Facelift for the hitch

[TravelTiger]

I got a wild hair and decided our hitch needed some TLC. It came with our used truck. Mfg date was 2007.

Removed the decals, sanded the rust, and a sprayed a few coats of Rustoleum. Contacted Reese and they sent new decals for free. Painted the jaws white, too. We had the lube plate added in March.

Now the hitch looks practically brand new!


Before


After


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[mobilcastle]

You did a super job!!-Looks great

 

[donr827]

Nice looking job and colors.
Don

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Very Nice! Where did you get the lube plate? I'll be looking into one of those while in Goshen this year during the Rally.

 

[ParkIt]

Looks great!
We have a used one and will do the same, didn't know Reese would send original decals as well.
Thanks for letting us know about that too

 

[TravelTiger]

Very Nice! Where did you get the lube plate? I'll be looking into one of those while in Goshen this year during the Rally.

We got the lube plate at Dually Depot in Elkhart, I think it was under $70 with installation (welded on).


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[Ray LeTourneau]

We got the lube plate at Dually Depot in Elkhart, I think it was under $70 with installation (welded on).


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Thanks! I have 4 days before the rally to play tourist. I'll look them up.

 

[jayc]

Ray, when are you planning to come in? We are at the Elkhart Campground having a Pre-pre rally gathering. There are several others that are coming in here before the pre rally in Goshen. We'll all probably make that long drive across town to the fairgrounds on the 11th.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Ray, when are you planning to come in? We are at the Elkhart Campground having a Pre-pre rally gathering. There are several others that are coming in here before the pre rally in Goshen. We'll all probably make that long drive across town to the fairgrounds on the 11th.

We're scheduled in on the 14th. Lin & I are getting together with Reg & Nancy Hromek this coming week to plan a route through the U.P. to Goshen. Sorry, can't make the pre-pre rally, too much going on at home. Bathroom remodel before we can leave.

 

[ericandalice]

Wow! To think I just painted the front of our jaws with fingernail polish. Obviously I need to get out there and do a better job. Can I ask what kind of paint you used?

Also, I've noticed some rust on our hitch. When not in use, the pivot head thingy (yes, that's my technical term) rests on the hitch, so the two have rubbed and rusted. I want to stay ahead of the rust on our unit. Any idea how to fix/treat this?

Thanks,
Alice


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[TravelTiger]

Alice, we took apart the hitch and I used sandpaper first. Probably 100 grit, I can't remember. You don't have to sand all the rust away, but make sure its smooth and clean of dust. Then I used a spray-can of rust-oleum paint product that seals and prevents rust. Again, I can't recall which one, it was an older can we had. Taped off areas I didn't want painted. Put 2 coats on. I used white rust-oleum for the jaws, but used a pint can of paint and brushed on, so I could control it better. Still taped off what I didn't want white.

Over time the hitch hitting the jaws makes then not-so-white again, but they are still easier to see than black.


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[ericandalice]

Sounds great. I'll go see what I have on the paint shelf. Love the look of the all white jaws. Ours are naturally silver which still isn't bright enough to me.

Thanks for the info.


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[priorguy]

Are you available for hire???? Looks better then new.

 

[TravelTiger]

Lol, you pay my way to Canada from Texas, we can probably make a deal!

As a woman, the hitch just looked old and tacky. Especially when it wasn't towing. Mainly because the stickers had deteriorated. The hitch was manufactured in 2006. It bothered me. That's the only reason I took on the project.

The base with the silver lines is one large sticker. It wasn't too hard to apply the new.




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[mmomega]

Well look at Mrs Fancy Pants over here . Good idea, My hitch is starting to look a bit....rustic.

 

[Wmnmy]

wow looks new nice to have fresh new looking items yall did a awesome job on it .