

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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Yet another suggestion.
Preload the ball platform by using an auto jack or a general purpose
hydraulic jack between the ball and the receiver (or similar locations).
This must push the ball platform in the removing direction. For this to
work, the preloading MUST be inelastic, so towing against a fixed point
(like a light post) won't work for this one. Once you've got the the ball
platform under the most force you can bring to bear, get your 4 pound hand
sledge and hit the ball platform up, down, left, or right ONE blow.
Retension with the jack and repeat. Most rust-siezed items will give up
after at most 3 or 4 cycles. I've never used this to remove a frozen ball
platform from a hitch receiver, but I have used it successfully to remove
rusted/corroded shackle bolts on springs.

More grist for the mill !!

-- dwf
V-17 #36
M-15 #189 -- I haven't lived with her long enough yet to have learned her
name --
P-15 #1086 "PELICAN" -- 'Tis better to putter with a Potter than potter
with a putter !
Ridgecrest, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven W. Barnes <Oldsurfdude@worldnet.att.net>
To: MR MICHAEL A CANOVA <XKTS62A@prodigy.com>
Cc: wwpotter@tscnet.com <wwpotter@tscnet.com>
Date: Thursday, November 12, 1998 18:04
Subject: Re: More Receiver hitches

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> West Wight Potter Website at URL
> http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>MR MICHAEL A CANOVA wrote:
>>
>> -- [ From: Mike Canova * EMC.Ver #2.5.3 ] --
>> Attachment: 00000001.unk Code: 0ITG8EU \ Created: Unknown [1 Kb]
>>
>> Okay,
>>
>> We now know that hitches can rust in the receiver.
>>
>> And we also know how to prevent hitches from rusting in the reciever.
>>
>> Can anyone tell me what to do now that my hitch IS rusted in the
>> reciever? It's stuck pretty tight! HELP!
>
>You can do what I did to get the trailer extension tongue out of the
>Capri's trailer. Couldn't budge it, even with a block a tackle and
>winch. So I tied the back of the trailer to a light post in the parking
>of the launching ramp. To protect it from vehicles and trailers, the
>light post, for the lower 4 feet, was concrete and about 3' in
>diameter. The trailer was hooked up to the VW bus, so then I got in it
>and drove away. I did remember to remove the pin in the
>extension/trailer.
>
>After several tries of slamming forward and backing up, I had about 4
>feet of line between the pole and trailer, we finally slammed forward
>several more feet and the extension ripped out of the trailer and
>dragged along the asphault a few feet before I brought us all to a halt.
>Then it was several hours of scraping rust off the inside sleeve and
>outside extension with a crow bar. Now she slides in and out like a
>... Well you know.
>
>You should have seen the expressions on my audiences' faces while all
>this was going on.
>
>--
>Steve Barnes sailing a Capri 16, #74,
>and saleing a Potter 14, #561, in San Diego.
>OLDSURFDUDE
>